what about gluten? 了解「麩質」

gluten-free burger and plant-based butter chicken at Meet in Vancouver / 無麩質漢堡和植物性印度奶油雞 溫哥華 Meet 餐廳

“gluten-free” is a commonly known term now in most parts of the world, but what is gluten? gluten is a family of proteins found in wheat(there are multiple kinds), barley, and rye. it is simple as that.

「無麩質」的食物越來越多，但妳/你知道什麼是麩質嗎？ 麩質是存在於小麥(有許多種)、黑麥、大麥裡的蛋白質，沒錯就這麼簡單。

omusubi made with brown rice, quinoa, amaranth turmeric rice / 糙米、藜麥、莧籽薑黃飯做的飯糰

what can one with celiac or gluten sensitivity eat? anything that is not wheat, rye or barley. grains like quinoa, millet, rice, buckwheat(which technically is a seed), amaranth, sorghum etc. and a tricky one, oats. oats are often cross-contaminated with wheat when planting in rotation or while processing. make sure to choose certified gluten-free oats.

不吃麩質，能吃什麼？任何不是小麥、黑麥、大麥的穀物，例如藜麥、小米、米(所有)、蕎麥(其實是種籽)、莧籽、高粱等等，較難分辨的是燕麥，燕麥本身沒有麩質，但在和小麥於同塊土地種植或加工時造成的交叉感染讓它染上麩質，所以要吃得選購無麩質認證的燕麥。

common gluten-containing foods ⊳ regular soy sauce | replace gluten-free tamari instead ⊳ beer ⊳ brewer's yeast ⊳ baked goods | bread / toast / cake / biscuit etc. ⊳ wheat-based food | noodles / dumpling / buns / pancakes etc. ⊳ malt ⊳ breakfast cereals ⊳ couscous | looks like a grain but is actually pasta foods that may contain gluten ⊳ pre-made sauces ⊳ soup | often uses wheat flour as a thickener ⊳ processed snacks ⊳ oats | oats are often cross-contaminated with wheat when planting in rotation or while processing. make sure to choose certified gluten-free oats ⊳ processed rice food | rice noodles / rice vermicelli / vietnamese spring rolls etc. wheat or wheat protein are common additives in processed foods although it seems that it is very challenging to avoid gluten-containing foods, which is true in taiwan, but there are still many foods that are naturally gluten-free! ⊳ rice-based foods | rice(all kinds) / pure rice vermicelli / pure rice noodles ⊳ grains | quinoa / millet / corn / sorghum / buckwheat etc. ⊳ cider ⊳ nutritional yeast ⊳ tree nuts ⊳ legumes ⊳ seeds ⊳ vegetables ⊳ fruit more and more gluten-free alternatives, such as rice bread/cake, gluten-free noodles/pastas, continue to pop up in taiwan

常見到含有麩質食物 ⊳ 普通醬油 | 可用不含麩質黑豆蔭油代替普通醬油 ⊳ 啤酒 ⊳ 啤酒酵母 brewer’s yeast ⊳ 烘焙食品 | 麵包/吐司/蛋糕/餅乾 etc. ⊳ 麵食 | 麵/水餃/饅頭/包子/蔥油餅 etc. ⊳ 麥芽糖 ⊳ 早餐麥片 ⊳ 北非小米 couscous | 北非小米其實不是「米」，而是小米形狀的「麵」 可能含有麩質的食物 ⊳ 加工醬料 ⊳ 濃湯 | 常常使用麵粉作為濃稠劑 ⊳ 零食 ⊳ 燕麥 | 燕麥本身沒有麩質，但在和小麥於同塊土地種植或加工時造成的交叉感染讓它染上麩質，所以要吃得選購無麩質認證的燕麥 ⊳ 加工米食 | 米粉/河粉/越式春捲 etc. 小麥、小麥蛋白是加工食品中常見的成份 雖然看起來要避免含有麩質的食物很有挑戰性，的確在台灣是如此，但還是有很多食物是無麩質的噢！ ⊳ 米食 | 米(所有，而我們常見的米麩跟麩質蛋白沒有任何關西喔)/純米米粉/純米河粉 ⊳ 穀物 | 藜麥/小米/玉米/高粱/蕎麥 etc. ⊳ 蘋果酒 ⊳ 營養酵母 nutritional yeast ⊳ 堅果類 ⊳ 豆類 ⊳ 種籽類 ⊳ 蔬菜 ⊳ 水果 越來越多無麩質的替代品，例如米麵包/蛋糕，無麩質麵/義大利麵等食品陸陸續續在台灣出現

kelp noodle pastas from Wild Living Foods in DTLA / 寒天麵做的裸食義大利麵 洛杉磯 Wild Living Foods

