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Can Beer Made with Barley be Gluten-Free?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 11 Comments

Recently, gluten-free Philly posted something very interesting about a new so-called gluten-free beer that is just hitting the U.S. market. There seems to be evidence that some items made with barley can be rendered gluten-free, and therefore might be acceptable for people with celiac to consume. Interesting news in my opinion. gluten-free Philly’s blog post can be found here. This new beer is made from various grains including barley. Due to how the product is processed, it is rendered gluten-free – and tested to be proven so – according to the manufacturer. Some research about this item seems to confirm that many people with celiac or gluten intolerance routinely enjoy this beer made in Spain without issue.

My first thought was that if all the other “normal” beers made with barley contain gluten, how could this one from Spain be rendered gluten-free? Apparently, it’s all related to a process that could be compared to the distillation of grain alcohols. Those are also gluten-free, regardless of what grains were used to create them. Though this fact has been proven time and again, the myth about people with celiac having to drink vodkas made from potatoes or soy simply won’t die. Drink what you will, but according to every celiac expert and dietitian I’ve consulted with, pure distilled alcohols are gluten-free. The only way they can contain gluten is if gluten flavors are added back in after the distillation process.

After reading rave reviews about this new beer from Spain, I sure hope to be able to try it myself eventually. If I’m able to find it, I’ll be sure and review it here. I’ll also be able to confirm if it’s gluten-free or not, based on how I feel after I drink it. It is actually great to be able to know if you’ve mistakenly ingested gluten. There are no ifs, and, or buts about it. My body lets me know without question when gluten has gotten into my system. I can’t imagine not knowing by consuming something if it contains gluten or not. It’s a very nice perk to have that assurance.

One might wonder if it’s possible for companies to make gluten-free beer with barley, and why the major U.S. breweries aren’t doing it here. My guess is that they would have no way of knowing how to since the first thing anyone reads about what contains gluten includes the word barley. Right off the bat, most companies would assume that anything they plan to make for the gluten-free market should not contain wheat, rye, barley, or non-gluten-free oats.  Keep in mind that the U.S. is 5-10 years behind many other countries regarding the gluten-free market.

Redbridge is the top-selling gluten-free beer in the U.S. and the sales were so low in Publix stores that the company pulled the beer from its beer schematic back in January of this year. The store near me brings it in on customer request, but it’s stocked in the gluten-free food section and not in the beer cooler. The real estate in the beer cooler is way to valuable to put a product that doesn’t move well. Redbridge was reformulated this spring and tastes better to me, but many people don’t like the fact that the alcohol content was reduced quite a bit with the new formula. At least, that is the situation at Publix stores.

Now that I know that apparently barley can be used to make gluten-free beer, I’d really like to see companies that make wine coolers with barley malt try to render their wares gluten-free. Now that would be something to get excited about!

Review: Gluten-Free Ice Cream Cones

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

Until I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I had no reason to purchase gluten-free ice cream cones – ever. If I felt like an ice cream cone, I went to the Buster’s around the corner and ordered frozen yogurt in a cone. After I went on the gluten-free diet, all of a sudden I had a great desire to find the best gluten-free ice cream cones available – if such a thing existed. In the past four years, I’ve tried around eight different gluten-free ice cream cones and more than half of them tasted like styrofoam to me. However, three of the items we’ve tried are not only good enough to buy again – you could even serve them to gluten eaters if need be. Yes – these are some pretty great ice cream cones indeed!

Last spring, I tried the waffle cones made by Barkat. They were pricey to say the least, and there is no free shipping from that online store. But oh – the cones were so worth the money! It was the first time I’d had a really great ice cream cone in over three years. As great as they were, the expense of ordering them online was not something I could repeat so I set out to find a decent ice cream cone that I could buy locally.

Finally, last summer, I found the Let’s Do Organics gluten-free cake cones at the store I shop at. Even though I don’t love cake cones in general, the $2.49 price tag was too good to pass up. I’m not sure if the cones I had were stale or what the problem was. The expiration date was over a year after I purchased them so I doubt that was the problem. However, they tasted as stale as they could be to me. I actually could not get over how bad the cones were. There went $2.49 down the drain. I found someone who wanted to try them so I gave the rest of the package to them. They thought they were fine.

Interestingly, I read a rave review of the waffle cones from Let’s Do gluten-free Sugar Cones (made by Let’s Do Organics) online. Let’s Do Organics is a line in the Edward & Sons company. To my surprise and delight, the sugar cones are absolutely delicious. The ingredients are pretty simple and include: potato starch, demerara sugar, tapioca starch, expeller-pressed palm oil, potato fiber, soy lecithin, cocoa powder, salt and xanthan gum. One cone has 50 calories and 1% of your RDA for fat. There are instructions on the box regarding “freshening up” the cones, should the cones lose their crispiness. The cones are made in Israel and are also Kosher.

