seeking_wholeness

I think outside the US citric acid is often derived from wheat (since corn is pretty much an American crop), so if the food was imported there might be a problem.  I keep having problems with artichoke hearts imported from Spain--but I can't find any that are packed in the US to compare them with!

--Sarah

I have, but it's been a while. I think I still have some on hand, so I'll give it another go if I can get myself motivated. I'm in the grip of a mood swing at the moment (probably gluten-induced, although it's not entirely clear; but since I've been on mood-stabilizing medication practically all of my mood swings have been traceable either to gluten or to other very noticeable conditions causing significant intestinal impairment, like a gallbladder attack and subsequent flush or bacterial food poisoning).

I would like to find a brand of canned beans I can trust to be gluten-free, just for the convenience factor. I know the Westbrae beans have a slim but real chance of contamination just because I see that they also produce a canned "soup mix" that contains barley--and I can't see why they would use separate equipment for it. I don't necessarily react to beans every time I eat them, and there may be an undiscovered culprit in those meals I consistently react to. It's just so hard to tell sometimes!

Thanks for your quick reply. I appreciate it!

--Sarah

That sounds awful!  Have they actually ruled out Crohn's disease in your case?  Another possibility that sounds like it might be quite relevant is microscopic colitis, which sometimes goes along with celiac disease but doesn't always improve at the same rate.  I don't know much about it other than that, but some poking around this site and the internet might yield further information.

I hope you can get to the bottom of this quickly so you can start to feel better soon!

--Sarah

Their gluten-free menu definitely changed recently.  I clearly remember a six- or seven-page menu on which it was stated (repeatedly, if I recall correctly) that ALL salad dressings were gluten-free, but now the menu is two pages long, the print is absolutely tiny, and no attention is drawn to this significant change in gluten-free status.

I asked what was up with the mustard vinaigrette and they responded that the recipe has not changed; they just now discovered that the tarragon vinegar in the dressing is not gluten-free.

So the dressing has always been a problem, but I most likely didn't notice it half the time because 1.) the amount of gluten I consumed was tiny, especially since I always order the dressing on the side and use less than half of it, and 2.) the lingering effects of other gluten "accidents" obscured what reaction I may have had.

So I'm still upset, but it's good to know that the Outback cares enough to recheck all its ingredients periodically (and that this wasn't a deliberate change made without celiacs in mind).

--Sarah

I know it is possible for autolyzed yeast extract to be gluten-free, but I can't say for sure that it always is.

The thing to be aware of with any autolyzed protein is that it generates MSG (among other things, presumably) when combined with salt--but the label doesn't have to say anything about this, and can in fact read "no MSG (added)." So if you react to MSG, tread cautiously with autolyzed protein extracts.

--Sarah