Gluten-Free Lists Not Reliable

[JBaby]

I spent alot of time putting together lists of things that are Gluten-Free. One of the items was Mrs Butterworths original syrup. I bought it. I ate it. I got sick. I gave it away. I immediately googled "Mrs Butterworths syrup gluten free" and everything that came up said Not Gluten-Free, but its on the list I found. This isnt the first time I have eaten something off a Gluten-Free list and it ends up not being Gluten-Free. Where are we to go to find the right safe foods? I dont have the time to decode every ingredient on every item I wish to eat. At this rate of all we cant eat I need to bring an celiac encylopedia with me to the store....and those dont exist.

[Salax]

Ahh...The joy of having Celiac Disease.

I hate to say this, probably not the answer you want to hear, but I read every labels every time (even if I bought it before, just in case they change something).

If there is really something you want; look it up online before you buy it, then when you get to the store you just check the label again and your good to go.

Best of luck!

[TrillumHunter]

I always read the label, even on stuff I buy every week. It's my reality. Products are changing all the time.

A book would never be able to keep up with the changes.

It slows things down, but at least more things are labeled gluten-free now.

[psawyer]

Try these links for useful information:

Unsafe ingredients.

Safe ingredients.

Open Original Shared Link If you don't see "wheat, rye, barley, barley malt, oats" on the labels, its not there, or hidden in "flavors, starches, etc." No need to call, and in many cases if you do call, they will tell you to read the label.

I am not a fan of gluten-free product lists--they are out of date the minute that you print them. Formulas are constantly changing. That is why I like to buy from companies who will label clearly (see the third link above). Always read the label.

[Alphawave]

I spent alot of time putting together lists of things that are Gluten-Free. One of the items was Mrs Butterworths original syrup. I bought it. I ate it. I got sick. I gave it away. I immediately googled "Mrs Butterworths syrup gluten free" and everything that came up said Not Gluten-Free, but its on the list I found. This isnt the first time I have eaten something off a Gluten-Free list and it ends up not being Gluten-Free. Where are we to go to find the right safe foods? I dont have the time to decode every ingredient on every item I wish to eat. At this rate of all we cant eat I need to bring an celiac encylopedia with me to the store....and those dont exist.

I am newly diagnosed, and am finding the same problems with certain items. Saturday I bought some "gluten-free" oat bars that were organic. By nightfall of having the first one, it was clear there was a problem. I am still not doing well today. Nature's Path is the brand. I checked the label very carefully too!!!! Grrr!

[Lynayah]

I am learning that if the label doesn't specifically say "gluten-free," that I need to call the company to check.

Also, I've found that some products are gluten-free one minute and then NOT gluten-free the next. Wal-Mart frozen vegetables are a good example, at least in my area. The bags that used to say gluten-free now say that the item has been processed in a plant that may contain wheat.

They change plants.

Also, just because a label says that a product doesn't contain gluten ingredients doesn't mean that the product isn't produced in a facility that also processes wheat.

Those who have posted this are right: Always check the label. Always. . . .

And call the company if you are not sure. Give them hell -- ask about everything. That is the only way they will learn.

[Ahorsesoul]

I've eaten products that say they are gluten free and had reactions. I figure there is something else I'm reacting to in them. Or that someone was leaning over inspecting the product line while munching a ritz cracker.

[Korwyn]

I am newly diagnosed, and am finding the same problems with certain items. Saturday I bought some "gluten-free" oat bars that were organic. By nightfall of having the first one, it was clear there was a problem. I am still not doing well today. Nature's Path is the brand. I checked the label very carefully too!!!! Grrr!

I too learned this the hard way. I read the ingredient list every single time, even if I just bought the same item yesterday. It might be from a different lot from a different facility or the formulation may have changed between lots.

[Lynayah]

I've eaten products that say they are gluten free and had reactions. I figure there is something else I'm reacting to in them. Or that someone was leaning over inspecting the product line while munching a ritz cracker.

LOL!

It is interesting how reactions happen, is it not?

That aside, for me, there have been times when I swore the gluten-free-labeled-food I ate caused a reaction, only to later discover that I maybe had gluten on my hands (hand lotion, for instance) and then, without thinking, put my fingers in my mouth (to floss teeth, for example) . . . or that a plate I used had something with gluten in it previously . . . and the person who used it didn't wash it well enough . . . or that my daughter fed the dogs OVER a plate I had sitting on the counter (AUGH!) and maybe something dropped in.

Not long ago, I was serving food at a fund-raiser. I was wearing surgical gloves as protection. Two dear friend were leaving the event, and I blew them a kiss . . . which of course meant I touched my hands to my lips . . . GLUTENED!

