JennyC

My son had all the "classic" celiac symptoms. Failure to grow, distended abdomen, poor appetite, irritability, and foul smelling watery bowl movements three times a day that he could barely manage to control at age 3. We got the blood work done and his Ttg as very positive and he has responded fantastically to the diet. Every one of his symptoms disappeared quickly once he started the diet. I am very confident that he has celiac disease. False positives are extremely rare, and although positives may be associated with a few other disorders, like severe liver failure, I'm sure we've nailed it. (My healthy 4 year old does not seem to have a failing liver. ) And after 8 months on the gluten free diet his Ttg is normal!!! If we had not started the diet prior to seeing the GI, I would have likely had the biopsy done, but at that point I was not willing to reverse the first positive change I'd seen in his health in years. I would gather as much evidence about your condition that time, money and your health will allow. That is different for everyone.

In the Portland Oregon area it's upward of $3.40 a gallon for regular! ...and I have to fill up this morning.

Walmart's gluten free products will say gluten free below the ingredients. SafeWay also has a gluten free list they will give you if you call them.

Cross contamination with Frito Lay products is quite common. We buy Cheetos from Walmart or Trader Joe's. Walmart's gluten-free products say gluten free on the label. I would suspect Frito-Lay as the culprit. They have a bad reputation around here. As far as syrup goes, it seems like the information changed too frequently, so we switched to pure maple syrup. We had never used it before, but we are used to it now. (It can take some getting used to, especially for kids.)

Their prices are good. We paid $9 for a soft pretzel, 2 brownies and a croissant. They do use heavier flours in their products. I liked their products, but my son was not so sure.

We tried the one in Sellwood, off of Tahoma (sp?), and I think Tristen got glutened. He had D for the next few days. It did not appear large enough for any kind of dedicated equipment. I hope this one is better. We are going there today.

I was looking a local GIG blog and came across this information last night. They are the same people who have a stand at the Farmer's market. They make their products in a dedicated gluten-free bakery and transport them to their retail location. I'm really excited since my son recently got sick from a local non-dedicated bakery.

Here's a link:

Open Original Shared Link

Huh? Hershey's is unfriendly? Oh no, my daughter eats there Kisses all the time... does anyone know if they are gluten free?

Susan

Yes, the plain kisses are. According to my memory of the phone call yesterday only the plain Hershey's kisses, Hershey's chocolate bar (plain and with almonds), chocolate chips, baking chocolate, and cocoa are gluten free. What makes me the most upset is that you cannot even call them with an IPC number to determine if one of their products is gluten free. They have no information about what's in their natural flavors.

What I really want to know is, are Reeses peanut butter cups okay? I looked at the label and I didn't see anything that had to do with wheat, but I don't want to risk it until I know for sure.

I'm pretty sure they are made by Hershey's, and there is no way to tell if a Hershey's product with natural flavors is gluten free. They are one of the most celiac-unfriendly companies. I just found this out today after being told previously that they disclose gluten and feeding their products to my son for months.

Mars and Nestle will clearly list any gluten in their ingredients, so all you have to do is read to see if it's gluten free. Russell candy is also gluten free, except for things like cookies, according to their website. Dove will also disclose gluten.

Supervisor Call:

All allergens are disclosed as required by law.

Natural Flavor is outsourced and that information is "proprietary and not given" and are not required to full disclosure (other than the eight allergens)

"All Hershey products that contain "Natural Flavors" are considered not gluten free, is that correct"? YES

SHAME ON HERSHEY!!!!!

(Amanda, one finger for me!!)

WHAT??!! I went on a company calling spree before Halloween. Many of the companies that I called, INCLUDING HERSHEY'S, told me that they disclose all gluten in their ingredients. I thought that as long as there was no gluten in the ingredient statement, we were fine. I'm calling them today!

No Kidding!!! Xanthan gum is only $15 a pound or more!

We use Bob's Red Mill gluten free rolled oats with no problems.

All of this confusion is why we now use pure maple syrup. I know some don't like it because it is different than the artificial stuff, but if you give it a try for a while you might just find that you begin to like it. It contains one ingredient and no worries.

Hmm...my son eats them often with no problems.

Well, I got my Costco card. I called them again with a new found hope of gluten free friendliness. I was terribly disappointed. This rude lady informed me that they don't have a gluten free list nor do they have a gluten disclosure policy. When I mentioned that it would be nice if they would list all gluten in the ingredients she told me that they are not required to do so. This statement really annoys me because we all do things we are not required to do, even companies like Kraft, General Mills, Unilever and MANY more disclose gluten! When I told her that I would not likely buy many of their private label products, her response was too bad because many of them are gluten free. How am I supposed to know? Go through the store and write bar code numbers? I'd much rather buy from companies I trust.

Other than that I like Costco.

This is a quick bread (no yeast) recipe by Laurie150 that is quite unusual in that it uses amaranth as the exclusive flour (in a 1-1 ratio with starches). I've never tried baking without white & brown rice flours being at least equal with other flours, including sorghum.

I just substite the featherlight mix for the amaranath.

I prefer to buy my flours and other ingredients like baking powder and soda that are produced in dedicated facilities because of the nature of the product. I will try other products made on shared lines, but it is a TRIAL BASIS. If my son seems to get sick from the product, then I throw it out and don't buy the product again. This has worked out well for us. My son's tTG has went from 21 to 4.3 in 8 months (normal is <7).

I think that as long as you have a good doctor on your side you will be fine. I don't know if my son has an "official" diagnosis, but his doctors will be more than happy to help me write up a 504 plan. I doubt the school is going to ask to see biopsy photos. As long as a doctor requests one, you should be ok.

Ener-G actually makes some pretty good hot dog and hamburger buns. I have also tried the following recipe. It has turned out pretty good for me, but when I've tried to add yeast it didn't turn out so well.

Open Original Shared Link

When I called them they said that they fry all of their corn products (chips & tortillas) in the same oil as flour tortillas. Be careful.

Thanks for posting! I love your recipes!

Actually this is exactly what you want to hear. Yoplait lists any gluten in their ingredients, so all you have to do is read. No lists to carry around or to become outdated.

I just buy 100% Maple Syrup.

Me too. The fewer the ingredients, the better.

THAT DOES NOT COVER BARLEY, RYE OR OATS! Wheat is a top 8 allergen so it must be disclosed, but the others do not have to be. Some companies take it upon themselves to disclose all gluten sources, but it is not a requirement and many companies do not. Natural flavors is one of the most dangerous ingredients, in my opinion.