Gluten Free and Tasty!

From their websites:

Does Aquafresh® contain any gluten?
Aquafresh® toothpaste does not contain gluten.


Do any Crest products contain gluten?
No current Crest products contain gluten. (Based on this, I plan to switch to Crest mouthwash. I use Colgate toothpaste, but their answer is too toothpaste-oriented for my preference.)


Does Colgate toothpaste contain gluten?
Gluten is not present in any of our toothpastes or raw materials.


Head & Shoulders
We know Celiac is a serious disease, so we want to give you clear information regarding the use of Head & Shoulders. All of our products are gluten free. (This is good to know, but I am still glad I switched to a shampoo that is also free of . But if those types of things don't bother you, and you're simply looking for an easy to find GF Shampoo/Conditioner, H&S may be a good choice for you!)

Bounce Fabric Softeners
No Fabric Softners products contain gluten. (Confirmed in e-mail this morning.)

Arm & Hammer
ARM & HAMMER® UltraMax® Deodorant Anti-Perspirant and ARM & HAMMER® Super Scoop Fragrance Free Cat Litter** do not contain gluten. We do not knowingly include gluten in our formulation for ARM & HAMMER® Liquid Laundry Detergent. However, we can not verify whether gluten may be present below reportable limits in the proprietary materials we obtain from our suppliers.

If you have any questions or concerns in the future, please feel free to contact our Consumer Relations Department at 1-800-248-8820 between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm ET or visit our corporate web site at: www.churchdwight.com. (Confirmed in email this morning.)

** I asked about their kitty litter for 2 reasons: 1, I don't want to touch it if there is gluten in it. 2, Our cat is also gluten intolerant! Soon, I'll cover some gluten free cat foods. I don't have a dog, but if this is something you'd like me to look into for YOUR dog, please drop me a line and I'll check it out and blog about it! :-)

Topcare (Topco Associates LLC
Allergy Chlorpheniramine Maleate Antihistamine
NDC 36800-463-62
4-Hour Relief
Relieves:
Runny Nose
Sneezing
Itchy, Watery Eyes
Itchy Throat

24 Tablets

Active ingredient in each tablet:
Chlorpheniramine Maleate, 4mg (Antihistamine)

Inactive ingredients: corn starch, D&C yellow no. 10, lactose, magnesium stearate

I called TopCo at 1-888-423-0139 two-three days ago to find out if it was gluten free. I was pretty sure it was safe, but wanted to verify it. They called back this morning to say there is NO GLUTEN in it! I am particularly happy about this because this is the only anti-histamine that works well for me, but until now, I've only been able to find it in Children's Chewable Triaminic ... where it has been sweetened by ASPARTAME! So, I've been dealing with having to take less anti-histamine then I would have liked due to my poor reaction to aspartame - for years now. I am so relieved to find this medication all by itself. I can't swallow pills, but I far prefer a bitter, unsweetened medication over aspartame, sucralose (splenda), etcetera. (Even better, we bought about 8 packs, on sale for $1.00 each!).

The anti-histamine not only helps my seasonal allergies, but also relieves the itching I get on my hands (and sometimes legs) when I come in physical, non-digestive contact with gluten.

* Please remember to check ingredients and company websites as ingredient/supplier information could change at any time.

Okay, so the other day, we received our weekly (or so) mailing from Proctor & Gamble. Usually, these are just coupons - some we can use, some we can't. But this most recent mailing was a product sample for a shampoo and conditioner called Fekkai. Apparently this is a "high class" hair product.

We already have a brand or two that we like, and more importantly, can afford, but hey, free shampoo is free shampoo, so I set it aside as I went through the rest of the mail.

A few days later, I peel the sample packets out of the mailer they came in and flip them over to take a look at the ingredients. Have you ever noticed that many low-end and high-end shampoos contain, more less, the same ingredients? And of course, most shampoo ingredients are chemicals that the average person cannot decipher sources for.

But this product has a lot of natural things - like grape seed extract, so I'm able to recognize what many things are....

