Hidden Sources of Gluten

Celiac disease is most simply defined as an intolerance to foods containing gluten and this intolerance causes damage to the intestinal tract which causes difficulty absorbing nutrients. Celiac disease can also cause growth problems in children. Check out celiac.org for more detailed information.

So you basically have to avoid anything that contains wheat, rye or barley. Bread, pizza, cake, and most cereal are obviously out of the picture. But there are some sneaky little sources of gluten that may not be labeled as such. 

Like oatmeal. Wholesome, delicious innocent little oatmeal sent me flying to the bathroom until I learned that oatmeal is frequently grown or processed in the same place as wheat, barley and rye and can cause a serious reaction in people with Celiac disease. Unless your oatmeal is clearly labeled "gluten free" steer clear. Read more about the oatmeal/celiac debate.

Here's a list of foods that I had to learn the hard way about:

Soy Sauce - only buy soy sauce that's clearly labeled "gluten free" (Try Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce or Kikkoman Gluten Free Soy Sauce)

Teriyaki Sauce - frequently contains soy sauce

Rice Noodles - I got sick of paying $8.95 for a little package of gluten free noodles and was so excited to find rice noodles at a local Vietnamese for $1.99. I checked the package and they claimed to only have rice and water as their ingredients. Two days hailing the porcelain gods told me otherwise. Moral of the story - pay the extra money for food that is GUARANTEED gluten free

Salad Dressing- There are tons of salad dressings out there that are gluten free, but there are also a ton that aren't. Check labels or just stick with oil, vinegar and oregano. Or maybe do as the Norwegians do and just sprinkle a little lemon juice, salt and pepper on your salad.

Barbecue Sauce- Frequently uses flour as a thickener

Gravy- I should have been smart to figure out that most gravy contains flour, alas, I was not. You can safely substitute corn starch for flour in your gravy recipe with minimal difference in flavor and texture.

Seasoning Blends- Many seasoning blends, like taco kit seasonings and some premade post roast spices, contain flour and they may not be clearly labeled as such. Stick with making your own spice blends unless you can guarantee that your spice blend is gluten free.

French Fries- French fries, or anything fried for that matter, is usually fried in the same oil as whatever other breaded items are on the menu. If the fry cook drops your order of fries next to an order of panko breaded haddock, you're definitely getting at least trace amounts of gluten in your food. If the fry cook has been using the same oil for a few days, you're getting a MEGA dose of gluten. Ask for fries to be baked, or just don't get fries at all.

White Sauce- Alfredo Sauce, white gravy, béchamel and whole host of other white sauces almost always use flour as their thickener.

Hard Liquor- Grey Goose Vodka and Bailey's both contain gluten. Check manufacturers websites, or just stick with tequila and other liquors not distilled from wheat.

There are a whole host of foods that I know I'm forgetting, but these are the ones that surprised me and other Celiac's that I know. Hopefully this is helpful and I'll be posting tips for dining out and cooking gluten free foods that are just as flavorful and satiating as their gluten-filled counterparts.

More hidden sources of gluten

 

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Read those labels!

The only way to guarantee a truly gluten free diet is to prepare and cook all of your meals from home. For most of us, this is wildly unrealistic and we need to supplement with packaged or processed food at least once in a while.

While most food that contains gluten carries a warning on the bottom, you still MUST read labels. Some foods that contained gluten or gluten by products simply do not carry the warning. These are some of the more common hidden sources of gluten:

Modified Food Starch- This is usually a derivative of corn, but can sometimes be a derivative of wheat, barley or rye.

Malt- Food containing any kind of malt, like malt vinegar, malted milk, is a no-go. Malt is usually made of barley.

Brewer's Yeast- This can sometimes be a by-product of beer and is, therefore, unsafe, but regular yeast is usually ok.

Hydrolyzed Protein- These may or may not be derived from gluten and you may want to either contact the manufacturer or just avoid products containing these ingredients all together

Some Food Colorings- Food colorings can be made of wheat and it may be necessary to contact the manufacturer to find out if they use gluten in their products.

Flavoring- Most foods that list flavoring as an ingredient are safe to eat, but it's worth checking with the manufacturer.

This is a more complete list of unsafe and cautionary foods.

This is a list with ingredient details.

Stay tuned for more tips and tricks on avoiding gluten and dining out!

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Hello Celiac's!

If you're diet consists mainly of crispy italian subs, ranch pizza and chocolate cake the last thing you want to be diagnosed with is Celiac Disease. But after over a year of crippling joint pain, odd painful purple welts springing up on my leg, night sweats, swollen painful bloodshot eyes, and having a digestive tract that was set to turbo blast, and one bowel obstruction those were the diagnoses: Celiac Disease, which just meant no more gluten :( and Crohn's disease, which mean 12 pills a day and the occasional fasting period if a flare happened.

I was not the brightest in the early days and still ate breaded nuggets, sandwiches, the whole nine yards- convinced that if I only ate small amounts I would be fine. Two hospitalizations and a few chats with a nutritionist slapped some sense into me and I went into a slight depression. No more chocolate molten cake?!? No more penne a la vodka?!? I finally accepted it and took serious strides to living completely gluten free.

But it wasn't easy. It seemed like gluten was hiding in the most unsuspecting places (Soy sauce? Really?!?) and holidays had become so mundane without my father's famous stuffing and cakes at birthday parties. When I was first diagnosed, no one had ever even heard of Celiac Disease and I can't tell you how many stares of confusion I've received from waiters and restaurant workers when I ask for a hamburger, hold the bun. My family still has a difficult time grasping the concept. "What do you mean you can't eat this sandwich? It's on Rye bread! Rye ain't wheat!"

My goal here is to share the tips, tricks and shortcuts that I've learned over the years and hopefully make someone else's transition to a gluten free lifestyle a little less painful than mine was.