tasha

I have eaten McDonalds fries at the store near my school a couple of times with no reaction. I double checked with the workers that only fries (and hashbrowns i suppose) would go in that fryer. To be honest, I don't trust just that. BUT the fryer for chicken,etc. was on the other side of the room so that was enough to satisfy me that things were not being cross contaminated. I would check that the two fryers are quite separated at every store you go to, just to be sure.

Here is the reply I received from Starbucks (about a month ago by phone)

For drinks, everything is gluten free,

EXCEPT

-java chips ...which are in JavaChip Fraps and Mint Mocha Fraps

-2 types of Tazo Tea (which are rare tyes, not in most stores): Green Ginger and Honey Bush

...also don't get the fraps malted (obviously).

Hope this helps

unfortunately we don't have the Amy's frozen rice mac and cheese in Canada...as far as I know at least. I'm pretty sure it says on their website what products are available in Canada.

I can answer the hot dog question:

Freybe makes weiners that are labelled gluten free and yummy. If you email Maple Leaf foods they will send you a nice package saying what we can eat (I can't remember off the top of my head if their weiners are ok)

Kinnikinnick has hot dog buns you can buy in the frozen section.

Heinz ketchup is gluten-free and so is french's mustard

I may have to experiment.  Seeing as smirnoff twists are out.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We can't have smirnoff twists?

Where did you find this out?

I've been drinking them without a reaction but I certainly don't want to be having them if they are off-limits.

Please let me know

thanks!

I don't know how the store would order those products BUT I do know that Tinkyada pasta, Pamelas products, and some of Amys gluten-free meals are available in BC. I've found them in Victoria, Nanaimo, and Vancouver.

Good luck!

I think I've missed something here. I was told by my dietitian to check all my cosmetics, hair stuff, etc. to see if they are gluten free and it appears that everyone on here has done that as well. I just haven't clued in as to why this is necessary.

I did check all the stuff I use on my lips but, if I don't have DH, why should I be checking all of these items? None of this stuff finds its way to my digestive system.

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone could provide reasons as to why they feel the need to check these types of things it would be really helpful...I just have no motivation to check the gluten-free status when I don't understand the reason behind it.

Thanks!

I checked the whipped topping ingredients today and it could be hidden in natural and artificial flavour...other than that, I don't see where else it could be.

My doctor said I was a special case b/c she doesn't treat people my age (46) for this.  Normally it is senior citizens.

Hehe don't worry you're not the only one! I'm 20 and i just got diagnosed with osteopenia last week. I was told to have 1500 mg of elemental calcium daily. I use the Jamieson vitamin brand for my calcium supplement and also take a multivitamin daily (Quest brand) that has calcium and vit D in it too. Both are gluten free.

I don't take any medication, only the supplements so I can't help you with the other stuff. The doctor did strongly encourage me to do resistance exercise --walking, weight lifting, etc. (basically anything but biking or swimming) to help out the bones. Hopefully that will help too.

Good luck with everything!

The next 5 days will be a real test for me, since I have 5 games coming up between Friday and Monday!

Wow! Good luck with those games. Sounds pretty intense!

I'm glad you're improving...I think that's so important. As long as we all keep getting better we will soon be back to normal

Have an awesome weekend!

I wouldn't say for sure that the chili is contaminated, but that it is a tiny bit risky. My boyfriend worked at Wendy's and one of my friends became a manager and it is common practice to use the meat that does not get used up for burgers for the chili. Also, I could have sworn I read it somewhere on the internet recentely but I can't remember where.

I say that the meat could be contaminated with gluten because of mistakes made in the kitchen. In no way do I mean mistakes that are handed out to customers that are returned and used...that is really gross and I sure hope no businesses take back food that has crossed the counter. By mistakes I mean that when you're in the kitchen and cooking, someone might order a cheeseburger on drive-thru...so you start preparing it, put the meat on the bun for example. Then, the person changes their mind and wants some chicken. You would take the meat off the bun and return it to the holder without thinking about it and then start to make the chicken. A lot of the time you could have just put the meat on a plain bun, but even if you had put ketchup, mustard and pickles on it, its surprisingly easy to remove, especially from the meat.

