Gluten Free Products

[Megan LaGant]

Can someone PLEASE answer these questions?

I was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Making the change has been very difficult so far, and I have a lot of unanswered questions.I was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Making the change has been very difficult so far, and I have a lot of unanswered questions. I have recently discovered a few items in my local grocery store that are commercial products and are gluten free such as Heinz ketchup, Hidden valley ranch, ken's salad dressings, smithfield smoked sausage, hebrew national hotdogs, lays potato chips, fritos, etc. Finding these products has been very helpful because I don't have to pay extra money for these items just because they are gluten free. I was wondering if you could tell me if there are any other streamline products such as the ones I have listed that are gluten free. My local grocery store doesn't carry any of the gluten free brands (such as Annies, Vans, Glutino, etc.) so it would be helpful if I could find more streamline options.

Do you know if the following are gluten free?
Kraft BBQ sauce (particularly Honey and char grill flavors)
A1 steak sauce
Lipton french onion soup mix

Also, I was wondering if I could make a cheesecake using the regular box and just not make the crust that comes with it. Wouldn't that make it gluten free? I don't think that the filling contains wheat, just the crust.

Additional questions:
Is bacon gluten free? Is there a certain brand I should use?
Is blue bonnet butter gluten free?
Are Van Camps pork and beans gluten free?
Would a rotisserie chicken from Food Lion's bakery section be safe for me to eat?
Can I eat a sausage patty from McDonalds?
Can I eat the country ham at Bojangles?

[Roda]

Kraft, Unilever and ConAgra are all full disclosure companies, meaning if there is gluten as an ingredient it will be on the label.  As for the specific products:  Kraft  BBQ you would need to read the label.  Again as a full disclosure company they will list gluten ingredients.  I buy lots of Kraft products and feel confident with the company.  I have ate plain Kraft BBQ, but don't know about the specific flavors you mentioned.  I also eat A1 steak sauce without incident.  I haven't encountered a bacon I can't eat.  Meats are required to label any grain. 

 

As for the rotisserie chicken,  the sausage patty from McDonalds, and the ham from Bojangles, I personally wouldn't take the chance.  To much risk for me with cross contamination.  I have been known to eat McDonalds FF and hash browns on occasion since they cook them in a dedicated fryer and the chili and baked potatoes from Wendy's.  Again it's still a risk from cross contamination and I have gotten some before. 

 

Here are a few links for you.

 

www.heinz.com/glutenfree/index.html

www.kraftrecipes.com/healthy-living-ideas/articles/food-allergies/gluten-freefoods.aspx

www.conagrafoods.com/frequently-asked-questions

 

I hope these links are correct, since I wasn't able to copy/paste the links this morning.

[mommida]

Can you find the cheesecake that is pre made and sold in a tub like cool whip?  You can take the pre-made stuff and place on a small gluten free vanilla or shortbread cookie in a cupcake holder.

Or I think Jell-O has an instant pudding of cheesecake flavor.

 

Other than that, some cheesecake recipes are baked without a graham cracker crust.  Start to look for recipes (or adapt them with gluten free flour and ingredients)

[kareng]

Is bacon gluten free? Is there a certain brand I should use?  In, the US, I have never seen one with gluten.  Read the ingredients.

 

Is blue bonnet butter gluten free?  I have never seen a butter or margarine with gluten.  Read the ingredients

 

Are Van Camps pork and beans gluten free?  I don't use them but I think they are .  Read the ingredients

Would a rotisserie chicken from Food Lion's bakery section be safe for me to eat?  Ask to see ingredients, many are safe

 

 

Do you see a theme here?    IN the US, wheat must be clearly disclosed. rye isn't in much but bread or crackers with wheat, barley or malt will be listed because they are an ingredient.  Lots of main stream products are labelled gluten-free but there are many you can eat that aren't labelled.  Just read the ingredients.

[LauraTX]

A1 and Blue Bonnet are gluten-free, I use them.  

