If you are a recently diagnosed coeliac or living with one there are many questions that you will have when you are first starting out trying to work out what you can eat and what you cannot. One of the most challenging parts of becoming coeliac is eating out or having a coffee so if you’re someone that loves a milkshake you may wonder if are they gluten-free and if is it safe to eat.
Milkshakes can be, theoretically gluten-free, however, there are several ingredients that you do need to double check to make 100% sure that what you are eating is in fact gluten-free. The most common problem is the use of ice cream which is not gluten-free or the addition of malt which is made from barley and is also not gluten-free.
To avoid this issue if you are dining out somewhere don’t be frightened to ask a person that is serving you to see the labels of the ingredients that they using to make the milkshake as if you are a coeliac you can probably read the labels better than the staff it’s working there.
The things that you most likely have to concern yourself with are the syrups that are added to the milkshake, the ice cream, and any other small additives. It is not necessary to look at milk as it is inherently gluten-free and usually not a problem.
How To Determine Whether A Product Is Gluten Free
If you are someone that is relatively new to coeliac disease it is worth discussing the things that you need to be looking for when inspecting a label to determine whether the product is gluten-free or not.
In most countries around the world there a food labeling laws on products that require manufacturers to disclose if any allergens have been used in the manufacture of a product. In most cases, products that have been derived from wheat will normally have bolded text stating this.
If there are any ingredients that are derived from wheat, barley, rye, and oats the product will be not gluten-free with the exception of sugars that have been derived from wheat which will still be declared on the label. Typically, these sugars will be things like glucose and dextrose, which can be derived from both gluten and non gluten-free grains.
However, the reason that these products are safe to eat is that the level of processing that the products undergo to reach the point where they are pure sugars means that any gluten that was present has been removed therefore they are safe to eat.
So as a general rule anything that is derived from wheat that ends in “ose” (dextrose, glucose, etc.) is safe to eat.
In addition to listing the individual components within the product on the ingredients list some manufacturers will also put a general statement at the bottom of the label. The statement will either say something like “this product contains gluten”.
However, the other thing that many manufacturers do purely for legal reasons even if the product is essentially gluten-free is state that the product “May contain gluten”.
The main reason that this is typically done is that products can be produced on the same equipment as gluten products and therefore they cannot be 100% sure that the product is gluten-free and unwilling to take the risk of some sort of legal action in the future.
However, the reality is that statement like “This Product May Contain Gluten” means that it is safe to eat for a coeliac because if there is gluten present is likely to be extremely low and unlikely to be a problem.
You most commonly see the statement on packets of chips which I can tell you from first-hand experience that the coeliacs in my house eat without a problem.
What Major Food Chains Serve Milkshakes That Are Gluten-free
The information presented in this part of the article was true at the time of writing the article, however, many companies periodically change the ingredients or supplies that they use to make their products over time. Therefore it is always a good idea to double-check a company’s website like McDonald’s or Burger King to ensure that things have not changed.
Thick shakes and milkshakes served by the McDonald’s chain are gluten-free. In the case of Burger King the chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla shakes are all gluten-free, however, it is important not to order Oreo shakes as they will contain biscuits that do have gluten.
At Baskin-Robbins, there is a wide range of shakes that are gluten-free which includes the list provided below,
- World Class® Chocolate Milkshake
- Chocolate Chip Milkshake
- Gold Medal Ribbon Milkshake
- Mint Chocolate Chip Milkshake
- Peanut Butter n’ Chocolate Milkshake
- Vanilla Milkshake
- Very Berry Strawberry Milkshake
- Sundae Shake
Conclusion
Milkshakes really should be gluten-free, however, it will greatly depend upon the ingredients that use as many ice creams can contain gluten so is important to double check this on the websites of major fast food chains. However, for your local store don’t be frightened to ask the waiting staff to look at the ingredients of the bottles are they using to make 100% sure that you are safe.
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