Sneaky Gluten!

Most times, we know gluten when we see it. If you have Celiac disease (or otherwise can’t eat gluten), you know to avoid certain things like the plague: donuts, cake, pretzels, pasta, etc. But gluten is a sneaky little sucker and can end up in foods you would never expect. Like Twizzlers. Wheat in Twizzlers, whatever for? Who knows – it is, that’s all you need to know. Following is a list of other foods and items that may have covert gluten in them. As always, check ingredient lists, but beware: gluten appears in some lists under an alias. Be wary of malt, barley, vegetable proteins (hydrolyzed and textured), modified food starch, fillers, binders can all be/contain gluten. If you are really unsure, call the company that produced the food, or check their website.



Candy
Canned soups
Cereal
Condiments (BBQ sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Soy and Teriyaki Sauce, ketchup)
Cosmetic items, such as shampoo, conditioner, creams, gels, etc.
French Fries, frozen (especially flavored fries)
French Fries, restaurant (many fast food restaurants do not have a dedicated GF fryer; make sure to ask before you order.)
Ham
Meat, Deli
Meat, fresh (many steak restaurants use wheat in their steak seasoning)
Meat, frozen
Non-dairy creamer
Play-Doh
Protein Shakes
Salad dressings (dry packaged and bottled)
Spice Mixes (Dry meatloaf, taco, chili mixes)
Turkey (I got badly glutened a couple of years ago at Thanksgiving—it never occurred to me to check the label on the turkey!)
Vitamins
Wine Coolers (malt flavoring)

Yogurt


There are many, many more that I did not list. The bottom line is you have to be careful. Be diligent. Don’t ever assume that something is gluten-free. Celiac.com has super comprehensive lists of safe and unsafe products. Be sure to check them out before you go out grocery shopping or to eat.  Good luck out there!