Kraft Cheez Whiz

[Billi]

I am new at this and am wondering if I can have kraft cheez whiz? I Googled it and got yes and no answers. Help me please

[w8in4dave]

Here is a list of ingredients ...

 

Ingredients: WHEY, CANOLA OIL, MILK, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, MALTODEXTRIN , SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SALT, LACTIC ACID, SODIUM ALGINATE, MUSTARD FLOUR, WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (VINEGAR, MOLASSES, CORN SYRUP, WATER, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, GARLIC POWDER, SUGAR, SPICES, TAMARIND, NATURAL FLAVOR), SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE, MILKFAT, CHEESE CULTURE, OLEORESIN PAPRIKA (COLOR), ANNATTO (COLOR), NATURAL FLAVOR, ENZYMES.
Size: 15 OZ
Upc: 2100062679

[mamaw]

it is gluten free...a processed gluten-free food.

[bartfull]

Crazy -  I always considered that stuff in the "plastic cheese" category, and would never even consider buying it. But lately I have had a craving for plastic cheese! There is a burger joint locally that had the best tasting, greasy burgers with plastic cheese on them, and every once in a while I would stop there in the old days. Yesterday I wanted one (along with their greasy fries) for lunch. Of course I would never really do it, but I was dreaming!

 

I can't have Cheese Wiz even though it's gluten-free because of the corn intolerance, so please, enjoy some for me!

[linen53]

This seems to be the most recent thread on Cheez Wiz so I will give my input.  It does list maltodextrin but not what type so I tried it last night.  I was horribly glutened.  Almost had to go to the hospital.  

[bartfull]

If you are in the US or Canada you were not glutened by maltodextrin. Open Original Shared Link

 

It's possible that you had a bad (non-gluten) reaction to any of the many ingredients in Cheez Wiz. If you are new to the gluten-free diet it would be best to stick to whole foods for a while. Processed foods have so many ingredients, and at the beginning before we are healed we can react to just about anything. Also, dairy intolerance is common in newly diagnosed celiacs.

[ravenwoodglass]

Yea Cheese Wiz is gluten free. In addition to the good advice you got from Bartfull keep in mind that gluten reactions can be delayed. What 'gets' us can be something we ate even a couple days before. I hope you are feeling better soon.

[allergiescooked]

Homemade Cheese "Whiz"

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tbsp. cornstarch

2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar

2 tsp. finely minced garlic

2 tbsp. finely minced yellow onion

S&P to taste

 

Heat 2 cups of heavy cream over medium heat. Whisk remaining 1/2 cup cream with cornstarch to dissolve. Once cream begins to "steam" (not boil), whisk in cornstarch-cream mixture, cheddar, garlic and onion. Continue to whisk until cheese melts and sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper and/or add some hot sauce for a kick.

Other great cheeses: Monterey jack, mozzarella, smoked gouda, gruyere...

Now, this is not the healthiest of options but if you're craving whiz (where's my Philly folks at )  

[linen53]

Okay, here's what I had for dinner last night.  Pork chops floured in gluten-free flour and fried using Bertolli olive oil (I don't get glutened by Bertolli).  These were actually leftovers from a previous dinner so I know I didn't get glutened from those.

 

For a vegetable we had zucchini fritters.  Fresh zucchini, gluten-free flour, one fresh duck egg, xanthan gum and salt and pepper.  Cooked in Bertolli olive oil.  I've had those before and haven't been glutened before.

 

Then I fixed gluten-free macaroni and cheese,  The store brand from Walmart in the skinny box. I've eaten that with no problems before.  I added some Cheez Wiz to it to enhance the flavor.  I have not, until then, tried the Cheez Wiz.  I only try one new product at a time so there can be no confusion if I get glutened. 

 

It had to be something in the Cheez Wiz that glutened me.  

 

I don't have reactions a couple of days later.  Mine are about 30-45 minutes after I have eaten the glutened food.  And the symptoms pass only when I have eliminated it from my body approximately 24 hours later.  After that I begin the healing process again.

