I have a bottle of Rainbow Lite vitamins and it says on the bottle that its free of gluten yet one of the ingredients is barley grass. So I should obviously not take this, right? Or is the grass form of barley safe?

Only the grain part of the barley is a problem for celiacs so theoretically it could still be safe. This comes up occasionally as a topic and most people worry about the cross-contamination if they don't worry about the barley grass (stalk??).

I have the same question. What about:

barley juice concentrate
oat grass leaf
barley leaf
wheat grass leaf
wheat grass juice powder
oat juice powder
alfalfa leaf and stem


thanks!

I think it's a personal choice. Me, I will not touch it!!! When I questioned Puritan Pride about barley grasses in their vitamins, their answer to me was: We do not feel there is enough gluten in barley grass to constitue listing it as gluten! Now, as far as I am concerned, that was the wrong answer for me. As long as they can say there is ANY gluten at all in barley grasses, then that is too much for me!!!

I still think the jury is out on this matter. I do not think we know enough yet about celiac disease and the far reaches of what can and can't harm us--I will not use anything with these ingredients. You have to make your own decision on the subject! They still can't agree on oats!!!

I wouldn't touch any of the above mentioned. I have had barley grass in a beverage and gotten very sick from it. Perhaps it wouldn't bother others but I if I was still having symptoms I would stop it for a bit and then if needed challenge with it later. It can be easier to heal if you eliminate all possibilities at first and then after you heal you can add back in things that are suspect to see if you react.