Foods we Celiacs Must Avoid

[Sharon]

Have you run across Tropical Source chocolate bars?  They are gluten and dairy free and come in 6 flavors.  I can get them at my local health food store, but surprisingly enough at our local Safeways also.  They have a web site and I think produce chocolate chips for baking also.  The candy bars are great.

[the sensible celiac]

We usually buy ours at Trader Joes, and they definitely have the best selection.  We also see it at various supermarkets, and at health food chains like Whole Foods and Wild Oats.

Some of the brands that we buy are:
Scharffen Berger (exotic)
Valhrona (my favorite!)
Unique Origin
Lindt

It is the Lindt brand that we see most often in general supermarkets, it's quite good. If you've never had chocolate that was milk-free before, then you are in for a big surprise, because  you've never really tasted chocolate before. It will seem very strong, because you've only tasted very diluted chocolate before. Well, it is quite strong, which is why it is so good.  After all, if you don't like the taste of chocolate you can just eat a Hershey's bar.

Really good chocolate will list on the label what percentage of cocoa it contains. I think that may be a legal requirement in the European Union. Anything over 50% is good, 70% is like going to heaven without having to die.  Anything over 75% would probably result in arrest and prosecution for having too much fun.

I'd be very interested to hear what you think after trying real dark chocolate for the first time.

Steve

[Patty]

You mentioned soy is something that some say should be avoided. Actually I learned that it is the soy sauce that should be avoided as it is sometimes cross-contaminated with wheat or wheat by-products. I hate this fact because I love eating broccoli and beef stir fry, which has soy sauce in it.

The reason I know it bothers me is that people with celiac disease can also have Dermatitis Herpetiformis which is an itchy rash. For me the rash will break out even more and sometimes bleed. I have had this condition since 1998. No dematologist had been able to figure out what caused the rash. I get an outbreak every time I eat gluten.

You know, there is gluten in medicines too. Here is a couple of interesting websites: 
www.glutenfreedrugs.com and http://homepage.mac.com/sholland/celiac/GFmedlist.pdf
 

[matroc]

What do you think about massage with an oil that contains wheat germ oil? I gave away one oil and forgot to check the other one. I have a pounder of a headache, but I did have a small one before the massage.  Anyone have experience with this? What does the fact man rider say about wheat germ oil on the skin?  Awaiting the replies. Matroc

[the sensible celiac]

I would not knowingly put wheat germ oil on my skin.  It might not  have much of the big gluten proteins in it, but it sure might have some. It is a fact that many things we apply to our skin are then absorbed into the body.

No, no wheat germ oil for me, and no "health food" beverages that contain wheatgrass either.

[lightningsheryl]

Despite recent articles -- including the sensible celiac "myths" page -- that say distilled vinegar is safe for celiacs, I get sick about 40-50% of the time that I eat something containing unspecified vinegar. Even when this is the only ingredient that's questionable on the label. Am I the only celiac out there with this experience?

It seems to me that if distilling vinegar completely broke down the offending amino acids, then the alcoholic distillation process would also and we could drink liquor... but we cannot.

[Laurel]

Carol,
  Thank you so much for posting the link for the forbidden foods list! I have been looking for something like that all week since I got back my test results. That is so mucho helpful!!

[elizabeth]

Hello i just want to say a big thankyou to everyone who writes on this site,I have been aware that i am a celiac for 4 years now and know very little.I find this site to have so much good advice and imformation.When i hot diganosed my docter told me very little and i have been quite ill beacause i was nt as aware as i should have been that is why it is really nice to find  somewhere i can discuss my issues and get real anwsers.I have read alot on here that i never knew and i am so glad i have found this site,i have never had a problem with cheese does this mean it will be ok for me to eat  or is chesse a definate no no?thanks from elizabeth :

[the sensible celiac]

i have never had a problem with cheese does this mean it will be ok for me to eat  or is chesse a definate no no?thanks from elizabeth :

Hi Elizabeth,

There are two possible reasons you might want to avoid some cheese or all cheese:

1. If you can't tolerate dairy, which often does happen to people with celiac disease, you'll want to avoid all kinds of cheese. Sometimes people who go on a gluten free diet become temporarily unable to eat cheese, but later it does not bother them.

2. Some kinds of cheese might contain gluten. Bleu cheese is an example, since it is made using moldy bread, bleu cheese will almost certainly always contain gluten.  In general the hard types of cheese are less likely to contain gluten, and the soft cheeses or cheese-like products such as American cheese are more likely to contain gluten.

If you are eating cheese and not suffering any ill effects, it sounds like you are eating the right kinds of cheese.

[elizabeth]

hi everyone,iam really confused,can us celiacs eat chesse? i have read that we can not,cheers from elizabeth

[Kate]

Can anyone shed light on Maltodextrin - is it an ingredient that celiacs should avoid?

Wikipedia.org states "Maltodextrin can be derived from any starch. In the US, this starch is usually rice, corn or potato; elsewhere, such as in Europe, it is commonly wheat. This is important for coeliacs, since the wheat-derived maltodextrin can contain traces of gluten. There have been recent reports of coeliac reaction to maltodextrin in the United States. This might be a consequence of the shift of corn to ethanol production and its replacement with wheat in the formulation."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maltodextrin

[the sensible celiac]

According to the Clan Thompson website there is no cause for concern with maltodextrin made in the USA.

They state that maltodextrin made in the USA is made from corn, potato or rice.

In my own case I ignore maltodextrin on ingredient lists.  I do not consider it a threat.

[CarolM]

Celiac.com has this to say about maltodextrin:

• Maltodextrin is prepared as a white powder or concentrated solution by partial hydrolysis of corn starch or potato starch with safe and suitable acids and enzymes.  (1) Maltodextrin, when listed on food sold in the USA, must be (per FDA regulation) made from corn or potato. This rule does NOT apply to vitamin or mineral supplements and medications.  (2) Donald Kasarda Ph.D., a research chemist specializing on grain proteins, of the United States Department of Agriculture, found that all maltodextrins in the USA are made from corn starch, using enzymes that are NOT derived from wheat, rye, barley, or oats.  On that basis he believes that celiacs need not be too concerned about maltodextrins, though he cautions that there is no guarantee that a manufacturer wont change their process to use wheat starch or a gluten-based enzyme in the future.  (3) - May 1997 Sprue-Nik News

The FDA's listing on maltodextrin lists only corn, potato and rice on its "Listing of Specific Substances Affirmed as GRAS"  (Generally Recognized As Safe).

[jaysmommy]

You do have to watch imported chocolates at times as well....I had some chocolate given to me at a training that came from Israel, and since I do not like dark chocolate I thought I would give it to my kids since there were two pieces in the box. Luckily I thought to see if the trainer that brought the chocolates had the packaging with the ingredients on it and it has a warning that it may contain gluten flour. So, needless to say I did not give the chocolate to the kids.

I have discovered though since this particular trainer had a bunch of different imported candies that a lot of the labels had warnings unlike any that I have ever seen in the US on labels..... It was nice to see.....

[singlerose]

I was wondering about caramel coloring in some foods....example....roast beef from the deli....it is pure roast beef but lable says caramel coloring was added...I'm assuming to add color to the outer skin....my son has just been diagnosed with Celiacs and I've been trying to research everything I can about it. He is 27....he has eaten the roast beef and so far says it doesn't seem to bother him but I really wanted to get some opinions. He was bad when finally diagnosed...had to have a blood transfusion so needless to say I am being extra careful. Would appreciate any input you have on this subject. Thanks for your time and for this site....