Jump to content
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Gluten Free=malt Free? How Do I Find Malt In Ingredients? Frustrated And Confused!


confused1

Recommended Posts

confused1 Newbie

So I was experiencing symptoms that I suspected to be related to celiacs (never been tested for it), just had an allergy test done today and tested positive for MALT allergy but negative for WHEAT allergy... I cant find anything on malt allergies, food lists, ingredient names and hidden ingredients. My question is do I just go on a gluten free diet to go malt free, are there foods that are malt free that arent gluten free? I have no idea what I should/shouldnt eat unless it clearly lists malt on the ingredients.....ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



mommida Enthusiast

Barley malt is the problem for Celiacs.

woodnewt Rookie

Were you actually tested for celiac disease or just wheat allergy?

Although a person with celiac can be allergic to wheat/barley, etc, celiac disease is NOT an allergy.

confused1 Newbie

i was given 26 injections for different food allergens, one of which was wheat which was negative, and malt which was positive. I have been eating a strict gluten free diet for the past 3-4 months just as my own experiment. I was having constant constipation, bloating, belching, hearthburn, abdominal pains/discomfort. Even after eating gluten free i am still experiencing some but not all of these problems. My confusion is that some gluten-free foods contain corn malt, so I am assuming that some gluten-free foods are not malt free? I have searched endlessly for some info on this and have come up empty handed. I just need to know what to look for that indicates malt in an ingredient, and also if something contains wheat does that automatically indicate it contains malt. The doctors office provided me with a VERY vague description of malt, i will type it word-for-word so you will see where my confusion comes from:

FOODS THAT CONTAIN MALT:

All baked goods, bread, pancake and waffle mixes, biscuit mixes, soda crackers, confections, wheat flour, ice cream, candy, cake, baby cereals, malted milk, infant formulas, cooked breakfast cereal, dry breakfast cereal, potato chips, powdered milk, table syrup, malt extract, malt syrup, malt vinegar, soda fountain drinks, coffee substitutes, coffee and tea.

That was the information they provided me with and my instructions were to eliminate malt from my diet. So I went to my cupboard and pulled out some dry breakfast cereal expecting to see some sort of "malt" listed in ingredients, only to find nothing that came close to that. Pulled out my potato chips, same thing. Maybe someone can help me decipher these ingredients or give me some sort of a lead to someone or somewhere I can find out. Thanks for your replies and any help you can give me, it is VERY appreciated.

confused1 Newbie

Forgot to add, I was not and have not been tested for celiacs.

psawyer Proficient

First, your list of foods that "contain malt" should be foods that might possibly contain malt, which might be from barley. When we talk about malt here, we are usually referring to malted barley.

Barley malt is commonly used as a sweetener, but it is almost always declared in the ingredient list as malt flavor. Look for malt extract as well. But certainly not all of the foods on your list contain malt.

Most of us here are sensitive to wheat. There are many foods that contain wheat, but do not contain barley. Are you sure that malt is your problem and not gluten in general?

GFinDC Veteran

Hi confused,

I think Peter has it right, the list of doc's foods may contain barley malt, not that all of those foods absolutely do contain barley malt.

It sounds like they did the skin testing for your allergies? That's where they put just a small amount of the allergen right under the skin to test for reactions. I don't think the skin tests will tell you about food intolerances. For celiac they would draw blood samples and send them to a lab to check for antibodies. Some people do have both a food allergy and a food intolerance though.

For celiacs wheat, rye and barley are the main food intolerances. You could ask your doctor for a celiac panel test. There are 4 or so different antibodie types they check. You need to stay on a regular gluten diet until the blood is drawn though. Quest labs and Prometheus Labs do blood tests, and Enterolab does a stool test. There are other labs that do testing these are just some I remember.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



  • 3 years later...
Dollee Newbie

I was diagnosed with malt, whole grain and egg allergies about 5 months ago. I have no wheat allergy. I have suffered from most of the same "tummy" troubles as you for several years.  I have found that gluten free does Not mean malt free. Malt is hidden in foods under several names. my experience has been that the more processed a food is, the more ingredients it has and usually malt. i stick to fresh made foods, lots of fruit and veggies. I understand your frustration, it seems like malt shows up in places where it doesn't  need to be.