 

So what in the Cheez Wiz glutened me?

 

Thanks Allergiescooked, I will have to try your homemade Cheez Wiz recipe!

[bartfull]

As I said before, you may have had a reaction to one of the many ingredients in the Cheez Wiz, but it was NOT a gluten reaction. You can't be glutened unless you eat gluten and there is no gluten in Cheez Wiz.

 

How long have you been gluten-free? Are you a diagnosed celiac?

 

Many of us react badly to lots of different foods at first. Some of us develop further intolerances even years after being gluten-free.

 

Perhaps what set you off was the  CANOLA OIL, or the MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE. Might have been the SODIUM PHOSPHATE, or the SODIUM ALGINATE. Maybe it was the WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE (VINEGAR, MOLASSES, CORN SYRUP, WATER, SALT, CARAMEL COLOR, GARLIC POWDER, SUGAR, SPICES, TAMARIND, NATURAL FLAVOR), or the OLEORESIN PAPRIKA. The only way to tell what it was would be to eat each of these one at a time in its pure form.
 

[linen53]

I've been gluten intolerant since summer.  Fairly new but the learning curve is alot smaller now that I have been doing this for about 8 months.  

 

Yes, I was tested.  Blood test.  But, as you know all tests are inconclusive and may read a negative, especially if you have been gluten free for awhile, which I had when tested.  

 

I am way to sensitive to do a gluten challenge.  So I just try to stay gluten free and try a new product every once in awhile.  I became lactose intolerant a year and a half ago but take Lactaid successfully when I do eat anything dairy.  

 

Thanks so much for your input!

[mamaw]

bartfull  is  so right  on.... one  can  get  ill  responses  from certain foods  even if it  is gluten-free  but  I  to do not  believe  it  was  gluten that  caused a response... We  eat  cheese  whiz  in  broccoli  casserole....

Oddly  enough  is  one  for you: I  can eat  a gluten-free  product  by itself  but  when I add  another  gluten-free food  along  with  it I get  sick...

[bartfull]

It sounds like it is very possible that you do have celiac. Could I make a suggestion? Drop ALL dairy for at least six months. The lactaid may help with the lactose portion of dairy but there is also casein in dairy. If your villi are damaged from celiac they can't digest dairy. And there is both milk protein concentrate and whey protein concentrate in that Cheez Wiz. That's a lot of concentrated dairy right there.

[linen53]

Thanks bartfull for the advice.  I eat cheddar cheese every once i awhile but have dropped milk altogether.  I have decided to start a list of gluten-free foods that I get a reaction from and eventually find the culprit through process of elimination.

 

I did quit dairy for about 6 months to heal.  I am digesting much better than I was when I first figured out I was gluten intolerant.  I do think I have celiac disease since digestion used to take 2 hours after I ate a meal before I was worth anything.  Now I can usually eat and go about my day with no problem on most days.

 

Think I'll leave the Cheez Wiz alone.

[chocominties]

You don't specifically mention what kind of symptoms you had, but if they were gastrointestinal I will *always* suggest that fat is the culprit.  You list two fried items plus the mac + cheese with the cheez whiz added, which would be enough to turn a healthy person's guts into a Slip n' Slide. 

 

It's also worth noting that processed cheeses tend to have a much higher lactose content than natural cheeses.  Not to mention the added oils that could contribute to any gastrointestinal problems.  

[allergiescooked]

I did not know that dairy/lactose could cause reactions!!??!!

Is this common/high percentage of the population with celiac?

[kareng]

Many adults have an issue with lactose. For a person with Celiac disease, the part of the intestines that is damaged is the part that helps digest lactose. Many people get the ability to digest lactose back. Some do not, but, as previously stated, many adults cannot digest it.

[linen53]

Thanks chocominties.  My symptoms were very bizarre.  Brain synapses were all over the place.  I was jerky and twitchy for about 30-45 minutes or so until it finally started calming down.  That and the usual body aches.  Listless the next entire day.  With body pains as well.  Still have not fully recovered but I'm getting there.

