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

Gluten In Crystal Light!

kellylynn

Recommended Posts

kellylynn Rookie
kellylynn
Posted

I've felt awful the last day and a half. I've been gluten free for a month and a half and felt much better at first and was starting to be a little skeptical as to how strict I needed to be, but now I know!

The only thing I had yesterday that I hadn't read every ingredient on was a packet of Crystal Light. So went I went back to look at it, I had two boxes. One box clearly labeled gluten-free and the other (the one I drank yesterday) was not labeled gluten-free and maltodextrin was the only ingredient difference between the two boxes.

I just can't believe this! For one, that I feel this bad (bloated intestines, exhausted, twitching eye, etc.) and, two, that there is gluten in crystal light!

Just thought I'd put the warning out there!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


happygirl Collaborator
happygirl
Posted

Maltodextrin is gluten free:

Open Original Shared Link

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

MaryJones2 Enthusiast
MaryJones2
Posted

Kraft clearly labels any gluten so if the maltodextrin had gluten it would be listed. It might be worth contacting the company though and clarifying the label differences.

Open Original Shared Link

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

For some of us the gluten reaction is delayed. Look at not just what you had right before you got ill but also for the 3 days before. It can sometimes be very hard to figure out what 'got' us especially early on.

elonwy Enthusiast
elonwy
Posted

Also keep in mind that artificial sweeteners can cause issues for people with GI problems. I know that they give me terrible stomach cramps and D.

kellylynn Rookie
kellylynn
Posted
  • Author

A representative from Kraft called to assure me that they disclose all sources of gluten and require their suppliers to do the same. I thanked her for their commitment to taking gluten seriously.

I'm still not sure what made me sick....

  • 2 years later...
Okie Kei Bug Newbie
Okie Kei Bug
Posted

I had an reaction to crystal light. Arthritis in my Hands started aching after drinking it 2 days in a roll. I know, I know Kraft labels "Crystal Light" Gluten Free. Fooled me once, fooled me twice, Not a Third time...

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

I had an reaction to crystal light. Arthritis in my Hands started aching after drinking it 2 days in a roll. I know, I know Kraft labels "Crystal Light" Gluten Free. Fooled me once, fooled me twice, Not a Third time...

Just because you react to a product does not mean the company is lying about gluten. There are plenty of things to disagree with you artificial sugar, colors, flavors, etc. I have a son who does not have Celiac but Crystal LIght gives him stomach pain & bloating. We suspect the sweetener.

mbrookes Community Regular
mbrookes
Posted

Kareng makes a good point. Once we identify gluten as the culprit, many of us blame everything on gluten. Sometimes other things I eat or drink "disagree" with me. That certainly does not mean they contain gluten.

  • 5 years later...
Susie Rogowski Newbie
Susie Rogowski
Posted

Hi! I'm Susie, and I just joined - although I've been a lurker since 2004. I do not have Celiac's, but I am intolerant to gluten. So, with the warm weather upon us, I started back to drinking my Crystal Light lemonade, mixed with Lipton's decaf lemon iced tea mix. About two weeks ago I started to notice a heaviness/fullness in my stomach in the afternoon. It got to the point that it progressed to lasting16+ hours before I got a clue. I thought it was from the huge amounts of watermelon that I can put away. So, for two days, I didn't eat the watermelon, but had my Crystal Light/Lipton's mix.  I admit, I got lazy. If I had read that both mixes had maltodextrin in them, I never would have purchased them because I always thought that it contained gluten. For years. I never had a problem with these mixes. So my problem could be the artificial sweetener, or the guar gum, because I am allergic to some gums. All I know is that I can't let my guard down.

Ennis-TX Grand Master
Ennis-TX
Posted
32 minutes ago, Susie Rogowski said:

Hi! I'm Susie, and I just joined - although I've been a lurker since 2004. I do not have Celiac's, but I am intolerant to gluten. So, with the warm weather upon us, I started back to drinking my Crystal Light lemonade, mixed with Lipton's decaf lemon iced tea mix. About two weeks ago I started to notice a heaviness/fullness in my stomach in the afternoon. It got to the point that it progressed to lasting16+ hours before I got a clue. I thought it was from the huge amounts of watermelon that I can put away. So, for two days, I didn't eat the watermelon, but had my Crystal Light/Lipton's mix.  I admit, I got lazy. If I had read that both mixes had maltodextrin in them, I never would have purchased them because I always thought that it contained gluten. For years. I never had a problem with these mixes. So my problem could be the artificial sweetener, or the guar gum, because I am allergic to some gums. All I know is that I can't let my guard down.

