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

Trader Joe's Ingredients / problems

pixiegirl

Recommended Posts

pixiegirl Enthusiast
pixiegirl
Posted

I just wanted to reinterate that we need to check labels constantly. I went to Trader Joe's yesterday and right when you walk in the door they have a gluten-free food list of various products in the store that are gluten-free, it lists a lot of Trader Joe products.

One product on the list was "Thai Green Curry Simmer Sauce" I found it on the shelf and looked at the ingredients, one was soy and it said in ( ) that it contained wheat! I went to the store manager and was told that gluten is only in white flour and that the wheat in the soy must be wheat flour?? I asked them where they got that information and was told that the store takes food issues very carefully and were trained as such. I told them that information was just not correct and they told me that I was wrong and perhaps need to talk to my doctor to understand my issues better!

So just be careful. I'm going to write to Trader Joe's this morning but I was stunned.

Susan

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


FreyaUSA Contributor
FreyaUSA
Posted

Ugh. :huh: Thank you for this information. (Brb, I have to go scream in my pillow now.)

MySuicidalTurtle Enthusiast
MySuicidalTurtle
Posted

Very crazy.

flagbabyds Collaborator
flagbabyds
Posted

A while back they had rice krispie treats on in that had barley malt in it, they took that off it like a 2 years ago

pixiegirl Enthusiast
pixiegirl
Posted
  • Author

I just read on another list that Trader Joe's brand of gluten-free pasta is not made on a dedicated assembly line... not sure if thats fact or not. Trader Joes makes it hard to complain, you have to put it in writing and send it snail mail. Sigh.

Susan

pixiegirl Enthusiast
pixiegirl
Posted
  • Author

I bought 2 items at Trader Joes and they are not on their gluten-free list but as we discussed in a previous post the list they offer is not up to date.

The first is called Thai Coconut simmer sauce... the ingredients are as follows:

water, coconut milk, sea salt, sugar, cilantro, garlic, ginger, tamarind, lime juice, arrowroot, shredded coconut, black pepper, crushed red pepper, lemon grass, mint leaves, xanthan gum.

The second product is also a trader Joes brand and its

Genova Pesto... ingredients are: Olive oil, basil, imported parmesan cheese (cows milk, enzymes, salt) Imported Romano Cheese (Sheeps milk, culture, enzymes, salt) Walnuts, Garlic, Black Pepper, sea salt.

I guess I'm hoping someone has tried these or knows about them, but the ingredients sound ok.... right?

Thanks, Susan

MySuicidalTurtle Enthusiast
MySuicidalTurtle
Posted

They don't seem too odd. . .call the company to make sure though!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kactuskandee Apprentice
kactuskandee
Posted

Susan, I too have found things on their shelves that appear gluten-free but aren't listed in the gluten-free list.

I don't think they take the gluten-free issue as seriously as they should. For one I love their supplements but have given up since I can't find out if some of the ones I like are gluten-free or not. The label doesn't say.

Don't get me wrong, I love Trader Joes and for me it's a $100 store since that's about how much I spend each time there. Good thing I'm a one hr. drive away and not any closer.

I know that Whole Foods take the gluten-free issue VERY seriously. (check their web site, it's quite extensive) because they have company members that are Celiac. The Atlanta branch is making their own line of gluten-free bread and hope to spread it to other stores over time.

As for TJ's I think the more of us that write snail mail letters the more it will get their attention. If you can afford a stamp and want to see changes, write them. They are privately owned and don't have to listen to stock holders, and that may be one of the problems. There is strength in numbers.............let's band together if we want to see TJ's be gluten-free accountable!!

Just my 2 cents worth.

Kandee

pixiegirl Enthusiast
pixiegirl
Posted
  • Author

Hi Kandee,

Yes I am going to write to them, started the letter yesterday.. they are right in my back yard so if I can help educate them I am willing to. I happen to love Whole Foods far more then Trader Joe's not only do they take the gluten-free issue more seriously but the store I go to is HUGE. It has everything. However its almost an hour drive to Whole Foods for me but I do go about once every 3 weeks or so, thankfully its located in a fantastic shopping center with great stores (j jill, singred olsen, coldwater creek, gap, tons more).

Susan

SharonF Contributor
SharonF
Posted

I wasn't impressed with the Trader Joe's I went to recently. I was hoping they would have all their gluten-free stuff grouped together, instead of scattered throughout the store.

