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Are Pickles, Mayo and Mustard Gluten-Free?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Condiments in general seem to stump some people on the gluten-free diet due to some old information about vinegar floating around online. Several years ago, vinegar was finally proven to be gluten-free as long as it was 1) not made from malt vinegar and 2) it was distilled. Malt vinegar is made from barley. It is not distilled and it is not gluten-free. It is not true that only apple cider vinegar is gluten-free.

Most pickles, mayos, and mustard are made with vinegar. The vinegar is often distilled from gluten grains and the distillation process renders it gluten-free. Since this news is less than ten years old, you can find online warnings about vinegar containing gluten all day long. That is why I highly recommend people on this diet for health reasons invest in Shelley Case’s book on the subject.

Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide is exactly that – a truly factual, comprehensive guide regarding all things related to the gluten-free diet. The book covers ingredients, hidden gluten, products, and labeling laws in the U.S. and Canada. There is a section explaining what nutrients one eating a gluten-free diet might be deficient in and how to rectify that. There is a listing of gluten-free stores and 100% gluten-free restaurants – yes, a few do exist!

It’s very hard for people to learn this diet and lifestyle and it does not help when so much incorrect or outdated information will just not go away. Instead of trusting someone on a message board who tells you that you have to drink potato vodka (not true, by the way), why not go directly to the most trusted guide about this challenging-to-learn diet? Shelley’s book is the best investment anyone can make when trying to learn the many intricacies of this diet.

Generally speaking, pickles are gluten-free but label reading is required with those and all products not marked gluten-free. There are some mustards that list wheat as an ingredient. They tend to be high-end gourmet products and there are only a few of them, but they do exist. French’s, Heinz, and Hellman’s make some gluten-free mustards but at last check, only Hellman’s was labeled gluten-free. Hellman’s mayo is also labeled gluten-free. Most mayos in the stores are gluten-free but you can find homemade mayos in restaurants that can contain gluten. Don’t ask how they get gluten into the mayo but they do it somehow. As always, READ the labels of every product you buy that is not labeled gluten-free.

References: gluten-free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide, Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic.

Have a question about the gluten-free diet that we haven’t covered yet?  You can now submit your questions here! (Note: All medical questions should be directed to your physician)

Gluten-Free Travel: By Road or By Air

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

Most gluten-free travelers know that the first rule of eating gluten-free is to prepare in advance. Researching dining options, packing snacks, and planning meals is a part of the gluten-free lifestyle. The holiday and travel season can present a special set of circumstances that may throw seasoned gluten-free consumers out of their safety zone.

The first key to any trip is planning. Anticipate the number of meals spent at trusted restaurants, at the home of a family member or friend, or at the kitchenette at the hotel. Consider the number of days the trip will last, including travel time, and then the number of meals that will be spent at restaurants versus at home or at the hotel. Research restaurants that look interesting or offer a favorite gluten-free meal, and ensure their ability to serve gluten-free customers by checking their website for allergen information. Contact restaurants during non-peak hours and ask to speak with a manager if you are concerned about their ability to accommodate a gluten-free consumer. When dining-out trips are planned, the remaining meals can be planned without packing too much food.

Large suitcases with firm shells are best equipped for carrying gluten-free bread products, such as sandwich bread, doughnuts, brownies, or other items that could become compressed. Gluten-free pretzels, crackers, cookies, trail mix, mini peanut butter containers, and snack bars can usually fit in smaller bags, such as small suitcases for carry-on only, or backpacks. Snacks can also be transferred into smaller baggies for travel.

Most major airlines are offering peanuts in flight, along with beverages. Some are also offering meat and cheese trays or salads, but these meals usually contain crackers or breadsticks. The safest snack on a flight is something packed in advance.

Airport dining can be tricky, especially when familiar restaurants appear to offer safe choices. Remember that airport restaurants have very small kitchens, and will usually share surfaces, equipment, fryers, and ingredients. Some newsstands or snack shops carry fruit, bagged nuts or chips, yogurt, candy bars, or other possible snack options. Always read the labels and look for foods that are naturally gluten-free, such as fruit. If dining in an airport restaurant, look for foods that hold the least possible chance of cross-contamination or accidental gluten. A steak without seasoning, baked potato, and salad may be a safe choice at many restaurants. Don’t forget to consider seasonings, sauces, and salad dressings when dining at a restaurant for the first time, or an airport restaurant which may use different ingredients than the regular chain.