I react to the Aspartame, and Acesulfame Potassium in them. I turn into Mr. Hyde with them. Something in them makes me super aggressive and angery all the time snapping at people. Very similar to how gluten used to effect me. As a alternative try using lemon juice, and a sweetener that is not known to have mental effects on people, I love Sweet Drops stevia flavors, and I constantly use Monk Fruit Sweetener in stuff, along with the sugar free simple syrups from NuNaturals. I somethings use that liquid splenda in the little squirt bottles seems to work alright with no issues.

rehh05 Apprentice
rehh05
Posted

I used to drink Crystal Light all the time too. And I couldn't figure out why I was sooo achy and tired and sore all the time. It said gluten free so I wasn't worried about gluten too much, but then I started having constant head aches... and thought about the sweetener. So I stopped everything with aspartame... the only artificial sweetener I allow now is a small amount of Stevia.  Guess what.. aches and soreness and headaches are muuuuuuch better. Much more energy too. Seems I can't tolerate artificial sweeteners... so no more soda or diet soda for me... I did find a Stevia sweetened lemonade that I use once in a while but not often. 

Ennis-TX Grand Master
Ennis-TX
Posted
7 minutes ago, rehh05 said:

I used to drink Crystal Light all the time too. And I couldn't figure out why I was sooo achy and tired and sore all the time. It said gluten free so I wasn't worried about gluten too much, but then I started having constant head aches... and thought about the sweetener. So I stopped everything with aspartame... the only artificial sweetener I allow now is a small amount of Stevia.  Guess what.. aches and soreness and headaches are muuuuuuch better. Much more energy too. Seems I can't tolerate artificial sweeteners... so no more soda or diet soda for me... I did find a Stevia sweetened lemonade that I use once in a while but not often. 

Make your own soda with SweetDrops and sparkling mineral water, or they make one called Zevia which is a soda free of all coloring, and artificial sweeteners they sweeten it with steiva.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

Victoria1234 Experienced
Victoria1234
Posted

Aspartame makes me angry and nasty towards others. I feel very uncomfortable in my own skin. Haven't touched it on purpose in years. Accidentally had some in a yogurt I grabbed at the grocery store on sale a few months ago. Tasted a bit off but it was my last yogurt and had nothing else to eat.  Didn't realize it had aspartame till I pulled it out of recycling, and I was out of sorts for a full day.

Archived

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

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


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,398
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Megannnnn
    Newest Member
    Megannnnn
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Coeliac UK Research Conference 2025

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Thanks for sharing this!
    • Scott Adams
      Shingles - Could It Be Related to Gluten/ Celiac

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I had the same thing happen to me at around your age, and to this day it's the most painful experience I've ever had. For me it was the right side of my head, above my ear, running from my nerves in my neck. For years before my outbreak I felt a tingling sensation shooting along the exact nerves that ended up exactly where the shingles blisters appeared. I highly recommend the two shot shingles vaccine as soon as your turn 50--I did this because I started to get the same tingling sensations in the same area, and after the vaccines I've never felt that again.  As you likely know, shingles is caused by chicken pox, which was once though of as one of those harmless childhood viruses that everyone should catch in the wild--little did they know that it can stay in your nervous system for your entire life, and cause major issues as you age.
    • trents
      Blood tests low iGA 4 years later digestive issues

