Gluten Free and Tasty!

Near the end of August, I picked up two small gluten free snacks to try. The store I found them in actually had small sizes of each product, and amazingly, it only cost about $2.00 to buy both of them! But, as they say, you get what you pay for . . .

SeaSnax is gluten free, vegan, trans fat free, cholesterol free, MSG free, and sugar free. Ingredients? Seaweed, olive oil, sea salt. "Lightly roasted and seasoned seaweed."

Now, I've had seaweed before, both in a Life Science class in college and in faux-sushi in my pre-GF days. Opening up the package provided me with the expected smell. The taste, however, left something to be desired. It was very fishy. No one who sampled it (Teresa, myself, and our friend V.) enjoyed it. Our cats, however, are a different story! I can't see this product becoming a big hit.

Cheeky Monkey was the other small snack.  They are Peanut Butter Puffs which are organic (certified), gluten free (certified), kosher (certified), cholesterol free, trans fat free, sugar free, dairy free, casein free, vegan, not fried, full of protein. Produced in a gluten free dedicated facility.

The package also says they are "unbelievably delicious". Delicious isn't the word I would use, I'm afraid. Disgusting, however . . .

They are nice and crunchy (like Cheetos), and they smell okay, but ... I just couldn't get into the taste. Despite that they use organic peanut butter, to me, they tasted more like they'd used some cheap, slightly greasy PB alternative; perhaps one you'd find in some inexpensive PB candy. I offered one to Teresa, who didn't realize they were supposed to be PB flavored, so hers was a blind taste test. She said it tasted like, "a moldy Cheeto".

So try these products at your own risk, but if you don't like them, don't say I didn't warn you! :-)

Coming up . . . much tastier GF snacks!

From Food City on FaceBook:

"Around the end of May we are targeting having gluten free identifiers on tags for around 350 items in the stores. These will be on items that the packaging specifically states the product is gluten free. We think this will help shoppers identify the items they are looking for more easily and is a great step in continuing to add and identify gluten free products in the stores."

This is really great news for those of us who shop at Food City!

For readers not familiar with Food City, it is part of K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc. The acronym comes from the states the stores are located: Kentucy, Virginia, Tennessee.

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.

As I have learned recently, some of us on the gluten-free diet must also abstain from touching gluten! Whole new ballgame now.

So over the last week, I set off to learn what I could about gluten in personal care products, and find out which were safe for me to use.

I had already determined that my shampoo made my hands burn, and they'd hurt more afterwards, but I had always thought - well, it's just because they are broken out/apart, and left it at that. Now I realize it was a gluten reaction - without even having to digest it (trace amounts swallowed when soapy water runs down your face not withstanding).

If you've ever read a shampoo bottle, you know how difficult it is to determine what exactly is in there to begin with; many names are listed by their chemical make-up, which tells the average consumer absolutely nothing.

Yesterday, we took a trip to Earth Fare, in Johnson City, TN, for a gluten free shopping trip. We only had food items on the list, but since it is a grocery store, I decided to check out their personal care items.

We came home with shampoo and conditioner from Desert Organics* which are labeled 100% wheat and gluten free! (Also free of many other things as well.) I got Lemon Tea Tree - which actually turned out to smell a bit like Pledge! I am pleased to report, however, that after the shower, as my hair dries, it has merely retained a "nice fruity smell".

Neither the shampoo nor conditioner made my hands hurt at all during use. Usually, the shampoo/conditioner makes my hands burn badly within seconds. As I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair, I loved the silky, smooth feeling my hair had -- and is retaining even as it (air) dries!

I opted not to put anything on my hands or take any medications that I usually do post-shower. I haven't needed them. It's an AMAZING difference!


* Please not that one of their shampoos we looked at (Coconut, I believe) was NOT Gluten Free - I believe it had wheat in it. I don't think the Coconut Lotion did though, so be sure you read your labels carefully!

