Andrea and I come across questionable ingredients all the time, even after five years of living gluten free, we still continue to learn about what foods are safe and which ones are not. maltodextrin is one of those ingredients that we continually scratch our heads over primarily because if it is made from a wheat derivative, it may not be identified on the package. this issue is primarily due to lack of strict food allergen labeling regulations in most countries.
as Andrea and I have written many times, living gluten free requires you to be a bit of an ingredient detective, and in this case, we needed to know what maltodextrin is in the first place. maltodextrin is a common food additive in products like potato chips and yogurt. maltodextrin is classified as a polysaccharide and is produced by the hydrolosis of starch.
in order to determine if maltodextrin is gluten free, it is important to know what starch it was made from. maltodextrin produced in Canada or the US is usually made from rice, corn or potato and these are all gluten free. however, in products made from Europe, maltodextrin is frequently made from wheat.
food labeling regulations in Canada identify wheat as a priority allergen, and therefore, if maltodextrin is derived from wheat, it should be identified in the ingredient list, but it is always recommended to contact the manufacturer directly. also, don’t be fooled by the reference to ‘malt’. maltodextrin does not contain malt.
more on other questionable ingredients coming soon…Robyn.
Share
Posts
3 comments:
Maltodextrin in North America is primarily produced from corn. So it is important to be wary because many, many people have issues with corn.
Maltodextrin has many negative side effects including high carbohydrate values. Thsi is very dangerous for diabetics. It also contributes to anger issues and low blood sugar.
Susan
Maltodextrin is a sugar and classified as a complex carbohydrate. It is absorbed into the blood stream very quickly and gives the body an energy boost. This boost can be important in speeding up nutrients, such as protein, amino acids and creatine to the muscles. Thanks a lot.
Dont mind the spelling!
Really you hit the nail on the head. i have recently started going to the gym in the past year and im getting to the ppoint where i am taking suplamentation. I am also allergic to CORN, so when a label says fructose or maltidextrin, it is very frustrating. Also every weight gainer out there is made with Waxy Maze........corn starch. If anyone knows of a natrual weight gainer of any kind of wheat maltidextrin please let me know.
Post a Comment