Last but certainly not least are the Goldbaum’s gluten-free cake cones. Those are sold at Earthfare and so far I’ve not seen them in my area. That doesn’t mean they aren’t sold here, of course. The cones are the best cake cones I’ve ever had. Not the best gluten-free cake cones – the best cake cones, period. After all, I never liked gluten cake cones in the first place. The perfect light taste and crispy texture was a delightful surprise. The ingredients in the Goldbaum’s cones are quite similar to the Edward & Sons sugar cones. They are also made in Israel and also Kosher.

I wonder if one company is making all these great tasting cones and offering them for private label service. Whatever the case is, my gluten-free ice cream cone search is finally over. I invested about $9 in two boxes of cones (offering 24 cones total) this summer and now I have more than enough of them last through the summer. Luckily, my husband isn’t a cone fan so I don’t have to share them. He likes to eat a lot of ice cream at once and no cones are big enough for him. All the gluten-free cones I’ve tried are quite small, regardless of the brand, but Goldbaum’s has a waffle bowl and a jumbo waffle cone. Yes – my search for wonderful gluten-free ice creams cones if definitely over!

*If gluten-free ice creams sandwiches are something you miss, be sure and check out Kim’s post about those cool treats here!

Review: Gluten-Free and Dairy Free Creamer

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Several weeks ago, I was contacted about reviewing a new non-dairy creamer. When my sample box arrived, I didn’t have a coffee maker because I’d thrown the old one out and not yet replaced it. I’m more of a hot tea drinker at home. We finally picked a new coffee maker over the fourth of July weekend so I was able to try the new soy based, gluten and dairy free creamer. I’ve got to say that it tastes pretty much like other powder creamers that contain dairy. I was impressed that it didn’t have a strange flavor or behave differently than dairy based dry creamers. It dissolved well and quickly, just like “normal” powder creamers do.

SoyGo is all natural, vegan and contains both fiber and protein. It’s diabetic friendly and has the pre-biotic inulin in it.  Each SoyGo box has 25 packets/servings in it and each has 10 calories. The fiber count is an impressive 2% of the RDA. That’s a lot of fiber for something that small, I think.  The convenient packets are easy to pack to use with your coffee at work. a day of shopping or for trips.

Excerpt from SoyGo website:

SavingOpusOne presents… SoyGo! For soy lovers and the health-minded on-the-go! It’s hard being on the road or simply out and about when you want that cup of coffee or tea and a soy creamer isn’t available. This is no longer the case. Our travel-size creamer is not only delicious and creamy, it’s also vegan, non-gmo, all-natural, lactose-free, gluten-free, and diabetic-friendly. Made with the finest, organically grown soy powder available, we’re sure that you’ll love it as much as we do. It also contains both protein and fiber in every serving. Just grab a packet and hit the road!

The way this product came to be is quite interesting. The manufacturer has a goal to help reduce animal suffering at factory farms.  We never thought much about where our food was coming from until I was diagnosed with celiac. Once we started reading labels and found out how many chemicals were in everyday foods, we were simply shocked. Eventually, we learned more about how a lot of meat products are produced and that led to us changing some of our meat purchases as well.

SoyGo creamer ingredients:

Soy Powder – All natural and 100% Organic and Non-Gmo* vegan, Sugar – Non-GMO*, 100% vegan (including manufacturing), Color Added – 100% Vegan, all natural whitener, Xanthan gum – All natural, vegan, Non GMO*,Inulin – All natural, vegan, Non-GMO*, Natural flavors(French Vanilla) – Organic, Non-GMO*, All natural, vegan, Natural Flavors (Non-dairy cream flavor), Vegan, All natural, non-GMO*, Dipotassium Phosphate – All natural, vegan, Lecithin – Vegan, all natural, Salt – 100% vegan

Some retail outlets have started carrying SoyGo, but if your store doesn’t have it yet, you can order it online. The 25 packet box is currently $5.99 plus $2 shipping (U.S.).

*Special thanks to SoyGo for my sample box of creamers!

Gluten-Free Products for Everyday Use

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 4 Comments

When someone first starts the gluten-free diet, they are often overwhelmed and inundated with incorrect information about what is and is not gluten-free. Recently, I’ve seen several outdated statements online about several items that are staples of our gluten-free kitchen. With gluten being in so many products that you would never suspect it, it’s really best to try and not avoid perfectly safe products.

The below list of items are things that some people mistakenly think contain gluten. In some cases, mainstream brands of the items might contain gluten, but gluten-free versions are available (and have been for a while). As always, ingredients can and do change – so a label reading is needed to confirm the items are gluten-free when you are considering purchasing them. Unfortunately, unless an item is labeled gluten-free, you need to read the label every time you buy it, to make sure it’s still gluten-free. Please note this list and the brands listed are not comprehensive.