Starting in January of this year, I started discussing Gluten Free with the person/people who manage Food City's FaceBook page. Originally they were looking into seeing if a list of GF items could be released. That did not come to fruition, but what they are going to do is going to be infinitely more helpful.

From Food City:

"Our advertising team is working on creating in-store tags to post at our Gluten-Free products. I will let you know when they are going up in stores so you can keep an eye out for them! I hope that this will be helpful in the future for your shopping trips at Food City."

If you're familiar with shopping for GF items at Kroger, you already have an idea of what Food City is working on. I don't know what the tags will look like yet, nor do I have a time frame of when this will happen, but I will definitely be keeping you posted.

Note: There is always a chance of a tag being placed under a wrong item, or an item being restocked into an incorrect place and ending up above a GF shelf tag when the two don't match, so please always remember to read the ingredients before taking anything home! I ran into this just once with a Kroger store in Roanoke, VA. It took asking/explaining twice (to the night crew and then the morning crew the next day), but by that afternoon, the problem had been resolved.

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.

Thank you for your inquiry regarding menu items for Gluten Intolerant guests.  We can recommend the following items with some adjustments.  Let your server know you are interested in menu items especially for Gluten Intolerance. Your server will be happy to accommodate your request.

Salads
Garden Salad - Order without croutons
Caesar Salad  - Order without croutons

Entrees
Steak Toscano brushed with Italian herbs and served with grilled vegetables
Pork Filettino marinated in extra-virgin olive oil and rosemary and served with broccoli and red bell peppers
Herb-Grilled Salmon brushed with Italian herbs and extra-virgin olive oil accompanied by broccoli and grilled vegetables
Mixed Grill - Skewers of grilled steak and chicken marinated in Italian herbs and extra-virgin olive oil and served with broccoli and grilled vegetables
Mixed Grill with Chicken only- Skewers of chicken marinated in Italian herbs and extra-virgin olive oil and served with broccoli and grilled vegetables
Children's Grilled Chicken - Grilled chicken breast served with broccoli and grilled vegetables.

 While Olive Garden has made an effort to provide complete and current gluten content information, changes in recipes, and the hand crafted nature of our menu items, mean that variations in the ingredient profile of a particular menu item may occur from time to time. Therefore, we make no guarantees regarding the gluten content of any of these items.  Guests with gluten intolerance or other special food sensitivities or dietary needs should not rely solely on this information as the basis for deciding whether to consume a particular menu item, and are individually responsible for ensuring that any such menu item meets their individual dietary requirements.  Olive Garden assumes no liability for your use of this information.  Any medical concerns regarding the consumption of these items should be directed to your physician or other health care provider.  If you would like to speak with an Olive Garden representative, please call us at 800-331-2729.

I've made additional inquires in 2009 regarding their practice in avoiding cross contamination with proper cleaning of cookware, educating employees, so forth. The did a superb job of completely avoiding all those types of questions, so eat at your own risk. Remember, this is an Italian restaurant. Lots of gluten in the air - and a bag of flour opened can let flour drift and contaminate for hours!

Logan's Roadhouse - October 2008

The seasoning on their steak (and potentially other meats) has FLOUR in it. Thus, so does the grill. If you eat here, tell the server you need your meal cooked in a clean stainless steel skillet that has not been floured and that the mean canNOT be seasoned. Failing the skillet, a clean and non-scratched microwave safe plate will do. I got glutened here before I knew about the seasoning. After I asked them not to do that, I never had another problem.

Panera Bread - October 2008

Thank you for contacting Panera Bread. I have included below a list of our gluten-free menu items. Not all of these items are currently on our menu and some new menu items have not yet been evaluated for the purposes of this list. However, you can find complete ingredients listings for current menu items on our website. Click on Menu and Nutrition, choose the Bakery or Cafe menu, select a product category from the links at the top of the page, then click on the individual menu item to display a page with that item's ingredients and nutritional content.