below is a list of names for malt. I hope it helps you

 

 

 

Malt

Malted barley (or corn, etc)

Malt Flavoring

Malt Extract

Malt Vinegar

Maltodextrin

Maltose

Malt Syrup

Ethyl Maltitol

Isomalt

Hydrogenated isomaltitol

Isomaltitol Maltitol

Maltol

Malt Sugar

 

Dollee Newbie

oh i also forgot that many snack foods that are flavored usually have malt i.e. bbq potatochips and the like. 

i have found a couple of organic soups and breakfast cereals that are malt-free, so look for foods in that direction. bread is troublesome

good luck. 

kareng Grand Master

I was diagnosed with malt, whole grain and egg allergies about 5 months ago. I have no wheat allergy. I have suffered from most of the same "tummy" troubles as you for several years. I have found that gluten free does Not mean malt free. Malt is hidden in foods under several names. my experience has been that the more processed a food is, the more ingredients it has and usually malt. i stick to fresh made foods, lots of fruit and veggies. I understand your frustration, it seems like malt shows up in places where it doesn't need to be.

below is a list of names for malt. I hope it helps you

Malt

Malted barley (or corn, etc)

Malt Flavoring

Malt Extract

Malt Vinegar

Maltodextrin

Maltose

Malt Syrup

Ethyl Maltitol

Isomalt

Hydrogenated isomaltitol

Isomaltitol Maltitol

Maltol

Malt Sugar

Actually, many of these do not contain barley malt. Just because it has the four letters MALT in it does not mean it has barley in it.

These do not have barley malt in them:

Maltitol in all the ways you listed it

Maltodextrin

Maltol

Isomalt

Just to add - "Gluten Free" should and does mean barley malt free. "Wheat free" does not mean barley malt free. But a "wheat free" product might not have malt or any other gluten in it.

psawyer Proficient

I was diagnosed with malt, whole grain and egg allergies about 5 months ago. I have no wheat allergy. I have suffered from most of the same "tummy" troubles as you for several years.  I have found that gluten free does Not mean malt free. Malt is hidden in foods under several names. my experience has been that the more processed a food is, the more ingredients it has and usually malt. i stick to fresh made foods, lots of fruit and veggies. I understand your frustration, it seems like malt shows up in places where it doesn't  need to be.

below is a list of names for malt. I hope it helps you

 

 

 

Malt

Malted barley (or corn, etc)

Malt Flavoring

Malt Extract

Malt Vinegar

Maltodextrin

Maltose

Malt Syrup

Ethyl Maltitol

Isomalt

Hydrogenated isomaltitol

Isomaltitol Maltitol

Maltol

Malt Sugar

Well, that list is not accurate. Some, but not all, of those ingredients are an issue. Some of them are safe. I'm guessing somebody who did not really understand the question listed everything they could imagine that contained the letters m-a-l-t and assumed that they were malt. That just isn't so. I'll respond to each thing on your list:

Malt - Unsafe (assume barley unless stated otherwise)

Malted barley (or corn, etc) - Unsafe if barley, Safe if corn or rice

Malt Flavoring - Unsafe (assume barley unless stated otherwise)

Malt Extract - Unsafe (assume barley unless stated otherwise)

Malt Vinegar - Unsafe

Maltodextrin - Safe, regardless of source

Maltose - A sugar - Safe

Malt Syrup - Unsafe (assume barley unless stated otherwise)

Ethyl Maltitol - A synthetic, gluten-free flavoring agent, also known as Maltitol

Isomalt - Safe - A sugar replacement made from beets

Hydrogenated isomaltitol - Safe - see Ethyl Maltitol above

Isomaltitol Maltitol - Safe - see Ethyl Maltitol above

Maltol - Safe - A synthetic, gluten-free flavoring agent, similar to Maltitol

Malt Sugar - Another name for maltose, a safe ingredient

I took a long time to compose this...

