This yummy spread for which all of us crave is naturally gluten-free. Peanut butter is simply made up of about 90% of peanuts, along with various oils, sugar and maybe a touch of salt. All these ingredients make a ‘natural gluten-free’ peanut butter.
Gluten is found in wheat, rye, bulgur, barley, farina and triticale. None of these components are used in peanut butter.
However, it doesn’t mean that if producers don’t use any gluten-containing ingredients in the product, it is safe for a gluten-free diet. If you are an IBS patient or have gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, then at least you should look at the label on the packaging before buying it.
Gluten-free diet followers should also check the labels and disclaimers carefully before consumption. Apart from all these, it is observed that an increased intake of gluten can result in addiction for gluten-containing products. Other studies have shown that there may exist a relation between Cerebellar ataxia, and gluten.
The cause for glutenin filtration into the peanut butter may be because of carelessness or non-adherence to the procedures during the manufacturing process. This ignorance leads to cross–contamination.
The Potential Explanation For This Cross-Contamination Can Be
Products containing wheat are manufactured in the same facility; allowing wheat into manufacturing unit via on-site cafeteria or staff lunches.
However, you can still enjoy this tasty treat by just being careful while buying the product. Here’s a list of some peanut butter brands which as per the ingredients list offers you gluten-free peanut butter:
- Kraft
- Planters
- Jif
- Adams
- Smuckers
- Real Brand
- Meijer’s
- Skippy
- Peter Pan
- Squirrel
Although, these products may or may not be labeled as gluten-free they can be trusted as all standards and procedures are met by the companies.
As far as possible stick to the products which are GFCOcertified. Always wash utensils before using them as they might contain traces of gluten.
To prevent contamination of your peanut butter jar, initiate “no double dipping” policy. Use only clean knives for spreading. These are some of the ways by which you can avoid cross-contamination and can lead a healthy gluten-free diet.
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