What is the difference between gluten intolerance and celiac disease?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Some people cannot properly digest gluten, caused by a sensitivity to the protein or an autoimmune reaction. Gluten intolerance is characterized by bloating, abdominal pain, gas, and diarrhea after eating gluten. A person with gluten intolerance will test negative for both a wheat allergy and celiac disease. There are no laboratory tests for gluten intolerance, so it’s important to keep track of how your symptoms relate to gluten consumption to be properly diagnosed by your doctor. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system responds abnormally to gluten. When someone with celiac disease ingests gluten, it attacks the villi on your intestines, which are small, finger-like protrusions responsible for absorbing nutrients. Because the digestive system is physically compromised with celiac disease, you won’t be able to properly absorb nutrients from your diet. It’s important to seek medical attention to diagnose celiac disease because it can lead to nutrient deficiencies, growth stunting, developmental delays, and weight loss. It’s essential to avoid any food or drink containing gluten to manage symptoms of both gluten intolerance and celiac disease. For celiac disease, you must lead a completely gluten-free diet and lifestyle to stay healthy.

What other vitamins and supplements is gluten commonly found in?

Most medications, vitamins, and supplements are gluten-free in their pure forms. However, certain non-active ingredients used in production might contain gluten. It’s important to look at each ingredient carefully to ensure it does not contain gluten. For example, supplements may contain gluten in the form of wheat starch. Since wheat has gluten, you would want to avoid this supplement and choose one that uses starch from tapioca or corn.

The 9 Best Gluten-Free Vitamin Brands of 2022, According to a Dietitian

Stick to your dietary needs by looking for the right labels and certifications

Alex Aldeborgh, MS, RD

Updated on August 13, 2021

Medically reviewed by

Mia Syn, MS, RDN

Fact checked by

Marley Hall

Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products, and articles are reviewed by healthcare professionals for medical accuracy. You can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.

It’s usually recommended that we obtain essential vitamins and minerals through our diets; however, sometimes we need an extra boost of nutrition. Taking a vitamin is a great way to get the nutrients you need when your diet isn’t quite cutting it.

If you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, you need to follow a gluten-free diet for optimal health. When following a gluten-free diet, it’s important to know the ingredients that make up everything you put into your body—not just food and beverages. Some dietary supplements like vitamins contain gluten, which could spark your symptoms of gluten allergy or intolerance if ingested.

Luckily, several vitamin brands make high-quality gluten-free options for those living a gluten-free lifestyle. We’ve rounded up nine brands that you can trust to have gluten-free options for all your nutrient needs.

What to Look for in Gluten-Free Vitamin Brands

Third-Party Testing:

The FDA does not regulate the dietary supplement industry. Because of this, there are no government regulations or standards to ensure the purity, quality, and accuracy of the ingredients in your supplements, vitamins, and minerals.

When shopping for a dietary supplement, look for companies that seek out third-party testing of their products and manufacturing facilities. Some third-party testing organizations include United States Pharmacopeia (USP), ConsumerLab.com, and NSF International.

Certifications:

Check out any additional certifications a company uses for their products to further back up ingredient accuracy based on your needs. For gluten-free products, three organizations provide gluten-free certification: Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), BRC Global Standards, and NSF International.

All three of these certifications provide peace of mind when shopping for gluten-free products, but they measure different things. GFCO verifies the quality, integrity, and purity of gluten-free products. BRC Global Standards ensure that gluten-free products meet the regulatory requirements for gluten-free products in the country the product is sold in. NSF International inspects both facilities and products to ensure products have no more than 15 parts per million of gluten.

Labeling:

Always be sure to check the label of the specific product you’d like to take to verify further it is, in fact, gluten-free.

How We Select Supplements

Our team works hard to be transparent about why we recommend certain supplements; you can read more about our dietary supplement methodology here.

Here, the best gluten-free vitamin brands:

Ritual

Courtesy of PR Newswire

Ritual makes vitamins tailored to specific life stages for both women and men. They produce multivitamins for women, men, teen girls, teen boys, and kids. They also offer prenatal and postnatal options for women of childbearing age and new moms.

Ritual is very transparent about where they source the ingredients and what science they use to back up why they include those ingredients in their vitamins. They also conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled study (the gold standard in scientific research) to show the efficacy of their Women’s Multivitamin.

Ritual vitamins are gluten-free, vegan friendly, and non-GMO. They’re a great option if you’re looking for a top-quality multivitamin without any unnecessary ingredients.

Garden of Life

Courtesy of Garden of Life

The Garden of Life brand offers plenty of gluten-free supplement options, including supplements that are certified gluten-free. Their Mykind Organics line has several certified gluten-free options. Each product in this line is made from real ingredients and has no added sugar, artificial sweeteners, or flavors.

You’ll find several vitamin options, including gummies, multivitamins, herbs, and sprays. The Mykind Organics line is certified vegan, non-GMO Project Certified, and USDA organic certified.

For their gluten-free options, Garden of Life uses not one but two certifications: Certified Gluten-Free and NSF Gluten-Free Certified. The first certification ensures the quality, purity, and integrity of the ingredients are held to the strict gluten-free guidelines, while the second ensures production facilities have a gluten-free compliance plan and undergo onsite production inspections.

New Chapter

Courtesy of NewChapter.com.

New Chapter has an extensive selection of almost 100 gluten-free vitamins and supplements. Made in Brattleboro, Vermont, New Chapter is a certified B-Corporation, committed to sustainable sourcing, reducing waste, climate-friendly farming, and the welfare of their workers.

