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Gluten&dairy Free Chocolate


Rae

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Rae Apprentice

Hey everyone,

Today I had Tropical Source chocolate which states it is gluten-free and dairy free; however, after eating it I got really nauseous. This is the 3rd time this has happened with the chocolate. Also, I felt naseous when I ate chocolate chuck cookies from Pamela which also states that it is gluten-free and dairy-free. Why would I hate this reaction to these gluten-free foods? Could it be something else I should be looking for? Did anyone ever had these reactions from these products? Thanks


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jerseyangel Proficient

Have you ever had trouble with chocolate before? A person can be sensitive to it. Also, I know a lot of GFDF chocolate contains soy. Soy is another thing many people react to. Finally, I know I'm in the minority here :) but I always get an upset stomach with Pamela"s brownies. I know its gluten-free and safe, but it just affects me that way. Its quite common to become sensitive to more things (or become aware of the fact) after going gluten-free.

Guest BERNESES

I love Tropical Source BUT I've noticed I don't feel well when I eat it either. I'm not sure why but I'm starting to suspect that I don't chocolate well. One of my students was telling me that her sister, who has no other food intolerances or allergies, gets really sick when she eats chocolate.

Carriefaith Enthusiast

Does it state anywhere on the package that the product may contain traces of milk? Or this product was processes in a facility that also uses wheat and dairy? I've learned the hard way that you cannot always trust companies that put gluten free or dairy free right on the label. Maybe you could e-mail or call and ask them if there is any chance of cross-contamination with that product.

flagbabyds Collaborator

I know a lot of celiacs who have trouble with chocolate, so that could be your problem with the cookies too, because if they both make you sick, then either there is something else you are sensitive to, like soy (which is in a lot of things), or you could be sensitive to chocolate, which would suck, but then you know what it wrong and wouldn't be getting sick.

Rae Apprentice

Thanks everyone for your replies. Tropical Source does state that there chocolates are made on the same lines as other dairy products and although they clean before, traces may still be present. Thanks for the advice about the soy which I been actually using soy milk and I stopped for a few days and I seen some improvement in the tummy department. Oh boy I hope I am not sensitive to chocolate :(

nogluten- Newbie

I've recently had problems with chocolate myself and I can't do soy anymore, so I've switched to rice milk. I wonder if carob would be good? I think I'll try some soon.


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tarnalberry Community Regular

I haven't had a problem with Tropical Source chocolate, and love the taste, but I'm not extraordinarily sensitive to trace casein, so that may be a difference.

Guest BERNESES

I've just noticed that i can tolerate chocolate in small amounts but my problem is I tend to overindulge when I get it. I think I just need to only eat a little (which is true of a lot of things for me). I've started tolerating lactose recently as long as I take Lactaid before hand. I actually had a piece of cheesecake this weekend and was fine. Lactaid NEVER worked for me before so I think I'm finally starting to heal. I've been feeling better the last few weeks, but I've got to work on the chocolate thing.

Merika Contributor
I know I'm in the minority here :) but I always get an upset stomach with Pamela"s brownies. I know its gluten-free and safe, but it just affects me that way.

Thank you Jersey! I cannot eat them either - or any of Pamela's cookies. The baking mix is the only product of Pamela's I do ok on. Why is that?????? The cookies should be ok - the ones I try are even egg free and soy free. I eat dairy, so that's not the problem.

My ds, who's allergic to soy, just ate through a box of Pamela's cookies (a new kind my dh picked up this week) and now he is having classic soy allergy reaction for him. Was it the cookies??? I want to know, LOL! I stayed away from them....

Merika

jenvan Collaborator

If its not contamination, perhaps its just a reaction to chocolate... I can't tolerate much chocolate...eat a piece, I have to bust it to the bathroom. Some of our systems just can't handle it, similar to other foods that may bother us, regardless of gluten.

