Please Let It Not Be My Latte

[kristi]

I'm pretty new to this whole celiac thing so this might be an obvious mistake. I was on a good wave of health recently and went back to some of my old patterns in life and now I'm feeling crumby off and on again. I used to start my mornings with a latte. Not always the same stand. I was reading on another link warning about flavorings in vodka and "bing" a big red light came on about having "vanilla" or "cocoanut" flavoring in my latte. Now I go through stages of upset (both emotional rage and sadness of withdrawl and physical illness too) and then hope again with thinking of more food options and then my favorite reaction...denial. Please don't let it be my latte and if it might be, does anyone know of any safe flavorings I can buy and just keep in my car so I can add it to my drink afterwards? I know there is probably more pending issues for some. Sorry, I don't think I can face life without my latte ever again, well at least on the good days now that I'm feeling good enough to be out in the world.

[CarlaB]

If you go to Starbucks the flavorings are safe. My question would be, do you have a casein intolerance? I do ... so I go for the soy chai latte now. I just don't like the espresso with soy.

[lorka150]

i've gotten cross contaminated often in coffee shops that bake on premise. the only one i have never gotten ill at is starbucks. if the clerk has donut goo on their hands and then put the lid on your drink, it might give to some crumb residue.

to be safe, you could always just go in and order instead, and ask them to wash their hands.

[CarlaB]

i've gotten cross contaminated often in coffee shops that bake on premise. the only one i have never gotten ill at is starbucks. if the clerk has donut goo on their hands and then put the lid on your drink, it might give to some crumb residue.

to be safe, you could always just go in and order instead, and ask them to wash their hands.

I go in and order. It's a matter of principle. If I'm going to pay $4 for a cup of coffee, someone is going to have to smile and be nice!!!!! Plus, I can see whether the same person is serving danishes as is making the coffee, or see if they set the lid down on a crummy counter, etc. I have asked for a new lid before.

I have never been glutened at Starbucks. Today I had coffee at Panera Bread. There I am MUCH more cautious!! I never get a latte because they're made back where they're making all that bread stuff, and I always get a mug and wipe it out in case there's a flour residue from when they're baking bread. I bring in my own soy creamer since I can't have dairy. Doesn't seem worth going out for a cup of coffee, but I enjoy the atmosphere of being "out" if you know what I mean.

[kristi]

I don't know if I have a casein intolerance. I never used to have this problem but the way my body reacts to things has changed so much. From what I can tell it has happened at different stands or my reaction has taken time to get over. They weren't making food there but maybe they had been eating a snack. I'm still learning where I need to go get tested successfully. I'm on the West Coast. Terrible place not to be able to drink coffee. Part of my self was just sooooo happy I was feeling good enough to try.

[CarlaB]

I don't know if I have a casein intolerance. I never used to have this problem but the way my body reacts to things has changed so much. From what I can tell it has happened at different stands or my reaction has taken time to get over. They weren't making food there but maybe they had been eating a snack. I'm still learning where I need to go get tested successfully. I'm on the West Coast. Terrible place not to be able to drink coffee. Part of my self was just sooooo happy I was feeling good enough to try.

I never would have guessed that I had a casein intolerance, though I discovered my wheat problem on my own without a doc (years later I found out I had the gluten problem). I got tested through Enterolab, but you could just stay off dairy for a few weeks, then have some and see what happens.

Giving up coffee anywhere is hard!!!! Even her in Cincinnati we have a Starbucks on every corner, in Kroger, in the airport, in Meijers, in Target, etc.!!!

[kristi]

Well, I might have been off-base with the flavoring idea. I had read somewhere about someone else having trouble with vanilla. I went off lattes and dairy then got another sick attack days later (one very long night) so I don't think it's the coffee. Sometimes I just can't digest things anymore.

[CarlaB]

Well, I might have been off-base with the flavoring idea. I had read somewhere about someone else having trouble with vanilla. I went off lattes and dairy then got another sick attack days later (one very long night) so I don't think it's the coffee. Sometimes I just can't digest things anymore.

Keep a food diary and how you feel after eating things. You may see a pattern.

At the Starbucks I used to go to before we moved, the manager was allergic to vanilla.