At work, I was putting peel-and-stick stamps on envelopes and eating an apple at the same time . . . GLUTENED.

How easy it is to make a mistake. Maybe not for others here, but I'm an expert at it!

[psawyer]

LOL!

It is interesting how reactions happen, is it not?

That aside, for me, there have been times when I swore the gluten-free-labeled-food I ate caused a reaction, only to later discover that I maybe had gluten on my hands (hand lotion, for instance) and then, without thinking, put my fingers in my mouth (to floss teeth, for example) . . . or that a plate I used had something with gluten in it previously . . . and the person who used it didn't wash it well enough . . . or that my daughter fed the dogs OVER a plate I had sitting on the counter (AUGH!) and maybe something dropped in.

Not long ago, I was serving food at a fund-raiser. I was wearing surgical gloves as protection. Two dear friend were leaving the event, and I blew them a kiss . . . which of course meant I touched my hands to my lips . . . GLUTENED!

At work, I was putting peel-and-stick stamps on envelopes and eating an apple at the same time . . . GLUTENED.

How easy it is to make a mistake. Maybe not for others here, but I'm an expert at it!

I'm not sure what this has to do with the topic of product lists.

[Juliebove]

I am newly diagnosed, and am finding the same problems with certain items. Saturday I bought some "gluten-free" oat bars that were organic. By nightfall of having the first one, it was clear there was a problem. I am still not doing well today. Nature's Path is the brand. I checked the label very carefully too!!!! Grrr!

I could be wrong but I think those are the ones that say they are processed on the same lines as wheat or may contain traces of wheat or something like that. I bought them online twice from a place that said they were gluten-free. Nope!

[ksymonds84]

Try these links for useful information:

Unsafe ingredients.

Safe ingredients.

Open Original Shared Link If you don't see "wheat, rye, barley, barley malt, oats" on the labels, its not there, or hidden in "flavors, starches, etc." No need to call, and in many cases if you do call, they will tell you to read the label.

I am not a fan of gluten-free product lists--they are out of date the minute that you print them. Formulas are constantly changing. That is why I like to buy from companies who will label clearly (see the third link above). Always read the label.

Peter, here is also a list that is given on gluten free.com by their monitor aklap. Like you, I still always read ingredients everytime I buy something.

Here is a list of the companies that always disclose gluten in their ingredients:

B&G Foods

Blue Bunny

ConAgra

Del Monte

General Mills

Hain Celestial Group

Hormel

Kraft

Lee Kum Kee USA

McCormick

Marzetti Brands

Nestle

Newman's Own

Sara Lee

Unilever

[Swimmr]

I spent alot of time putting together lists of things that are Gluten-Free. One of the items was Mrs Butterworths original syrup. I bought it. I ate it. I got sick. I gave it away. I immediately googled "Mrs Butterworths syrup gluten free" and everything that came up said Not Gluten-Free, but its on the list I found. This isnt the first time I have eaten something off a Gluten-Free list and it ends up not being Gluten-Free. Where are we to go to find the right safe foods? I dont have the time to decode every ingredient on every item I wish to eat. At this rate of all we cant eat I need to bring an celiac encylopedia with me to the store....and those dont exist.

I just google, "[product] gluten free" and usually ALWAYS it send me to celiac.com I trust this site better than those random lists out there...

[Lynayah]

I'm not sure what this has to do with the topic of product lists.

Simple: What I'm saying is that many of us all too often blame a product or label as being wrong, when in fact we might be doing something else wrong that causes a gluten reaction without knowing it. If we happen to do it at the same time as trying a gluten-free food, it is easy to assume the food is glutened or the label is wrong.

I've made that mistake a number of times, but I'm learning. For example, at one time the toothpaste I was using had gluten in it . . . and another time the shampoo I was using had gluten it it, which was fine as long as it did not go into my mouth while shampooing (but sometimes it did).

I have found gluten in hairspray, dish soap, hand soap, spices, and many other things. I did not know and blamed the reaction on other things.

This might not be true for you, but it may be true for others reading this thread, hence my posting what I did.

Good question. Thank you for asking.

[Lisa]

I would like to add that I think professional lists can be a god-send to the newly diagnosed for the first year. And I often recommend a couple I have reviewed. After a period of time, label reading is the way to go and lists are no longer needed.

The risks of error when you are new to the diet, far out weighs and occassional incorrectly listed product. I only wish I had a good reference book or a PDA file when I leaped over this cliff five years ago.

[mushroom]

I, personally, would use the lists as an indication of which items to select for label-reading, not as a substitute for label-reading, because there is no way to keep them current. It is just a way of weeding out all the known gluten-containing foods and focus only on those that may not contain any.