Kamma Explorer

I was diagnosed with malt, whole grain and egg allergies about 5 months ago. I have no wheat allergy. I have suffered from most of the same "tummy" troubles as you for several years.  I have found that gluten free does Not mean malt free. Malt is hidden in foods under several names. my experience has been that the more processed a food is, the more ingredients it has and usually malt. i stick to fresh made foods, lots of fruit and veggies. I understand your frustration, it seems like malt shows up in places where it doesn't  need to be.

below is a list of names for malt. I hope it helps you

 

 

 

Malt

Malted barley (or corn, etc)

Malt Flavoring

Malt Extract

Malt Vinegar

Maltodextrin

Maltose

Malt Syrup

Ethyl Maltitol

Isomalt

Hydrogenated isomaltitol

Isomaltitol Maltitol

Maltol

Malt Sugar

 

 

That's interesting, Dollee.  If I'm understanding you correctly, you're allergy is based on the malting process in which enzymes develop the starches into sugars no matter what the source material is. 

  • 4 weeks later...
jmryan83 Rookie

I'm still learning about all the different hidden meanings in reading food labels. So I don't have any more information to add, except if you try something (because your not sure, and think it's OK) and you have a reaction, you'll have an answer.

 

I suspect I have either Celiac or gluten sensitivity. I've been gluten free for a week and it's been going GREAT. I made a mistake though and ate a Kellog Rice Crispie treat today though and I didn't see "wheat" listed, I missed the "malt flavoring". I got a terrible attack. It took hours to get over it. So now I know, hard lesson, but well learned.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,979
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    volivier
    Newest Member
    volivier
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      @tiffanygosci, Hello.  I apologize for your thread being hijacked.   I recognize your symptoms as being similar to what I experienced, the migraines, food and chemical sensitivities, hives, nausea, the numbness and tingling, joint pain, tummy problems, sleep problems, emotional lability, and the mom brain.  My cycle returned early after I had my son, and I became pregnant again with all my symptoms worsening.  Unfortunately, I lost that baby.  In hindsight, I recognized that I was suffering so much from Thiamine deficiency and other nutritional deficiencies that I was not able to carry it.   Celiac Disease affects the absorption of nutrients from our food.  There's eight B vitamins that must be replenished every day.  Thiamine Vitamin B1 becomes depleted first because it cannot be stored very long, less than two weeks.  Other B vitamins can be stored for two months or so.  But Thiamine can get low enough to produce symptoms in as little as three days.  As the thiamine level gets lower, symptoms worsen.  Early symptoms like fatigue and anxiety are often attributed to life situations, and so frequently go unrecognized by medical professionals who "have a pill for that".   I used to get severe migraines and vomiting after gluten consumption.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins are needed to turn carbohydrates, fats and proteins into fuel for our bodies.  With a large influx of carbohydrates from gluten containing foods, the demand for Thiamine increases greatly.  Available thiamine can be depleted quickly, resulting in suddenly worsening symptoms.  Emotional stress or trauma, physical activity (athletes and laborers) and physiological stresses like pregnancy or injury (even surgery or infection) increase the need for Thiamine and can precipitate a thiamine insufficiency. Pregnancy requires more thiamine, not just for the mother, but for the child as well.  The mother's Thiamine stores are often depleted trying to meet the higher demand of a growing fetus.  Thiamine insufficiency can affect babies in utero and after birth (autism, ADHD).  Having babies close together doesn't allow time for the mother to replenish thiamine stores sufficiently.   Thiamine insufficiency can cause migraines, pins and needles (paresthesia), and gastrointestinal Beriberi (gas, bloating, diarrhea or constipation, back pain).   Thiamine deficiency can cause blurry vision, difficulty focusing, and affect the eyes in other ways.  Thiamine deficiency can damage the optic nerves.  I have permanent vision problems.  High histamine levels can make your brain feel like it's on fire or swelling inside your cranium.  High histamine levels can affect behavior and mood.  Histamine is released by Mast Cells as part of the immune system response to gluten.  Mast Cells need Thiamine to regulate histamine release.  Mast Cells without sufficient thiamine release histamine at the slightest provocation.  This shows up as sensitivities to foods, smelly chemicals, plants, and dust mites.  