DECODE THE LABEL

What health claims on food packs mean

THIS week: Gluten free THE gluten- free label indicates a food contains no more than 0.002 per cent gluten — a protein found in wheat and other grains such as rye and barley.

A food labelled this way is suitable for people with coeliac disease, which affects one in 100 people in Britain — symptoms include bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and constipation — or for people who have non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (which can have similar symptoms, although the mechanism is thought to be different).

However, increasingly otherwise-- healthy people are choosing gluten- free foods in the belief that they help with weight loss, reduce bloating and aid digestion.

But dietitian Sarah Schenker says: ‘They are not the magic weight-loss bullet many people seem to think they are.’

Gluten-free foods can contain high levels of saturated fat, salt or sugar and tend to be more expensive, she adds.

The bottom line is, if you think you have a sensitivity to gluten or coeliac disease, it’s important to see your GP and get properly tested before you make a drastic change to your diet.