Carriefaith Enthusiast
Tropical Source does state that there chocolates are made on the same lines as other dairy products and although they clean before, traces may still be present.
Dairy contamination may be the source of the problem then. I can get sick from dairy contamination with lays STAX regular chips.
  • 3 months later...
ms-sillyak-screwed Enthusiast

I'm stuck on SOY today. I have also been searching for a safe chocolate to eat. I am unable to eat dairy or soy. And I found dark chocolate doesn't have milk in it. But most of the times it has SOY or SOY Letin (sp) in it. And SOY is a big fat NO NO for those of us Celiac's with thyroid problems.

I LOVE THIS ONE -- Yummy! I have found a brand at Walmart Kosher isle called

ALPROSE SWISS DARK CHOCOLATE. It is a gray wrapper with gold and white lettering. Here are the ingredients: COCOA MASS, SUGAR, COCOA BUTTER, HAZELNUT MASS, VANILLIN.

ALPROSE DELUXE DARK CHOCOLATE W/HAZELNUT PRALINE. It has a red wrapper gold and white lettering.

ingredients: COCOA MASS, SUGAR, COCOA BUTTER, HAZELNUT MASS, VANILLIN. Filling: SUGAR, HAZELNUT MASS, COCOA MASS, COCOA BUTTER. * May contail trace of nuts.

It appears this is imported. If anyone wants the address just ask.

penguin Community Regular

I second the kosher chocolate!!! SO GOOD!!!

jenvan Collaborator

Another question to ask yourself if you are having issues with chocolate--can you tolerate caffeine?

kabowman Explorer

I don't react to the Enjoy Life chocolate chips if I remember not to eat the whole bag - any large quantities of any food seem to bother me anymore though. Their chocolate chips are dairy, gluten, soy, corn free.

Nancym Enthusiast
Hey everyone,

Today I had Tropical Source chocolate which states it is gluten-free and dairy free; however, after eating it I got really nauseous. This is the 3rd time this has happened with the chocolate. Also, I felt naseous when I ate chocolate chuck cookies from Pamela which also states that it is gluten-free and dairy-free. Why would I hate this reaction to these gluten-free foods? Could it be something else I should be looking for? Did anyone ever had these reactions from these products? Thanks

Same thing with me. It seems like after going gluten-free/DF I am finding a lot of foods upset me. My theory is that either the symptoms were masked by the symptoms of my other, harsher food intolerances or else my gut is still healing and not quite ready to bring chocolate back.

Strangely, I don't get the reaction to cocoa, just to chocolate in bars.

StrongerToday Enthusiast

My dad got me a Valentine's Box of chocolates from the Chocolate Emporim. It's all gluten-free, casein free, dairy free, soy free and corn free! (alas, the price is far from free but well worth it!!)

Open Original Shared Link

It was so nice to pick from a variety of treats in one box too!

My dad got me a Valentine's Box of chocolates from the Chocolate Emporim. It's all gluten-free, casein free, dairy free, soy free and corn free! (alas, the price is far from free but well worth it!!)

Open Original Shared Link

It was so nice to pick from a variety of treats in one box too!

Sorry - that link was for the passover page. Which reminds me, they're Kosher too!

This is the main page:

Open Original Shared Link

stardust Rookie

Hi guys newbie here, and been all over this forum tonight!

Also maybe it is the VANILLA in you chocolates that is the problem. Vanilla extracts are often made by using a "distillation" type process that uses GRAIN ALCOHOL. As far as I know, Vanillin, which is totally a fake chemical flavoring, may be nothing more THAN vanilla flavored grain alcohol. A lot of other flavorings, and liquors are nothing more than that. Distilled grain alcohol, FLAVORED to taste like something. Extracting a REAL essence is actually pretty expensive. So of course companies cut corners. Distilled or not, DISTILLED IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR SOME OF US! as stated elsewhere, I have drank TRIPLE distilled SPIRITS and still had gluten reaction, for weeks afterward. I have been all over this site tonite reporting on what seems to be a sleeper in the Celiac world. I can no longer eat anything that has vanilla extract (nor others) or caramel color, which is apparently produced in a similar manner. Nor can I eat anything with distilled white vinegar. Kosher or not! "Distilled" just doesn't cut the gluten for me any more. It took a while for these sensitivities to show up for me--3 years gluten-free now- but the more I get out of my diet, the more I'm finding gives me grief. And vanilla extract is one of them. Also I read somewhere long ago that "Cocoa processed with alkali" was a red flag. Again it is stuff used in the PROCESS, that lingers that becomes the issue. I honestly can't remember what the details were on the "alkali" bit. But I know for SURE I can NOT eat most vanilla flavorings any more. I do buy certified gluten free and organic vanilla flavoring for my own cooking now--But BOY it was like $8.00!!