Thiamine and the other B vitamins are needed to lower histamine levels.  Vitamin D is needed to calm the immune system and to regulate our hormones.  Menstrual irregularities can be caused by low Vitamin D.   Celiac Disease is a disease if Malabsorption of Nutrients.  We must take great care to eat a nutritionally dense diet.  Our bodies cannot make vitamins.  We must get them from what we eat.  Supplementation with essential vitamins and minerals is warranted while we are healing and to ensure we don't become deficient over time.  Our bodies will not function properly without essential vitamins and minerals.  Doctors have swept their importance under the rug in favor of a pill that covers the symptoms but doesn't resolve the underlying issue of malnutrition. Do talk to your doctor and dietician about checking for nutritional deficiencies.  Most blood tests for the eight B vitamins do not reflect how much is available or stored inside cells.  Blood tests reflect how much is circulating in the blood stream, the transportation system.  Blood levels can be "normal" while a deficiency exists inside cells where the vitamins are actually used.  The best way to see if you're low in B vitamins is to take a B Complex, and additional Thiamine and look for improvement.   Most vitamin supplements contain Thiamine Mononitrate, which is not easily absorbed nor utilized by the body.  Only thirty percent of thiamine mononitrate listed on the label is absorbed, less is actually utilized.  This is because thiamine mononitrate is shelf stable, it won't breakdown sitting on a shelf in the grocery store.  It's so hard to breakdown, our bodies don't absorb it and can't turn it into a form the body can use.  Take Thiamine in the form Benfotiamine or TTFD (tetrahydrofurfuryl disulfide) which the body can utilize much better.  (Ask for an Erythrocyte Transketolace Activity test for Thiamine level.  Though not accurate, this test does better picking up on a thiamine deficiency than a blood test.) Are you keeping your babies on a gluten free diet?  This can prevent genetically susceptible children from developing Celiac Disease.   P. S. Interesting Reading  Thiamine deficiency in pregnancy and lactation: implications and present perspectives https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10158844/ Descriptive spectrum of thiamine deficiency in pregnancy: A potentially preventable condition https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37458305/ B vitamins and their combination could reduce migraine headaches: A randomized double-blind controlled trial https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9860208/
    • trents
      @Riley, on this forum we sometimes get reports from people with similar experiences as you. That is, their celiac disease seems to go into remission. Typically, that doesn't last. At age 18 you are at your physical-biological peek in life where your body is stronger than it will ever be and it is able to fight well against many threats and abuses. As Wheatwacked pointed out, absence of symptoms is not always a reliable indicator that no damage is being done to the body. I was one of those "silent" celiacs with no symptoms, or at least very minor symptoms, whose body was being slowly damaged for many years before the damage became pronounced enough to warrant investigation, leading to a diagnosis. By that time I had suffered significant bone demineralization and now I suffer with back and neck problems. Please, if you choose to continue consuming gluten, which I do not recommend, at least get tested regularly so that you won't get caught in the silent celiac trap down the road like I did. You really do not outgrow celiac disease. It is baked into the genes. Once the genes get triggered, as far as we know, they are turned on for good. Social rejection is something most celiacs struggle with. Being compliant with the gluten free diet places restrictions on what we can eat and where we can eat. Our friends usually try to work with us at first but then it gets to be a drag and we begin to get left out. We often lose some friends in the process but we also find out who really are our true friends. I think the hardest hits come at those times when friends spontaneously say, "Hey, let's go get some burgers and fries" and you know you can't safely do that. One way to cope in these situations is to have some ready made gluten-free meals packed in the fridge that you can take with you on the spot and still join them but eat safely. Most "real" friends will get used to this and so will you. Perhaps this little video will be helpful to you.  
    • Wheatwacked
