Hidden Sources of Gluten

You know you can’t have that slice of New York pizza. You’ve sighed and put back the candy bar. You check labels and think you’re eating Gluten-Free. You’re still getting sick, and you know it’s not any secondary food allergies. So what could it be? Hidden sources of gluten can lurk in the sneakiest of foods!

I learned the hard way, over and over, to check EVERY piece of food coming into my home. Gluten can be hidden in the weirdest places!

Tea, Coffee, and even WINE can contain Gluten!

BEVERAGES

I used to love walking by the Teavana store in the mall and trying all the samples, and walking away with a new flavour to take home. It was a small joy in a world where everything seemed to have Gluten in it. Then, when Teavana was bought by Starbucks, it started to make me sick. Turns out that TEA CAN CONTAIN GLUTEN. So this goes for Tazo tea as well (now owned by Starbucks - an unlikely hidden source of Gluten). It’s why I stick to brands I know are Gluten Free, like Numi Tea or Traditional Medicinals Tea.

The same goes for coffee. Many of Starbucks’ flavoured coffees contain Gluten, and there is a risk of cross-contamination in their store, so I avoid even their plain, black coffee.

I found out in Portugal that many wines can also contain Gluten, due to them using wheat and barley in the production! When buying coffee, tea, or wine, you can call the company and make sure they do not use wheat or barley in their products, and that there is no risk of cross-contamination.

RAW INGREDIENTS

When I first moved back to California, I noticed I was getting sick almost every day. Even when I hadn’t eaten anything for breakfast. I thought it might be my coffee. Nope. Creamer? Nope. What else could it be? It couldn’t be the sugar, could it?

Soooo it turns out my organic, fair trade, gorgeous sugar was also using in a baking mix, sharing lines with wheat flour. My sugar was making me sick. Again, calling to confirm that your salt, sugar, spices, and other flavourings do not contain hidden Gluten is a smart thing to do - these are prime for hidden sources of Gluten.

The same goes for any raw ingredient - just because something is 100% doesn’t mean there wasn’t cross-contamination. Nuts, beans, and grains all have a HUGE chance to have hidden Gluten. I source my pecans from the Nuts.com on Amazon. My Gluten-Free flours are all Certified.

OTHER SOURCES

With everything I’m allergic to, when I thought I couldn’t have apples I was very upset. The allergy test came back negative, but every once in a while when I’d have an apple, I felt sick - like Gluten sick!

Wash and peel your apples to make sure there’s no hidden Gluten on the outside!

Apple growers, in an effort to not use pesticides or waxes, will coat their apples in barley to ward of bugs. It’s impossible to know which growers use barley or not, since it’s not considered an “ingredient.” The solution: wash and peel your apples.

Another place to watch out for Gluten is on your meat. While this doesn’t happen *in* your home, you may be bringing home meat or seafood that has touched Gluten contaminated surfaces. Many grocery meat and seafood counters now have prepared foods in the same case as the raw meats, like breaded chicken or teriyaki-marinated shrimp. These foods share a counter, scales, and gloves with other meats, meaning Gluten can jump from the prepared foods to your home. When I go pick up some lamb chops or Swordfish from the deli, I let the butcher know that I have Celiac and need to be careful about cross-contamination. I ask them to change their gloves, and if they have any of what I want in the back, where it could not have touched their counters, and to use paper when cutting and weighing.

DON’T FORGET:

Sliced meat/hot dogs/sausages are places that Gluten can hide as a filler.
Ice Cream (and other dairy products) that are produced on the same lines as a flavour with Gluten, ie your Mint Chocolate Chip is run with the Cookies n Cream.
Most distilled liquors are Gluten-Free, but watch out for flavoured liquors that may contain hidden sources of Gluten.
Vitamins and supplements sometimes contain hidden Gluten as an ingredient or filler.
Make sure your body care products do not contain Gluten. Your shampoo can drip into your mouth in the shower, or you can eat after applying foundation.
Your pet food probably contains Gluten, and it can make you sick if you touch it, wash your dishes with your pet dishes, or if your pet licks you. Their saliva can also transfer to their coat when they groom, and if you pet them then BAM! you have Gluten on you. Cat and Dog food usually contain Gluten. Rabbit pellets or hay can be Gluten. Fish flakes are usually entirely Gluten.