The Insides Guide – Is it gluten free?

The Insides Guide – is it gluten free?

An online course for people wanting detailed information on label reading for coeliac disease.

The Insides Guide – Is it gluten free?	By Elly McKenzie
	Features A short online course that can be completed in your own time (with 30 days' access). Interactive sections to check and confirm learning and understanding. Includes a quiz with real-life examples of different products.
Country of origin	New Zealand
Clinical review	Read a clinical review below.
Security and privacy	Does the course: Collect medical information? No Require a login? Yes Have password protection? No Have a privacy policy? No Require internet access to use? Yes Read more about safety and security when using apps. Brochures: Tips to improve your privacy and security [PDF, 65 KB] Healthify He Puna Waiora, NZ Staying safe online(external link) Netsafe, NZ
Cost	Paid course.
How to access the course	(external link)

The Insides Guide – Is it gluten free? is a short online course developed by a registered nutritionist from The Insides Guide website to help you learn how to identify gluten on a food label. The course covers what gluten is, where it's found in foods, and legal requirements for food manufacturers, and introduces a 4-step label reading process. There are interactive sections to check and confirm your knowledge and the final section is a quiz with real-life examples of different food products.

This enables you to develop an understanding of the foods (including additives) which contribute gluten to the diet and what to look for on a food label and ingredients list to enable you to follow a gluten-free diet. It can equip you with knowledge of naturally gluten-free foods, foods which may cause confusion (like buckwheat) and foods which may or may not contain gluten (such as soy sauce). You can gain an understanding of the latest legal requirements for packaged food in New Zealand (Plain English Allergen Labelling) and time frames for implementation. The course can be completed in your own time with a 30-day access.

For extra support, you can also book a one-on-one appointment with the creator of the course, Elly McKenzie.

For the complete course description, go to the website(external link) or, for a more detailed review, see reviews below.

PROS	CONS
✔ Clear content that's supported by relevant product images. ✔ Useful exercises and practise opportunities for label reading to consolidate learning. ✔ Can be completed quickly (not demanding of time).	✘ The 4 steps are complicated. With the new Plain English Allergen Labelling guidelines, it's becoming easier to determine if gluten is in a product from the on-pack ‘Contains statement’. The first step should be to look for the 'Contains statement' and then to problem solve if this is not on the pack. ✘ Reading age requirement is quite high. ✘ There is a cost to complete the course. ✘ The course is specific to label-reading education only and doesn’t provide any further education around following a gluten-free diet.

PROS

CONS

✔ Clear content that's supported by relevant product images.

✔ Useful exercises and practise opportunities for label reading to consolidate learning.

✔ Can be completed quickly (not demanding of time).

✘ The 4 steps are complicated. With the new Plain English Allergen Labelling guidelines, it's becoming easier to determine if gluten is in a product from the on-pack ‘Contains statement’. The first step should be to look for the 'Contains statement' and then to problem solve if this is not on the pack.

✘ Reading age requirement is quite high.

✘ There is a cost to complete the course.

✘ The course is specific to label-reading education only and doesn’t provide any further education around following a gluten-free diet.

Clinical review

Reviewer: Lily Henderson, New Zealand Registered Dietitian
Date of review: May 2025
Platform: Website
Comments Successful management of a gluten-free diet requires in-depth knowledge of food labels. This course provides a solution to help equip you with the skills and confidence to shop for packaged gluten-free food while still encouraging naturally gluten-free foods.
A great part of this course is the practice quiz at the end. You could find this information online, but the interactive course is a great way to build knowledge and then test it with real-world examples.
The course will need to be updated within the next 6 months to ensure that the advice and examples of packaged foods align with products currently available. Most products on supermarket shelves are compliant and have a visible ‘Contains’ statement. The remaining products which were produced and packaged before February 2024 will be phased out by February 2026.
Safety concerns: The label-reading advice for Step 3 suggests that if you search for the words 'barley', 'rye', 'oats', 'wheat' and 'spelt’ in the ingredients list and if these words don’t appear, it's gluten free and safe to eat. However, a product may have soy sauce which may contain gluten or other hidden sources of gluten such as derivatives of wheat.
New Zealand relevance: Suitable for a New Zealand audience.

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