Although it is a small chance of cross contamination, I would feel uncomfortable eating the chili. I worked for many years in a fast food kitchen and people change their minds A LOT. It makes me uneasy knowing how easily the cross contamination could possibly happen, but I think everyone needs to make their own educated decision.

Also, keep in mind that they have a little note on the website claiming "no responsibility" for accidental ingestion of allergens.

I hope this clarifies things a bit.

I definitely have noticed a change. My symptoms of celiac were usually apparent after I exercised at the gym: I'd feel very dizzy and get terrible headaches right after. I'd pretty much have to lie in bed for four hours or so to feel normally again.

I've only been gluten free for three months or so. I started running again when I started the diet and it did take two months of doing it every day to even start to feel like I used to. My dietitian recommended a multivitamin which helped a lot.

I've only had one headache/dizzy spell after exercising since I've been gluten free and I think it was because of a combination of not taking the multivitamin and possibly ingesting gluten in chips I thought were safe. I also worked really hard at the gym that day. It's really annoying not being able to exercise like a person my age should be able to....not being able to really push yourself etc. I also feel afraid to go to the gym by myself because the dizzyness can get very bad. I'm hoping I will be normal after a few more months... hopefully we all will be!

Good luck with it everyone!

I'm 5'8 -5'9ish, I guess that is kind of tall. I think I only developed celiac disease about two years ago (I'm 20 now), which was when I stopped growing. Its hard to tell if I stopped growing because of celiac or just because of my age.

Hm...I duno about the chili from Wendy's. They put all the burned meat that they can no longer use for burgers into it.

I wouldn't trust the fact that the meat patties have never touched buns, sometimes people cancel orders or change them etc. so the patty just goes back with the meat, contaminating all of it.

So it seems a bit risky to me. Besides, the idea of old nasty meat being put into it kinda turns me off of it anyway

My family's in the DQ business and, as its such a big part of my life, I was pretty angry to find such a brief gluten-free list of food on www.dairyqueen.com ...nevermind the fact that the Canadian website had no list whatsoever! Plain sundaes are NO fun!

So...I emailed DQ Canada complaining a bit and here is the letter I received:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello Tasha:

Thank you for taking the time to contact Dairy Queen Canada Inc. Your patronage is very important to us.

I want to clarify that the website that you obtained the Gluten-Free Products from is actually the DQ US website. At this time, DQ Canada does not have a Special Dietary Needs website and you are automatically connected to the DQ US website. The only exception is that Canada does not supply all of the products listed. The products that Canada does not supply are as follows: Lemon Freez'r; Cherry-Lime Freez'r; DQ Vanilla Fudge Bar; DQ Raspberry Vanilla Bar; Cherry, Grape, and Lemon Lime StarKiss Bars.

Regrettably, we do not have a formal list of products that do not contain gluten, however, this is to confirm that the following products are gluten-free:

DQ Vanilla and Chocolate Soft Serve

Arctic Rush - all flavours (formerly Misty Slush)

Cappuccino MooLatte (without whipped topping)

(Please note that this does not include Vanilla, Mocha, or Caramel MooLattes)

DQ Vanilla Orange Bar

DQ Fudge Bar

Additionally, the following toppings are gluten-free:

chocolate flavoured hot fudge

chocolate flavoured cold fudge

chocolate flavoured topping

butterscotch fudge

cherry

blueberry

red raspberry

caramel fudge

cocoa fudge

marshmallow

It is important to note that the information provided to you is based on Dairy Queen approved products only.? Please be sure to confirm this prior to making or ordering any item.

Dairy Queen cakes can be made gluten-free. The layer of chocolate cookie crunch can be omitted when making the cake. This is totally at the discretion of the independent franchisee owner. The general rule to order a special order cake is 48 hours but again it is up to the independent franchisee owner as to their requirements.

I would like to suggest that every Dairy Queen restaurant has an ingredient Listings Binder, that contains the ingredient listings, for all of the approved products used in the Dairy Queen system and that it is available for you to review. Also, you can review the label from any of the products used to make a Dairy Queen item.

