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Gluten-Free Diet

Gluten-Free Due Diligence

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Following a gluten-free diet for close to eight years makes me somewhat of an expert. I know what foods contain gluten and what foods don’t. I know which specialty gluten-free foods are worth the money and which ones aren’t.  I know how to read and decipher labels, yet I get complacent. I think many of us get to the point where we have our group of products we use, have done the research, and then stop or not make a habit of checking the label each and every time we purchase and eat them.

I am going to share my latest experience with you all.  We have been buying Prego pasta sauces for years…long before we had to follow the gluten-free diet. Prego recently introduced Alfredo sauces to their line-up. To be honest I quickly glanced at the label and though it didn’t say, “gluten-free” like the Three Cheese red sauce, I wasn’t overly concerned because it was a new product and there was nothing on the label that I was concerned about knowing that Campbell’s clearly labels gluten on their products.

I was this close to serving this for dinner the other night. My eyes are usually looking for “natural flavoring”, which may contain barley malt, or “wheat starch”, so I was a little taken aback when I saw “malt extract” in the spice flavoring.  Phew…so thankful that I checked before making a big mistake!

Following the gluten-free diet requires diligence, patience, understanding, and the ability to realize that you will make mistakes.  We all do, we all will.  After all, “To err is human; to forgive is divine”, right?

Care you share your close calls or mistakes with us?  Use the comments section below.

Gluten-Free Stuffings

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Last year I shared some options for gluten-free stuffing to help make the holidays seem more normal. It’s no fun to have to avoid certain foods or bring a separate plate along to make sure your meal is safe to eat. There were only a couple of companies making gluten-free stuffing mixes at the time, but now there are a couple more to add to the list to help simplify things on an otherwise busy day.

Rudi’s gluten-free Bakery has a new Stuffing Mix out just in time for the big day. The mix is very easy to prepare and tastes great…no one will know it is gluten-free unless they see you eating it! The mix is certified gluten-free by the GFCO, dairy-free, soy-free, and non-GMO.

rudistuffingIngredients: Water, potato extract, high oleic canola/sunflower oil*, rice starch, rice flour, evaporated cane juice (cane sugar), inulin, sea salt, spices, celery, honey, sugar cane fiber, yeast, molasses, egg white, flaxseed, millet, sunflower seeds, cornmeal, vinegar, xanthangum, natural enzymes. CONTAINS: EGG

Rudi’s gluten-free Stuffing Mix can be found in your local natural foods store, select grocery stores and select Costco locations.

Three Bakers gluten-free Stuffing Mix is also certified gluten-free by the GFCO and is free of dairy.  Simply add water and bake.  It doesn’t get any easier than that, does it?

Ingredients: WATER, BROWN RICE FLOUR, TAPIOCA STARCH, CORN STARCH, EGG WHITES, CORN DEXTRIN, SUGAR, NON-GMO CANOLA OIL, POTATO FLOUR, HONEY, BAKING POWDER, YEAST, RICE BRAN, XANTHAN GUM, SALT, VINEGAR, ENZYMES(CALCIUM SULFATE & ENZYMES), DRIED CHICKEN STOCK, SAGE, CELERY SEED, DEHYDRATED ONION, MARJORAM, THYME, ROSEMARY, NUTMEG, PARSLEY FLAKES, GARLIC POWDER.

photo 1 (11)Three Bakers gluten-free Stuffing can be found online or in select stores across the US.

Whatever you do, please don’t stress about the food, especially on holiday.  The holidays are meant to reunite with family and friends that you don’t get to see often, so focus on the gathering and catching up and not on the food.  It will all be okay, I promise.

Gluten-Free Tips for the Newly Diagnosed

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

I like to do a post for the newly gluten-free every once in a while as more and more people are following a gluten-free diet.  Some of those people may have just been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, while others may be searching for an answer to their maladies.

The first, and most important, piece of advice I can give the newly gluten-free is this… breathe.  Don’t worry if you make a mistake.  Live, learn, and make progress.