Please note that nutritional information on our website is updated periodically. New products may be available in our bakery-cafes before a periodic update of this site. In addition, some menu items may be available only on a regional, test or seasonal basis. Nutritional information about these menu items is available at
the participating bakery-cafes. Tests of new recipes of existing products may be conducted from time to time in certain markets. These new recipes may contain different/additional ingredients, including allergens, as compared to the original version. Nutritional information about these menu items is available at the participating bakery-cafes. For the most update-to-date information, please call or visit your nearest bakery-cafe to speak with a manager. 
 
Thank you again for contacting us. We appreciate your business and value your comments.

Sincerely,

Chris
Customer Comment Coordinator

GLUTEN FREE LIST - Panera Bread **

**Although
we do our very best to meet your special requirements, we cannot rule out the possibility of cross contact between these items and gluten-containing foods in our bakery-café.

Salads:    (including the salad dressing)
(source of modified food starch is corn) 
Greek Salad 
Fandango Salad 
Caesar Salad (without croutons) 
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (without croutons) 
Asian Sesame Chicken Salad (without Won Ton noodles) 
Classic Cafe Salad 
Strawberry Poppyseed Salad 
Strawberry Poppyseed Salad with Chicken 
Fuji Apple Chicken Salad 
California Mission Chicken Salad 
Orchard Harvest Chicken Salad

Soups:
Low Fat Vegetarian Black Bean
Cuban Black Bean and Lentil
Vegetarian Roasted Red Pepper & Lentil
Vegetarian Butternut Squash
Creamy Tomato (without croutons)
Low-Fat Vegetarian Southwest Tomato & Roasted Corn 
Turkey Chickpea Chili
Summer Corn Chowder

Salad Dressings:
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Caesar
Greek
Poppyseed
Raspberry Vinaigrette
Asian Sesame Vinaigrette
White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Roasted Garlic & Meyer's Lemon Vinaigrette

Beverages:
Coffee
Juice, both apple and orange
Lemonade
Milk
Soda, fountain and bottled
Tea, regular and Chai Tea
All lattes & Frozen beverages
Strawberry Smoothie   

http://www.jonathansatsml.com/contact_us.html

Yes, we can prepare Gluten Free items for you. Please ask for me or my chef
(Chris) and we can accommodate your needs.

Our servers are trained as well and we be very careful with you needs.

Jim Cavanaugh
Director of Operations
50 First Watch Dr.
Moneta, VA 24121
Ph: 540-719-1212
Fax: 540-719-3336
jim@jonathansatsml.com   

---------

Always play it safe, no matter how gluten-free friendly places say they are. Do your homework. Bring chef cards. Be prepared to explain about cross contamination. Ask to speak with the chef if you don't think the waiter understands. If you don't think anyone understands, go somewhere else!  

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.

In brief:

For as long as I can remember, I have had trouble with food. I never knew what I was eating that made me sick. Two entirely different meals could have the same result. I tried eliminating various foods without resolution.

In 2005, it started getting worse. I ended up eliminating soft drinks from my diet, and, to my disappointment, garlic, onions, peppers, and other acidic foods. This helped a lot, but not completely.

In 2007, my doctor suggested I try going gluten free, and suggested I try some other things as well, such as cod liver oil for my skin problems. This was right before a long trip with a friend though, and I just couldn't do it.

The following summer, I learned that a relative probably had Celiac's Disease, and when I researched the symptoms, I thought it sounded a lot like me. On August 1, 2008, I officially gave up gluten.

I had a few set backs, getting glutened by accident when I wasn't able to prepare my own foods. The sickness and pain from those experiences completely eliminated any temptation I might have had for gluteny treats.

Was I ever officially diagnosed? No. Why? Several reasons, which I will discuss in a separate post. The most important thing as far as I am concerned is giving up gluten changed my health for the better.

As of setting-up this blog, I have been gluten free for nearly a full year and feel so much better. I have learned a lot, and have set-up this blog so that I may share my knowledge with others.