Here's Why You Shouldn't Trust Gluten-Free Food Lists


Pinterest Image: GF Shopping List
Don't trust gluten-free food lists that you find online
until you've researched each item yourself

I opened up a gluten-free food list at Pinterest because I was curious to see how these basic lists have evolved over the decade that hubby and I have been gluten free.

I was shocked to see that there are even more items to be concerned with today than there were in 2009.

What do I mean by that?



The list said that the following items are gluten free:
  • canned beans and lentils
  • spaghetti sauces
  • organic packaged soups
  • potato chips
  • corn chips
  • candies
  • chocolates
  • herbs and spices
  • hot dogs
  • luncheon meats
  • nuts
  • cornstarch
There was a small note under the processed meats section about checking the label for additives, so the list did tell you to be wary of hot dogs and luncheon meats.

But even if you read that note, you'd likely believe that all brands and sizes for the other products on the list are just fine to eat.

No . . . they're not!

Canned beans often contain wheat flour to thicken them, spaghetti sauces can be flavored with barley, and it's just irresponsible to say that organic packaged soups, candies, chocolates, and spices are all gluten free!

In fact, most nuts are run on the same lines as wheat products and the same goes for many brands of cornstarch.

The person who pinned this list did give a warning to those taking a closer look at the pin that all of the foods on the list are not gluten free, but how many Pinterest users will actually take the time to read that caution?

Few, if any.

Plus, the blog the list came from was written in another language, so there's no way of knowing what the blog author said about that list at all.

Or even where it came from.

The only thing in English on the blog was the list, which is not only highly inaccurate, but downright dangerous for someone with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten intolerance of any sensitivity level!

Pinterest Image: Santa double checking his list

Why Checking Labels is Not Enough


The author of the list said to check the labels on processed meats, which you need to do with all products before you buy, since ingredients and recipes can change at any time, but checking the label isn't always enough to keep you safe.

Plus, most people don't know what to look for when searching out potential ingredients that might be contaminated with gluten, such as:
  • baking powder
  • caramel flavoring
  • citric acid
  • coloring, natural or artificial
  • food starches
  • glucose syrup
  • maltodextrin
  • stabilizers
  • emulsifiers
  • wheat starch
  • yeast
While wheat has to go on the label in the ingredient list OR the allergen statement, barley does not. Barley is not one of the 8 major allergens, so its listing on the label is completely voluntary.


Wheat and barley can also hide in the spices that a manufacturer uses, especially spice blends and seasoning mixes that the manufacturer does not prepare themselves.

Baking powder might contain a contaminated cornstarch base, for example, and yeast extract can come from making beer.

This means that you have to do some detective work, along with knowing which foods and ingredients to watch out for, because gluten hides in unsuspected places.

You can't just grab a pre-existing gluten-free shopping list and be okay.

To know for sure, you'll have to take the time to contact the manufacturer and ask, but what they tell you concerning gluten will always be in tune with the FDA or USDA labeling laws.

Gluten free doesn't mean the product is gluten free.

Gluten free means the product contains up to 20 ppm of gluten, which is too much trace residue for many super sensitives. Even if the company doesn't put gluten into these products themselves, they still might not be safe for you to eat.

Always ask about shared lines and shared facilities.

Many of the major brands have strenuous cleaning practices and allergen protocols, so you need to know about that, too.

However, these protocols and allergen practices are only as safe as the employees that are performing them. Do your research on the company and make sure that you can trust the information they are giving to you.

Very few products are run on dedicated lines or packaged in dedicated facilities. This information is voluntary. They do not have to disclose that to you.

Nor will it be on the label all the time.

In fact, most times it is not disclosed at all.

You'll want to gather as much information as you can before you test a product on yourself. This will help you narrow down any reactions you might have to that product.

Some Fresh Produce, Meat, and Cheese are Not Safe Either

Photo of watermelon, pineapple, melon, bananas cut into chunks
If you buy fruit that is already peeled and cut up
it can be contaminated with gluten


Almost everyone will tell you to move to a whole foods diet first, and then begin experimenting with gluten-free products from there. I used to give out this recommendation myself, but over the years that we have been gluten free, I've realized that isn't wise advice.

