Celiac Sprue: Diary of a Gluten-Free Life

California Chicken Cafe

2011-02-05T14:13:00.000-08:00

The biggest BS regarding allergens I've ever seen--from California Chicken Cafe's FAQ. They won't take responsibility for anything!

"I am allergic to _______________ . Does your food contain any of that item?
We thank you for the time you have taken to inquire if our food meets your dietary and or allergy guidelines. In the past, we have gone through great lengths to try answering these types of questions. But as we analyze the logistics in providing guidance that can be relied upon, a number of issues arise. What if our supplier substitutes items on us, by mistake or by necessity? What if we or one of our manufacturers changes recipes on us? What if one of our recipes is accidentally not followed by one of our cooks? We cannot guarantee that any of the above will not occur. Given our inability to either absolutely guarantee an answer to a food allergy question or to absolutely guarantee the precise preparation of any of our food items, our official company policy is that we no longer offer official guidance as to food allergy questions. Therefore, our policy and disclosure must be that anyone with a food allergy that consumes our food does so at his or her own risk regardless of what they perceive the food ingredients are and regardless what any staff member, supervisor, or owner may say in an effort to give friendly, off the record, guidance. We do not want to disappoint any guest by not being able to precisely and consistently execute representations made by us; so therefore, we make no representations and no disclosures in regards to any food allergies. Any guidance given by anyone affiliated by California Chicken Cafe should not be relied on, under any circumstances. Thank you for your inquiry and we wish you good luck with your food allergy needs."

Corbett Fish House: Portland Gluten-Free Heaven

2010-01-05T14:01:00.000-08:00

OMG, Corbett Fish House in Portland, OR, is my new absolutely favorite restaurant. Everything on the menu is GF. Yes, everything! And it was delicious!

They use rice flour on the fish and flash-fry it. No worries about cross-contamination since nothing on the menu uses any other coating. In fact, the only non-GF items available are flour tortillas for the fish tacos and bread for the sandwiches. Yet even those have a GF alternative available!

My husband and I shared a Boatload Combo with Walleye, Halibut, Oysters, and Chile-fried Catfish. I thought the catfish would be my favorite, but the oysters--oh my. I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! They succulent, tasty, and fried to perfection.

And they use Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch guidelines to ensure they serve fish that is healthy and sustainable.

What more could anyone want?

They also have another restaurant in nearby Hawthorne.

Details:

Corbett Fish House
5901 SW Corbett
Portland OR
503-246-4434

Website: Corbett Fish House

Gluten free in Tacoma WA area

2009-08-13T18:41:00.001-07:00

While visiting relatives in Tacoma recently we found some great sources for gluten-free goodies:

Corina Bakery & Bistro
510 6th Av
Tacoma WA
253 627-5070
www.corinabakery.com

Without a doubt the best gluten free dessert I've ever had: a tall, raspberry filled cake with butter cream frosting. So rich it took me two nights to finish one piece!

GF Joe's Market
5737 Littlerock Rd. SW Ste. 103
Tumwater WA
360 628-8010

A little store chock full with gluten-free products, some of which I've never seen before. They will soon begin online ordering. Owner Joe has Celiac so he knows his stuff.

Garlic Jim's Famous Gourmet Pizza
3602 6th Av. Ste 103
Tacoma WA
253 286-5467

Their GF Nutty Chipolte pizza was to die for! "Zesty chipotle pesto is topped with spicy Italian sausage, pepperoni, red onions, tomatoes and cashews." Too, too good! Made me feel normal.

And of course, a home-cooked, GF dinners made by my wonderful daughter-in-law were fabulous, too.

Tide products

2009-07-29T16:37:00.001-07:00

I received a letter from Proctor and Gamble Consumer Relations dated July 16, 2009, that states:

"I'm happy to share with you that there is no gluten in any of our Tide products."

Good news!