I have been gluten-free for 6 years due to severe gluten sensitivity. it is very easy to find gluten-free food in Europe, North-America, Australia etc, but where I am now, Taiwan, it is still not clearly understood. many of the locally made food labeled “gluten-free” isn’t processed exclusively in a gluten-free facility, and with no disclaimer, so it is tricky and I always call to ask. even in restaurants I have seen dishes labeled gluten-free but in fact has ingredients containing gluten, often being soy sauce or other processed stuff, so always make sure!

我有嚴重的麩質敏感，無麩質飲食6年了。在歐洲、北美和澳洲已經有很完整的了解和認證，但在台灣還不是很被重視。這幾年越來越多台灣當地的食品寫上「無麩質」，但沒有真正的認證機構，幾次吃了有症狀產生後打電話詢問才知道和含有麩質的食品使用同一生產線造成交叉感染，所以不要輕易相信台灣當地食品的包裝。也有遇過餐廳菜單上寫著「無麩質」但卻含有有麩質(小麥)的醬油或是其它麩質加工品，所以一定要問！

the most rewarding thing for me ever since I started eating gluten-free is finally getting my health back, its inconvenience forces me to prepare most of the food I eat, and the most easy, accessible foods that are naturally gluten-free are fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. the most challenging part of dining out as a gluten intolerant person in taiwan is the use of soy sauce. it is in almost everything, and traditional soy sauce contains wheat. though I’ve come to find many health-focused restaurants use tamari instead.

as a general rule, always double/triple check when asking for gluten-fee options in taiwan. most likely the restaurant will not know what it is, so be very cautious. this is coming from someone that had been accidentally glutened numerous times due to the lack of awareness. hopefully this will change soon!

對我來說無麩質生活最棒的收穫就是重得健康的飲食，因為它的不方便性讓我大多數時間需要自己準備食物。在台灣要外食最困難的地方就是醬油，因為傳統的醬油裡含有小麥，但現在許多有健康概念的餐廳會使用不含小麥的黑豆蔭油。因為我嚴重麩質敏感，吃到一點點都會不舒服所以不太敢隨便嘗試，建議有麩質不耐症的人外食一定要再三確認！如果對方感覺不懂麩質是什麼就不要輕易嘗試，這是我以一個不斷拉肚子的過來人中肯的建議。

quinoa patties from Vegan Project in Taichung / 藜麥排 台中 菜市場

caesar salad with croutons made with coconut from my eatery, Plants / 我的餐廳用椰子做成麵包丁灑在凱薩沙拉上

I am the food creator of a plant-based, gluten-free, whole foods eatery, Plants.

why we created Plants? it has been so hard for me, as a plant-based, gluten-free person to dine anywhere in Asia as soy sauce containing wheat is so often used. aside from wanting to introduce more whole, plant-based food to this booming city of Taipei. we also wanted to create a place where people with gluten intolerance, like myself, can dine worry-free of cross-contamination. I would also like to see more restaurant owners & food producers taking the initiative to understand the seriousness of food allergies, sensitivities/intolerances and different dietary needs.

我是台北一間植物性、無麩質、全食物小食堂的創辦人。因為了解無麩物質飲食在台灣的困難度所以有了 Plants 的誕生，除了帶給台北更多植物性的全食物之外，也是給有需求的朋友們有個能放心好好吃飯的無麩質空間。也希望台灣的餐飲業者、食品業者可以重視「食物過敏」、「食物不耐症」及「特殊飲食需求」，讓每個人都能安心在外用餐。