And then I come to, HYDROLYZED WHEAT PROTEIN!

Great, just what I wanted in my gluten-free house! And hydrolyzed to boot (hydrolyzed, lipolyzed, autolyzed, etcetera, brings MSG into the picture on top of the already bad gluten).

Why, you may ask, do I care if gluten is in shampoo? Surely, you're not going to EAT the shampoo?

Well, no, of course I'm not going to eat it -- but just about everyone's had the experience of having soap dribble down your face and into your mouth. You'll spit it out, of course, but there's a chance you'll ingest some of it. And there goes all my careful diet planning, ruined by SHAMPOO.

Also, there are some people who have ALLERGIES to gluten, not just an intolerance, and will react to a topical gluten without ingesting anything.

Unfortunately, as a non-edible product, there is no "Allergen warning" on shampoo packages. At least, I've yet to see one.

Despite the growing prevalence in Celiac's Disease in children and adults, there are still a lot of people out there who have no idea what it is, nor any idea what gluten is.

Celiac's Disease IS a life long disease.
Celiac's Disease DOES affect children AND adults.
Celiac's Disease is NOT a food allergy.
Celiac's Disease canNOT be cured.
Celiac's Disease CAN be handled with a LIFELONG commitment to a GLUTEN FREE diet.

What happens when a person with CD eats gluten? This is an autoimmune disorder that affects the small intestine; Celiac suffers have a reaction to gliadin, a gluten protein found in wheat and similar proteins* (such as, but not limited to, barley and rye).

Unlike food allergies (including wheat allergies), you cannot grow out of an autoimmune disorder.

This reaction causes damage to the small intestine which prevents food / nutrients from being absorbed properly. Even very small amounts can cause problems for people with CD -- and, it is very important to note that damage is being done even when there are no obvious symptoms!

* These are found in ALL forms of wheat (including spelt, kamut, einkorn, faro, durum, semolina, and spelt), related grains rye, barley (malt!), and triticale. Anyone with CD must eliminate these from their diet.

* Buckwheat is NOT a form of wheat, and when 100% pure is safe to consume. Be careful, however, as wheat is commonly mixed in with buckwheat (ex prepackaged buckwheat pancake mixes frequently have gluten in them).

* 1 in 133 people in the US have Celiac's Disease.
* If a family member has it, it is very likely that others will as well.
* If you have an autoimmune disease, there is a 25% higher chance you will have CD.

Food Allergies and Food Reactions

It is possible to have allergies in addition to Celiac's Diseases, so you want to be very careful when determining what you are allergic to and what your body simply will never be able to process.

It is also possible to develop reactions to foods which are not allergies. This will vary from person to person, but in my experience, my "food reactions" were caused by the damage that had been done to my small intestine by eating gluten before I knew that I shouldn't.

When a person with CD removes gluten from their diet, their small intestine will begin to heal, and they will find that their overall health will improve. How long this takes logically depends on how much damage there is to heal. It could take a few months, a few years, or more.

People who have suddenly found themselves unable to eat foods they have eaten for years without a problem, and who aren't having typical allergic reaction symptoms, may find that after they allow their small intestine (and perhaps stomach) to heal after gluten elimination, that they are able to eat those foods again. For me, it was garlic, onions (still working on onions), and highly acidic fruits and vegetables.

You will want to work these back into your diet slowly, and one at a time so you can judge the process. For me, I can have garlic again! But, it must be thoroughly cooked. Raw garlic still gives me nausea and heartburn, but far less than it did before I eliminated gluten. A little onion here or there is okay, but too much and I get an upset stomach. Fruits and veggies that began to bother me a few years ago include items such as pineapples and peppers (green, red, yellow, orange, and of course the hot peppers). Once the garlic and onion are fully a success, I will slowly bring the fruits and veggies back. Right now, I'm sticking to tame items such as apples, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes and the like. I seem to be okay having OJ again, without having to purchase the low acid variety, which is wonderful.