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

Indian Food

slcceliac

Recommended Posts

slcceliac Rookie
slcceliac
Posted

As I was eating my curry dish and reading "Gluten Free Food Guide for Celiac Patients", I read that curry powder is on the "not allowed" list!!!

The curry dish I made was delicious, and I used lots of curry powder. The brand I used is imported from India (Flower Brand, Curry Powder - Hot). When I looked at the ingridients, it listed: coriander, turmeric, chilli, fengugreek, mustard and OTHER SPICES???? Can wheat/barley/rye/oats be considered as other spices???

Why would the publication (printed in 1996) even list curry powder as gluten containing spice???

Is the jury out on curry powder??? I thought that indian food was mostly gluten free (except naans, etc)...

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


JEM123 Newbie
JEM123
Posted
As I was eating my curry dish and reading "Gluten Free Food Guide for Celiac Patients", I read that curry powder is on the "not allowed" list!!!

The curry dish I made was delicious, and I used lots of curry powder. The brand I used is imported from India (Flower Brand, Curry Powder - Hot). When I looked at the ingridients, it listed: coriander, turmeric, chilli, fengugreek, mustard and OTHER SPICES???? Can wheat/barley/rye/oats be considered as other spices???

Why would the publication (printed in 1996) even list curry powder as gluten containing spice???

Is the jury out on curry powder??? I thought that indian food was mostly gluten free (except naans, etc)...

Hi,

I use McCormick spices because they list all ingredients. I use their curry spice often and never had a problem with it. The packaged curry sauces I have found many wheat in them.

Thanks

sunshinen Apprentice
sunshinen
Posted

I'd call the company and ask if it OK. Chances are it is safe, but it's not worth the risk until you confirm.

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted

On the whole Curry should be gluten-free....

The problem is often fillers.... a classic is fenguereek (sp)... which is very strong and bitter... you only need a TINY amount and people don't like paying per milligram (saffron perhaps excluded)... so its not unknown for them to use filler...

Obviously developing world counties can't afford to be as fastidious about this as us....

On the plus side its just a possibility...

Equally curry powder is easy to make yourself... however you have to find the ingredients...

If you can find them in decent sizes (like an Indian family would buy) they are ridiculously cheap....

The hard part is collecting them all :D

Since you enjoyed this so much!!!!! I'm thinking it must be worth a bit of time investment for ya :D

A UK brand Pataks lists potential gluten, its mainly pastes... which is just the powder and oil...

I use them for a quck easy curry... I love curry :D

However I also make my own mixes... its no0t hard in itself...like I say its finding the ingredients... its REALLY easy in England because we have lots of great Indian immigrants who sell them real cheap :D so much its our new national dish....

There is a set of books (and products) by some guy called Pat Chapman... the self appointed head of the Curry Club of GB.

He makes a decent living I guess as well... HOWEVER.. the books are really good.... because they start off with a list of raw ingredients.. the initial recipees are actually just making mixes of spices... etc. like garam marsala's that are used again and again in the recipees.... once you make them up and bag or tupperware them the recipees are dead easy...

He also has recipes for accompanyments and chutneys etc. almost everything is gluten-free except some of the indian breads and these I tend to use gluten-free mix and they work....

They aren't so expensive and

The curry dish I made was delicious, and I used lots of curry powder.

given your enthusiasm you can easily recoup the price of the book on what you pay for 2-3 packets of pre-mixed stuff ....

On top of that its hundreds of different ones.. from a white chicken and almond korma to firey red hot ones.. (though the extra beauty is you can easily adjust the spicyness)...

happygirl Collaborator
happygirl
Posted
As I was eating my curry dish and reading "Gluten Free Food Guide for Celiac Patients", I read that curry powder is on the "not allowed" list!!!

The curry dish I made was delicious, and I used lots of curry powder. The brand I used is imported from India (Flower Brand, Curry Powder - Hot). When I looked at the ingridients, it listed: coriander, turmeric, chilli, fengugreek, mustard and OTHER SPICES???? Can wheat/barley/rye/oats be considered as other spices???

Why would the publication (printed in 1996) even list curry powder as gluten containing spice???

Is the jury out on curry powder??? I thought that indian food was mostly gluten free (except naans, etc)...

