Sometimes words are just plain old misleading. Those who go in search of G-F products learn pretty quickly that wheat is a common enemy. Watch out. Stay away. Those are the phrases most often associated with wheat products. Then you hit the ultimate conundrum: Buckwheat and learn that it is gluten-free. What about the wheat?  How does this work?

It turns out that buckwheat, in and of itself, is gluten-free, but it is often added to other grains, and there’s the rub. Lots of people with a gluten intolerance avoid buckwheat because it can be grown in a field that is not protected. In other words, it may actually come into contact with pure wheat which then puts it back into the danger zone. Buckwheat, in an analysis, is not considered a grain but a fruit, a member of the rhubarb family. Getting strange, right. The word just becomes more confusing by the second!

When you find a buckwheat product that says it is G-F, then it means that the buckwheat has been grown, processed, and packaged in a self-contained area, away from other grains. Then you’re halfway to making great G-F pancakes. One warning or attention-getter: Buckwheat is pretty heavy, go easy.

So do not let the name dissuade you. Check out the product. Make certain that if it says “buckwheat,” it also says, “gluten-free.”

It starts out that way. What happens next is critical.

The list of foods continues.