      By trents · Posted

      Keep us posted.
    • Clear2me
      Gluten free nuts

      By Clear2me · Posted

      Thanks for the info. I recently moved to CA from Wyoming and in that western region the Costco and Sam's /Walmart Brands have many nuts and more products that are labeled gluten free. I was told it's because those products are packaged and processed  in different  plants. Some plants can be labeled  gluten free because the plant does not also package gluten products and they know that for example the trucks, containers equipment are not used to handle wheat, barely or Rye. The Walmart butter in the western region says gluten free but not here. Most of The Kirkland and Members Mark brands in CA say they are from Vietnam. That's not the case in Wyoming and Colorado. I've spoken to customer service at the stores here in California. They were not helpful. I check labels every time I go to the store. The stores where I am are a Sh*tshow. The Magalopoly grocery chain Vons/Safeway/Albertsons, etc. are the same. Fishers and Planters brands no longer say gluten free. It could be regional. There are nuts with sugar coatings and fruit and nut mixes at the big chains that are labeled gluten free but I don't want the fruit or sugar.  It's so difficult I am considering moving again. I thought it would be easier to find safe food in a more populated area. It's actually worse.  I was undiagnosed for most of my life but not because I didn't try to figure it out. So I have had all the complications possible. I don't have any spare organs left.  No a little gluten will hurt you. The autoimmune process continues to destroy your organs though you may not feel it. If you are getting a little all the time and as much as we try we probably all are and so the damage is happening. Now the FDA has pretty much abandoned celiacs. There are no requirements for labeling for common allergens on medications. All the generic drugs made outside the US are not regulated for common allergens and the FDA is taking the last gluten free porcine Thyroid med, NP Thyroid, off the market in 2026. I was being glutened by a generic levothyroxin. The insurance wouldn't pay for the gluten free brand any longer because the FDA took them all off their approved formulary. So now I am paying $147 out of pocket for NP Thyroid but shortly I will have no safe choice. Other people with allergies should be aware that these foreign generic pharmaceutical producers are using ground shellfish shell as pill coatings and anti-desicants. The FDA knows this but  now just waits for consumers to complain or die. The take over of Wholefoods by Amazon destroyed a very reliable source of good high quality food for people with allergies and for people who wanted good reliably organic food. Bezos thought  he could make a fortune off people who were paying alot for organic and allergen free food by substituting cheap brands from Thailand. He didn't understand who the customers were who were willing to pay more for that food and why. I went from spending hundreds to nothing because Bezo removed every single trusted brand that I was buying. Now they are closing Whole foods stores across the country. In CA, Mill Valley store (closed July 2025) and the National Blvd. store in West Los Angeles (closed October 2025). The Cupertino store will close.  In recent years I have learned to be careful and trust no one. I have been deleberately glutened in a restaurant that was my favorite (a new employee). The Chef owner was not in the kitchen that night. I've had  a metal scouring pad cut up over my food.The chain offered gluten free dishes but it only takes one crazy who thinks you're a problem as a food fadist. Good thing I always look. Good thing they didn't do that to food going to a child with a busy mom.  I give big tips and apologize for having to ask in restaurants but mental illness seem to be rampant. I've learn the hard way.          I don't buy any processed food that doesn't say gluten free.  I am a life long Catholic. I worked for the Church while at college. I don't go to Church anymore because the men at the top decided Jesus is gluten. The special hosts are gluten less not gluten free. No I can't drink wine after people with gluten in their mouth and a variety of deadly germs. I have been abandoned and excluded by my Church/Family.  Having nearly died several times, safe food is paramount. If your immune system collapses as mine did, you get sepsis. It can kill you very quickly. I spent 5 days unconscious and had to have my appendix and gall bladder removed because they were necrotic. I was 25. They didn't figure out I had celiac till I was 53. No one will take the time to tell you what can happen when your immune system gets overwhelmed from its constant fighting the gluten and just stops. It is miserable that our food is processed so carelessly. Our food in many aspects is not safe. And the merging of all the grocery chains has made it far worse. Its a disaster. Krogers also recently purchased Vitacost where I was getting the products I could no longer get at Whole Foods. Kroger is eliminating those products from Vitacost just a Bezos did from WF. I am looking for reliable and certified sources for nuts. I have lived the worst consequences of the disease and being exposed unknowingly and maliciously. Once I was diagnosed I learned way more than anyone should have to about the food industry.  I don't do gray areas. And now I dont eat out except very rarely.  I have not eaten fast food for 30 years before the celiac diagnosis. Gluten aside..... It's not food and it's not safe.  No one has got our backs. Sharing safe food sources is one thing we can do to try to be safe.        
    • Mmoc
      Blood tests low iGA 4 years later digestive issues

      By Mmoc · Posted

      Thank you kindly for your response. I have since gotten the other type of bloods done and am awaiting results. 
×
×
  • 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.