Natural Food Works Gluten Free Artisan Bakery

2009-07-18T22:08:00.000-07:00

On the way back from Sacramento we found a great all-gluten-free bakery:

Natural Food Works
624 4th St
Davis, CA.
Phone: (530) 756-1862
website: www.naturalfoodworks.com

They had baguettes, fresh, warm, wonderful baguettes! And herb sandwich rolls. And chocolate chip cookies. Good chocolate chip cookies! And a host of other baked goods both freshly baked and frozen like carrot cake and pizza dough. I bought a lot. It almost brought tears to my eyes because I was assured that all their baked goods are gluten free and their kitchen is all gluten free, too, so no chance of cross-contamination.

I came home and had toasted baguette with lots of butter and garlic powder. And I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

If you're ever in the vicinity of Davis, CA, go there!

Haagen-Dazs "Five" ice cream

2009-06-17T13:29:00.000-07:00

Just got off the phone with Haagen-Dazs about their new “Five” line of ice creams. These ice creams have only five all natural ingredients—and the company verified that they’re gluten free!

I asked the representative about processing. After each ice cream flavor they take the machines apart, wash and sanitize them, and inspect them to make sure they’re clean before they do another run. So no risk of cross-contamination, either.

The customer service rep also told me that most of their ice creams, except ones like cookie dough, ones with granola, etc. are gluten free. I’ve got to say, though, that the “Five” ice creams are delicious, particularly the Passion Fruit which is hard to find on the mainland.

I also suggested that they label their products “gluten free.” The rep told me that she’s received lots of calls about that and said she’d pass my comment on to marketing/advertising.

Really good gf cornbread

2009-05-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

OK, I have to admit I had my doubts when a friend gave me a bag of Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread mix. How good could it possibly be considering the horrid gluten-free baked goods I'd had?

But I was wrong, wrong, wrong. This mix made delicious cornbread! I made it in a pie pan instead of the recommended 9"x 9" baking pan and it rose and browned beautifully (though it took about 10 minutes longer to cook than the package said).

The cornbread was tasty, though not terribly sweet like Marie Callender's. It was good alone with butter, or really, really fabulous with butter and a little maple syrup (I didn't have any honey).

And the best part? It hadn't turned into a rock the next day like many GF baked goods do. Just rewarmed it in the microwave and it was just as good as it had been right out of the oven.

It was just soooo very nice to find a baked good that actually tasted "normal!" I'm totally jazzed about this product.

Hall's Cough Drops

2009-02-01T14:35:00.000-08:00

“Thank you for your inquiry concerning the presence of allergens in products produced by our company.

Our company complies with all applicable labeling regulations by the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory bodies in the U.S. In addition, we have implemented an internal food allergen management policy, pursuant to which we have undertaken the labeling of any known allergens in the following categories: cereals (containing gluten and products of these including wheat, rye, barley, triticale, spelt, kamut, and oats, but not corn, rice, sorghum, or buckwheat)…

All of our Halls products are gluten free.

We appreciate your inquiry and welcome any additional questions you may have regarding any of our products.

Sincerely,

Consumer Relations”

Tropicana Juices

2009-02-01T14:21:00.000-08:00

After a number of evasive emails, I finally got the following response from the Tropicana folks:

"We can say there is no gluten added to Tropicana/Dole products that are 100% juice. You can easily determine if a Tropicana product is 100% juice by looking for the Nutrition Facts Panel on the package; the percentage of juice is located just above that panel.

Having consulted further with our plant, we are able to say we don't have any gluten-containing ingredients in plants that produce Tropicana Pure Premium Juices. We hope this information is helpful.

Dan
Tropicana Consumer Relations"

Sensodyne toothpaste

2008-10-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

"Thank you for contacting us regarding Sensodyne® toothpaste.

Sensodyne® Pronamel™ is gluten-free. Although we do not add gluten to any of our other variants of Sensodyne®, our raw materials suppliers could not guarantee that they are gluten-free. Therefore, other variants of Sensodyne® may contain trace amounts of gluten.

