{Editor’s note- This post is a guest blog by Juli La Porte, Co-Founder, www.CanIEatHere.com – check out their website!}
Have you been recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease? Maybe you are not a newbie, but you are still getting sick, not feeling well, or simply not getting any better. Although you are on a gluten free diet, the healing process can still be quite lengthy and unexpected. Take heed and be aware of hidden gluten in the foods you may be eating.
Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder of the intestinal tract effecting 1% of the worldwide population. Research by the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University notes, that it isn’t uncommon for patients that have been diagnosed well into adulthood, to only see a 40% recovery of their intestinal tract. This only proves to strengthen mandate requiring strict adherence to a gluten free diet. The most common slip-ups can be everyday items that you may not realize you are inadvertently poisoning yourself with.
Let’s review a few areas where we may accidentally ingest hidden gluten:
Soy Sauce – Most soy sauces are made with wheat as one of the components. There are quite a few companies that don’t use wheat in their sauce, or you can purchase a gluten free sauce specifically. Most grocery stores carry the Kikkoman Brand of Gluten Free Soy Sauce, which uses Tamari. Another popular brand is San-J. Be careful, you will find soy sauce as an ingredient in many marinades, pre-packaged foods and at restaurants.
Shampoos, Conditioners, Body Wash and Makeup (i.e., Lip G loss, Lipstick) – I know most of us don’t eat our bath products; or intend on ingesting our lipstick, however, many of the products we use on a regular basis may contain a wheat or barley derivative (hidden gluten). Many of the hair care manufacturers regard gluten grains as being extremely healthy for your hair. Let’s face it, we don’t try to get our shampoo or conditioner in our mouth, but a trace amount might accidentally end up inside your body as the shower rinses over you.
The wheat, barley or rye may not be spelled out. If you see one of these following terms in the ingredients – find another product: Triticum Vulgare (wheat), hordeum valgare (barley), secale cereale (rye), avena sativa (oats), wheat germ oil, hydrolyzed wheat protein, stearyl dimonium hydroxpropy (hydrolyzed wheat protein), laurdimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed wheat protein), colloidal oatmeal, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (may contain wheat) dextrin palmitate (start, possibly gluten based), Vitamin E (frequently derived from wheat), malt extract (usually barley), beta glucan (frequently derived from wheat).
Toothpastes & Mouthwash – Here’s one that you pretty much don’t have to worry about, but should be aware of the possibility that it could have been made or have trace amount of gluten. Most of the major toothpaste manufacturers do not use gluten and have gluten free policy statements. Crest, Arm & Hammer, Aquafresh, and Colgate all certify that their toothpastes are gluten free. Although Crest does state that while it does not use products that contain gluten, the Crest Pro-Health Rinse does not directly add gluten ingredients, but may contain trace amounts. Listerine’s policy states that they do not certify their products to be gluten free as they do not specifically test for gluten, but that there are no gluten-containing grains in the product.
Also, please ask your dentist about the paste they do their professional teeth cleaning. One such manufacturer stated, in big orange letters on the package, GLUTEN FREE. Which, lead me to believe that maybe there was others out there that weren’t free from gluten.
Lunchmeat – Not all pre-packaged brands of lunch meat are gluten free. But, there are many, like Hormel, that state they are gluten free. A few other brands that follow a good gluten free statement policy are Applegate Farms, Hebrew National, Oscar Mayer, and Wellshire Farms.
The deli counter is another subject altogether – and a great source of hidden gluten. At the local grocer, you may decide to buy your meat sliced at the deli. Boar’s Head is a popular brand that states they are gluten free, however is your deli counter taking all the necessary precautions to make sure that they don’t cross contaminate your gluten free roast beef?
I always make sure to ask if when the last time they cleaned the slicer, or can the equipment be cleaned before they slice my meat and cheese. Be sure to note whether or not they change their gloves and wipe the scale before weighing. Most delis are happy to oblige, be sure to check with your local grocery store. For more information, please check out this article: Why I don’t buy meat from the deli counter, by Sarah Stolp of www.CanIEatHere.com.
Toaster – If you are living in a house with non-gluten free people, then it is likely that they use a toaster for the wheat containing bread. You MUST get a new toaster that is specifically dedicated for gluten free use. Imagine the many toast crumbs that can cross contaminate if your gluten free bread is placed in the same toaster as the gluten containing bread. This is a Celiacs nightmare! There are a few other items that might shock you: stamp and envelope adhesive, play-doh and vitamins/supplements.
Avoiding Cross Contamination and Hidden Gluten
You may eliminate all of the gluten containing foods and products from your household, but cross-contamination and hidden gluten can come in many forms. Follow these tips when dining outside the home or shopping for the family groceries:
- Oversee food preparation like a hawk.
- When dining outside the home, be sure to speak with a manager or a member of the staff that is knowledgeable.
- Ask tons of questions. Don’t be afraid to be annoying.
- Read all labels carefully
- Educate your friends & family members about how cross-contamination works. Example: Double dipping the knife in the peanut butter, jelly, mayo or butter. Teach them about all the little ways that gluten can get into your body. Chat with waiters, anyone involved in preparing your food.
- Keep separate utensils when preparing gluten and non-gluten free meals.
- Wash your hands frequently – you never know where you might come in contact with gluten.
- Make sure to use your dishwasher to wash all of your dishes, silverware, cookware and utensils.
- There is no need to buy separate, a dishwasher with a high heat cycle can be great for sterilizing. It’s worked in my household.
- Wash down your counters and cooking ranges regularly, especially if you cook with glutenous foods for other family members.
- Clean out your silverware and utensil drawer. They can be a major collector of crumbs.
- Carve out a gluten free section of your pantry
- If you do not have a completely gluten free household (non-celiac people in your family) make sure to double up on condiments, sauces, and spreads. Label them accordingly.
- Replace wooden spoons and cutting boards, or designate gluten free and non-gluten free utensils. Wood can be porous as well as some cutting boards. Generally, cutting boards should be designated for meat, vegetables and breads.
- Colanders can retain the starch from the pasta, causing a film on the colander that can be tough to remove. I replaced all of mine and I only cook with gluten free pasta since my diagnosis.
- Be an ingredient detective. If you can’t define it or pronounce it, most likely isn’t something you should put in your body.
- Be sure to check back every so often with your products’ manufacturers to be sure than their ingredients haven’t changed or processing facilities. Lay’s BBQ chips were gluten free until they went back to using barley syrup instead of corn syrup in the flavoring. That change was actually made in the last year.
- One last rule of thumb, the closer that a food is to its natural state, the more likely it is to be gluten-free. Beware of hidden additives and preservatives. Stay well…