If it is sold in the US, any product MUST list wheat. So, in terms of "other spices"---it can NOT contain wheat unless it was listed.

As mentioned above, McCormick clearly states that it will list any source of gluten in any of their products. If you read their labels, and it doesn't have any sort of wheat/rye/barley/malt/oats, then it is safe, and nothing is hidden.

gfp Enthusiast
gfp
Posted
If it is sold in the US, any product MUST list wheat. So, in terms of "other spices"---it can NOT contain wheat unless it was listed.

You can quote rule until your blue in the face but its not me you are trying to tell but some manufactuerer in India...

As she stated the powder was imported from India...

Secondly it doesn't really matter if the raw spices already contain gluten ... Who in the Flower brand factory is really going to bother checking.... when half the country is so poor they would eat wheat stalks if they could get hold of them...

I suspect youi have never been to India...I have and I somehow doubt this is foremost on their mind when they package stuff to ship off and sell... Sorry that's not meant to be an insult, I spent nearly half my life in the 3rd world... and the main thing is you can't expect things work in the same way as they do in developed nations....

Sometimes this stuff gets analysed... sometimes it doesn't and sometimes they guy selling the fengureek to flowerbrand might use chick pea flour and other times wheat??? Open Original Shared Link

OK that's Canadian but they still have hundreds of undelacred allergens EVEN on domestic food, let alone imported... the difference is they actually randomly test them....I somehow doubt the US is any better???

If they imported seperate spices and paid whomever will work for less than $1 an hour.. to pack it that they pay in India then they may analyse the raw ingredients but this brand is imported as is...

The average wage in India is about $50 a month... you really don't get modern analysis and stuff they just can't afford it... most people can't afford water without salmonella, let alone the luxury of avoiding wheat...

slcceliac Rookie
slcceliac
Posted
  • Author

When in doubt, do without. I donated my curry dish to nonceliacs and they loved it! I guess I better buy some spices where the ingridients are clearly listed. :)

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


hathor Contributor
hathor
Posted
Is the jury out on curry powder??? I thought that indian food was mostly gluten free (except naans, etc)...

I have nothing to add about curry powder, except that I've used the Whole Foods one without problem (it has a list of ingredients where everything is named).

I did want to add that my Triumph dining card says one has to avoid asafoetida (hing). Restaurants may use it in any number of dishes & it apparently frequently contains wheat, since a flour has to be used to convert this resin for culinary use. But I guess it doesn't have to be wheat. For instance, I found this company that says it only uses rice flour in its Indian spices.

Open Original Shared Link

kbabe1968 Enthusiast
kbabe1968
Posted

I go to an indian/asian grocery to get most of my flours. The one brand of spices we did buy from them (it was a curry powder) straight from India (well, the spice is from india, but packaged for sale in NJ). It listed rice flour as an ingredient. It was Batak, i think.

I would definitely call the mfg if they have an american distribution place (a lot of internation foods DO have an American importer/distributor that MAY have the information). :)

Good luck.

Karen B. Explorer
Karen B.
Posted

My gastro doc is from Pakistan and we discussed curry powders. She warned me that a lot of the imports may contain unlisted wheat as filler and as a non-caking agent. She did tell me that Sadaf brand contained no wheat. Now, that was in 2003 and I know these things can change, but I still use Sadaf brand (I get it from an Indian import store) and I've had no problems.

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      129,868
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Joyetta
    Newest Member
    Joyetta
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Shining My Light
      Virus, celiac disease or both?

      By Shining My Light · Posted

      Thank you @trents! This is all sound advice. In 2022 I did have a biopsy done with the EGD: SPECIMEN: (A) DUODENUM, BIOPSY (B) GASTRIC BIOPSY(C) GASTRIC POLYP, BIOPSY(D) ESOPHAGUS BIOPSY (E) ESOPHAGUS BIOPSY This would have been when the candida was found.  If I understand right it’s the duodenum they take a biopsy of. Nothing was mentioned about Villous atrophy however they were not looking for that particularly.    Something that stumps me is the correlation between symptoms and damage. One seems to equal the other. I have yet to see damage with “silent celiac”. Not saying it doesn’t exist.  Also super curious on other symptoms that would improve based on a gluten free diet. Obviously silent celiac wouldn’t have an improvement in GI symptoms but that is all I have read any data for. No one saying things like my anxiety went away or my headaches and joint pain are gone.    I see why it would be a “gluten challenge” since eating 4-6 slices of bread daily is a challenge to do. 😳 I would replace that with cake 🍰😉 
    • xxnonamexx
      Supplements for those Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

      By xxnonamexx · Posted

      I know I haven't been tested for Celiac yet. But If I took a blood test would they be able to say what I am deficient in as far as vitamins and minerals so I can see what supplements to take or is it not that easy to figure out what is needed to balance out vitamins/minerals. 
    • trents
      Virus, celiac disease or both?

