Lemonade is an extremely popular drink that has been traditionally consumed for over a century, however, if you have been diagnosed with coeliac you may be wondering whether you can actually drink lemonade safely. Is lemonade gluten-free?
All commercially produced lemonade is gluten-free and the vast majority of homemade lemon recipes are also gluten-free and safe for celiacs to drink. This also includes the sugar-free versions of lemonade which and now increasingly popular to purchase.
Additionally, the vast majority of soda drinks that are offered in the marketplace are gluten-free including things like coke-cola and Pepsi Max which means generally speaking these types of drinks are not a problem for a coeliac.
What Type Of Drinks Are Likely To Contain Gluten?
Typically, the drinks that you most need to watch out for are ones that are mixtures that contain ingredients such as malt and ice cream which includes things like milkshakes and thick shakes.
Additionally, some coco mixtures that are used in drinks can contain small amounts of gluten. These mixtures can be sprinkled on the top of cappuccinos or milkshakes so is advisable and these cases to either check with the waiter serving you or alternatively ask for the coco sprinkle not to be applied to your drink.
Alternatively, select an alternative drink where it is not traditional to add cocoa powder such as substituting a cappuccino for a latte which is one of the things that my own wife did when she was diagnosed with coeliac disease.
You may also be wondering about other commonly commercially available drinks such as sports drinks or energy drinks. These products generally do not contain any gluten and are safe to drink, however, we always recommend that you double-check the ingredients on the side of the containers.
How To Read A Food Label
Most countries around the world require manufacturers of food products to disclose the ingredients of any product they offer for sale. These regulations usually require the manufacturer to specifically disclose any potential allergens which can include things like nuts gluten, seafood, etc.
However, if you are looking specifically for whether a drink contains gluten there are a couple of things that you do need to know which will increase the number of options that you have.
Firstly, when labeling ingredients most manufacturers will highlight an allergen within the ingredients list using bold and they may also place a declaration at the bottom of the list of ingredients stating whether the product contains gluten.
However, it is also common for many manufacturers that are unwilling to get their products certified as gluten-free to state things like “This Product May Contain Gluten” if it is made in a factory where both gluten-containing and gluten-free products are made as there is a very small risk of contamination.
These statements often appear on things like chip packets and are essentially there for legal reasons to cover the company in case there is some sort of allergic reaction that occurs with a member of the general public. However, the reality is that if a product does have that statement you can pretty much be interpreted that it is gluten-free and is safe for celiacs to eat.
The other thing that also happens with the labeling is that there are certain products such as glucose and dextrose which can be derived either from corn which is gluten-free or other grain sources such as wheat which are not. These products will typically be designated on the ingredients list as “glucose (from wheat)” for example.
Despite the fact that glucose in the example above has been derived from wheat it actually is gluten-free. This is because the sugars that are extracted from grains are so highly processed that any gluten that was present has been removed. So as a general rule it is safe to eat any sugar which has the suffix “ose” even if it has been derived from a gluten-containing source.
How To Make Lemonade At Home?
However, if you don’t want to purchase lemonade from the store making lemonade at home is relatively quick and easy and typically only takes around 10 minutes to prepare. It can also be made traditionally with sugar or made diabetic-friendly by replacing the sweetener with an artificial one such as stevia.
Ingredients
1 cup of sugar
3 – 4 cups of water
1 cup of lemon juice
Additionally, if you want to increase the level of intensity of the flavor you can also grate the zest of a lemon into the syrup-making stage of the recipe. If you allow the zest to remain in the boiling water for a couple of minutes and then drained out the remaining bits of this through a strainer it will provide a more intense flavor.
Methods
Step 1: Place one cup of water and the sugar into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil to allow the sugar to dissolve completely
Step 2: Juice your lemons while waiting for the sugar to dissolve until you have one cup of lemon juice prepared. The amount of lemon juice you get from each lemon will vary depending upon its size so you can typically expect to use 4 to 6 lemons in this recipe
Step 3: Place the liquid from the saucepan into a pitcher along with the juice and then it diluted further with the remaining water. The amount of water that you add is dependent upon your individual tastes so try the solution as you go to make sure you get the correct strength to suit your tastes..
Step 4: Chill the solution in a refrigerator or add additional ice blocks. For presentation purposes, we recommend serving the drink with lemon slices and a sprig of mint which will add fragrance and flavor.
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