My Top 3: Surprising Sources of Gluten

5/6/2018

Why Gluten Free?

I've been gluten free for a couple of years now. While it was a struggle at first (hello, donuts), I feel significantly better. Since I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which sounds awful, but is totally manageable, eliminating gluten is one strategy that can help immensely. I also find that when I have to make special effort to eat things like bread, pasta and baked goods, I make way better food choices consistently since fruits, vegetables and lean protein are all naturally gluten free. Ordering at restaurants is also significantly easier since "salad with chicken" is now my go-to meal.

As a side note, I know people who shudder at the though of being gluten-free--and I get that. I'm not one to foist my diet on others (my daughter and coworkers often call dibs on my gluten, which is all good.) For many, the though of giving up bread is unthinkable. Personally, I also hate being the person who has to pipe up and announce that I have dietary needs. (Can I please call extra attention to myself while also being perceived as difficult? Ugh.) While initially I was also in that camp of both loving cake and not wanting to rock the boat, I now realize that I'm willing to do a great many things if the benefit is that I don't feel terrible all the time.

Donuts=gluten.

Sources of Gluten

So what is gluten? In short, "Gluten is a family of proteins found in grains like wheat, spelt, rye and barley." (See "Learn More" for additional details.) Here are the typical sources of gluten that are commonly present in the grocery store and on restaurant menus everywhere:

Bread
Pasta
Baked goods (cake, cookies, donuts)
Crackers
Beer

As a side note, many restaurants now have "gluten friendly" menus that skip these items or offer gluten-free bread, pasta or even beer. I've also personally noticed that just because they have a gluten-free alternative doesn't mean that it is as tasty as the gluteny alternative. I have personally suffered through a few gluten-free pizza crusts that resembled chewy cardboard and pastas that were downright plasticky. Ergo my predominantly "salad with chicken" default at most restaurants.

Being "Glutened"

Some people suggest that "just this once" I should be able to eat gluten. That seems completely reasonable, but is not so much how it work. Upon the accidental ingestion of cookies and cream ice cream or a wayward crouton, bloating and a general feeling of yuckiness result. In cases where I have eaten something over the course of a few days that I later learned contained gluten, the condition intensifies to what I would ever-so-politely call "severe intestinal distress." It is not pleasant to say the least.

Gluten = gastrointestinal distress.

Sneaky Sources of Gluten

I now read labels like crazy. Fortunately, most labels have "contains wheat" at the bottom of the ingredients list. Other items will be labeled as "gluten-free"--sometimes even things like carrots. (Really, carrots? You're bragging about being gluten-free? By that logic, shouldn't you also be bragging about not being made of meat? I'm dissappointed in you, carrots.)

However, there are a few things I would have never have thought to check to see if they contained gluten. News flash: some of these are not even food.

I love the wheat free and gluten-free labels .

The "Contains: Wheat" at the bottom is a huge time saver.

Gluten-free labels rock.

Food You'd Never Suspect

Soy Sauce: Here's one I would have never even considered. Fortunately my husband (now also a voracious food label reader) noticed this one and sought out a gluten-free alternative. This is also tricky since soy sauce is also a component of prepared food. Since soy sauce is an ingredient rather than an end result, the wee bit of gluten included may be missed.
Twizzlers: I know not to eat candy bars that contain cookie-like ingredients. I thought licorice would be safe. I also love the Twizzlers--even when gluten-free wasn't an issue. While not all licorice contains gluten, Twizzlers (my very favorite licorice) does use gluten as a binding agent. This is my greatest product disappointment so far.
Mixed Nuts: On some foods, like mixed nuts and even chewing gum, there is sometimes a powdery coating. As an extra added bonus, it might not be called out specifically on the label. This was the culprit of my multi day "why is my stomach all messed up" adventure where I kept on feeling worse, and finally narrowed it down to the ginormous bin of mixed nuts.

Curse you Twizzlers in all your gluteny splendor!

Vitamins, Medications and Pills

I would have never expected to have to look for gluten in medications. (I'm not sure what I thought "pills" were made of, but it never occurred to me that it might be something I need to check.) Now, when I shop for vitamins or supplements, I make sure that they are listed as gluten-free. At one point, I bought melatonin in chewable form--which I now know not to take since "chewable" often equals "gluten." It's also worth asking your pharmacist to clarify that medications are gluten-free. Who knew?

Yes. Pills can contain gluten. Huh.

Makeup and Personal Care Items

Now I feel like the glutens are just out to get me. After doing a bit more reading, even though personal care products (like shampoo, makeup, and lotions) sometimes contain gluten, they probably aren't going to have much of an impact (see "Learn More" for additional details). The main concern is ingestion gluten, not having it absorbed through the skin. Since gluten-free has become a buzz word, I'm sure that putting "Gluten Free" on items enables companies to charge more for them and promote that they are possibly better. Regardless of whether this is a legitimate concern, personal care items like cosmetics, hair care products and lotions may contain gluten. There are also companies, like Jason, who promote their products as Gluten Free.

Personally, I tend to use products that contain less (for lack of a better term) crap, many of which also do not contain gluten. See "learn more" for additional details on what to avoid in cosmetics.

Even makeup and other personal care items could contain gluten.

What Do You Think?

Were you surprised by any of the items possibly containing gluten? What other gluten-containing products are available? Include your thoughts in the comments?

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