Fish Sauce - Not Always gluten-free

[GeoffCJ]

I have posted here before about my love for Vietnamese food, and that I thought it was generally a safer choice than chinese or other asian foods. my wife and I had looked at dozens of bottles of Fish Sauce at the Asian grocers, and hand't found any with gluten ingredients, and I'd generally considered Fish Sauce safe.

My wife recently discovered a bottle of Fish Sauce, in her Grandma's kitchen, that is not gluten-free. It has wheat listed as an ingredient. S**t. Turns out it was used to make the large jar of dilute sauce that my wife and I have used regularly for cooking. Damn it. I've also eaten in vietnamese restaurants rfrequently, where I asked about other ingredients and consider FS safe. now I know. Crap.

I've been gluten-free since December, or trying. I've still been having issues, issues i'd chalked up to healing, dairy, or other food issues. i've been testing and trying eliminating soy, dairy, corn, etc. Now I'm wondering if it's just the gluten. My reactions to gluten seem to be varied and hard to pin down. Sometimes I get raging headaches, but no GI symptoms. Sometimes my eyes feel swollen. Sometimes I'm violently ill, with vomiting and the big D in minutes. My hands and feet still bother me frequently, and my GI issues have stuck around.

It just sucks. I'd sort of considered Vietnamese food to be one my "safer" choices. Now I don't. I'm really stressed right now with my company, and the fact that we missed this, and I've been poisoning myself, it really getting me frustrated. Damn. Damn. Damn.

Geoff

[ravenwoodglass]

(((((((Hugs))))))) Sounds like you needed one of those first. With that out of the way don't be too down on yourself I think this has happened to all of us especially in the first year or so. I do really appretiate your letting us know about the fish sauce it may make a light go off for someone else that is suffering mystery glutenings.

[lovegrov]

Unless I'm missing something here Vietnamese should still be safe -- as long as their fish sauce doesn't have gluen. Just ask.

richard

[succulent-succotash]

Fish sauce is not always gluten-free. I treat it with almost the same caution as soy sauce. 

 

Based on my own research, here are a few gluten-free brands. Most of them are authentic Asian sauces.

Red Boat

Rufina

Three Ladies

Three Shrimp

Squid

Thai Kitchen

 

-Succulent Succotash