If you are coeliac, have a sweet tooth, and love chocolate specifically, it might be daunting to consider a world without it, but don’t worry, there is lots of chocolate that is gluten-free. We’ve put together a guide to gluten free chocolate to help you understand what you can and can’t eat as a coeliac looking to maintain a gluten free diet.
It takes dedication and a strict commitment to finding the correct gluten-free products and ingredients to successfully live on a gluten-free diet. Sweets, and chocolate as a sub-category of this, can sometimes be awkward, as some of it is gluten-free and other types of chocolate contain gluten.
What is gluten and gluten intolerance?
Gluten is a type of protein that is present within many different types of grains. These grains include wheat, barley, and rye, amongst others. Most people can digest gluten without any issues, but there are some people who suffer side effects from the digestion of gluten. This could be intolerance to gluten or coeliac disease, triggering an immune response that makes the body feel that it must attack healthy tissue. Symptoms of gluten intolerance include fatigue, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and many other potential issues. Once you suffer from these types of symptoms it is important to seek professional medical advice.
Gluten and chocolate
The starting point of chocolate, pure chocolate in all its forms, is gluten-free. It is made from roasted cacao beans, and this is naturally gluten-free. Pure chocolate is not something that the vast majority of people will eat, of course. There are high-quality chocolate brands around that are made using only a few, simple, high quality ingredients, such as cocoa butter, sugar, and liquified cacao beans, which are gluten-free.
What popular chocolate brands are gluten-free?
It might seem daunting at first to figure out which of your favourite chocolate bars you can buy when you’re in the supermarket shopping or if you just fancy a quick bar as a treat. Luckily, many chocolate brands have gluten-free chocolate, including:
- Cadbury – you can use the Cadbury website to filter for dietary requirements, and favourites such as Dairy Milk, Twirl, Wispa, Flake, and Crunchie are all gluten-free.
- Nestle – KitKat is out because of the wafer, but you can eat After Eights, Walnut Whip, and Peppermint Aero Bubbles.
- Mars – within the Mars range, there are a few gluten-free options, including Bounty, Snickers, Galaxy bars, Ripples, Minstrels, and M&Ms.
- Green & Black’s – organic and natural ingredients are used with this chocolate brand, and the majority of the products available do not contain gluten, although they cannot guarantee no risk of cross-contamination.
- Terry’s – the staple chocolate orange from Terry’s does contain gluten, however, they do manufacture an All Gold box of chocolates that has gluten-free products.
Ask for help with gluten-free products
If you love chocolate and have recently been diagnosed with coeliac disease, it is important to seek help wherever you can. Your GP or health specialist will offer advice and guidance on what you should be looking out for. Also, depending on your location and circumstances, you might be eligible to qualify for gluten-free products on prescription. With this, you’ll find a wide range of products and ingredients, as well as advice on recipes such as gluten free chocolate cake and many other recipes that are perfect for those on a gluten free diet, and that are packed full of flavour.
