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What Chicken Stocks are Gluten-Free?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Just three years ago it was common to find wheat in many chicken stocks. Slowly but surely companies have been removing gluten from many items, including stocks. There are still chicken stocks that contain gluten but with so many labeled gluten-free, everyone should be able to find a safe version in their local mainstream grocery store. One brand that still lists wheat on many of its stocks is College Inn but some other gluten-containing products exist as well. As always, read the label to ensure the brand you buy is gluten-free.

Swanson is a Campbell’s brand and the company recently created a website listing all their gluten-free items. When I checked the Swanson broths at my store, none were marked gluten-free, but the Campbells Without Gluten website lists seven Swanson stocks/broths as gluten-free. All Progresso stocks are gluten-free and don’t have added MSG. Though MSG is gluten-free, many people don’t consider it a healthy food additive. Most, if not all, of the Pacific Foods chicken stocks, are gluten-free, including the low-sodium version.

Both Pacific Foods and Progress stocks are marked gluten-free and if given the chance I will always buy gluten-free labeled items. I don’t do it because I don’t trust other vendors who say their products are gluten-free but do not label them that way. I purchase gluten-free labeled products because I want to support businesses that clearly want the business of gluten-free consumers.

Excerpt from the Progresso website regarding all their stocks:

  • No preservatives
  • No MSG
  • Fat free
  • No artificial flavors
  • Gluten-Free
  • 100% Natural

It’s far more common to find gluten in bouillon cubes these days, rather than in liquid stocks. Barley and rye are typically not used in making bouillon so look for wheat on the label. Herb Ox brand makes several gluten-free bouillon granules and they don’t have any added MSG either. Several of the bouillon cubes that are gluten-free do contain MSG. Obviously, one can make gluten-free chicken stock from scratch. Boil a chicken carcass and add carrots, celery, and onions to it. Salt is optional. It’s simple to make but most of us don’t have the time. Luckily, so many of the chicken stocks on the market today are gluten-free so we don’t have to.

These days it’s more common to run into gluten in chicken stock when dining out. Always question if rice or mashed potatoes have chicken stock in them if you are dining in an unfamiliar establishment. Many people order rice without asking questions, assuming rice is always gluten-free. Unfortunately, if rice and mashed potatoes are cooked in gluten-containing chicken stock, they are no longer gluten-free.

Enjoy your dressing for Thanksgiving made with one of the many gluten-free chicken stocks now available. The times are certainly changing for the better and that’s something we can all be thankful for!

Sonic’s Gluten-Free Menu

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 6 Comments

Sonic Drive-In is a growing restaurant chain found all throughout the United States so it only makes sense that we’ve been getting a lot of inquiries lately regarding whether or not they offer a gluten-free menu. Based upon my initial research online, it looks like Sonic does not offer any gluten-free diet information in print or on their official website, but they do have an official allergen listing.

Official Website Menu Information: Sonic Gluten-Free Menu
Location Finder: Find a Sonic Location Near You

With that said, we like to be a little more thorough than that and were able to get a company representative at Sonic to give the following list of gluten-free items (they said they are only able to provide a list verbally at this time, nothing is available in writing):

Sonic Gluten-Free Menu

  • Bacon
  • Breakfast sausage patty
  • Egg patty (may be contaminated from cooking on the same griddle as gluten-filled foods)
  • Hamburger (no bun)
  • Hot Dog (no bun)
  • Sliced American cheese
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Pepperjack cheese
  • Ketchup
  • Mustard
  • Marinara sauce
  • Salad dressings (all varieties)
  • Shake mix (shakes may be made in the same container as malts. Ask the staff to clean the container to prevent cross-contamination)
  • Softserve ice cream
  • Hershey’s chocolate syrup
  • Butterfinger, M&M, Reese’s Pieces, and whipped toppings
  • Route 44 drinks (all flavors)
  • Slushes, all flavors in the usual menu

Note: The representative also advised that Sonic’s Tater Tots and French fries are in fact gluten-free; however, there may be cross-contamination issues from being fried with gluten-containing menu items. If you decide to try either of these items please confirm with your local Sonic location that they use a dedicated fryer to avoid a problem.

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.

