Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Oops- Japanese Food = Wheat


BRUMI1968

Recommended Posts

BRUMI1968 Collaborator

I went to my favorite old stomping ground today for lunch with my mother; Aoki, my favorite Japanese restaurant. I knew it would not be the best, but thought sushi would be alright.

My server, Yoko who remembers my name no matter how long I am absent (I moved away years ago), was so great with the "wheat allergy". Anyway, I said maybe sushi, and she let me know that the vinegar they use to make sushi rice has wheat in it.

I had salmon ochozuke (rice, salmon, some spices, some seaweed, some wasabi, and green tea poured over the top). It was good. We'll see if "no wheat" equals "no gluten" in this instance - it was my first eating out experience since being dx'd and I guess I'll have to get used to asking to see the box.

anyway, boo hoo. I guess I'll have to learn to make my own sushi with gluten-free rice vinegar!

-Sherri


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



queenofhearts Explorer

Yikes! I thought they used rice vinegar! Sushi (no eel, no "spicy", my own soy sauce) was my safe haven for eating out! I'm a newbie so I don't get clear symptoms when I mess up. Am I glutening myself?

Leah

eKatherine Apprentice

I would be very suspicious of the authenticity of any Japanese restaurant that didn't use rice vinegar in their sushi rice.

queenofhearts Explorer
I would be very suspicious of the authenticity of any Japanese restaurant that didn't use rice vinegar in their sushi rice.

My sushi spot is very authentic but communication is tricky since the sushi chef can't really speak English, & some of the servers have trouble too. Does anyone know the Japanese for vinegar? wheat? rice?

Leah

eKatherine Apprentice
My sushi spot is very authentic but communication is tricky since the sushi chef can't really speak English, & some of the servers have trouble too. Does anyone know the Japanese for vinegar? wheat? rice?

Leah

vinegar=su

wheat, barley=mugi, komugi

raw rice=komi

cooked rice Japanese style=gohan

Probably broken, but...

I can't eat wheat.

Mugi to komugi wa taberaremasen.

Is there wheat in the sushi vinegar?

Mugi to komugi wa sushi no su ni arimasu ka?

eleep Enthusiast

Another push for the Triumph dining cards -- there's one for Japanese cuisine and it covers all these specifics in both Japanese and English!

BRUMI1968 Collaborator

Aoki is very authentic, thus the difficulty in communication. But I asked her specifically, "isn't it rice vinegar?". She said, "yes, but we get it in a huge box and the the box that it comes in says wheat." so I trusted that and got the ochozuke. She said they get several customers in with wheat allergy - though I bet not more than once.


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



NicoleAJ Enthusiast

Many varieties of rice vinegar actually do contain gluten because they are brewed with grain alcohol--this is why she said it wasn't ok. You just have to check with the companies about which rice vinegars are ok and which are not.

tarnalberry Community Regular
Many varieties of rice vinegar actually do contain gluten because they are brewed with grain alcohol--this is why she said it wasn't ok. You just have to check with the companies about which rice vinegars are ok and which are not.

grain alcohol is distilled, and hence gluten free. (not to mention often comes from non-gluten containing grains.) distilled vinegar, even if it is derived from a gluten-containing grain, is gluten free.

queenofhearts Explorer

Thanks for the info-- I ordered some Triumph cards today. I don't eat out all that often, but when I do it's usually ethnic, so that should help some!

Leah

kvogt Rookie

BEWARE:

Imitation crab contains wheat starch. It is sometimes used in a lobster roll to fill it out. Also used for nigiri sushi; possibly used in seafood soups.

Ponzu sauce. Eel sauce. Chef might prepare/keep for you if you provide gluten-free soy sauce and you are a good customer. Suspect any brown sauce.

Prepared products they shake over rice, particularly for chirashi. These are usually dried bits of seafood, sesame seed, nori mixtures. Ask to read the label; some contain wheat flour.

Clear broth soups may contain tempura bits.

Best practice is to patronize a sushi bar and get to know the chef. Explain your needs and he will help you. He wants to keep you coming back.

munchkinette Collaborator

Also beware of miso soup, unless you made it yourself.

Miso soup is made with koji, which is aspergillus mold and a starter. That starter is usually rice or barley. You never know which one it is unless you buy it yourself. I've made it myself at home before.