      @Riley., Welcome to the forum.   It was once believed that Celiac Disease was only a childhood disease and it can be outgrown.  That was before 1951, before gluten was discovered to be cause of Celiac Disease, also called Infantilism.  Back then Cileac Disease was thought to be only a gastro intestinal disease, once you  "outgrew" the colicky phase, you were cured. You were so lucky to be diagnosed at 5 years old so your developing years were normal.  Gluten can affect multiple systems.  The nervous system, your intellegence. The muscules, skeleton. It can cause neurological issues like brain fog, anxiety, and peripheral neuropathy.  It can cause joint pain, muscle weakness, and skin rashes. Epilepsy is 1.8 times more prevalent in patients with celiac disease, compared to the general population. Because through malabsorption and food avoidances, it causes vitamin D and numerouus other essential nutrient deficiencies, it allows allergies, infections, poor growth, stuffy sinuses and eustacian tubes. There is even a catagory of celiac disease called "Silent Celiac".  Any symptoms are explained away as this, that or the other thing. Gluten is one of the most addictive substances we consume.  Activating the Opiod receptors in our cells, it can numb us to the damage that it, and other foods are causing.  It has become socially acceptable to eat foods that make us feel sick.  "There's a pill for that".   It is generally accepted that n fact you are weird if you don't. The hardest part is that if you don't eat gluten you will feel great and think why not.  But slowly it will effect you, you'll be diagnosed with real diseases that you don't have. You'll be more susseptable to other autoimmune diseases.  As you read through the posts here, notice how many are finally dianosed, after years of suffering at older ages.  Is it worth it? I think not. Perhaps this book will help:  Here is a list of possible symptoms:   
    • Riley.
      Hi! Im Riley, 18 years old and have been diagnosed for 13 years.. the testing started bc I stopped growing and didn’t gain any weight and was really small and thin for my age.  I got diagnosed when I was 5 and have been living gluten free since, in elementary and middle school it was hard for me and I kept contaminating myself bc I wanted to fit in with my friends so so badly. I ate gluten secretly at school and mostly regretted it 30 minutes later.  I’ve had symptoms like diarrhea, nausea, headaches, stomachaches, threw up a lot and was really emotional.  In 2022 I really started working on myself and tried to stay gluten free and if I did eat gluten I wouldn’t tell anyone and suffer in silence.  Last year in July I begged my mom to let me „cheat“ one day bc I just wanted to fit in… I ate a lot of different stuff, all the stuff I missed out on in my childhood like nuggets, pizza and all that.. I didn’t have symptoms that day and was doing really fine My mom and I wanted to test how far we can go and said we would test it for 12 weeks to get my blood taken after to see if I’m doing good or if symptoms start showing  As a now 18 year old girl who finally gained a normal weight and doesn’t get symptoms I’m to scared to get tested/my blood taken cuz I finally found comfort in food and it got so much easier for me and my family.  A year and 4 months later i still didn’t get any symptoms and have been eating gluten daily.  I’m scared to get tested/my blood taken cuz what if I’m actually not fine and have to go back to eating gluten free. Any tips to get over that fear and „suck it up“ cuz I know I could seriously damage my body… sorry if I seem like a idiot here… just don’t really know what to do :,)
    • Mari
      There is much helpful 'truth' posted on this forum. Truths about Celiac Disease are based on scientific research and people's experience. Celiac disease is inherited. There are 2 main Celiac 'genes' but they are variations of one gene called HLa - DQ What is inherited when a person inherits one or both of the DQ2 or the DQ8 is a predisposition to develop celiac disease after exposure to a environmental trigger. These 2 versions of the DQ gene are useful in diagnosing  celiac disease but there are about 25 other genes that are known to influence celiac disease so this food intolerance is a multigenic autoimmune disease. So with so many genes involved and each person inheriting a different array of these other genes one person's symptoms may be different than another's symptoms.  so many of these other genes.  I don't think that much research on these other genes as yet. So first I wrote something that seem to tie together celiac disease and migraines.  Then you posted that you had migraines and since you went gluten free they only come back when you are glutened. Then Scott showed an article that reported no connection between migraines and celiac disease, Then Trents wrote that it was possible that celiacs had more migraines  and some believed there was a causal effect. You are each telling the truth as you know it or experienced it.   
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.