Oceana

Every single time I shop, I'm double-checking to ensure that we aren't dealing with mislabeling for gluten free items.

We have the tried and true items, of course, but unless something is labeled "certified gluten free", gluten free means different things 

to different people.

I did a search on Prego Sauces today because although it says "gluten free" on the label, is it actually processed in a plant that is not cross-contaminating foods on their equipment?  Since we don't want to be sick for days or weeks, etc, I did some searches.

The info on the archived thread on this site was all I could find, and it is great except it's approximately 6 years old.  The seemingly constant changes in the way companies manufacture their foods makes this a necessary deeper search.

I thought I'd update everyone with this thread to what I am finding as of February 12, 2022.

Some of their sauces are gluten free, and the website stated exactly which ones at this time.

Here is the page: https://www.campbells.com/prego/products/page/3/?csc_dietary_alternative=gluten-free&orderby=asc

The list of their gluten free sauces is three pages long.

I know I'm always grateful when my search is easier.

Best to everyone on their gluten free health journey!

My teenager has decided to be a vegetarian and I’m seeking meat alternatives beyond basic beans and nuts which are becoming tiresome for him to eat repeatedly.

Any products that you’ve discovered that are celiac safe would be awesome.

although I was vegetarian for twenty years, I’ve been eating meat since my diagnosis, which is the last twenty years.

 I’m finding that my typical go to meal solutions from back then are not gluten free.

I need the easier to prepare options, as I am busy running two businesses, and he isn’t proactively cooking... and desperately needs to gain weight.

Would love to hear your go to meal ideas, meat substitutes, and things that are simple for a teenager to prepare.

Thank you, yes he's had an ongoing battle with trying to gain weight but he's making some progress now.  It's so hard when there's not much appetite.

We focus on healthy fats and organic meats as much as possible, grass fed butter, avocado oil, olive oil added to shakes, etc. and he loves his gluten free pizza, although that's fairly nutritionally deficient.  I'm just thrilled when he eats.

What I'm also conscious of now is finding ways to support calcium absorption for him so that he doesn't end up with osteoporosis.  I have osteopenia now (also celiac) and several other autoimmune diseases.

So we're doing all the things over here.  Vitamin D supplementation, so crucial.

I'm knocking on wood that he tolerates dairy so well, because there are other food allergies and sensitivities.

Thank you for your responsiveness and the encouragement!

Wishing you and your family the best!

3 hours ago, cyclinglady said:

Most likely the dry milk is gluten free, but this is an example of how I prefer to avoid store brands (I am assuming this is private labeled).  

I used to use powdered milk when I made homemade wheat bread before my diagnosis.  What do you use it for?  A backup in case of a Hurricane or Earthquake?  To me it tastes awful.

Lol!  My son also is also celiac and he drinks a ton of milk.  He's trying to gain weight, and we were told by the nutritionist to add powdered milk to his milk to add calories.

Also, we run out of milk once in a while, so I like to have it for emergencies, baking, etc.

A little tip is that if you put ice cubes in it, it's more chilled and doesn't taste quite as bad.

I purchased some Signature Select Nonfat Dry Milk Powder a few weeks ago because although it did not state whether it was gluten free or not, I was in a hurry and my cell phone wasn't charged to do a search.

Flash forward two weeks and I discover that it's been opened and used before I could double check it.  (Yes, it was hidden in the cabinet but he found it.)

So I'm frantically doing a search, and come up with absolutely nothing online.

It's too late to call, so I write to the company online to find out if the manufacturer has gluten free designated machinery to package this stuff, and if it is indeed gluten free or not.  Today I received this:

"Thank you for your inquiry regarding our Signature Kitchens Instant Nonfat Dry Milk and if it is gluten free or not.

Per the information that we currently have, this product is gluten free; however, the plant does process other items that contain gluten.  We are confident in our strict allergen programs to confirm this product is free of any gluten contact, per Vendor.

Thank you for shopping at Shaws."

Am I the only one who doesn't trust this response?  First it says the product is gluten free.  Okay, so we're good there.  Then she says they do process gluten in the plant.  Got it.  And then...she states their confidence that  the product is gluten free due to their programs per the Vendor...who is the Vendor?  Is the Vendor the plant that manufactures it?  What program and should I simply trust that is is strict enough for someone with celiac?

See where I'm not quite sure of the safety of this stuff?

It would be so easy to just throw it out and chalk it up to my mistake for buying it without checking first, but I truly want to begin to advocate for labeling so that more voices are heard and life with celiac disease gets a little easier for everyone who has it.

I thought it might be good to begin a forum topic where we could decipher these messages and maybe share more messages from various companies, and see if we can find best practices to find the answers we need with less stress.

What would you do with this message?  Should I call during the day?  Did they answer it and I just don't understand?

On 1/9/2010 at 10:40 PM, Carolynmay2010 said:

 

 

Please could you let me know how you can be tested for an autoimmune reaction to c

I can't see your whole comment, but am assuming you're trying to find out how to be tested for any autoimmune reactions to foods.  I recently took my son to a functional medicine doctor because he isn't gaining much weight, even though he's been gluten free for over a year. (He is diagnosed with celiac).  She tested him with a series of stool samples and blood tests, which are not offered by a regular physician, but which show a very detailed IgG Food Panel with ratings between 1-3 on how intolerant someone is, or better described, how reactive the immune system is to that food.
We went back for the results and she's referred us to a fantastic  functional medicine nutritionist who is assisting us with a food plan so that the leaky gut can heal.  There are supplements coming as well, as soon as we go for a nutritional deficiency blood panel, and also we'll be addressing histamine reactions with a holistic doctor who uses sublingual treatment that strengthens the baseline for histamine response, alleviating his allergic reactions.

Meanwhile, they have him on certain supplements that begin to heal the gut naturally, supporting his diet, and cleaning out the reactive stuff in his body.

Within a week, he's already stopped having the terrible post nasal drip he suffered from for years, and his mood has lightened substantially.  We're excited to help him thrive and heal.

Of course, with celiac he will always have to avoid gluten obviously.  However, many of the other foods that showed up on the panel will eventually be reintroduced and he'll be able to tolerate them then.

I hope this helps to hear how we're dealing with it and what measures we're taking.  Today I'm making pancakes without eggs, butter, or milk, or vanilla.  Fun fun fun.  It's not easy, but as with a gluten free diet, one gets used to it and we find a certain flow to what we eat regularly and it becomes less intense over time.  Never as easy as navigating life without such a disease, but thankfully the world is beginning to catch up and offers so much more in terms of available gluten free options and education, etc.

I love this site and am so on my knees grateful for the one place I can count on to look things up as I support my child to better health.