Nutrition Labels/eating Out

[alexschatzi]

I am pretty new to the gluten free eating lifestyle and am seeking some advice. When reading food labels what exactly are we looking for and need to avoid? I know it's such things coming from wheat, barley,rye, oatmeal. However I am sure it's hidden in a lot of starches, spices etc. What exactly do you watch for. Also I know I am going to eat out again occasionaly. Any suggestions on what to eat when eating out? Any Restaurants that have a gluten friendly menu choice? Any ideas, suggestions and advice is appreciated!

[Kaycee]

Welcome Alexschati,

Unfortunately I cannot help much with your questions, as I live on the other side of the world and we label things differently and have different food laws etc.

But even so, I have found this board very helpful, and I think you have made a good choice in joining as there are so many helpfull people out there, and I am sure you will get some more replies soon.

If I pick up something and it has a colour, or flavour in it, but it is not specified on the label where it came from, I will leave the product on the shelf. We cannot afford to make too many mistakes, but unfortunately, on the coeliac journey, it is inevitable to make a mistake here and ther.

Maybe, you could start cooking from scratch with fresh food, veges, fruit and meat. That way you know what is in your food. To start with while we are healing we probably cannot handle too much in the way of processed foods.

Wishing you luck.

Catherine

[Guest cassidy]

I would recommend going to the main page - celiac.com. If you scroll down you will see a lot of information. Under "safe and forbidden foods there are several lists. I printed out the one that has all the terms that gluten can go by. I keep that in my purse. I wrote the names of the companies that don't hide gluten on the other side so when I'm in the grocery store I can figure out if a product is safe by reading the label or if I need to call the company. I would search for the list of companies that don't hide gluten and you should be able to find it - I'm just not sure how to direct you to it.

Basically, some companies, like Kraft, won't hide gluten in modified food starch or other words that could mean gluten or may not. If I see something like msf on a label from a company that isn't on the "don't hide gluten" list, I usually write the product down and then look here, or the company website to make sure it is gluten-free.

Also, a big issue is cc. If the product is made on the same manufacturing lines as something with gluten, that is a problem for many of us. Personally, I won't eat anything like that because I have gotten sick too many times. Figuring that out usually requires contacting the company or searching here for a post from the company that someone else has gotten.

In the beginning I would recommend sticking to naturally gluten-free foods like fruits, veggies, meats and rice. Your body needs time to heal. If you start going crazy with all sorts of processed foods you may find that you have other intolerances or that you aren't feeling as good as quickly as possible.

I would also recommend waiting before eating in restaurants. Outback and several others have gluten-free menus but most of us still speak to managers to make sure our food is prepared correctly. I was frustrated in the beginning because I tried to eat packaged food and eat out and I kept getting myself sick. I would give it some time until you feel comfortable explaining things before you venture out. Many people do eat out frequently and successfully so it can be done, I would just call that advanced gluten-free dieting.