ravenwoodglass Mentor
Hey everyone,

Today I had Tropical Source chocolate which states it is gluten-free and dairy free; however, after eating it I got really nauseous. This is the 3rd time this has happened with the chocolate. Also, I felt naseous when I ate chocolate chuck cookies from Pamela which also states that it is gluten-free and dairy-free. Why would I hate this reaction to these gluten-free foods? Could it be something else I should be looking for? Did anyone ever had these reactions from these products? Thanks

It could be the soy in these. I got a bunch of bars and chips when my health food store got these in. I also get to feeling not too great when I eat this brand. It took awhile to figure out that though this is a nice organic product it is not simple in composition, and after careful examination of the label and my response to it I decided since I can have chocolate without soy with no problems that it must be the soy. I just declared the hell with organics and grab a Nestle bar or a baking bar of bittersweet chocolate.

Judyin Philly Enthusiast
I don't react to the Enjoy Life chocolate chips if I remember not to eat the whole bag - any large quantities of any food seem to bother me anymore though. Their chocolate chips are dairy, gluten, soy, corn free.

hI

I just bought some last nite and was going to use for chocolate chip cookies.

Have u tried them like that 'instead of out of the bag' :lol:

Judy in Philly

kabowman Explorer

Stardust, have you considered a yeast intolerance? I gave up all vinegar (I tried them ALL) and all grain alchols before I discovered Ihave a problem with yeast and then my searching showed me that yeast is the common connection in all of these. I have even given up most fruit and only occasionally indulge in under-ripe fruit. Wine is horrible and no yeast breads at all. I now use lemon juice instead of vinegar for all cooking and sauces.

  • 4 months later...
Carriefaith Enthusiast
Tropical Source does state that there chocolates are made on the same lines as other dairy products and although they clean before, traces may still be present.
Did you get this information from the company? I had these chocolates last week and really enjoyed them and would like to be able to eat them and not get sick, but I want to make sure that they are 100% gluten and dairy free. I found this statement on this site:

"These bars and baking chips are manufactured in one of the only chocolate factories in the world that has completely dedicated production equipment that is never used with dairy or gluten ingredients. This sets Tropical Source apart from virtually all other dark and semi-sweet chocolates which are often produced on mixed lines that may contain trace amounts of allergens in the equipment."

Open Original Shared Link

What do you think?

jenvan Collaborator
Hey everyone,

Today I had Tropical Source chocolate which states it is gluten-free and dairy free; however, after eating it I got really nauseous. This is the 3rd time this has happened with the chocolate. Also, I felt naseous when I ate chocolate chuck cookies from Pamela which also states that it is gluten-free and dairy-free. Why would I hate this reaction to these gluten-free foods? Could it be something else I should be looking for? Did anyone ever had these reactions from these products? Thanks

Maybe this was already mentioned on this thread (in a rush and can't read the whole thing right now)...but, could soy be a problem for you? I know it is in the tropical source chocolate. I eat their chocolate all the time w/o issue, and I don't think CC should be an issue with their product.

Carriefaith Enthusiast

Has anyone heard from the Tropical Source company my phone or email that the chocolates are produced on dedicated dairy free and gluten free lines? What I read and posted was on the internet.

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