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Is spelt safe for a wheat-free or gluten-free diet?

Posted on March 11th, 2009 by Alison 8 Comments »

speltMany people believe that if you can’t eat wheat, then it is okay to eat spelt. It is said that spelt is easier on the digestive system than wheat and so it has been called a “wheat alternative.” Spelt products, including bread, were even labeled as “wheat-free” prior to 2006. What happened in 2006? That’s when the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) took effect and food manufacturers were required to list the top 8 allergens on their labels. As a result, products using spelt and kamut had to put “wheat” on the label. Why? Because they are wheat!

Spelt is an ancient grain that is a sub-species of wheat. People who are allergic to wheat probably cannot tolerate spelt and should avoid it, although some wheat-intolerant people say that they are able to tolerate spelt.

People with celiac disease or gluten intolerance should NOT eat spelt (also known as “farro” or “dinkel”) because it contains GLUTEN. Same goes for Kamut, triticale, emmer and einkorn — all of these are cereal grains that have been marketed as “wheat alternatives.” All are in the wheat genus, however, and have biological names starting with “triticum,” the Latin word for wheat.

So, bottom line, if wheat is off-limits for you, then it’s best to stay away from spelt!

Read more about the gluten-free diet.

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Comments

  1. zia, on March 17th, 2009, said:

    Ha! I knew it! When people hear I’m gluten intolerant they always say “Oh, well have you tried spelt? It’s not wheat.” And I always give them a funny look and say “Uhhhh….” because my doctor wrote spelt down as one of the wheat grains to avoid. So now I know and I can say “No, of course not you fool! Spelt is wheat!” Haha thanks! :P

  2. ellen, on March 30th, 2009, said:

    Thank you for reminding people of this. I am still quite distressed by a radio program I heard last week in Humboldt County, CA, on a station from Ashland, OR. The program featured a “nutritionist” who apparently works as a nutritional counselor in the Ashland area. During the interview/show, she claimed she has “celiac’s disease” [sic] and that people with “celiac’s” can’t eat “hybridized” wheat, but “non-hybridized” forms of wheat are fine, such as spelt and kamut. She also cited rye bread as an acceptable alternative for celiacs! I am distressed that not only did they give this ignorant woman air time, but that she apparently makes her living counseling people with special dietary needs. It’s so depressing that even with all the info, so much dangerous misinformation is still being given to people. Thank you, Alison, for being such a consistent voice of reason.

  3. Charise, on October 11th, 2009, said:

    I am horribly gluten intolerant and get VERY sick when I eat any wheat, organic or not. I CAN tolerate Spelt and Kamut and have tried it with great success. Apparently, I am just intolerant to man’s hybridization of wheat, not the wheat that hasn’t been fooled around with. That woman on the radio was not ignorant. It is worth a try for anyone. I would much rather be eating homemade spelt bread than rice muffins anyday!

  4. Danielle, on September 24th, 2011, said:

    I am intolerant to spelt, would that mean I should avoid wheat?

  5. alan albright, on October 5th, 2011, said:

    Look if you feel you have a gluten intolerance, get a test of this, science has had a test for if for some time.
    If it is a dietary choice Good for you! but avoiding gluten will change your life because it is in so many things but does NOT cause any problemn for THE majority of people and Science has not found a cause for the myriade of probblems blamed on this….So worry about what comes out of your mouths that cause you and your children problems and less on what goes in!

  6. Maverick, on November 18th, 2011, said:

    I’ve had ‘the test’ (blood test) for wheat sensitivity, however I have read that this test will come up negative if you have avoided gluten and wheat products (there is nothing for you to react to)…I came out negative. I am not celiac, I don’t KNOW if I have an allergy but what I DO know is that I react SEVERELY and negatively to pasta and thus have had a ridiculous fear of noodles (unless they are rice noodles…just fell in love with vietnamese!!!!). I don’t eat white bread and eat spelt which I seem to be fine with. Trial and error I think is the best way, we are all individuals and we should ALL be listening to what our body’s tell us (and they do talk to us on a daily basis). Something may work for one person and not another…we are ALL individuals, treat yourself that way :)

  7. Isharen, on November 26th, 2011, said:

    I react to wheat. I am not gluten intolerant but have an allergy to wheat. I have been eating homemade spelt bread with no problem.

  8. Maggie, on January 10th, 2012, said:

    Spelt is not wheat.

    BUT spelt does have gluten, like wheat, along with rye, kamut, and some say oats. If you are allergic to gluten, don’t eat any of these!

    I think the FALCPA was greatly misguided to include spelt as wheat. I have a dangerous allergy to wheat (not gluten) and can eat spelt fine. Now, all the spelt products I eat are labeled, “contains: wheat.” I am worried that some manufacturers will put wheat in their spelt products since their labels say it has wheat anyway. This could be disastrous for people like me.

    Perhaps, they could have another warning for gluten specifically, differentiating wheat from gluten. I know they were trying to protect those with a gluten allergy from eating the lesser-known grain, spelt, but it’s counter-productive to try to inform people with misinformation. The best thing they can do is provide the most specific, comprehensive information so people of all allergies can know what they are eating!

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