  1. Get a new toaster. Putting gluten-free toast in a toaster that has gluten-filled bread in it is going to render your gluten-free bread contaminated.  Toasters are roughly $15 at Walmart, so well worth the money it will cost you.  If you have others in the house still eating gluten, label your toaster with a piece of tape, or do as I did and just write on the outside of it with a Sharpie.
  2. Stay clear of soy sauce unless you are sure it is gluten-free.  There are several gluten-free brands on the market (La Choy, San-J, and Kikkoman now make a gluten-free version).  Additionally, some sauces & marinades may contain soy sauce, so don’t be so sure the grilled chicken you are ordering at a restaurant is gluten-free unless you have double-checked.
  3. Along the lines of the toaster, get new condiments and label them “gluten-free” if you are sharing them with others.  “Double dipping” utensils will quickly contaminate your condiments and could leave gluten crumbs behind.
  4. Beware of the ingredient “natural flavorings”, which may contain barley malt (malt flavoring).  While wheat does have to be called out on the label, barley does not under the current law.  Natural flavorings can be found in many processed foods and drinks on the market.  Some of the products that we have been the victims of include pancake syrup (100% maple syrup is the best and gluten-free, as is Aunt Jemima).  There are many companies that will clearly label gluten on the label and I tend to be loyal to those companies.
  5. Check your medication for gluten.  There is an excellent site that is maintained by a local clinical pharmacist called Gluten-Free Drugs.  If you are unable to verify your medication, call the manufacturer or your pharmacist and ask.
  6. In reference to #4, don’t assume you are free & clear on drinks.  Unless you are drinking unflavored water, milk, 100% juice, unflavored tea (and even some of these may contain barley, so check), or unflavored coffee you need to verify that what you are drinking is gluten-free.
  7. Cross-contamination is a real concern when dining out (or even in your own home!).  Picking the croutons off of your salad is not sufficient.  Make sure to speak with the manager or chef on duty to ask about their methods for preventing the cross-contamination of your food.  Unless you have worked in a restaurant, you may not be aware of some of the methods used to prepare food.  If you have, you know what I am talking about.  Veggies can be steamed in pasta water; ingredients that contain gluten may be kept right next to gluten-free ingredients on the line; eggs used for omelets may be thickened with pancake batter to make them fluffier; the same utensils may be used to plate your gluten-free food that just plated that burger or chicken fingers; your “gluten-free” fries or tortilla chips may be fried in a fryer with chicken fingers or onion rings.
  8. Check your make-up.  If it goes on your face, it has the potential to be in your mouth.  I know that most people don’t willingly eat their mascara, but better to be safe than sorry, right?
  9. Shampoo, hairspray, lotions, etc should also be checked.  While it is true that gluten does not get absorbed through the skin, some people who suffer from dermatitis herpetiformis need to avoid skin contact with gluten as well as consume gluten.  Additionally, if you get hairspray in your mouth, or you don’t wash the lotion off of your hands, use an antibacterial gel with gluten (ahem…thanks a lot Bath & Body Works), it is best to just make sure they are gluten-free.
  10. If you drink alcoholic beverages, check your alcohol.  Malt beverages are not gluten-free.  This means most wine coolers these days and most beers (though there are plenty of gluten-free beer options) are not gluten-free.  Easy choices are wine, Woodchuck or Crispin hard ciders.
  11. Always, always read the label!  Even now, 7+ years into this, I read the label.  Companies are notorious for changing suppliers and therefore that once gluten-free products may no longer be gluten-free.
  12. Yogurt is not always gluten-free.  Plain yogurt is, yes, but not always flavored yogurt. Dannon is one of those who will only say their plain yogurt is gluten-free.

No one gets this perfect straight out of the gate.  If you do make mistakes (and I still do on occasion), dust yourself off and get back up.  Please feel free to ask questions below – I am happy to help and if I can’t give you the answer right away, I will do my best to find out for you.

Do you have any tips you can share with the newly gluten-free?