  • Soy Sauce – Most brands of soy sauce sold in the U.S. contain gluten. San-J makes a wheat-free labeled soy sauce that is also gluten-free. They also make soy sauces that contain gluten so always check the label. La Choy soy sauce is gluten-free (so says the company that makes it), but it is not labeled that way. La Choy Teriyaki sauce is also gluten-free. This is a good brand to use in sauces in marinades, but most people won’t use it for something like sushi.
  • Barbecue Sauce – It is almost more common to find gluten in barbecue sauces served in restaurants than in those sold in grocery stores. Bone Suckin’ brand makes several gluten-free barbecue sauces and they are labeled gluten-free. Many barbecue sauces are gluten-free and are not labeled that way. Sweet Baby Ray’s makes some gluten-free barbecue sauces, as does Kraft.
  • Worcestershire Sauce – The Lea & Perrins brand is gluten-free and so is the French brand. I paid only $.97 for a bottle of the French sauce which was less than half the price of the Lea & Perrins version.
  • Blue Cheese* – Some blue cheese manufacturers will not state that their products are gluten-free, but that doesn’t mean they contain gluten. It could mean, however, that the manufacturer doesn’t care about our business. GIG recently worked with The Melting Pot and the blue cheese the company uses is gluten-free. Rosenberg is our preferred brand because the company states their blue cheese is gluten-free. However, celiac experts and nutritionists agree that blue cheese is considered gluten-free, even in the rare cases that the mold used to make it is started with bread. The first tests that proved this date back to 1991, with updates done in the last couple of years by the Canadian Celiac Association.
  • Salad Dressings – Many mainstream dressings are gluten-free even though they are not labeled as such. Kraft has many gluten-free versions and so does Newman’s Own – to name a couple. We like Drew’s brand dressings at our house and their single-serve packets are great for travel. Not all the dressings from this line are gluten-free, but the types that have “gluten-free” on the label.

There are many other items that people new to the gluten-free diet are often confused by, but the ones listed above are the ones people contact me about the most often. They are often shocked to find out there is such a thing as gluten-free blue cheese, beer, and soy sauce. It’s no wonder then, that some people think it’s so hard to follow a gluten-free diet. They might be missing out on enjoying some perfectly safe foods that make a gluten-free living not only easier – but tastier as well!

*Reference – The Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide by Shelley Case.

Gluten-Free Emergency Kits

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 1 Comment

Do you have a gluten-free emergency kit? Has the thought ever crossed your mind in the case of a disaster of some sort? Tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, or even summer storms can wreak havoc and leave destruction in their wake. If your power was out for longer than 12-24 hours, what would you do?

After 9-11, I really began to freak out about being prepared for an emergency. I live nowhere close to NYC, but what if some kind of a disaster were to strike close to our home and we were unable to get food for whatever reason? This was all before we had to eat gluten-free, too. Sure, keeping gallons of water, flashlights, batteries, and blankets is easy whether you are gluten-free or not. Keeping food around may not be as easy unless you plan ahead.

There are checklists available here to outline the most important items to have on hand. Included in the link above are basic lists and then suggested additions. A three-day supply is suggested for food and water. Make sure to take into account that water is per person. If you have pets, do not forget to plan ahead for them. Here are some basic gluten-free food items that can be included in an emergency kit:

  • Lara Bars, Pure Bars, Zing Bars or other fruit/nut bar
  • Canned meat – tuna and salmon are good choices
  • Canned beans – good source of protein/carbs
  • Nuts
  • Non-perishable, pasteurized milk (Horizon Organic makes individual boxes)
  • Vitamins
  • Gluten-free crackers
  • Gluten-free cereal
  • Peanut butter (other nut butter are good, too, but some need to be kept in the refrigerator)
  • Dried fruit

Gluten-free Emergency Kits sells pre-packaged emergency kits for 24 hours, 72 hours, or 30 days. The 72-hour kit feeds a family of 4 and has a shelf life of 5 years. A description from the site:

The kit is shipped in boxes, has a shelf life of four to five years if stored properly between 68 to 70 degrees. The products are packaged in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers.

Mixes From The Heartland Inc. has developed a complete gluten-free emergency food kit that supplies the necessary ingredients to provide meals for a family of four to six people for seventy-two hours. The purchaser of the kit needs only to add water to have savory, gluten-free meals that can be consumed by the whole family.

In addition to food and water, make sure to set aside any medications that family members may need in case of an emergency. Extra glasses or contact lenses, extra batteries for hearing aids, and information on any medical devices, if used.

After you get the emergency kit figured out, be sure to make a plan. Making a plan includes things like subscribing to alert services, informing all family members how to contact one another, and including pre-paid calling cards or money in the kit.

The last bit of information is to be informed. What kinds of unexpected situations could require your family to put an emergency plan into action? Forms and publications on the plans and some of the links provided above can be downloaded or ordered here.