Daily Archives: July 5, 2014

Wheat and Gluten – Have You Ever Wondered What’s the Difference?

Some people suffer from allergies and intolerances to wheat and/or gluten. These allergies and intolerances can cause symptoms that are fairly mild to life threatening.  What is the difference between wheat and gluten?

It seems that sometimes the words are used almost interchangeably in ingredient lists and conversations about what ails us, but there is, in fact, a difference!

  • Wheat is a grain. We all know that. Gluten is the sticky protein that is found in wheat and other grains such as barley, rye, malt, and – to some extent – oats. Wheat and gluten are related – they come together in a package.
  • Gluten is what binds the dough in breads and baked goods. So if wheat and gluten are not the same thing, but are so closely related, is it possible to have an allergy or intolerance to one and not the other?

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