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Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix

misskris

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misskris Apprentice
misskris
Posted

Hubby and I made tacos with the Low Sodium Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix and I got sick as a dog. (Pretty sure it was the seasoning b/c I tried eating just the meat again and sure enough - sick for a second day.) !!! I had checked their website and some reviews of the product and everyone said it was gluten free. Tho when I searched *this* site, someone warned against the mix and said to use the bottle sauce - but didn't give a reason. Is there something I was missing in the ingredients?

Here they are for reference:

Maltodextrin, chili pepper, salt, onion powder, spice, MSG, modified corn starch, garlic powder, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, silicon dioxide & ethoxyquin

Ewww...MSG and partially hydrogenated anything. I hate reading ingredients. Anyway, I'm a little confused. Maybe it's the MSG? But I've never noticed a problem with anything else... By the way, we used the bottle sauce this past weekend and were fine. YAY! Hubby makes GREAT steak tacos!

We're going to stick with the bottle sauce from now on, but I'd still like to know what it was that made me sick! Any thoughts?

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Jnkmnky Collaborator
Jnkmnky
Posted

We use the bottle of Old El Paso taco sauce. It works great and tastes great. MSG is so bad for your body. It could have been that.

scaredparent Apprentice
scaredparent
Posted

My son has celiac disease and I make him stay away from MSG and maltodextrin. I think there are mixed opinions on the maltodextrin but I was told to stay away from it. Good luck

KaitiUSA Enthusiast
KaitiUSA
Posted
My son has  celiac disease and I make him stay away from MSG and maltodextrin.  I think there are mixed opinions on the maltodextrin but I was told to stay away from it.  Good luck

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Maltodextrin in the U.S is fine unless stated otherwise on food labels. This is a law they MUST follow. That is only with food however, medications are different but with food it IS safe and will tell you if it is not.

Could have been MSG. Even though MSG is gluten free it is so bad for your body.Maybe there is some at a health food store to get without those ingredients.

mytummyhurts Contributor
mytummyhurts
Posted

I just had that tonight too! And I just had horrible diarhhea. Weird. <_<

VydorScope Proficient
VydorScope
Posted

Alot of ppl have celiac disease like reactsions to MSG, so thats where I would put the blame. MSG is bad for everyone, but some ppl react and some ppl dont seem to. I have always avoided it, long before I ever heard of celiac disease.

uclangel422 Apprentice
uclangel422
Posted

I react to that seasoning mix and have concluded that it was the MSG too.

It is hard to avoid this especially if you want to eat packaged food but it sure makes a difference. I first found out about it when i was 10 years old and ate a Hot Pocket every day after school for a week and went to bed everyday at around 6pm with a migraine.

Does anyone know if all packaged mixes contain MSG?

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Carriefaith Enthusiast
Carriefaith
Posted

I've had the Old El Paso Taco Seasoning with no troubles and I am super ultra sensitive to gluten <_< .

You may have reacted to the MSG.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

We use the regular (not low sodium) version regularly. I read the ingredients and it does not have MSG, which many people react to, nor does it have ethoxyquin, which is a chemical preservative. I'm in Canada, so the formula might be different here.

Old El Paso is on my list of "trusted" brands who will not hide gluten, so if you do not see Wheat, Rye, Oats or Barley mentioned, using that specific word, in the ingredients then the product is gluten-free.

My guess is the MSG, FWIW.

  • 4 years later...
Sherri28 Newbie
Sherri28
Posted

Hubby and I made tacos with the Low Sodium Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix and I got sick as a dog. (Pretty sure it was the seasoning b/c I tried eating just the meat again and sure enough - sick for a second day.) !!! I had checked their website and some reviews of the product and everyone said it was gluten free. Tho when I searched *this* site, someone warned against the mix and said to use the bottle sauce - but didn't give a reason. Is there something I was missing in the ingredients?

Here they are for reference:

Maltodextrin, chili pepper, salt, onion powder, spice, MSG, modified corn starch, garlic powder, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, silicon dioxide & ethoxyquin

Ewww...MSG and partially hydrogenated anything. I hate reading ingredients. Anyway, I'm a little confused. Maybe it's the MSG? But I've never noticed a problem with anything else... By the way, we used the bottle sauce this past weekend and were fine. YAY! Hubby makes GREAT steak tacos!

We're going to stick with the bottle sauce from now on, but I'd still like to know what it was that made me sick! Any thoughts?

I have bben looking for a good taco seasoning too. Those ingredients you listed made me think it was the maltodextrin or the MSG that made you sick. Anything with MSG I think is not safe for Celiacs but I'm not 100% on that. I am knew at this diet and it's not fun. Good luck!

