Is a wheat free diet the same as a gluten free diet?
No, a wheat free diet is different from a gluten free diet. People who follow a gluten free diet usually have coeliac disease. Coeliac disease is a condition where sufferers are intolerant to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, oats and barley. When they eat gluten-containing foods, they often experience symptoms such as diarrhoea, gastric discomfort and lethargy. Following a gluten-free diet completely removes these symptoms.
People who follow a wheat free diet are intolerant to wheat. Like coeliac disease sufferers, they too can experience unpleasant gastric symptoms if they eat products containing wheat. This can occur even if the food has been processed to be free from gluten as the remaining part of the wheat could still be present in the food, and therefore still affect them. To avoid the symptoms associated with wheat intolerance, a wheat-free diet should be followed.
All Brakes products that contain wheat as an ingredient have allergy advice information written on the product packaging stating ALLERGY ADVICE: CONTAINS GLUTEN.
Although Brakes do not make any products that are specifically made to be wheat or gluten free, many products are naturally wheat and gluten free such as:
Fruit & vegetables
Potatoes
Rice
Fresh plain meat & fish (without coatings)
Eggs
Milk
Plain cheeses (without coatings)
Margarines & butter
Oils
Plain nuts and seeds
Ingredients that always contain wheat to look out for on labels include:
Durum wheat, spelt (triticum spelta), kamut (triticum poloncium)
Couscous
Bran, wheat bran, wheat germ, wheat gluten
Farina
Rusk
Semolina, durum wheat semolina
Flour, wholewheat flour, wheat flour, wheat starch
Ingredients that sometimes contain wheat to look out for on labels include:
Starch, modified starch, hydrolysed starch, food starch, edible starch
Vegetable starch, vegetable gum, vegetable protein
Cereal filler, cereal binder, cereal protein
Do Brakes produce diabetic foods?
No, Brakes do not make products specifically for diabetic diets. People with diabetes don’t follow a ‘special’ diet as often assumed; they follow the same healthy eating diet that is recommended for everyone. Although people with diabetes should choose their food wisely and adopt sensible eating habits, they can still enjoy a wide variety of foods as part of a balanced diet. Diabetes UK (the largest UK charity for diabetes) state that ‘diabetic products still raise blood glucose levels, contain just as much fat and calories, are usually more expensive and can have a laxative effect’. Therefore, Brakes does not produce diabetic foods. Please see the following link for Diabetes UK's position statement on diabetic food Position Statement
Which Brakes desserts are suitable for diabetics?
Brakes do not make any desserts that are specifically aimed at people with diabetes. People with diabetes don’t follow a ‘special’ diet as often assumed; they follow the same healthy eating diet that is recommended for everyone. Although diabetics should choose their food wisely and adopt sensible eating habits, no foods are 'banned' and occasional treats are acceptable. For everyday desserts eaten in moderation, foods such as fruit, yogurts, ice cream, fruit based crumbles, rice pudding, reduced sugar whips/mousse, reduced sugar cakes/sponges, reduced sugar jelly and fruit based trifles are all suitable for diabetic people.
Do Brakes produce a vegetarian jelly?
No, all Brakes brand jellies contain animal derived gelatine usually from pork or beef.
Do Brakes produce dairy free yogurts?
No, but Brakes do produce a spread (C70978) and a soya milk (A72034) that do not contain dairy ingredients.
What’s the difference between sodium and salt?
Salt is made up of two components, sodium and chloride. Sodium is an essential nutrient that helps maintain the correct amount of water in our body but in excess, it can be bad for your health. It is recommended that adults consume a maximum of 6g of salt, or 2.5g sodium (about a teaspoonful) per day. Sodium is usually listed in the nutritional information on food labels. If you know how much sodium is in a food, you can work out roughly the amount of salt it contains by multiplying the sodium by 2.5. So if a portion of food contains 1.2g sodium, then it contains about 3g of salt.
What are hydrogenated fats and trans fats?
Hydrogenation is one of the processes that can be used to turn liquid oils into solid fats, for example, using olive oil to make spreads. The final product of this process is called hydrogenated vegetable oil, or sometimes hydrogenated fat. It is used in some biscuits, cakes, pastry, margarine and other processed foods. During the process of hydrogenation, trans fats can sometimes be formed. So foods containing hydrogenated vegetable oil (declared in the ingredients list) may also contain trans fats, which can be harmful and have no known nutritional benefits. Trans fats can raise the type of cholesterol in the blood that increases the risk of coronary heart disease. Trans fats can also be found naturally at very low levels in food products from ruminant animals, such as dairy products, beef and lamb.
Do Brakes produce any Halal foods?
Yes, Brakes produce a number of meats that have been Halal certified. Please refer to the Halal product list for further details.
Do Brakes produce any healthier foods?
Yes, Brakes produce a product range called Healthier Choices, look for the logo below in the price list. The Healthier Choices product range meets strict nutritional criteria whereby all products have had the amount of fat reduced by at least 30% compared to their standard equivalent and have reduced or restricted salt and sugar.
All products in the Healthier Choices range can be identified on menus as healthy. There are over 60 different products in the Healthier Choices range including products suitable for breakfast, lunch, buffet food, starters, main course, children’s food and desserts.