Qustion About Label Reading

[siglfritsch]

I'm kind of new to this and wondered about reading the labels on food. Can processed food contain gluten even if the label doesn't list wheat or any of the other ingredients that can contain gluten? I had a bad reaction to Lays Sour cream and onion potato chips, but nothing was listed on the label and on their website it says that they're gluten free, although it doesn't say gluten free on the package. Like an idiot I tried them again, after re-reading the label and checking the website and had the same reaction that I always have to gluten. Is it only gluten free if it says it clearly on the label? It is so frustrating because I was doing so well, it's been 4 days and I'm still recovering from it both physically and mentally. My anxiety came back with a vengence. I'm about ready to give up any processed food.

[psawyer]

If you are a newly diagnosed celiac, you have damaged intestines which will take time to heal. During that process, you may react to may foods that are gluten-free simply because your digestion is still compromised.

Label reading is difficult at first, but becomes easy with time. Always look for the complete name of the ingredient (they are separated by commas) and it will fall into one of three groups: those that never contain gluten; those that always contain gluten; or those that sometimes contain gluten.

A number of companies have a policy that they will always clearly label gluten. With those brands, ingredients in the third group are the same as the first group.

To the specific product you mentioned, Lay's do not contain any gluten in the ingredients, but those chips are manufactured in a shared facility and many people have reported issues due to cross-contamination.

[Ahorsesoul]

Some people are very sensitive to the cross contamination with gluten. If the product is not made in a gluten free environment there is a chance for people to get contaminated with gluten.

The other thing to keep in mind is other foods that you may need to avoid. If you keep a food journal you may see a pattern that will point to foods you need to avoid.

Since you are new to being gluten free you may also want to avoid dairy and soy for a few months until your intestines have time to heal. Then you can add these foods to see if you can tolerate them.

It's hard but you can do this.

[Skylark]

Some people with celiac disease are cross-sensitive to casein, the protein from milk. That's one thing to look at. If you're fond of potato chips, Lay's Stax are made on a dedicated line so they're always gluten-free.

Manufactured foods in general are always riskier than cooking for yourself. You'll get a feel over time for how gluten-sensitive you are, and whether you can tolerate "shared equipment" foods.