What about those plastic, see-through containers filled with fruits, vegetables, meats, and cheese?

Those are whole foods, but where are they being made up? And who is doing the cutting?

If there's a deli section in the store where sandwiches and other foods with gluten are being prepared, these convenient and time-saving containers filled with freshly cut produce, meats, and cheeses might not be safe to eat.

While some containers like shucked corn on the cob come from the manufacturer that way, and are stamped with a brand name, others are done in-store, so you'll want to ask about that.

Check up on where store personnel are doing the cutting and where they are packaging the produce, meats, and cheese.

You'll also need to beware of fresh meats that have been pre-seasoned or marinated ahead of time. Gluten can easily hide in the herbs, spices, and flavorings that are being used, especially if there is cornstarch or flour in the spice mixture.

I'm talking about the pre-seasoned meats that the store makes up for you. The rotisserie chickens, that are so popular in-store these days, come already pre-seasoned from the manufacturer that way. Since they are a meat product, they are regulated by the USDA, instead of the FDA.

Frozen poultry often contains broth or saline solutions injected into the flesh to plump them up, which may or may not be safe, so make sure you read the label and contact the manufacturer if you don't feel completely sure that the product is gluten free.

Since meats are protected by the USDA, rather than the FDA, the rules for labeling are a bit different. All grains that the manufacturer adds must be on the label, including barley.

Also, be careful if you're buying meat from a display case, especially if there are meats in the same case that have been breaded.

Couple buying meat from a display case
Be wary of meats purchased from a display case
Breaded items can contaminate what you buy

The butcher or assistant doesn't put on a fresh pair of gloves each time they weigh out the meat, so what you're buying can easily get contaminated with gluten.

The same thing can happen with cheeses where the store is repackaging them, and marking down the price to help them sell faster, or slicing the cheese up themselves.

Deli cases and meat cutters will contaminate what you're buying if they are not thoroughly cleaned after having been used on a product with gluten.

Gloved hands do not protect you from being glutened at all.

And neither does the conveyor belt as you are checking out with your groceries. I rarely see that belt being cleaned by a checker, but I have seen flour and other glutenous ingredients contaminating that belt.

This means that the outside of the products you buy, which can easily transfer to your hands, can also contain gluten.

Lists Do Not Make a Good Starting Point


I hate it when I hear bloggers say that these basic gluten-free lists are a good starting point.

No, they're not!

A lot of the products and ingredients on these lists are not safe and shouldn't be on a safe list at all!

Not even for the average celiac.

When I talk about starting with the basics, I mean go to your own safe list of foods and build from there. I don't mean to go to someone else's basic food list, and that includes my own, because these lists might not be safe for you.


Sensitivity is very individual.

What sets off my immune system might not set off yours, and what sets off your immune system, might not set off mine.

Please make sure that you are researching each and every product or ingredient that you want to use. Don't just assume that anything is safe, especially a pre-made gluten-free shopping list.

See what celiacs are saying about the ingredient or product online.

Talk to the manufacturer's representative.

Research how the product or ingredient is made and produced.

And make sure that the product is gluten free before you test it on yourself because there is no such thing as a naturally gluten-free food or ingredient.

Beware of anyone who tells you there is.

Vickie Ewell Bio

Comments

  1. I always have to be careful with food packages. Residue could end up on them just from other people touching them with hands that have come into contact with other surfaces that have residue, whether they've touched wheat or gluten directly or not. Sometimes I can open a package carefully and not touch the contents inside and be okay, like with eating a candy bar, and other times I have to wash the package well with soap and water before opening it. Of course, all produce sitting out in the open should be washed thoroughly with soap and water before consuming. I don't even buy lettuce or other greens sitting out in the open anymore due to who knows how many hands or surfaces it may have come into contact with. It might not be as healthy, but iceberg lettuce wrapped in plastic can be cleaned much more easily. The wrap can be washed well before opening, and any surface leaves can be removed if there's any concern that residue may be on those as well. Taking these steps has helped to protect me from inadvertent exposures.

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