      By trents · Posted

      All that is exactly why you should have an endoscopy with a biopsy of the small bowel lining done. It's a very simple procedure and in the US they put you under for it so there is no discomfort. You don't even have to do a cleanout like you do for a colonoscopy.  It might also be wise to wait a few months and get the tTG-IGA checked again if nothing else. If it elevated now due to some temporary infectious process, it should not remain elevated. But a biopsy would distinguish between IBD and celiac disease. And remember, the diagnosing of diseases is often not a black and white, cut and dry process. You often have to weigh all the evidence and just go with what is most likely the cause. When tTG-IGA is elevated, the most likely cause is celiac disease. And the gold standard test for diagnosing celiac disease is still the endoscopy with biopsy. But if you decide to go for further testing for celiac disease of any kind, you must not first embark on the gluten free diet.
    • knitty kitty
      Refractory Celiac disease - what to do

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      I understand your exasperation.  My doctors were totally clueless.  Me?  I couldn't believe it was so simple.  I had studied nutrition before earning a degree in Microbiology because I was curious about what the vitamins were doing inside the body.  It's about giving the body the nutrients it needs to heal.  Read my blog for more of my journey...  Do take the time now to make some changes.  It's a matter of putting on your own oxygen mask first before you do anything else.  I regret I didn't do more to take care of myself first.  It's amazing how quickly ones life can unravel if in poor health. Simple things you can do immediately that will help are: Stop consuming oats, dairy, and corn. Keep a food-mood-poo'd journal so pinpointing problematic foods is easier. No alcohol. Avoid nightshades.  Do cut back on or eliminate processed gluten free facsimile foods.  These are not nutritious.  They are not enriched with vitamins and minerals like their gluten containing counterparts.  They contain saturated fats and excess fiber that can be irritating to the digestive tract.   They are high in simple carbohydrates that promote Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). Do focus on meat, veggies, fruit and healthy Omega 3 fats (olive oil, avocado oil).   Do make stews and roasts overnight in a crockpot.  Make small batches.  Leftovers increase in histamine the longer they are left.   Do talk to your doctor about supplementing with a B Complex and Benfotiamine (a form of thiamine shown to promote intestinal healing).  There are eight essential B vitamins.  They work in concert together like an orchestra, so they need to be supplemented together.  Taking extra thiamine and Benfotiamine have been shown to be beneficial.  Weight loss can be a symptom of insufficient thiamine. I believe you mentioned you were low in some vitamins. Can you tell me  which ones?  
    • Shining My Light
      Virus, celiac disease or both?

      By Shining My Light · Posted

      @trents - sorry, I know that didn’t make sense. I need to get better at rereading the things I write.    The people I know of that have a gluten sensitivity or intolerance have tested negative for celiac. They can’t have gluten of any kind without having a reaction. That to me isn’t helpful. If I reacted to gluten I wouldn’t eat it regardless of it being celiac or not. I’ve come to learn the real issue with celiac is the damage, not the intolerance.    Gliadin Deamidated is another test I’ve seen that I wanted to get done. Also, the genetic testing. HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8. Although my liver levels are not elevated now, I went through a time when they were. I would say maybe 7 years ago. I also had major GI symptoms at that time. They had ordered a EGD then but I chickened out. This makes me even more confused. I would think that if celiac were the cause my liver numbers wouldn’t have improved. Which again makes me think more of IBD being the cause of my TTG levels being elevated.  One thing that would make me motivated above all else is the neurological aspect. I’m still trying to dive deeper into that which has me the most interested. I think GI issues are an obvious symptom, it’s the connection in the rest of the body, particularly brain function that is most intriguing.         
×
×
  • Create New...