Is Spelt Gluten-Free and Safe for People with Celiac Disease?

Celiac.com 01/25/2018 - People with celiac disease need to avoid consuming products that contain gluten, including those made with wheat, rye and barley.

So, what about spelt? Is spelt gluten-free? Is spelt safe for people with celiac disease? The short answer is no, spelt is not gluten-free, and no, spelt is not safe for people with celiac disease.

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On problem is that many products that contain spelt are labeled "Wheat-Free." Plenty of food that includes spelt claims that spelt is easier on the digestive system than wheat. It has also been called a "wheat alternative." This has caused some confusion around spelt. Some people point out that spelt has a different structure than standard commercial wheat. That's true, but the differences are very slight. In fact, spelt shares about 98.5% of its DNA with wheat.

So, many people believe that if you can't eat wheat, then it is okay to eat spelt, but that is false. At least if you have celiac disease or a genuine sensitivity to gluten. Spelt contains gluten. Eating spelt means eating gluten.

Spelt is not safe for people with celiac disease.

Remember, products labeled wheat-free are not necessarily gluten-free. People with celiac disease should avoid spelt. They should also always confirm that food is gluten-free.

If you're not sure about an ingredient in a product, consult the Celiac.com Safe and Unsafe lists.

Resources:

• https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/forbidden-gluten-food-list-unsafe-ingredients-r182/
• https://celiac.org/live-gluten-free/glutenfreediet/sources-of-gluten/
• https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/23425-the-question-of-spelt/
• http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1094/CCHEM.1999.76.4.548/abstract;jsessionid=19F8EE3B345F8A292A5BD35006F63333.f01t02
• https://www.glutenfreedietitian.com/spelt-is-wheat-dont-eat/