I wish we had a Whole Foods where I live, but I'll make do with my local grocery store's health market (which is actually pretty good).

kactuskandee Apprentice
kactuskandee
Posted

Susan, If I had a WF like you did, in with all the other fantastic stores right there, I'd go frequently as well!! But unfortunately they are like a 3 hr. drive away.

Just learned that TJ's is scheduled to come to my neighborhood but not till 2007!!!

Dang, will still have to make that drive AND it's not near any neat stores!!

BTW, have you ever tried Trader Joes Sunflower Nut butter?...........OMG, it's to die for. I can't have PB (hypothyroid) so this, to me, tastes VERY much like peanut butter. I don't know how they do it. Try it if you haven't already..............................yum...

Sharon, sorry you were disappointed with TJ's. It's one of those stores that grows on you................especially because of the prices. I just wish they'd take gluten-free more seriously. :angry:

Kandee

  • 2 weeks later...
SharonF Contributor
SharonF
Posted

Why can't you have peanut butter due to hypothyroid? My mom was just diagnosed wtih this, so I don't know much about it.

Boojca Apprentice
Boojca
Posted

Um, I have a hypothyroid and there's no reason I can't have peanut butter. In fact, I eat it quite a bit and am THRIVING. My thyroid is back to it's normal size, I feel great, etc....

Bridget

kactuskandee Apprentice
kactuskandee
Posted

Go to the about.com message boards on thyroid disease, Mary Shoman leads it and has written some very extensive articles and books on the subject, and constantly updates the web site with new research, including alt. medicine. There is a wealth of information there once you start following the links.

Soy and peanuts have an estrogenic affect that can be detrimental to a person who is hypothyroid. There is new finding that green tea is not wise either. And uncooked or under-cooked cruciferous veggies should not be consumed often either by someone who is hypothyroid.

It's a bummer since I love all those things that we should be cautious about eating, but having gone from just being hypothyroid for over 16 years to chronic sub-acute thryroiditis attacks (I wouldn't wish those on ANYONE), I'm going to trust the expert's advise more than my my own.

Bridget..congrats on getting back to normal thyroid function and size, and more importantly, feeling great!!!

Kandee

Archived

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

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


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,192
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    MariaV
    Newest Member
    MariaV
    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

    • Ginger38
      Food Allergies

      By Ginger38 · Posted

      So I recently had allergy testing for IGE antibodies in response to foods. My test results came back positive to corn, white potatoes, egg whites. Tomatoes, almonds and peanuts to name a few.  I have had obvious reactions to a few of these - particularly tomatoes and corn- both GI issues. I don’t really understand all this allergy versus celiac stuff. If the food allergies are mild do I have to avoid these foods entirely? I don’t know what I will eat if I can’t  have corn based gluten free products 
    • Kris2093u4
      Bread choice for a newbie

      By Kris2093u4 · Posted

      Geography makes a difference.  I'm in the West and Trader Joe's gluten-free bread tastes great and is a better price than most gluten-free breads sold elsewhere in my area.  
    • JForman
      7yo struggling!

      By JForman · Posted

      We have four children (7-14 yo), and our 7 year old was diagnosed with NCGS (though all Celiac labs were positive, her scope at 4 years old was negative so docs in the US won't call it celiac). We have started her on a Gluten Free diet after 3 years of major digestive issues and ruling out just about everything under the sun. Our home and kitchen and myself are all gluten-free. But I have not asked my husband/her dad or her other siblings to go completely gluten-free with us. They are at home, but not out of the home. This has led to situations when we are eating out where she has to consistently see others eating things she can't have and she has begun to say "Well, I can't have <fill in the blank>...stupid gluten."  How have you supported your gluten-free kiddos in the mental health space of this journey, especially young ones like her. I know it's hard for me as an adult sometimes to miss out, so I can't imagine being 7 and dealing with it! Any tips or ideas to help with this? 
    • Jane878
      My mo,ther married a bread making when I was 4