We appreciate your taking the time to contact us.

Sincerely,

Rabia
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare"

Spam, Spam, Spam, Spam: Wonderful Spam!!!!

2008-09-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

Actually, Angelita is a bit wrong. To find the gluten-free list you do need to click on "FAQs" at the bottom of the page. On the next page the Gluten Free Product List, a pdf file, is in a sidebar on the right hand side, not under Health-Related Questions.

Spam Musubi here I come! But with wheat-free soy sauce of course.

"Thank you for contacting us SPAM is gluten free. A list of our gluten-free products is available at www.hormelfoods.com - under FAQs, which shows at the bottom of the screen. The gluten-free list selection is located under Health-Related Questions.

Please feel free to call us at our toll-free Consumer Response number, 1-800-523-4635 with any questions regarding specific ingredients in any Hormel Foods product.

Angelita
Consumer Response Specialist"

Plochman Natural Stone Ground Mustard

2008-08-20T16:43:00.000-07:00

My favorite mustard is Plochman Natural Stone Ground Mustard. It has mustard seeds and a great flavor that I like to use in my potato salad. Thanks goodness it's gluten free!

"Thank you for writing us and choosing our wonderful Plochman Natural Stone Ground Mustard, it is a very special product to us. The mustard is GLUTEN FREE!! The vinegar used is made from CORN.

Also, there is no wheat, rye,oats or barley in any of our products (this does exclude the two made with beer - it say's with Beer right on the front label!! ).

Therefore, the mustard is safe for you to consume.

Thank you,

Lisa Gibbons
Customer Service - Plochman, Inc.
Phone: 815/468-3434 x 220
Fax: 815/468-8755
Email: Lgibbons@plochman.com"

Bert's Bees: Yes!

2008-08-16T17:39:00.000-07:00

If you go to http://www.burtsbees.com and do a search on "gluten free list" it will bring up a list of documents. The first result will link you to a word file that has a list of their gluten free products.

So far I've tried their Honey Lip Balm, Lip Gloss, Super Shiny Grapefruit Shampoo and Conditioner, and Citrus and Ginger Hand Soap. They're expensive, but a little goes a long way. And they do a great job cleaning-wise without drying my skin/hair. Nice.

Caveat: lots of folks at mainstream stores like RiteAid and Walgreens may not know whether they carry these products or not! Often they are in an end-cap display at the end of an aisle near the cosmetics/hair care area. Whole Foods carries a lot of their products.

It's nice to feel both pampered and safe for a change.

Cosmetics 3: Maybelline

2008-08-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

I use Maybelline face makeup, eye shadows, and mascaras.
Notice they say nothing about possible cross-contamination
in production. Oh, and make sure you have a magnifying glass
to identify the ingredients!

"Thank you for your interest in Maybelline New York
products.

The following list of ingredients that are used in our
products are those that contain wheat and other grains.  
This list may also be used by the celiac patient to
identify gluten-containing ingredients.  This list gives
the standard industry names for ingredients as found in
the International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary.

        Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour
        Cyclodextrin
        Dextrin
        Dextrin Palmitate
        Hydrolyzed Malt Extract
        Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
        Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
        Hydrolyzed Wheat Flour
        Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten
        Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
        Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/PVP Crosspolymer
        Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch
        Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
        Malt Extract
        Maltodextrin
        Secale Cereale (Rye) Seed Flour
        Sodium C8-16 Isoalkylsuccinyl Wheat Protein Sulfonate
        Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract
        Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil
        Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Gluten
        Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Starch
        Wheat Amino Acids
        Wheat Germ Glycerides
        Wheat Germamidopropalkonium Chloride
        Wheat Protein
        Wheatgermamidopropyl Ethyldimonium Ethosulfate
        Yeast Extract

All the ingredients we use in a product are listed on
the package or on the label of the product itself.  
Comparing this list with the ingredients listed on our
products will help you to identify the ingredients you
would like to avoid.