Summer Gluten-Free Tips

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

Summer is here, or it is supposed to be. Try telling that to my hands, which needed gloves when I ran outside Tuesday morning. I had numb fingers by the time I was done!  With summer comes cookouts, picnics, get togethers and situations that may complicate eating gluten-free.

Many popular or traditional “summer” foods are naturally gluten-free, making things a little easier to navigate when eating away from home.  Fresh fruits, vegetables and garden salads are naturally gluten-free on their own as long as they aren’t dressed with a salad dressing or toppings that contain gluten.  Corn-on-the-cob and most baked beans are also gluten-free, making them great go-to choices when in doubt of other, more complicated dishes.

Grilled meat on barbecue grill --- Image by © Royalty-Free/CorbisMost burgers, steaks, hot dogs and brats are safe, but always consult the package or chef to verify.  Grilled chicken is also a good choice so long as it has not been marinated in a marinade that contains gluten (think anything with soy sauce or a BBQ sauce that may not be gluten-free).  If you are not manning the grill, check with the grill master to ensure your food is not contaminated with gluten from food that does contain gluten, if the grill is not 100% gluten-free.  Another way to avoid cross-contamination at a cookout is to cook the meat inside on the stove or in the oven in a separate pan.  Safe is always better than sorry, and most hosts are more than happy to accommodate.

If you are attending the home of someone you don’t know well and /or you feel uncomfortable with the food circumstances, make sure to eat beforehand or bring along your own food in case there is nothing safe.  I always keep emergency food in my purse or car so that I am not left starving with no safe food options.  Hungry Kim = cranky Kim.  Gluten-free bars, trail mix made from nuts and dried fruit, string cheese and crackers all make good, portable options.  Make a gluten-free dessert to share.  Not only will this give you something to look forward to, but you can show everyone else how good gluten-free can be!

What is your best tip for summer time picnics or cookouts?

Gluten-Free Baking Disasters

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 3 Comments

Have you set out to bake a tasty cake, cookies or pie only to have said item not turn out like it was supposed to?  I have had many baking failures in my life, gluten-free and not gluten-free.  As I have grown older, I have learned many tricks of the trade and have had many more successes than failures once I purchased an inexpensive oven thermometer.  Turns out my oven temperature was not what I set it to be.

Now that I have that all straightened, out I rarely have issues.  Notice I said “rarely”.  Sunday morning I began to pre-heat my oven in preparation for some cupcakes made with the new Katz gluten-free Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix.  Originally I wanted to make a cake with the mix, but my cake pans were smaller than the package called for, so I decided to play it safe and make exactly what the packaged described…24 cupcakes.

I was concerned when the timer went off and the cupcakes were inverted.  I went back over the package instructions and I had done exactly as the package said.  I checked the oven temperature and it was right at 350 degrees.  I have never had this happen before.

I was most concerned that I now needed to find something else to make, as we had company coming over for dinner!  Then I asked some Facebook friends how to salvage the cupcakes, as they tasted good, they just looked funny.  After many fantastic ideas, I decided on filling the cupcakes with frosting or cream cheese, as those options didn’t require me to go back to the store.  I made 2 different versions:

IMG_5844Chocolate cupcakes filled with chocolate chocolate chip frosting and peanut butter chips on top

Chocolate cupcakes filled with GO VEGGIE Strawberry Cream Cheese Alternative and dark chocolate chips on top

I felt much better about my disaster after Hannah and I dressed the cupcakes up.  I told my guests that dessert didn’t quite turn out as I had anticipated, but I did the best with what I had.  Fortunately for me, our guests were family.  Aside from the cupcakes sticking to the wrappers, they were divine!  Everyone enjoyed them and they had a fudgy, chewy texture, more like a brownie than a cupcake.  The addition of the frosting, cream cheese and chips really worked out well!

Have you had any baking disasters since starting the gluten-free diet?

Have you made the Katz gluten-free Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix?  Did it turn out okay for you?  The reviews online were all good, so I am really curious as to what happened with mine.