Traveling by car can take longer than flying, but it can also offer better control over gluten-free food options. Gluten-free bread is less likely to be damaged in the car, as is fruit, chips, crackers, pretzels, and other breakable snacks. It is also easier to pack a cooler with cold snacks, like meat or cheese. Some gas stations sell fruit, and most have chips, nuts, and candy bars that are gluten-free. Gas stations with larger food selections usually sell popcorn by the bag and have a microwave available for customer use.

Fast food restaurants are a tempting option on the road, but remember that cross-contamination and hidden gluten can be a problem. Look for salads, which many restaurants offer with croutons in a separate bag. Some chains have baked potatoes, chili, ice cream, and other items that are gluten-free. Packing gluten-free hamburger buns can make stops at fast food restaurants a little more tolerable, but be careful to not assume that meats are safe just because there is no bun or breading. The McDonald’s Angus patty contains wheat (via soy sauce), as does their grilled chicken breast. Researching popular fast-food restaurants in advance is the best way to know what is safe to order while traveling. Visit the restaurant website for allergen and ingredient information. When ordering at the location, be sure to specify the need for gluten-free food, and care in preparing food without cross-contamination.

Quick Guide:

  • Snacks to pack: Gluten-free pretzels, chips, crackers, cookies, trail mix, energy or snack bars, fruit, and nuts.
  • Gas Station Options: Fruit, nuts, chips (Funyuns, Fritos, Lay’s Stax), candy bars (Snickers, Butterfinger, Hershey’s).
  • Restaurants: P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Outback Steakhouse, Chili’s, Bonefish Grill, and Carrabba’s are all national chains with gluten-free menus.
  • Fast Food: Possible options include
    • Wendy’s- chili, baked potato, grilled chicken, salad, and bunless burgers
    • McDonald’s- side and Cesar salad (no chicken), some bunless burgers (NOT Angus patty), hot fudge sundae
    • Taco Bell- tostada, pintos and cheese, Mexican rice (per Taco Bell website)
    • Arby’s- chopped Italian salad, chopped turkey club salad, (the grilled chicken on the farmhouse salad is NOT gluten-free), roast beef meat, milkshakes

This list is not all-inclusive, and ingredients can change or vary by location. Check out our gluten-free restaurants page for up-to-date information or ask for ingredient information at the specific restaurant location.

For additional information about safely traveling while gluten-free, check out our gluten-free travel page.

Can Celiac Disease be Misdiagnosed as IBS?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

YES! Not surprisingly, several readers recently sent in this question. This is likely due to the fact that Dr. Oz’s popular TV show aired a show (or part of one) about celiac disease last week. Though there were some glitches in the celiac segment, most of the information shared was factual. All of the information shared by Dr. Peter Green of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University was completely accurate, of course. Dr. Green’s book “Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic” should be required reading for every doctor in this country.

When Dr. Oz’s guest, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, mentioned that for years she’d been diagnosed with IBS many years prior to her finding out she actually had celiac disease instead, internet Google searches about celiac lit up the world wide web – at least in the U.S. The day after the show aired Google reported an increase of over 360% for the term celiac disease. That is fantastic news! Think of the millions of Americans suffering from IBS who are getting very little, if any, relief from their IBS medications. Hopefully, anyone who fits that profile and missed Dr. Oz’s celiac show has a friend that saw it and will tell them about it.

Also of note on the show, was an important comment Dr. Green made about fertility issues. He mentioned that many times he sees celiac patients that are about to undergo fertility treatments but he suggests they wait to see if they are able to get pregnant after starting the gluten-free diet. Dr. Green said that in some cases, the person is pregnant in a year or so. Do you know how much money fertility treatments cost? Do you know how many fertility treatment centers routinely test patients for celiac? Less than 10% of them do even though in Dr. Green’s book, he explains that roughly 10% of people who have fertility issues might have problems with celiac or gluten intolerance.

The list of celiac symptoms is long (read the Celiac-Disease.com post about them here) but possibly two of the most overlooked health problems that can be directly related to celiac or gluten intolerance are IBS and infertility. If you think you might have issues with gluten, take the symptoms checklist test on the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness website. It’s free and only takes a few minutes to complete.

Due to the publicity about celiac that Dr. Oz’s showed generated last week, this is a great time to be a Gastroenterologist in the U.S. For those of us who’ve been around the gluten-free block so to speak, keep in mind that the more people that follow the gluten-free diet, the more food options we’ll have. As with anything – even big-screen TVs – more product options bring lower prices overall. The gluten-free diet should not be viewed as either a weight loss diet or something to undertake lightly. But for the 95% or so undiagnosed people with celiac, a gluten-free diet is most certainly called for.

