Any Issues With Kind Bars?

[pianoland]

The apple cinnamon and pecan Kind bar wasn't too kind to me this afternoon.

I had it with Starbucks coffee so maybe it was just hard on my stomach, but I haven't experienced such bad stomach issues in a long time.

I'll mention that I had Starbucks coffee last week (with a chocolate/peanut butter Kind bar) without issue.

Ingredients: Almonds, cashews, pecans, dried apples (apples, evaporated cane juice), honey, non GMO glucose, raisins, crisp rice, flax seeds, chicory root fiber, soy lecithin, cinnamon.

[pricklypear1971]

Some days bars like Kind+ are just too sweet for me. And too sweet upsets my stomach. That's just me, though.

And then it's virus season....so hopefully it was just the bar and coffee...

[jebby]

I used to love KIND bars but began to react to them last spring and thought I was getting cross-contaminated. Since then I have been diagnosed with a sulfite intolerance, and looking back, my GI reactions were likely due to the sulfites in the dried fruits. Just something to consider. I was able to eat KIND bars for my first 2 years being gluten-free without a problem.

[dilettantesteph]

Yes, I did have problems with them. I really liked them, but I had to give them up. I am intolerant to oat avenin as well as gluten, and they make oat containing products. I assume that is why they bothered me.

[burdee]

The apple cinnamon and pecan Kind bar wasn't too kind to me this afternoon.

I had it with Starbucks coffee so maybe it was just hard on my stomach, but I haven't experienced such bad stomach issues in a long time.

I'll mention that I had Starbucks coffee last week (with a chocolate/peanut butter Kind bar) without issue.

Ingredients: Almonds, cashews, pecans, dried apples (apples, evaporated cane juice), honey, non GMO glucose, raisins, crisp rice, flax seeds, chicory root fiber, soy lecithin, cinnamon.

I have 'issues' (diagnosed allergies) to evaporated cane juice from cane sugar and soy lecithin from soy. So I won't eat Kind bars.

[san-luisa-rey-NYC]

Yes, I did have problems with them. I really liked them, but I had to give them up. I am intolerant to oat avenin as well as gluten, and they make oat containing products. I assume that is why they bothered me.

Hi, I wrote to Kind Bar manufacturers today to inquire about this. I also wonder whether the issue may be the Alpha Tocopheryl / Vitamin E (most typically from wheat germ), which is known to be very susceptible to cross-contamination, since it is, after all, WHEAT.

[Opa3]

I've been eating these bars for about a year and concerning gluten, been fine with them. Depends on your sensitivity to gluten. GI Doc says I'm OK with 0 to 19 ppm as labeled gluten free. I drink a glass of water with each bar and it helps with digestion.

[kareng]

Kind LLC does label their nutrition bars as gluten free. This means it contains, if any, at 0 to 19 ppm gluten. Err on the side of caution depending on your sensitivity to gluten.

You would need to contact them to see if they test and at what sensitivity. There is no legal definition in the US of gluten free. Testing is not required to label something gluten-free.

[Opa3]

.............. the issue may be the Alpha Tocopheryl / Vitamin E (most typically from wheat germ), which is known to be very susceptible to cross-contamination, since it is, after all, WHEAT.

Thanks for posting this Vit. E issue. I looked at my MultiVit. which listed Vit E(60 IU, 200%DV) as dL alpha T( the synthetic version). Need to find a new brand now.

[IrishHeart]

Thanks for posting this Vit. E issue. I looked at my MultiVit. which listed Vit E(60 IU, 200%DV) as dL alpha T( the synthetic version). Need to find a new brand now.

Synthetic vitamin E is often made from petroleum sources.

Hi, I wrote to Kind Bar manufacturers today to inquire about this. I also wonder whether the issue may be the Alpha Tocopheryl / Vitamin E (most typically from wheat germ), which is known to be very susceptible to cross-contamination, since it is, after all, WHEAT.

Regarding Vitamin E and mixed tocopherols. This is a frequent question on here.

Of course, we should not eat wheat germ, but the oil is highly refined.