      By Jane878 · Posted

      By the time I was 5 I had my first auto0immune disorder, Migraine headaches, with auras to blind me, and vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound. I was 5 years old, and my stepfather would have pizza night, milling his own flour, making thick cheesy gluten pizza, that I would eat and the next day, I would have serious migraines, and my mother & stepfather did nothing about my medical problems. When I was 17 in my first year at college, I was diagnosed with my 2nd known auto-immune disorder, Meniere's disease. I was a elite athlete, a swimmer, and soccer player. And once again my parents didn't think anything of understanding why I had a disorder only older people get. Now after my mother passed from Alzheimer's disease she also suffered with living with gluten. She had a rash for 30 years that nobody could diagnose. She was itchy for 45 years total. My brother had a encapsulated virus explodes in his spleen and when this happened his entire intestines were covered with adhesions, scar tissue and he almost lost his life. He has 5 daughters, and when I finally was diagnosed after being pregnant and my body went into a cytokine storm, I lost my chance to have children, I ended up having Hashimoto's disease, Degenerative Disc disease, and my body started to shut down during my first trimester. I am 6ft tall and got down to 119lbs. My husband and I went to a special immunologist in Terrace, California. They took 17 vials of blood as we flew there for a day and returned home that evening. In 3 weeks, we had the answer, I have Celiac disease. Once this was known, only my father and husband made efforts to change their way of feeding me. At the family cabin, my stepfather & mother were more worried that I would ruin Thanksgiving Dinner. It wasn't until one of my cousins was diagnosed with Celiac disease. They finally looked into getting Gluten Free flour and taking measures to limit "gluten" in meals. He did nothing but ask for me to pay for my own food and wi-fi when I came to the cabin to stay after our house burned down. When he informed my mother, they proceeding to get into a physical fight and she ended up with a black eye. The is just more trauma for me. Sam had no interest in telling the truth about what he wanted. He lied to my mother that he had asked my husband if I could pay for "food" when he asked Geoffrey if I had money to pay for my wi-fi. My mother hates when he spends so much time on the computer so he lied and said I could pay for my own food. I will remind you I weighed 119lbs at this time. (At 6ft) that is a very sick looking person. Neither parent was worried about my weight, they just fought about how cheap my stepfather was. As my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2014. He had her sign over the will to a trust and added his children. He had no testimonial capacity at the time, so she signed without proper papers. Making this Trust null and void. When I gave my brother my childhood home, my mother stated I would be getting an equal part of inheritance to the house on Race. It currently worth 2.0 million $. I got nothing, and my stepfather has since disowned me b/c of my claim and he knows that my mother would never have left it uneven between my biological brother and myself. She sat me and my husband down, as we lived at the Race Street house and treated and took care of it as our own. My brother took over b/c he was going through a horrific divorce and needed a home so he could get a better custody deal with his soon to be ex-wife who was a Assist DA for Denver. She used the girls against him, and he & I were the primary caregivers. We, Judd and I spent the most time with them pre the divorce. Once Judd moved into the house, he threw all of my mother, grandmother and my family heirlooms out to the Goodwill. Nobody told my mother about this as she was going through cancer treatment and had Alzheimer's disease in her mother and her sister. My stepfather and biological brother took advantage of this matter, as I called a "family council" that my brother just never could make it to at the last moment. All of the furnishing, kitchen ware, everything was in the house my brother just moved into. He had had 2 weddings, I chose to elope b/c my stepfather ruined my brother's first wedding by talking about his relationship with my brother in front of my dad and his entire family, insulting him and having my grandfather leave the ceremony. It was a disaster. My stepfather just plays dumb and blames my father for the slight. I was the only child not to have a wedding. So, my mother and stepfather never had to pay for a thing. My mother had had an agreement with my father he'd pay for college and all medical issues with their kids, myself and Judd. So truly my mother never had to pay for anything big for me in her entire life. I am looking for anyone that has had a similar story, where they grew up in a household that had a baker that regularly milled flour and ate gluten. What happened to you? DId you suffer from different auto-immune diseases b/c of living with a baker using "gluten" Please let me know. I have been looking into legal ways to get my stepfather to give me what my mother had promised, and he erased. Thank you for listening to my story. Jane Donnelly  
    • trents
      Blood results

      By trents · Posted

      Possibly gluten withdrawal. Lot's of info on the internet about it. Somewhat controversial but apparently gluten plugs into the same neuro sensors as opiates do and some people get a similar type withdrawal as they do when quitting opiates. Another issue is that gluten-free facsimile flours are not fortified with vitamins and minerals as is wheat flour (in the U.S. at least) so when the switch is made to gluten-free facsimile foods, especially if a lot of processed gluten-free foods are being used as substitutes, vitamin and mineral deficiencies can result. There is also the possibility that she has picked up a virus or some but that is totally unrelated to going gluten-free.
×
×
  • Create New...