If you would like to request an ingredient list for a
specific product, please call us at 1-800-944-0730,
Monday - Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, ET.

We hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,
Noemy
Consumer Affairs Supervisor"

Cosmetics 2: Colgate-Palmolive, Revlon

2008-07-31T12:54:00.000-07:00

Colgate-Palmolive:

"We do not intentionally add gluten to the following Colgate Palmolive products. However, we cannot guarantee that the ingredients used are not exposed to any glutens.

Afta Shave products, all variants
AJAX All Purpose Cleaner - Lemon and Ammonia
AJAX Cleanser
AJAX Dish Liquids - all variants
AJAX Laundry Detergents - Powders and Liquids
Cashmere Bouquet Bar Soap
Colgate Toothpaste, all variants
Colgate Shave Creams, all variants
Colgate Simply White Clear Whitening Gel, all variants
Crystal Clean Stick Deodorant, all variants
Crystal White Octagon Lemon Dish Liquid
DERMASSAGE Dish Liquid
Dynamo Laundry Detergent
Fab Laundry Detergents - Powder and Liquids
Fluorigard Rinse
Fresh Start Laundry Detergents
Gel-Kam Home Care Gel
Irish Spring Bar Soap, all variants
Lady Speed Stick Deodorants and Antiperspirants, all variants
Mennen Speed Stick Deodorants and Antiperspirants, all variants
MURPHY OIL SOAP - all variants
Orabase Paste and Orabase Gel
Orabase Soothe-N-Seal
PALMOLIVE Bar Soaps, all variants
PALMOLIVE Dish Liquids - all variants
PALMOLIVE Gel Dishwasher Detergent
PALMOLIVE Triple Action Tabs
Peroxyl Gel and Peroxyl Rinse
Phos-Flur Rinse
Platinum Toothpaste
Prevident Gel
Softsoap Liquid Soap, all variants
Softsoap Body Washes, all variants
TOTAL Floss
Ultra brite Toothpaste, all variants
Viadent Rinse
Viadent Toothpaste

Sorbitol is an ingredient which can be grain derived and may be found in toothpastes. Our sorbitol is corn-derived.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact us. We hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,
Emily Lowenstein
Consumer Affairs Senior Representative
Consumer Affairs"

Revlon:

"Thank you for your recent comments from the Revlon website and your interest in our products.

Unfortunately, because of the way cosmetic ingredients are made and transported, we cannot guarantee that a product is gluten-free."

Damn. I just had to dump 7 lipsticks.

Cosmetics: Gold Bond, Hawaiian Tropic

2008-07-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

My gliadin levels are still not coming down after six months on a gluten-free diet. So I’m grasping at straws and questioning everything I put on or in my body.

A lot of the CS blogs contain misinformation or don’t quote sources for their information. In other words, a lot of the information is anecdotal and therefore suspect. So I’m on a personal quest to contact the companies that supply the products that I use to verify whether or not they are gluten-free. Some preliminary responses:

Gold Bond:

Thank you for contacting Chattem, Inc. All Gold Bond products, including Gold Bond Ultimate Healing Skin Therapy Lotion, currently available are gluten free. I hope this has helped to answer your question.

Sincerely,
Harmony Howell-Martin
Chattem, Inc.
1715 West 38th Street
Chattanooga TN 37409

Hawaiian Tropic:

Aloha!

Thank you for taking the time to e-mail us with your comments about our Hawaiian Tropic Sun Care products.

We appreciate concern regarding gluten on our Hawaiian Tropic products.

Hawaiian Tropic does not add wheat or wheat germ oil to our formulas. However we are not certain that is not included in the raw materials we purchase. If you have allergy concerns, we suggest you consider purchasing products from our Banana Boat line for the time being. In the future we hope to provide specific product recommendations for Hawaiian Tropic.

We appreciate and value your loyalty, and have taken the liberty of forwarding your remarks to our Marketing Department for review.