Have a question about the gluten-free diet that we haven’t covered yet?  You can now submit your questions here! (Note: All medical questions should be directed to your physician)

Maneuvering Holiday Parties Gluten-Free Style

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

Going to holiday parties is fun for many people but for the gluten-free set, these events can be a bit like walking through gluten minefields. For this reason, a lot of people go to great lengths to avoid attending such parties. Believe it or not, in most cases, one can survive holiday events and remain gluten-free while doing so. It just takes a bit of research and pre-planning before the party.

Most of the time, the food served at company holiday events is catered. By calling the H.R. department of the company throwing the party, you can find out how to contact the event planners that were likely hired to take care of all party details. One more call to the actual caterer should put you in touch with someone who can eventually answer questions about the food being served at the event. After explaining your dietary needs, the caterer contact you’ve reached is likely going to have to get back to you with a list of exactly what you can eat at the party.

At the company holiday events I’ve attended, the list of items that were gluten-free was shockingly long. At the Georgia Aquarium, Wolfgang Puck Catering provides food. If people with special dietary needs contact the company before the event, they can be walked around to all the food stations to find out what is safe for them to eat, once they arrive. The pasta bar at the party we attended at the Georgia Aquarium was off-limits, but there were delicious gourmet salads (with no croutons), rice, potato, chicken, beef, and seafood dishes to be enjoyed. Almost all of the vegetable dishes were safe as well. The only area that didn’t offer anything tasty was dessert. Upon request, guests can have ice cream or sorbet but during 30-degree weather, frozen desserts don’t appeal to a lot of people.

The High Museum in Atlanta might have the best gluten-free fare at parties in the area. The party we attended there didn’t have as large a selection as the food at the Georgia Aquarium, but the creatively prepared holiday fare was exceptional in both taste and presentation. Strangely enough, the salad served was one of the few things that contained gluten at the party, besides the desserts. For whatever reason, the chef put croutons right in the salad instead of on the side. In any event, the amazing food that was gluten-free was more than enough to fill anyone up. It was fun to listen to party guests rave about the food, in particular the gluten-free offerings which were most of the meal, knowing they had no idea the things they thought were so delicious were actually gluten-free!

Since it’s likely that most desserts at catered holiday parties will contain gluten, consider taking in your own discreet gluten-free treat. Chocolate candy can be messy, but candied nuts can be packed in a baggie and placed in an evening bag very easily. Empty the contents of the baggie onto a dessert plate and then count how many times other guests ask you where you got the nuts. When people inevitably ask me about them, I explain that I brought them because all the desserts contain gluten, which I can’t eat.

The biggest mistake people make is assuming there is nothing safe for them to eat at large (or small) catered parties. At someone’s potluck party, there is probably not much, if anything, that will be gluten-free, except for what you take to the event. In contrast, at catered parties where the menu details are put in place long before an event, it is possible to find out what is safe before you even pick out what you’re wearing to the party.

Though it’s often said that buffets should always be avoided by people with food intolerances of any kind, there are ways to mitigate your risk when attending events where all the food is served buffet style. Review the layout of all the dishes and carefully inspect the serving utensils. It is actually pretty easy to tell when the serving pieces have been mixed up. When you find evidence that dishes have been contaminated this way, find a staff person and ask them to either bring you some food directly from the kitchen or to notify you when the items in question are going to be restocked with a clean serving utensil. Be first in line to get your serving from the new pan of food and enjoy!

As someone who has successfully eaten at many weddings, company parties and other events where not all of the food served was gluten-free, I highly encourage others to do a little recon about the food at parties they’ve been invited to, before flatly deciding it’s better to stay home. These days, there is simply no reason to turn down fabulous party invitations just because we can’t eat gluten.

Biaggi’s Gluten-Free Menu

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

Biaggi’s is a large restaurant chain that recently came to my area, so I was excited to hop online and learn that they offer a gluten-free menu (PDF) on their official website in a conveniently printable format.

Official Website Menu Information: Biaggis Gluten-Free Menu
Location Finder: Find a Biaggi’s Location Near You

So far I’ve only been able to go once (it is a little pricey) but the food was excellent. I had Spaghetti Marinara which was very good. Next time I go back, I plan on trying one of their gluten-free pizzas which it appears they make themselves.

As always, when dining out gluten-free, do your due diligence and make sure the staff understands your needs. There are very few restaurants that are 100% gluten-free, so cross-contamination is always a risk. If you don’t feel comfortable with what you are hearing from the staff, perhaps it is best to dine elsewhere.

For information about other gluten-free restaurants menus, check out our gluten-free restaurants page.

Have you eaten at Biaggi’s before? Please share your experience in the comments!