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

I have bben looking for a good taco seasoning too. Those ingredients you listed made me think it was the maltodextrin or the MSG that made you sick. Anything with MSG I think is not safe for Celiacs but I'm not 100% on that. I am knew at this diet and it's not fun. Good luck!

MSG is controversial, but is definitely gluten-free. It is not an issue with respect to celiac disease. Maltodextrin is also gluten-free.

Please note that this topic is more than four years old, so some information may be out of date.

  • 4 weeks later...
Redbirdgirl88 Newbie
Redbirdgirl88
Posted

We use the regular (not low sodium) version regularly. I read the ingredients and it does not have MSG, which many people react to, nor does it have ethoxyquin, which is a chemical preservative. I'm in Canada, so the formula might be different here.

Old El Paso is on my list of "trusted" brands who will not hide gluten, so if you do not see Wheat, Rye, Oats or Barley mentioned, using that specific word, in the ingredients then the product is gluten-free.

My guess is the MSG, FWIW.

I'm in canada as well, don't see any msg in it either..i'm having it tonight and dont see anything that might make me sick, well see i guess. Could be different in the states ingredients..

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

Maybe I'm just adding on to the problem by commenting, but we really need people to not resurrect really, really old threads.

richard

superbeansprout Rookie
superbeansprout
Posted

Maybe I'm just adding on to the problem by commenting, but we really need people to not resurrect really, really old threads.

richard

I think that sometimes bringing up old issues is actually useful, since ingredients change all the time, and something may have changed in the formulation of certain products that people are researching. I myself, just came across this because my boyfriend bought this seasoning mix and I didn't know if i could have it. have always steared clear because of uncertainty.

Maybe there's a way to weed out the old incorrect posts that may confuse people? like the ones that say MSG is not ok for Celiacs and maltodextrin...since we now know they are gluten free (but maybe just not "good" for anyone) :) just a thought. Thanks everyone for the comments, I'm really glad someone posted, because otherwise I'd be not having tacos tonight, and who wants that???

:P

mbrookes Community Regular
mbrookes
Posted

Could the difference be the "lite" form? I use the regular with no problems and MSG is not listed on the pkg. Maybe the MSG is to make up for whatever they leave out of the "lite."

  • 8 months later...
wastingaway Newbie
wastingaway
Posted

Hubby and I made tacos with the Low Sodium Old El Paso Taco Seasoning Mix and I got sick as a dog. (Pretty sure it was the seasoning b/c I tried eating just the meat again and sure enough - sick for a second day.) !!! I had checked their website and some reviews of the product and everyone said it was gluten free. Tho when I searched *this* site, someone warned against the mix and said to use the bottle sauce - but didn't give a reason. Is there something I was missing in the ingredients?

Here they are for reference:

Maltodextrin, chili pepper, salt, onion powder, spice, MSG, modified corn starch, garlic powder, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, silicon dioxide & ethoxyquin

Ewww...MSG and partially hydrogenated anything. I hate reading ingredients. Anyway, I'm a little confused. Maybe it's the MSG? But I've never noticed a problem with anything else... By the way, we used the bottle sauce this past weekend and were fine. YAY! Hubby makes GREAT steak tacos!

We're going to stick with the bottle sauce from now on, but I'd still like to know what it was that made me sick! Any thoughts?

Modified cornstarch is NOT gluten free!

Jestgar Rising Star
Jestgar
Posted

Modified cornstarch is NOT gluten free!

You'll need to provide a reference for that if you want people to believe you.

kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Modified cornstarch is NOT gluten free!

You're commenting on something 5 years old. The ingredients may have changed since then. Also, corn and the resultant corn starch are gluten free. They may not sit well in your stomach, but that doesn't make them contain gluten.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Modified cornstarch is NOT gluten free!

Corn does contain a form of gluten but not the kind that we can't have. For celiacs cornstarch is safe. That said some folks do have an issue with corn but it is not a celiac issue.

modiddly16 Enthusiast
modiddly16
Posted

Modified cornstarch is NOT gluten free!

This just isn't true. It's just corn starch chemically modified to improve properties for commercial uses. If it was modified food starch that had wheat or something in it, the company would have to put that on their label.

I use the mild old el paso taco seasoning (that's the yellow one, right?) without issues but never tried the low sodium one. I do know that some other brands have wheat listed on the packet but its easy to overlook.

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

Oh good golly, another old thread. AND Modified cornstarch absolutely is completely gluten-free.

richard

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