We celebrate World Chocolate Day every year on July 7. If you ask anyone do you want to have some chocolate, they won’t refuse because we all love it and it makes you feel good. Kids, adults, old ages, boys, girls, everyone loves it. Gender and age don’t explain your love for chocolates.
But the fact is that your favourite chocolate and your love for them may come to its finish point when you will find that your dearest chocolate might have gluten, contradicting the tags that the majority of companies have on their products.
People are changing to a gluten-free lifestyle because of allergies or sensitivities to the protein seen in wheat, barley, and rye. Weight loss purpose is also one of the reasons for switching to a gluten-free lifestyle.
I have a bad news for all the chocolate lovers who have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity or choose a gluten-free diet that the gluten-free products labels you find on the packages tend not to guarantee its purity.
But the question arrives “what is gluten?“
So, here it is:-
Gluten is a common name that has given to the proteins discovered in wheat, rye, barley, farina, bulgur, and triticale.
Therefore, the question arises- can you eat chocolate on a gluten-free diet? is there gluten in chocolate bars? does chocolate have gluten?
Is there Gluten in Chocolate Bars?
Chocolate on its own contains no gluten naturally. It is usually combined with ingredients that do possess this protein. Cocoa beans, cocoa butter, sugar, and occasionally vanilla, lecithin (to ensure the cocoa butter doesn’t split), and milk or cream comes into the creation of chocolate.
Just like, A plain chocolate bar will not possess gluten but a chocolate candy bar that includes a wafer or other ingredient produced from wheat might undoubtedly possess gluten.
Cross Contamination of Chocolate
It’s not just chocolate possess gluten in case specific ingredients are included, this could also possess gluten if contaminated with wheat, barley or rye throughout processing.
In case a chocolate bar is made one a single equipment as licorice that normally includes wheat, this could possibly possess trace quantities of gluten chosen upon the equipment. Because of this, numerous complaints that make wheat products in their facility don’t tag chocolate as “gluten-free”.
Gluten-Free Certification Organization
There is the Gluten Free Certification Organization who certify a number of chocolate products, which examine and check facilities and products to guarantee they are gluten-free.
Endangered Species is one company that offers certified gluten-free chocolate. Certified gluten-free products of Endangered Species have All-Natural Milk Chocolate with Almond bar and the All-Natural Supreme Dark Chocolate Bar.
You should always opt for products which are qualified by Gluten Free Certification Organization.
Products Tested for Gluten
There are companies (Hain Celestial Group) that test their products to make sure it satisfies the international standard for gluten-free marking that is underneath 20 parts per million of gluten.
the Hain Celestial Group company produces gluten-free chocolate products include Chocolate Dream bars and chips and Tropical Source bars and chips.
Products that not include Gluten Ingredients
Several companies manufacture both gluten-free and non-gluten-free products and offer lists of products which include no gluten ingredients.
Nestle is one of the companies that claims many products are gluten-free such as Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips and Baby Ruth bars.
Cadbury is another company that keeps a list of products which don’t include gluten. Cadbury Creme Eggs and Cadbury Mini Eggs are on this list of chocolate products.
Take into account that both of the companies make products which include gluten ingredients, therefore cross-contamination could be a problem.
Is Gluten Bad For Health ?
The usage can negatively have an impact on your intestine in case you’re IBS sufferer due to this gluten may not appear to be healthy. Gluten contributes to the unwanted craving of gluten-containing products because of addictive qualities it includes.
In addition to this, it is linked with the neurological condition. Research have displayed that consumption of gluten can lead to brain-related diseases.
So, next time when you go buy your favourite chocolate or before you take a bite of your preferred chocolate bar you must cautiously look over every label of the product.
I have already answered if there is gluten in chocolate bars or not.
Let us know what you think about gluten presence in chocolate via comments.