If you have any additional comments or questions, please feel free to email us at http://hawaiiantropic.com/Contact-Us.aspx <http://hawaiiantropic.com/Contact-Us.aspx> or call us at (888) 310-4290 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Sincerely,
Jolene
Hawaiian Tropic

Easy Gluten-Free Cheese Enchiladas

2008-07-27T13:40:00.000-07:00

Easy Gluten-Free Cheese Enchiladas

This is adapted from a classic Californio enchilada recipe. It’s a tradition in our family to serve Cheese Enchiladas on Christmas Eve. In the olden days we made our own tortillas and enchilada sauces. But we often don’t have time for that now, hence modern short cuts. The gluten-free adaptation is a result of my recent Celiac Sprue diagnosis. The flavor is very, very close to the traditional recipe from my ancestors.

1 28 oz. can Las Palmas Red Enchilada Sauce (mild, medium, or hot, your choice)

1 package gluten-free tortillas (Trader Joe’s Brown Rice, Mission Corn Tortillas, Food for Life, etc. Make sure they say gluten-free!)

1 large can sliced black olives

2 cups diced onions

6 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (cheddar, Monterey jack, asadero, queso quesadilla cheeses). You can buy this blend already shredded. It’s cheaper and easier than buying the cheeses separately.

What you need:

Two pyrex pie pans (or other baking dishes)

Separate bowls containing each ingredient.

What you do:

Pour about 1 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of one of the pie pans and about a 1 ½ cups in the other. Swirl it around to coat the bottom.

Dip a tortilla in the pan with the most sauce so that it is coated on both sides. Add cheese, onions, and olives at one end of the tortilla and carefully roll it into a tube. It should be fat like a burrito. Place it in the other pie pan with the loose end facing down. Repeat until this pie pan is full of enchiladas (you can squeeze a lot in there!).

Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle the top generously with cheese. Garnish with the balance of the olives.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Makes about 8 enchiladas.

A Puzzling Email from Breyer's

2008-07-25T17:25:00.000-07:00

I wrote to Unilever to ask them to indicate on their products which ones
are gluten free.  This is their enigmatic reply:

Hello,

Thank you for your inquiry about gluten in Breyers, Klondike, Good Humor
and Popsicle brand products.

Unilever Ice Cream is a member of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
and the Food Allergy Resource and Research Program.

* We recommend consumers read the label each time before buying our
product.

* If gluten is present, it is clearly listed in plain language on the
ingredient label (i.e., wheat flour, rye, barley, oats, and malt). Malt
is a barley based ingredient.

* We do not publish a list of gluten-free flavors.

* We work closely with ingredient and packaging suppliers to verify
gluten in all ingredient components including natural flavors, colors,
and spices.

* Some flavorings may contain ethyl alcohol. However, because the
alcohol is distilled, they would not pose a threat to anyone who is
gluten intolerant. However, gluten is NOT listed if it is a natural
component of another ingredient.

* We apologize for any inconvenience.

Kind regards,
Your friends at Good Humor-Breyers

Christmas Eve, 2007

2008-07-24T13:20:00.000-07:00

I'm 5 pm and up to my elbows in enchilada sauce when my cell phone rings. It's my doctor. "I've think we've found out why you're so anemic!" he says excitedly. "You have Celiac Sprue."

OK. What the heck is that? An intolerance (not really an allergy) to gluten. I can no longer eat wheat, rye, oats, or barley, or their derivatives. The little villi in my small intestine are damaged from eating gluten, and I'm not absorbing nutrients properly. Hence, the severe anemia.

He asks if I have any ancestors from England. As a matter of fact, I do. He explains that Celiac Sprue is much more common in people with northern European ancestry.

What do I do now, I ask. Stop eating gluten immediately, he replies.

Hmmm. I'm cooking Christmas dinner for 14 people. On the menu is broccoli pie, hot rolls, gravy, stuffing, and cake. Ooops!

Merry Christmas!