Cheese

[Jang]

I am struggling with being sure a product is gluten free. Are there cheeses which are?

[Jenny (AZ via TX)]

Most cheese is gluten free. In the beginning it's easier to stick with brands that will list any gluten. The website is glutenfreeindy.com. They list these brands.

Blue cheese is one you have to watch out for. Also, brie. Someone with more knowledge will probably chime in, but that should get you started.

[happygirl]

My best piece of advice is to learn to effectively read food labels. And never assume something is gluten free.

Hopefully this will make your life easier with food label reading ---

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

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

A list of companies that has a clear gluten policy. If you don't see "wheat, rye, barley, barley malt, oats" on the labels, its not there, or hidden in "flavors, starches, etc." Open Original Shared Link and Open Original Shared Link This makes shopping MUCH easier.

FDA foods are required to list wheat - it cannot be hidden.

Rule #1: Never eat anything without reading the label first.

Rule #2: Consistently check labels, even of your favorite products, as product formulations can change.

Rule #3: If you are unsure of an ingredient, or the company's policy on labeling, call the phone number on the back of the product or email the company.

Hope this helps.

Some other good websites for your reading (besides this forum and www.celiac.com)

www.celiacdiseasecenter.columbia.edu

www.celiaccentral.org

www.celiac.org

www.celiacdisease.net

www.gluten.net

Let us know what we can do to help. Good luck!

[lobita]

Yeah, I wonder about cheese from time to time as well because for awhile I was looking into making my own. To make it, you use enzymes or rennet, which can be from animal sources, but hardly is anymore because it's more expensive. From what I know, they use a "vegetable" source, and that vagueness always scares me. I've tried to e-mail cheese companies to explain their process to me, but haven't had much luck; it's usually a customer service person that doesn't know. But I've been eating the Kirkland block cheese from Costco for about a year and haven't noticed any problems resulting from that.

[lovegrov]

I'm not telling anybody here to eat every cheese out there, but overall, cheeses are EXTREMELY safe. I've never had a brie with gluten, and from everything I've read, even in blue cheese made with mold started on bread (most are not started that way), any gluten that might carry over (if it does at all) would be unmeasureable.

richard