 

One of the first things I did when diagnosed was I got a notebook and made a list of all the products I commonly use and keep in my fridge and pantry, minus the obviously gluten containing ones.  I went down the list and called manufacturers and did internet searches and wrote down my results.  My first call was to Dr. Pepper to see if that was gluten free, god I was so relieved when she said it was!! (At the time all Dr Pepper and Snapple products were gluten-free minus one obscure bloody mary mix that she said was prominently labeled as having wheat)

 

Another thing that helped me out greatly was a gluten free grocery guide.  There are two prominent ones, the one I use is Ceceliad Marketplace.  It has a list of gluten-free stuff by category like lunch meat, sauces, etc. And really helped me at the start, definitely worth the 20 bucks or so because they do the research for you every 2 years, and post updates on their website.  Open Original Shared Link

 

Of course, always read every label, every time, because I have seen things get slipped in there.  I do it as I grocery shop, just scan through the back to make sure nothing has changed.  Of course it is easier with some brands like classico sauces, and bush's beans that actually put "Gluten Free" on the back, and I will buy those over something I have to look up.  Also it is helpful to learn the parent companies and their labeling practices like mentioned by others above me.  

 

Lastly, while you are getting used to being gluten-free, it is a good idea to avoid restaurants for a while to give your gut a chance to heal up, especially if your damage was severe.  Feel free to look around and ask any questions, and do pay attention to dates on posts if you do a search for a certain item, sometimes the info can be years old and possibly not good.  Welcome!

[w8in4dave]

Kraft, Unilever and ConAgra are all full disclosure companies, meaning if there is gluten as an ingredient it will be on the label.  As for the specific products:  Kraft  BBQ you would need to read the label.  Again as a full disclosure company they will list gluten ingredients.  I buy lots of Kraft products and feel confident with the company.  I have ate plain Kraft BBQ, but don't know about the specific flavors you mentioned.  I also eat A1 steak sauce without incident.  I haven't encountered a bacon I can't eat.  Meats are required to label any grain. 

 

As for the rotisserie chicken,  the sausage patty from McDonalds, and the ham from Bojangles, I personally wouldn't take the chance.  To much risk for me with cross contamination.  I have been known to eat McDonalds FF and hash browns on occasion since they cook them in a dedicated fryer and the chili and baked potatoes from Wendy's.  Again it's still a risk from cross contamination and I have gotten some before. 

 

Here are a few links for you.

 

www.heinz.com/glutenfree/index.html

www.kraftrecipes.com/healthy-living-ideas/articles/food-allergies/gluten-freefoods.aspx

www.conagrafoods.com/frequently-asked-questions

 

I hope these links are correct, since I wasn't able to copy/paste the links this morning.

I was eating FF at McDonalds one day as the kids were playing I decided to look up Mc Donalds FF And one site said they were NOT gluten-free because the use the same fryer for their hash browns. Their hash browns evidently are not gluten-free. 

 

French Fries:

Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*), citric acid (preservative), dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), salt. Prepared in vegetable oil ((may contain one of the following: Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent). *CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK (Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients).

Hash Brown:

Potatoes, vegetable oil (canola oil, hydrogenated soybean oil, natural beef flavor [wheat and milk derivatives]*), citric acid (preservative), salt, corn flour, dehydrated potato, dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color), extractives of black pepper. Prepared in vegetable oil ((may contain one of the following: Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness), dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent). *CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK. (Natural beef flavor contains hydrolyzed wheat and hydrolyzed milk as starting ingredients).

[psawyer]

The potato products at McD are fried in dedicated fryers, in a different location, operated by different crew members. The hash browns are no more or less gluten-free than the fries, just less debated. The fries are the most beaten-to-death topic on this board, and have been for eight years. There is no need to restart the debate--search the board, read the discussions, and make up your own mind. I eat both the fries and the hash browns from time to time, and have not had any problems.