Does Cheese Contain Gluten?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Most cheeses are gluten-free, including bleu (or blue) cheese. For many years, bleu cheese was considered unsafe for those on the gluten-free diet because traditionally it was started with mold from gluten bread. Many bleu cheeses are not made that way these days, using an artificial starting agent instead of bread. However, even when bleu cheese is started from bread mold, testing of the finished product shows no detectable levels of bleu cheese. Therefore, the cheese is considered safe for those on the gluten-free diet. This is not new news as the discovery of blue cheese being safe dates back to 1992.

Statement from the Canadian Celiac Association regarding bleu cheese:

“The Canadian Celiac Association [CCA] has recently investigated a variety of blue cheese on the market and found that very few are made using bread mold, and when they are, the test results completed by Health Canada found no detectable levels of gluten in the final product. The new CCA Acceptability of Food and Food Ingredients for the gluten-free Diet pocket dictionary lists blue cheese as allowed on a gluten-free diet.”

Many people who were diagnosed with celiac or gluten intolerance years ago might not realize they can safely enjoy bleu cheese – assuming they like it. Obviously, at some point most people get comfortable with the diet and don’t feel the need to continue researching what is and is not gluten-free. The only problem with this is that twenty years ago, people were told they could not drink alcohols made from gluten grains or have distilled vinegar. They were also told they could eat spelt – which happens to be a gluten containing grain that is off limits to people who can’t tolerate gluten.

That is why there are so many untrue things floating around on the internet about our diet. This creates conflict in our community which does nothing to help our cause of increasing awareness about our condition among the general public. It’s really not that much of a mystery why we have not been able to do more to educate mainstream society more about gluten intolerance. We can’t even agree on what is and is not safe on the gluten-free diet because celiac myths are alive and well all over the internet. Bleu cheese is considered safe for those on the gluten-free diet but it’s best to read the label to make sure ‘wheat’ is not listed as an ingredient (neither rye nor barley are used in making bleu cheese). No one has to eat bleu cheese if they don’t want to, but them not doing so doesn’t change its safety for those that love it and want to enjoy it as they always have. Bleu cheese dressings are a different animal and some contain gluten. So again, read the label.

There is a way you can find gluten in cheese. It’s rare, but some cheap shredded (usually imitation) cheeses can contain wheat. It’s used as a declumping agent. Last year the Food and Beverage Manager at Zoo Atlanta stated that the cheese in their salads contained gluten. So cheese with gluten exists but it’s not that common and there don’t seem to be any unshredded cheeses that contain gluten. As always, read the label.

Some cheese spreads may contain gluten. Again, read the label. At last check Kraft cheese in a can was gluten-free. There does not seem to be  much real food in the product, but since it was gluten-free in the past, it likely still is. Kraft will note all forms of gluten on their product label so no gluten is hidden under another ingredient name. Cabot Creamery in Vermont has verified that all of their cheeses gluten-free.

References: Canadian Celiac Association, Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide.

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

Gluten-Free Gift Baskets

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

The holidays are filled with food, fun, and gifts for many of us. Gift baskets are a huge business during this time of year and now there is a multitude of gluten-free gift baskets to send the people in your life that can’t eat gluten. Or maybe you just want to send a nice basket full of gluten-free goodies to yourself!

The gluten-free gift basket companies I researched offer a wide range of gifts at a wide range of prices. There is sure to be something for every budget and every taste. There are themed baskets for everyone from popcorn lovers to BBQ grill masters. One of the gift basket companies even offers to make up customized baskets, based on your budget and product preferences.

Celebrate Gift Basket - Photo courtesy of I Can Have That

Gluten-free gift basket sales have really soared over the last couple of years. With more people going gluten-free every week, that trend is likely to continue for quite a while. Like gluten-free food, gluten-free gift baskets have higher prices than standard gift baskets that contain gluten products.

People who like to create personalized gifts themselves can create their own gluten-free baskets. Choose a container to hold the products you choose for the gift, buy some colored cello wrap at a craft store and tie a bow on top. If the basket needs to be shipped, consider not using any products that come in glass containers. The risk of them breaking is fairly high (if you don’t have experience packing gift baskets) and if they do break, the whole gift will be ruined.

For a pizza lover, buy a gluten-free pizza crust mix, a bag of pepperoni (Hormel is labeled gluten-free and shelf stable before opening) a nice pizza cutter, and maybe a pizza server. Create a nice pasta gift basket with some gluten-free pasta, sauce (in a plastic jar), a pasta server, and a nice stainless colander. Obviously, the combinations of what you can create are endless!

