Holiday Treats

[BearPear]

Hi everyone - we are coming to the USA, New York and the Keys, next week (yay) and our 12 year old daughter is celiac. We live in England and I am not too sure what "treats" Katy can have while on her holidays.

Please could anybody give me a selection of candy-type foods and other fun stuff that she could try while over there, plus it will be Easter during our vacation and we are not sure if you do the chocolate egg thing in the states (we have had Easter Eggs in our shops since February!).

Any help you can give would be most appreciated - I would love Katy to enjoy her holiday and not get "glutened" but still get to try new stuff with confidence.

Thanks

[CarlaB]

I've found that most candies are gluten-free. The ones that aren't are pretty obvious -- malted milk balls, candy with cookies, etc.

I like Reece's Pieces and M&M's. I seldom eat candy though. I'm sure others will have more suggestions.

Oh, if she likes ice cream and brownies -- Outback Steakhouse has a wonderful gluten-free dessert -- chocolate thunder from down under. It's a gluten-free brownie with chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. You can order it as it is off the menu -- it's always gluten-free.

Cold Stone Creamery is a good ice cream shop. The only thing to watch for is contamination. I ask them to wash the scoop in fresh water, they'll do the mix ins on a different counter, etc. The only problem I see there is contamination from the cones in the ice cream from the scoop, but I've never gotten sick there. She wouldn't be able to have flavors like Cookies and Cream, etc. They have a gluten-free list, but it includes things that ARE gluten-free (various candies), but better safe than sorry.

[Bill V.]

I've found that most candies are gluten-free. The ones that aren't are pretty obvious -- malted milk balls, candy with cookies, etc.

I like Reece's Pieces and M&M's. I seldom eat candy though. I'm sure others will have more suggestions.

Oh, if she likes ice cream and brownies -- Outback Steakhouse has a wonderful gluten-free dessert -- chocolate thunder from down under. It's a gluten-free brownie with chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. You can order it as it is off the menu -- it's always gluten-free.

Cold Stone Creamery is a good ice cream shop. The only thing to watch for is contamination. I ask them to wash the scoop in fresh water, they'll do the mix ins on a different counter, etc. The only problem I see there is contamination from the cones in the ice cream from the scoop, but I've never gotten sick there. She wouldn't be able to have flavors like Cookies and Cream, etc. They have a gluten-free list, but it includes things that ARE gluten-free (various candies), but better safe than sorry.

[Bill V.]

This site has every feature known to man, and yet it is so non-intuitive I can't figure out how to do a simple reply. This is a test before I type another long reply that gets lost.

[Lisa]

This site has every feature known to man, and yet it is so non-intuitive I can't figure out how to do a simple reply. This is a test before I type another long reply that gets lost.

Sucess!

[Bill V.]

Test 2

[Bill V.]

Thanks, Momma Goose!

[Bill V.]

I have just had a classic DH autoimmune gluten reaction to M&M's over the last 2 nights, extreme bilateral subcutaneous itching on the outsides of my ankles. I religiously avoid gluten, and everyone says that M&M's are gluten-free, but they contain dextrin. Dextrin in the U.S. is generally corn-based and gluten-free, but if the pet food debacle has taught us anything it is that today's raw ingredient supply chains are murky, international, and beyond the FDA's ability to successfully monitor. If the Purchasing Dept. at Master Foods buys the dextrin from a supplier who buys it from a supplier who gets it from Asia to save penny, the dextrin may not always be corn-based and gluten-free. My body does not lie. The M&M's I ate had gluten, causing the IgA antibodies to rush to the spots under my skin to fight the "invader", which caused the horrible itching. Buyer beware!