These Ingredients Are So Hard To Understand

[Aj63]

Hello Everyone,

I was diagnosed on Wednesday and am OK with it all. At have been sick for a long time and at least I know what is going on, can manage it and am not going to die and leave my little girls. I now dramatic, but it's literally the only thing I have been thinking about the past year.

Anyhoo, I am in the process of cleaning out my cupboards, trying to get the house pulled together, which I can only do a little at a time, because I have no energy. I was at the store today and I am so confused about the ingredients on cans. I have Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose, Monosodium Glutamate, Maltdextrin, etc., etc., etc. coming out of my ears. I mean Sucralose I am assuming is some type of sugar. Maltdetrin has malt in the word, so I am assuming it is bad. I was at the store for 2-hours yesterday and 2-hours today. Is there a detailed cheat sheet anywhere explaining the ingredients with the really big names?

BTW

[JennyC]

Congratulations on the early success with gluten free food. The first two dinners after my little boy started the gluten free diet were absolutely horrible. I felt so bad I cried and gave him french fries for dinner--but he didn't mind!

The ingredients are tricky. There's a good list of ingredients to avoid on this site.

Acesulfame Potassium sounds very artificial so I personally would not worry about it. Sucralose is an artificial sweetener. My son reacted to it, but I think it was because it upset his tummy for other reasons. Monosodium Glutamate is MSG. It is not good for anyone and it can irritate your stomach. Maltdextrin is corn based in the US and Canada.

In my opinion, the most dangerous ingredient is natural flavoring, or other types of flavors. Modified food starch almost inevitably corn or wheat based. If it is wheat based, it must be disclosed on the label since wheat is one of the top eight allergens (barley, rye and oats are not).

I try to buy from manufacturers that will disclose all gluten (not just wheat) in the ingredient label. I will post a link to the list below. I recommend that you call the manufacturers yourself. A couple on the list are "iffy" in my mind. I like to stick with General Mills and Kraft as much as possible.

Open Original Shared Link

[lorka150]

Acesulfame Potassium is an artificial sweetener. Often used in conjunction with Aspartame so it tastes less "aspartame-y". Safe if you are okay with artificial sweeteners, in the sense that it's gluten free.

[Ridgewalker]

Congratulations on the early success with gluten free food. The first two dinners after my little boy started the gluten free diet were absolutely horrible. I felt so bad I cried and gave him french fries for dinner--but he didn't mind!

Oh wow, me too! Lucas ate a lot of peanut butter on carrots and yogurt at the beginning... Sigh... a LOT! It took me quite a while to get the hang of gluten-free pasta.

In my opinion, the most dangerous ingredient is natural flavoring, or other types of flavors.

I agree completely. It's a very common ingredient, and it can actually be darn near anything. If I'm in the store and pick something up to check the ingredients, "natural flavors" will make me put it right back down. I'll look it up online when I get home. Luke and my Mom have both been glutened by "natural flavors" too many times. I never risk it anymore, EVER.

[cruelshoes]

These lists are a life saver. When I was first diagnosed I printed them off and carried them everywhere with me.

Unsafe food ingredients

Safe food ingredients

[psawyer]

There are quite a number of companies/brands that have a policy of clearly disclosing gluten in their ingredients. If the maker of the food is one of these, then if you don't see a gluten grain listed, the product is safe. With these brands, you don't need to worry about things like "natural flavor" or "modified food starch." If it contains gluten, the gluten grain will be named.

The list I currently have is:

Arrowhead Mills, Aunt Nelly's, Balance, Baskin Robbins, Ben & Jerry, Bertoli, Betty Crocker, Blue Bunny, Breyers, Campbells, Cascadian Farms, Celestial Seasonings, ConAgra, Country Crock, Edy's, General Mills, Good Humor, Green Giant, Haagen Daz, Hellman's, Hershey, Hormel, Hungry Jack, Jiffy, Knorr, Kozy Shack, Kraft, Lawry's, Libby's, Lipton, Martha White, Maxwell House, McCormick, Nabisco, Nestle, Old El Paso, Ortega, Pillsbury, Popsicle, Post, Progresso, Ragu, Russell Stover, Seneca Foods, Skippy, Smucker, Stokely's, Sunny Delight, T Marzetti, Tyson, Unilever, Wishbone, Yoplait, Zatarain's.

[happygirl]

Using that list makes a world of difference!!! Always turn the product over and look on the back label---you'll often find that a brand is owned by one of the companies that Peter listed. Makes food label reading SOOO much easier---and its trustworthy.

[missnbagels]

Welcome aboard to the gluten-free lifestyle. It does get better

don't worry.

Here is a link with things you can have

https://www.celiac.com/articles/181/1/Safe-...ents/Page1.html

This is a link for things you can't have

https://www.celiac.com/articles/182/1/Unsaf...ents/Page1.html

[Aj63]

Gosh, thank you all so much. The company list will be very helpful as will the lists of safe and unsafe foods. I really appreciate them. Today was a bit rough. Had a slumber party last night with 12 5-year old screaming little girls and it just about killed me not having a bite of piping hot pizza. Ugh!!! Tomorrow's task is making gluten-free pizza. Cross your fingers for me.

[Matilda]

...

[MeJenn]

Another helpful hint is to ask your natural grocer for a list of gluten-free foods available in their store. I live in Colorado and we have a chain out here called "Vitamin Cottage" which has a huge selection of gluten-free items as well as a handy product list. Good luck with everything...it only gets easier, frustrating, yes...but easier.

J