If a food or supplement includes as an ingredient vitamin E derived from wheat germ oil that is not

highly refined, and the vitamin E contains wheat protein, the word wheat

must be included on the label, either in the ingredients list or "Contains: ":

Tocopherols are a class of organic chemicals that are usually rich in vitamin E, a natural preservative. They can be derived from a number of sources. The most common is soybean oil, although wheat germ oil can also be used. Tocopherols are highly refined extracts from refined oils, and are gluten-free.

The Canadian Celiac Association lists tocopherols as a safe ingredient in food, without exception.

please, read this article by Tricia Thompson, a celiac savvy dietician,.

http://www.glutenfre...mOilBlog.14.pdf

[cavernio]

Yes, I did have problems with them. I really liked them, but I had to give them up. I am intolerant to oat avenin as well as gluten, and they make oat containing products. I assume that is why they bothered me.

}:-(  I hate that oats are in everything. Thanks for the heads up, I just discovered kind bars a couple weeks ago (rather, I finally caved into their high price because I found I couldn't eat the nuts had been eating.)

 

My vitamin E is from non GMO soy, and it's just a regular Jamieson vitamin, labelled gluten free of course.

[Shell156]

I'm a little late, and it could be the kind bars but….

 

I've been glutened by Starbucks a number of times. They sometimes sample/handle pastries and although they use pastry tongs or gloves, they still can cause minute cross contamination on hands, cups etc.

 

I can have an americano one day and be fine, but another day order the exact same thing and get a reaction. If someone cute up a pastry earlier that day and then grabbed the cups or made my drink I'm in trouble.

[Roda]

My youngest son and I don't eat Kind bars because of the cc from gluten free oats.  My oldest son is fine with them. 

[quincy]

I googled this topic and here it is!  Like the first poster last year, I usually have a Kind bar with an iced latte at Starbucks. Lately though, I am getting like an indigestion. I eat a Kind bar every day, it's my go-to quick snack on the go.  

 

Maybe it's the cc with oats?  Or maybe the Starbucks, but I heard the plain latte's are reasonably safe.

 

I get the worst constrochondritis-type pain in my sternum and pain in the ribs there after having this combo.

 

I don't think they are certified gluten free, are they?

[Brandiwine]

I have GI issues every time I eat KIND bars, I just assumed I had a sensitivity to ANOTHER food...  

[quincy]

I have GI issues every time I eat KIND bars, I just assumed I had a sensitivity to ANOTHER food...  

I started eating the chocolate and sea salt ones after only eating the Madagascar Vanilla.  I stopped completely and now I tried the Madagascar again and it wasn't as bad.  Honestly, the product does not say certified gluten free, so I really don't know the ppm's of the product.  Plus it does not indicate anything about oats, which would definitely bother me.

 

any conclusions?  have you stopped Kind bars altogether?

[SoLacey]

I definitely react to KIND bars.  They are gluten free up to the USDA standard of 20PPM, that's still too much for me.  I'm only able to eat certified gluten free foods. 

[kareng]

I definitely react to KIND bars.  They are gluten free up to the USDA standard of 20PPM, that's still too much for me.  I'm only able to eat certified gluten free foods. 

 

You know they are tested at that level?  I looked on the website and couldn't tell so I have emailed them.

 

Also, some certified gluten-free are tested at <20 ppm.  that does not mean that they have 19 ppm.  they could have 1 ppm or 0

[SoLacey]

I don't know, I'm still fairly new to all of this.  I was reacting to them so I did some searching and found articles like this one:  http://www.glutenfreeislife.com/?p=6488

 

My understanding is that gluten free was gluten-free up to 20PPM, certified gluten free was gluten-free up to 10PPM and Celiac Sprue certified meant gluten free up to 5PPM. 

 

My nutritionist has restricted me to only certified gluten free foods, I was still reacting to products labeled gluten free.  I do wonder though, is even certified gluten-free still too much??  Just because we don't react to that amount, there is still some gluten in it.