For those of you who would rather let someone else do all the work – check out the fabulous offerings from these creative companies!

  • I Can Have That! – allergen guide is listed with each gift; choose from wheat-free, gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free, and peanut-free; many items of free of several allergens.
  • Well Baskets – Offers themed decoration for each gift.
  • Carriage House Gifts – Offers stock and customized gift baskets.
  • Glutensmart – Offerings include some Kosher gift baskets; teddy bears with most gifts.
  • Cherchies- Mainstream company; added a limited gluten-free section a couple of years ago.
  • The Free Cookie – Atlanta-based company; everything in the line is gluten, dairy, and egg free; artisan quality work.
  • Marilyn’s Gourmet – Atlanta-based company; gluten-free bakery offers gluten-free fruitcake, among other things.
  • Harry & David – Now offers more than fruit for the gluten-free set.
  • Planet Gift Baskets – Offers an impressive array of gluten-free baskets and ships worldwide.
  • Gifts Gone Gourmet – Gluten-free baskets to fit many holidays throughout the year.

happy_holidaysw

The above list is by no means comprehensive. There are many gift basket companies catering to our market these days.  How wonderful it is to find such great options for incredible and tasty gluten-free gifts – for others and ourselves!

These gifts would be great for someone visiting friends or relatives out of town during the holidays. The gift could even ship to the destination and be there on arrival as a surprise for the recipient. Obviously, the person receiving the gift at their home would need to know NOT to open it! The other problem is that doing this likely means one would have to share their treats. After all, it is the holidays!

Note: You can also now purchase a number of gluten-free gift baskets via Amazon.com!

Gluten-Free Personal Care Products

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 2 Comments

When we think of going gluten-free, we think of what we will no longer be able to eat, but some of us do not realize that it is also a good idea to eliminate some of our personal care products.

We don’t realize that we have to think about anything we may ingest, such as chapstick, lipstick, facial wash, hand soap, lotion, sunscreen, shampoo and conditioner.  The last two may seem like strange items to have to worry about, but think about it next time you are in the shower, and how easy it would be for it to splash into our mouths or drip down our face onto our lips.  Or what about when you use hand soap or lotion and then go to get yourself a snack.  What is on your hands is going to end up in your mouth and being ingested. Sometimes it is tricky to tell if a personal care product contains gluten, because of the long, unfamiliar names listed in the ingredients.  Sometimes it will be in the fragrance or natural flavors as with food.  Sometimes it can be in the form of oats, which is sometimes listed as ‘avena sativa’.

It is easy to let all of this make our heads spin, and can seem so overwhelming at first.  Not to mention all of the inaccurate information that swirls around the internet, discussed by fellow writer Tiffany Jakubowski here.  Since being gluten-free, my most trusted tool is my iPhone (see apps here).  I can be in the grocery store aisle and look up product information or call the manufacturer directly.  There is lot of misleading information out there that can lead you astray if you do not do the research.  I had a personal experience with this the other day when I was really missing my favorite pre-gluten-free shampoo, Infusium 23.  Earlier this year, I had read on a message board that it contained gluten, so immediately, I replaced it.  Then I realized…I don’t see any obvious gluten items in the ingredients and I never actually called them, I just took the word of some stranger on a message board.  I called them myself and learned that my favorite shampoo and conditioner are actually gluten-free!!  I went straight to the store to buy some and washed my hair immediately.  My hair missed it so much!

I was also ecstatic to learn that my favorite hand soap and cleaning products, made by Mrs Meyer’s Clean Day, clearly lists on their web site that all of their products are gluten-free and peanut-free.

A simple call to the manufacturer can clear up misleading information, and give you piece of mind when wondering whether to throw away that $15 Mac lipstick. Which by the way, many of the Mac lipsticks are gluten-free, but not all, so it is important to call to confirm which ones are safe. Last week, I called Garnier to ask about their Skin Renew daily anti-fatigue eye cream, and they didn’t have that item on their gluten-free list, but they said they would call me back after researching it further since they did not see any gluten ingredients. Sure enough, a few days later, I received a call assuring me it was gluten-free. Typically, Garnier is able to quickly answer a gluten-free question, but it is nice to know they will do the research to find the definite answer.

It may be a good idea to set aside an afternoon and go around your home and list all of your products and phone numbers and start calling.

The bottom line – when you are unsure of a personal care product, with their unpronounceable ingredient list, call or check their web site, or other reputable sources.