As well, prior to making or ordering any item, please make the staff aware of your allergy. Dairy Queen restaurants are very busy and cross-contamination may occur between ingredients. Therefore, 100% confidence level cannot be guaranteed.

Dairy Queen Canada Inc. enjoys hearing from our customers.? Please feel free to contact us again at anytime if you should require any further information or should have any additional questions.

Regards,

Marlene Brennen

Customer Service Manager

Dairy Queen Canada Inc.

Orange Julius Canada Limited

Tel.: 905/639-1492, ext. 765

Fax: 905/639-5291

Direct Dial:? 905/637-4765

E-mail: marlene.brennen@idq.com

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Being such a gung-ho DQ person , I know caramel MooLattes are just Cappuccino MooLattes with caramel sauce added to them. We are told caramel sauce is gluten-free...so there's something missing here. I emailed her again a few weeks ago and am still waiting for a response to figure out this discrepancy. I'll let everyone know when I do receive a response.

I also thought I should add some helpful hints about eating at Dairy Queen as I have worked there for many long years.

-The cone rack is almost always above the ice cream machine (AHHH!) so ask the workers to be careful and watch that no crumbs get in when dispensing ice cream into your dish.

-Just to make sure, get them to wipe the spigot that dispenses soft serve with a napkin before use.

-If you get a Cappuccino MooLatte, make sure they rinse the blizzard machine out before use and wash whatever they put on top of your MooLatte so that the top of the drink can be mixed properly (sometimes its a plastic circle, sometimes a clear dome like what goes on top of a mcflurry)

-I've seen that some people on here say that a Skor blizzard is okay .... I would agree only if you get the employee to take skor from the box it came shipped in and they put it in your cup with a new spoon [at my dq at least, we don't always use a dedicated spoon for one flavour so be careful]. Make sure they rinse out the blizzard machine. A Skor blizzard is the skor pieces and chocolate flavoured cold fudge mixed in the vanilla soft serve. The email above says that the cold fudge is safe so don't worry about leaving that out. Make sure the person uses the right chocolate (they are all safe EXCEPT chocolate cone dip for obvious reasons), which is often an issue with new employees.

-the above note goes for reese's peanutbutter cup blizzards --as far as I'm concerned...all it is is mushed up pb cups with soft serve...again, be careful with the blizzard machine

-we can have floats too! Its just the Arctic rush slushy stuff or pop with ice cream. Horray! They are very yummy.

Anyway, I hope this helps improve your Dairy Queen experience

In August, I am going on a Globus tour in southern Italy. I have taken Globus group tours before but not since my diagnosis.

I was wondering if anyone has experience traveling in a tour group while on the gluten-free diet and could share!

Thanks!

If you're looking for places in BC, I can name a few. I'm pretty newly diagnosed but here is what I have found in the last 2 months:

VANCOUVER

-Serenity bakery/deli/cafe Open Original Shared Link

I just had the fruit crumble two days ago....mmm....

-Panne Rizo Open Original Shared Link

The blackberry and peach pie is to die for! As well as everything else of course

-Quejos Open Original Shared Link

I haven't tried them yet but they are supposed to be yummy

-Pepitas Mexican Restaurant Open Original Shared Link

Enchiladas are gluten-free as well as more options

-Moxies downtown was very helpful and careful, had no reaction

-Specialty grocery stores: Choices, Capers, Whole Foods...even the little specialty grocery store in the university village at UBC has gluten-free stuff!

VICTORIA (on Vancouver Island)

-Olive Grove Restaurant (caters to celiacs! delicious greek food, very careful)

-Il Terrazo downtown Open Original Shared Link

Had an amazing dinner there, everything freshly made so can alter for us

-Specialty grocery stores: Planet Organic and Lifestyle markets are awesome

NANAIMO (on Vancouver Island)

-Wesley St. Cafe is supposed to be helpful for us, I haven't checked it out yet

-Gina's Mexican restaurant supposed to be good too

I hope this helps