[kareng]

I don't know, I'm still fairly new to all of this.  I was reacting to them so I did some searching and found articles like this one:  http://www.glutenfreeislife.com/?p=6488

 

My understanding is that gluten free was gluten-free up to 20PPM, certified gluten free was gluten-free up to 10PPM and Celiac Sprue certified meant gluten free up to 5PPM. 

 

My nutritionist has restricted me to only certified gluten free foods, I was still reacting to products labeled gluten free.  I do wonder though, is even certified gluten-free still too much??  Just because we don't react to that amount, there is still some gluten in it.

 

 

That isn't how the testing works.  They use a test for <10 ppm.  That does not mean it had 9 ppm.  It just means it has less than 10.  0 is less than 10.

[powerofpositivethinking]

for those worried about oat CC, please check out this thread when I e-mailed KIND earlier this year with that question.  Their oat containing products are made on separate lines than the nut bar products.

 

https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/106422-kind-nut-products/?hl=%2Bkind+%2Bbars

[IrishHeart]

They never bothered me and I am pretty sensitive to trace CC.

[Antonymous-0123]

I'm very late to this, but finding it a helpful discussion. I'm finding issue with KIND bars, and would state avoid if you are coeliac. Same goes for any product produced in United States and labelled as gluten free. Was made really ill by Naked Smoothies containing wheat grass that they argued was gluten free. Problem is, you don't realise a product is produced in the US as they have a UK address on the packaging. I know it sounds xenophobic, but I do not believe American manufacturers tell the truth at all, and would stick to UK produced products that are certified gluten-free. Too much lying going on in labelling. Another UK brand to avoid for labelled as gluten-free but not certified in Northern Bloc icecream. They do no product test for gluten and do not know if their suppliers as stringent for gluten. Just a bunch of chancers. I would lobby that all products to be marked gluten-free have to be certified as so many manufacturers are either clueless or just plain deceitful. 

[cyclinglady]

On 6/21/2019 at 5:48 PM, Antonymous-0123 said:

I'm very late to this, but finding it a helpful discussion. I'm finding issue with KIND bars, and would state avoid if you are coeliac. Same goes for any product produced in United States and labelled as gluten free. Was made really ill by Naked Smoothies containing wheat grass that they argued was gluten free. Problem is, you don't realise a product is produced in the US as they have a UK address on the packaging. I know it sounds xenophobic, but I do not believe American manufacturers tell the truth at all, and would stick to UK produced products that are certified gluten-free. Too much lying going on in labelling. Another UK brand to avoid for labelled as gluten-free but not certified in Northern Bloc icecream. They do no product test for gluten and do not know if their suppliers as stringent for gluten. Just a bunch of chancers. I would lobby that all products to be marked gluten-free have to be certified as so many manufacturers are either clueless or just plain deceitful. 

Actually, we have a group called the Gluten Free Watchdog 8; the US.  It is kind of like a Consumer Reports that advocates for celiacs and checks products.  The group takes no financial support from any advertisers (just subscribers).  The GFW has found that over 95% of products they have tested meet gluten-free standards.  So, American manufacturers are doing a good job.  

What I have found since my diagnosis is that 20 ppm might be too much for some celiacs.  Some celiacs might be more sensitive.  This, avoiding even 20 ppm might be helpful.  Also if you are new to the diet, it can take up to a year or more to feel well or heal.  It is estimated that about 60% of celiacs due to heal.  At first refractory celiac disease was suspected, but researchers found that celiacs make mistakes despite their best efforts.  Dr. Fasano (Ped GI Boston/Harvard University) recommends a special gluten-free diet for the short term to aid in healing.  This diet consists of two things:  no processed foods (like your Kind Bars) and no eating out (greatest chance of cross contamination).

Personally, I avoid processed foods (except on vacation) and only eat out at Dedicated gluten free restaurants.  This has worked for me.  My last repeat endoscopy revealed a healed small intestine.  You can take more chances once you are well.

I hope you find this helpful.  

[kareng]

Kind do actually test for gluten.  I eat them with no issues