Jump to content

  • 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

Is A Food Gluten Free

tzeskimo

Recommended Posts

tzeskimo Newbie
tzeskimo
Posted

I have a multi-step process for figuring out if a food is gluten free:

Step 1: Read the label. If all goes well, the food is clearly gluten free, and I can stop here. This is also the only part of the process that really is discussed in celiac reading material.

Step 2: If the food has a mystery ingredient, like "natural flavoring", I'll go to the manufacturer's website to see if they have a gluten free list, or a gluten free policy. Hopefully, this clears stuff up.

Step 3: Most of the time I stop before this step, but if I really want the food, I look it up on forums using google, and see if most people think the food contains gluten or is gluten free. If most people think it's safe to eat, and they have fairly convincing arguments, I'll eat the food. Unfortunately, this step is time consuming and a little sketchy.

Do other people have a different way of figuring out which foods are gluten free? Do people actually use gluten free lists (I personally don't find them very useful because they have such limited coverage)?

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


happygirl Collaborator
happygirl
Posted

1. Determine what company produces the food. Refer to list of companies that will clearly disclose gluten. Then, when I read the label, I know if it is safe or not, and don't have to worry about "natural flavorings" and the like.

2. If its not a company that is on this list, then I contact them. But, luckily, that is rare!

And I agree---I don't trust "lists" of "safe" foods...unless it is a currently updated list from a company on their website. Even then, it is only used as a backup after reading the labels.

JennyC Enthusiast
JennyC
Posted

1) Try to make a shopping list using my many incomplete lists of gluten free foods, trust-worthy brands or buy specialty food.

2) Read label & watch for terms like modified food starch, flavoring, ect.

3) Try to decode the manufacturer (and hope that it's Kraft :rolleyes: ). Before I started looking for the brand names I did not realize that most of our mainstream foods come from a small handful of companies. Before I would have likely found it disturbing, but now I am thankful.

4) If it is not on the list, or if I'm still not sure if I trust them, I go home and try to contact them. This can be frustrating. For example, I must have had 10 windows open on my computer trying to find the contact phone number for Pepsi-Co this morning. It kept referring me to this cyber chick named Lisa. When I typed in a question about gluten free products, within 1.5 seconds I was transferred to a top 8 allergens FAQ page. :angry:

5) If this does not work to my liking, then I pose a question on the board.

*I also try to keep running lists of others' posts of gluten-free foods.

Archived

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

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


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,684
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Betty Siebert
    Newest Member
    Betty Siebert
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I'd go with a vodka tonic, but that's just me😉
    • Rejoicephd
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Rejoicephd · Posted

      That and my nutritionist also said that drinking cider is one of the worst drink choices for me, given that I have candida overgrowth.  She said the combination of the alcohol and sugar would be very likely to worsen my candida problem.  She suggested that if I drink, I go for clear vodka, either neat or with a splash of cranberry.   So in summary, I am giving ciders a rest.  Whether it's a gluten risk or sugars and yeast overgrowth, its just not worth it.
    • Inkie
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Inkie · Posted

      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      Inconclusive results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.