NOTE: For those of you that live in a city on the west coast with a lot of Japanese people, you can MAKE your own sushi. My friend and I had a sushi party last month. We went to the Japanese market and bought the fish, which is sushi grade and in small packages. We made our own unagi (eel) sauce with tamari instead of soy sauce. It was great! I recommmend it to anybody who likes sushi.

skbird Contributor

Making sushi is fun and not hard to do. A couple of years ago my coworker and I made up the rice the night before and bought cucumber, carrot, avocado, imitation crab (HAS WHEAT!), sushi grade tuna and smoked salmon. We brought it in with nori (seaweed wrap) and a lot of plastic wrap, got everyone in the company in the break room, and we had a "Roll Yer Own Sushi Lunch". It was fun - people had a blast and had no idea it was that easy.

Another friend from that workplace just made and posted this video on YouTube.com - how to make sushi. It's really easy.

Stephanie

PS I miss miso. The real good stuff is awesome. BUT - I'm allergic to aspergillus (it's also in citric acid and fermented tamari, tofu) so :(

Enjoy some for me!

loraleena Contributor

Whole foods uses gluten free vinegar in their sushi.You can have the raw tuna or salmon ones or veggie ones.

BRUMI1968 Collaborator
Whole foods uses gluten free vinegar in their sushi.You can have the raw tuna or salmon ones or veggie ones.

Thanks. My nearest whole foods is about 1.5 hours away, but I happen to be off to that very place today. I'll check it out.

sspitzer5 Apprentice
Whole foods uses gluten free vinegar in their sushi.You can have the raw tuna or salmon ones or veggie ones.

Hi, I've read that the sesame seeds on the sushi rice might contain spices that have gluten. Do you know if Whole Foods using plain sesame seeds?

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,722
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Diane Pippin
    Newest Member
    Diane Pippin
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):




  • Who's Online (See full list)


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      In general with pharmaceutical products cross-contamination is a much lower risk.
    • Scott Adams
      Here is more info about how to do a gluten challenge for a celiac disease blood panel, or for an endoscopy: and this recent study recommends 4-6 slices of wheat bread per day:    
    • trents
      Just so you'll know, once you have been gluten-free for any length of time, it will invalidate testing for celiac disease.
    • QueenBorg
      Yes. I have not been tested for celiac. It took forever to get diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. lol. I have an appointment with my regular GP later this month and will convey my findings on improved symptoms and see what his thoughts are. Thank you. 
    • knitty kitty
      @Grahamsnaturalworld, It's never too late.   Have you been checked for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth?  SIBO can cause ongoing symptoms.  Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and Histamine Intolerance (HIT) can also be the cause of ongoing symptoms.  The AIP diet can help with these by starving out SIBO bacteria and calming the immune system. Do you include dairy in your diet?  Casein in dairy can cause an autoimmune response the same as to gluten.  Have you been checked for lactose intolerance?  Some people lose the ability to produce the enzyme, lactase, needed to digest lactose, the sugar in dairy because the villi where the lactase enzyme is made are damaged.  AIP diet excludes dairy. Do you include grains in your diet?  Gluten free alternative grains and ancient grains can be inflammatory and cause symptoms.  Some people with Celiac react to corn and oats.  The AIP diet excludes all grains.  Lectins in grains can be inflammatory and cause symptoms. Do you eat nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant).  This family of plants produce glycoalkaloids, chemicals that promote Leaky Gut Syndrome.  The AIP diet excludes nightshades.   Are you on any medications?  Some medications can cause gastrointestinal symptoms.  Do you take any supplements?  Some herbal teas and supplements can cause digestive symptoms.  Medications for diabetes, antidepressants, and other pharmaceuticals can cause digestive symptoms as side effects. Have you been checked for nutritional deficiencies?  Malabsorption of essential nutrients can occur with continued symptoms.  Deficiencies in Niacin, Thiamine, and other B vitamins can cause digestive symptoms.  Gastrointestinal Beriberi and Pellagra are often overlooked by doctors because they are not familiar with nutritional deficiency disease symptoms.  Nutritional deficiencies can worsen over time as stores inside the body are depleted.   Have your doctors checked for all these?   I had a horrible time getting my symptoms under control.  I had to answer all these questions myself.  Yes, it's frustrating and exasperating because doctors don't have to live with these symptoms everyday. Interesting reading: AGA Clinical Practice Update on Management of Refractory Celiac Disease: Expert Review https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36137844/
×
×
  • Create New...