Does soda contain gluten?

Read on to know if soda is free from gluten!

More and more people are switching to a gluten-free diet because of the numerous health benefits offered by it. Apart from that, many others are also clinically advised to stay off gluten as they physiologically cannot metabolize it. In both scenarios, it is best to be aware of all possible food sources containing gluten to stay on the right path to good health.

With prevalent food labeling and strict food laws, it has become way easier than before to pick the gluten-free foods and most of the widely available beverages are gluten-free. Ingredients of most of the brands of soda are almost similar as it usually comprises of carbonated water, high-fructose corn syrup, phosphoric acid, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, and added food colorings and flavors. This means, most brands of soda such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Sprite, Fanta, Mountain Dew, Fresca, Sunkist, 7UP, Dr. Pepper, A&W Root Beer, and Barq’s are gluten-free.

This applies to all brands of soda that are manufactured in North America and some variety of soda prepared at other parts of the world may have a different formulation and they may or may not be gluten-free. However, there are chances of some facilities processing gluten-containing ingredients in close proximity of soda packaging units that may lead to cross-contamination.

People with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity should carefully check the food labels and only pick foods that are certified gluten-free. One should be careful of ingredients such as dextrin, modified food starch, natural or artificial flavoring, and caramel coloring as these may contain gluten.

To be on the safer side, it is best that you pick healthier food alternatives to soda such as kombucha, unsweetened iced tea, seltzer, coconut water, lemon water, or just a glass of regular water to quench your thirst.