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How To Tell If Your Fiber Supplement Is Gluten Free
Logically, it seems like MOST fiber supplements should be gluten free. After all, they’re usually made from ingredients like psyllium husk and flax seed, which are naturally gluten free.
How is it possible for the controversial wheat protein find its way in there?
Unfortunately, gluten has found a way to sneak into many of the top-selling fiber products on the market.
Is it in the one you take?
Read this guide to find out!
For people with gluten allergies or sensitivities (or people simply looking to eat more cleanly) it’s crucial to understand why and where gluten might be lurking in your fiber supplements – and more importantly, how to find the best gluten free fiber supplement.
Why Is Gluten Added to Some Fiber Supplements?
Despite the fact that gluten has been vilified in recent years, wheat protein actually does some pretty amazing things. For instance, is is used as the “glue” to keep bread together. This is a good thing for bakers and artisan bread makers (not so great for those of us who are sensitive to gluten).
But what does a wheat protein have to do with fiber supplements?
Quite a bit, unfortunately.
Many times cheaply made supplements will use gluten-laden ingredients to aid their powders in mixing together better. Adding gluten is a quick fix for manufacturers who want to improve the texture of their fiber supplement without harming its nutritional profile (you can learn other ways that supplement companies scam you here).
In addition, Gluten is sometimes used, in the form of wheat bran, as an insoluble fiber in fiber supplements. While wheat bran has a high amount of fiber, it is obviously not a good source for those that are sensitive to gluten.
Alternative high fiber ingredients that are gluten free should be used instead, such as Psyllium Husk Powder, Flaxseed Flour, and Apple Fiber. These GF ingredients are found in our Fiber Food daily fiber product (save 50% off your first bottle here).
Lastly, if a manufacturer isn’t thorough with how they create their products, cross contamination can occur. Wheat protein can leach into products that it was never intended to be in. This happens when machines aren’t cleaned thoroughly between batches.
This is why it is important for a company to not only formulate products to be free of gluten, but to also test for gluten after each batch is created. This ensures complete safety.
We do thorough testing on our Fiber Food product to ensure that it is free of gluten and other potentially harmful ingredients.
Never trust a supplement as being safe unless it has been tested and shown to be free of gluten.
Common Fiber Supplement Ingredients That Contain Gluten
There are many different ingredients that are used to create fiber supplements. Some of them are completely safe, some are borderline safe, and others are completely fine. Below is a list detailing whether coming fiber ingredients are safe or not.
•Wheat Dextrin
A fairly common fiber supplement ingredient. This ingredient is actually quite controversial. It comes from a part of the wheat plant that doesn’t contain gluten. That being said, due to cross contamination, those who are very sensitive should stay away from fiber products with wheat dextrin.
•Flax Seed
Flax seed is a fantastic source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. It is naturally gluten free and acceptable for those with sensitivities. A bonus with flax seed is that it has a delicious, slightly nutty flavor. Good on it’s own, or in a drink mix.
•Inulin (also known as Chicory Root Fiber)
Inulin is naturally free of wheat protein, that being said, it is not the best fiber ingredient as it can cause digestive problems. This is due to its status as a highly fermentable fiber.
•
Psyllium Husk (also known as Psyllium Seed)
Psyllium husk is made from the seeds of the Plantago ovata plant. Since it is by definition a seed (and not a grain) it is naturally gluten free. Psyllium is a fantastic source of fiber.
Choosing the Best Gluten Fiber Supplement
If you deal with gluten sensitivity, then you need to be careful. Gluten is hiding everywhere!
So how can you find the best gluten free fiber supplement?
First, select a fiber source that is naturally free of gluten and any other ingredients you may have sensitivities towards. Thankfully, there are many common fiber supplement ingredients – from Psyllium to Flax – that are naturally gluten free. Still, you’ll have to consider if you have any other food restrictions and allergies that limit your options.
You’ll also want to be sure that your fiber source is certified Organic. This will limit the amount of other potential irritants and nutritional troublemakers that are in your fiber supplement.
Organic products are higher quality products. This is true for meat and produce as well as supplements.
Finally, check the label to be sure that no gluten has been added to your supplement. This can be tricky since most fiber supplements available have incredibly long lists of ingredients and sometimes even use code names for gluten, like “wheat protein”.
This might take some extra research, and in some cases, even require a call to the company.
If you are extremely sensitive, you will also want to avoid powders that are processed in facilities that handle gluten-containing products. Either that or make sure that the company that created the product tested for wheat in the final product.
The Best Gluten Free Fiber Supplement Is Made Only From Fruits, Vegetables, and Plants
Of course, many of the above steps can be avoided if you select a fiber supplement that is Organic and made from only fruits, vegetables, and plants!
Our fiber supplement is Vegan certified and is naturally gluten free. Additionally, we test each batch of Fiber Food to ensure that there is no trace of gluten.
Use this link to save 50% off your first bottle - take advantage and save!
We do this so that you can supplement with confidence!
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