 

Kareng, I became lactose intolerant last summer.  I take calcium supplements now instead of consuming as much dairy as I used to.  I was pretty much dairy free for about 6 months but have been able to add a little back in as long as I don't overdo it.

[linen53]

Looking back at the ingredients, I'm really wondering if I had a reaction to the whey.  It is listed as the first ingredient and also the 7th ingredient (less than 2% of whey protein concentrate).  I think I need to look at that ingredient more closely in the future.  And do taste tests.

 

I need to go in for allergy testing.  Can the test for whey?

[kareng]

whey is part of milk.

[gilligan]

I wasn't lactose intolerant until shortly after I was diagnosed.  Lactaid tablets worked fine for me, also...and then they didn't.  I could only tolerate a small amount of hard cheese if I took the tablets.  Overnight (and I'm not exaggerating) I could no longer drink Lactaid milk, and I couldn't handle lactose free products.  I became dairy intolerant that quickly!  It's been a year, and I still can't tolerate anything with dairy.  Just sharing this with you because I didn't believe it could happen quickly, but it can.

[linen53]

Kareng, hmmm, my lactose symptoms are different than my gluten symptoms so it couldn't have been the whey then.  Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

 

Yes, gilligan, when I became lactose intolerant it was just as quickly.  Tho I was able to use the Lactaid tablets and still do when I do consume cheese.  Sometimes it works well, sometimes so-so.  

 

And when I developed Celiac disease, it was like turning the page.  One day I was fine, the next I was very sick and I stayed sick for a few months till I figured out it was the gluten.   However, I do believe I was showing minor symptoms for years prior.  Just not enough to get my thick-headed attention.

[Lisa]

I wasn't lactose intolerant until shortly after I was diagnosed.  Lactaid tablets worked fine for me, also...and then they didn't.  I could only tolerate a small amount of hard cheese if I took the tablets.  Overnight (and I'm not exaggerating) I could no longer drink Lactaid milk, and I couldn't handle lactose free products.  I became dairy intolerant that quickly!  It's been a year, and I still can't tolerate anything with dairy.  Just sharing this with you because I didn't believe it could happen quickly, but it can.

Hey gilligan-- Here is 'My" personal theory.  When my Celiac was triggered, it also triggered a lactose intolerance that remained after healing.  When I removed the gluten for some time (months), I could still react to the lactose specifically. I kept it out of my diet for several weeks, yet now, almost ten years later, I can handle some in slim moderation without the tell-tail bloat. I do love cheese. :-/  Others can handle it with no problem when the villi heal.

[linen53]

I figured out why I had a reaction to the Cheez Whiz.  I have developed an intolerance for all corn products.  But it is not an allergy.  I was allergy tested for corn about 6 weeks ago.  Cheez Whiz has corn syrup in it.  It's all I can figure out.  

 

chocominties, you asked what symptoms I exhibit.  They are similar to a gluten attack only milder, coupled with a stuffy nose.

 

I'm back to square-one in healing my small intestine.  So here we go again.

[MycasMommy]

Homemade Cheese "Whiz"

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tbsp. cornstarch

2 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar

2 tsp. finely minced garlic

2 tbsp. finely minced yellow onion

S&P to taste

 

Heat 2 cups of heavy cream over medium heat. Whisk remaining 1/2 cup cream with cornstarch to dissolve. Once cream begins to "steam" (not boil), whisk in cornstarch-cream mixture, cheddar, garlic and onion. Continue to whisk until cheese melts and sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper and/or add some hot sauce for a kick.

Other great cheeses: Monterey jack, mozzarella, smoked gouda, gruyere...

Now, this is not the healthiest of options but if you're craving whiz (where's my Philly folks at )  

 

Awesome!  You can sub the corn starch for tapioca starch. I do it all of the time to everything There you go Bartfull!