Soy milk and gluten

Question: Does soy milk have gluten?

Answer:

When you are first diagnosed with celiac disease you may find that you are also lactose intolerant. This means that as well as removing all sources of gluten from your diet, you must also cut out milk products.

You can still enjoy alternatives to cow's milk, one of which is soy or soya milk.

Many brands of soy milk are gluten free as well as lactose free. They are also suitable for vegans.

In my own research I came across the following brands that say they are gluten free...

Pacific Natural Foods Enriched Soy Milk Silk Soy Plain Soymilk Natura Brand Soymilk Westsoy Soya Life Organic Nature Organic Valley EdenBlend Organic Rice & Soy Beverage EdenSoy Unsweetened

(If you know of others, please use the comments form at the bottom of this page to add them to the list).

However, although they may be gluten free they are not necessarily the right choice for a celiac. Those of us with this condition often have extensive damage to our GI tracts and there are ingredients in soy milk that can irritate us further.

One of these is Carrageenen, a gel which is used to improve the texture of commercial food products. This product can induce inflammation in the intestines, and over time can lead to ulceration.

Vitasoy is one brand that is Carrageenan free, but do avoid the Calci-Plus range as that is not gluten free.

If you have problems eating soy (it can cause diarrhea, constipation and skin problems) there are alternatives that are also lactose free. These include...

Rice Milk
Almond Milk
Hemp Milk
DariFree (made from potatoes)

Although labelled gluten free, I would advise you to avoid Rice Dream, as barley is used in the production process.

I hope this information helps and please feel free to comment below to add any extra information about soy milk and gluten free diets.

Carol