You can find a New Chapter gluten-free vitamin or supplement for pretty much all your needs, from multivitamins to fish oil to probiotics. They also offer different multivitamins for men and women broken down by life stage.

New Chapter certifies their products using third-party independent certifications, including ICS Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project Certified, salmon from certified responsible Alaska fisheries, and certified Kosher.

Mega Food

Mega Food offers many gluten-free supplement options, and they were the first dietary supplements on the market to be NSF Certified Gluten-Free. They also use other third-party certifications to ensure their product's purity and quality, including Certified Vegan, Certified Kosher, and Non-GMO Project Certified.

Mega Food uses real food ingredients in its vitamins and supplements. They use their unique Slo-Food process to make vitamin tablets out of fruits and vegetables.

A certified B-Corporation, Mega Food upholds high transparency standards in ingredient sourcing and social and environmental performance.

Country Life

Courtesy of Country Life

You’ll find over 200 Country Life vitamins and supplements available, which are all Certified Gluten-Free. Country Life ethically sources each ingredient they use and performs extensive laboratory testing to ensure purity and accuracy.

Country Life’s manufacturing facilities are NSF-GMP certified. The GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) certification ensures that supplement facilities provide a proper system of processes, procedures, and documentation.

Country Life has several third-party certifications in addition to Certified Gluten-Free, like Non-GMO Project Certified, USDA Organic, and Kosher.

Bluebonnet

Courtesy of Vitamin Retailer

Bluebonnet has over 300 supplement products, and most of them are gluten-free. Check for the gluten-free label on the supplement bottle, or search for gluten-free options on their website.

Within over 300 products, you can find something for every need. There are several multivitamin options, single vitamins, minerals, proteins, and herbs. Bluebonnet sources ingredients directly from farmers, growers, and suppliers. Their ingredients are certified organic, non-GMO, and Kosher.

Bluebonnet manufactures its supplements in their GMP-compliant facility, which helps maintain the purity, authenticity, and safety of products.

Nature Made

Courtesy of Nature Made

Nature Made has several gluten-free vitamins, minerals, and supplements, and this brand is widely available at many pharmacies throughout the country. In addition to multivitamins, you can purchase gluten-free single vitamins, minerals, fish oil omegas, and more.

Nature Made is third-party certified by United States Pharmacopeia (USP). This non-profit organization sets federally recognized public standards of quality for medicines, dietary supplements, and foods. Since the FDA does not regulate supplements themselves, it’s a good sign if a company seeks third-party certification for purity, accuracy, and safety.

Always check the label on the bottle to double-check your Nature Made vitamins are gluten-free.

Freeda Health

Freeda Health vitamins are perfect for those with food allergies or sensitivities. Their supplements are gluten-free and free of several other common allergens like eggs, milk, fish, wheat, yeast, and lactose.

Freeda offers multivitamins, single vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. In addition to being allergen-friendly, Freeda vitamins are also Kosher.

Solgar

Courtesy of Seeklogo.com.

Many of Solgar’s vitamins are gluten-free, including single vitamins, multivitamins, omega-3s, and minerals. In addition to many gluten-free products, Solgar also has plenty of non-GMO, vegan, dairy-free, and Kosher options.

Solgar vitamins and supplements are manufactured in small batches in the USA. According to the website, most of their supplements are gluten-free. Just be sure to check the label of the product you’re interested in buying!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between gluten intolerance and celiac disease?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Some people cannot properly digest gluten, caused by a sensitivity to the protein or an autoimmune reaction.
Gluten intolerance is characterized by bloating, abdominal pain, gas, and diarrhea after eating gluten. A person with gluten intolerance will test negative for both a wheat allergy and celiac disease. There are no laboratory tests for gluten intolerance, so it’s important to keep track of how your symptoms relate to gluten consumption to be properly diagnosed by your doctor.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system responds abnormally to gluten. When someone with celiac disease ingests gluten, it attacks the villi on your intestines, which are small, finger-like protrusions responsible for absorbing nutrients.
Because the digestive system is physically compromised with celiac disease, you won’t be able to properly absorb nutrients from your diet. It’s important to seek medical attention to diagnose celiac disease because it can lead to nutrient deficiencies, growth stunting, developmental delays, and weight loss.
It’s essential to avoid any food or drink containing gluten to manage symptoms of both gluten intolerance and celiac disease. For celiac disease, you must lead a completely gluten-free diet and lifestyle to stay healthy.
What other vitamins and supplements is gluten commonly found in?

Most medications, vitamins, and supplements are gluten-free in their pure forms. However, certain non-active ingredients used in production might contain gluten. It’s important to look at each ingredient carefully to ensure it does not contain gluten.
For example, supplements may contain gluten in the form of wheat starch. Since wheat has gluten, you would want to avoid this supplement and choose one that uses starch from tapioca or corn.
Which seals and certifications should I look for on gluten-free supplements?

Three organizations provide third-party certification for gluten-free products: Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), BRC Global Standards, and NSF International. Look for any one of these seals (or multiple) on gluten-free supplements.

What Experts Say

"If you are sensitive to gluten or have Celiac Disease, it's critically important to look at everything you consume—including supplements—to ensure that you're not accidentally taking in gluten. Be sure to carefully read labels of any product you use, including skincare."—Eliza Savage, MS, RD, CDN

Why Trust Verywell Fit?

Alex Aldeborgh, MS, RD is a Registered Dietitian and would recommend these vitamin brands to anyone she knows or counsels that follows a gluten-free diet. She checks each brand for third-party testing and certifications to ensure purity, quality, and accuracy of ingredients plus good manufacturing practices.

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What are your concerns?

6 Sources

Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.