Hidden Gluten in Bacon? Here's How to Find the Right Gateway Meat.

Bacon: if it is made w/ smoke flavoring, the flavoring can be derived from various sources of gluten (including barley, and brewer's yeast. Brewer's yeast is a by product of beer.)  A clue to safe bacon is that which is local, apple or hickory smoked - but call the manufacturer to double check.

Avoid Bulk Bins, Common Sources of Allergens

Bulk bins are reasonable and inviting, but they are also havens for common food allergens. Avoid the bulk bin if you want to steer clear of allergens, especially gluten, peanuts, soy, dairy, and nuts (so sorry!) Besides the interchangeability of the scoops in the store, bulk items are often cross contaminated during processing, b/c bulk items are commonly processed w/ allergenic foods.

Check Your Retainer (& other Dental Products) for Gluten (Really)

Do you have a retainer? It might contain gluten. Yes, a new study is finding that gluten, a common additive in plastics (particularly plasticized methacrylate polymer), can keep a celiac patient from going into full remission. Check with your dentist to see what your retainer and/or bite splint contains and research every ingredient that is not in plain language. 

Here's the direct study link:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/24137038/?i=1&from=celiac+disease

Also check these other dental products - and please note that because these products do not fall under the regulations of "food", gluten may not be listed in the ingredients:

• Minted dental floss
• Toothpaste
• Polishing paste
• Flouride
• Topical Anesthetic

Read more . . .

Update 3/4/2014: Here is a post on Triumph Dining indicating that the study findings were not conclusive - that the plastics in the retainer material may not leach out enough over time to cause alarm.Two dieticians, Amy Jones, MS, RD and Tricia Thompson, MS, RD, contacted the lead author of the study and came to this conclusion:

Amy Jones, MS, RD and Tricia Thompson, MS, RD

The original study led the dietitians to contact the lead author. After discussing, both were still not convinced of the retainer’s guilt in the diagnosis. Due to the half life of tTG (which is 6 months) and an outdated report on the contents of methylmethacrylate (from 1971), Amy Jones and Tricia Thompson concluded that “enough gluten would leach from the retainer to cause an increase in tTG levels seems a bit extraordinary.” - See more at: http://www.triumphdining.com/blog/2014/03/04/is-there-a-link-between-orthodontic-retainers-and-gluten-intolerance/?utm_source=Triumph+Dining+List&utm_campaign=c4ab154054-Newsletter+7%2F23%2F13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c9c15f454b-c4ab154054-122078121#sthash.PFDy2d3Q.dpuf

 The original study led the dietitians to contact the lead author. After discussing, both were still not convinced of the retainer’s guilt in the diagnosis. Due to the half life of tTG (which is 6 months) and an outdated report on the contents of methylmethacrylate (from 1971), Amy Jones and Tricia Thompson concluded that “enough gluten would leach from the retainer to cause an increase in tTG levels seems a bit extraordinary.

This may put some fears to rest, but this will be an interesting study to follow.

Watch for gluten in tomato sauces & pastes

Today, July 29, 2013, is National Lasagna Day for those of us in the U.S. For those of us who have food allergies, it also means reading labels (again), carefully (again), if you are using pre-packaged products. The best way to avoid possible cross contamination of allergens is to make your sauce completley from scratch, of course, but popping open a jar of sauce can be a life saver during a busy day when you are craving some time and comfort, along with your lycopene and vitamin C.

Most recipes also call for tomato paste - which can contain gluten.

You wouldn't think to look for gluten in marinara sauce, tomato paste, or ketchup, for that matter, but gluten is often used as a filler in these types of sauces. Contadina, for instance, has gluten in the ingredients of their tomato paste. You also need to watch out for:

• Malt flavoring (often derived from Barley)
• Caramel Coloring (can be derived from gluten grains)
• Natural Flavoring (can contain aspertame or MSG in different forms)

Here are a few brands that as of today, don't contain gluten (but always double check any labels, b/c ingredients & processing can change):

Eden Organics Sauces & Pastes.  I love the tomato products from Eden Organics, because they are not only gluten-free, but organic, in BPA-free cans or glass jars, and are really good. These are my favorite products to buy. They are not marked "free" of any other allergens, but I have a call in to the company to find out more and will add to this post with this information this week.

Organicville Marinara (gluten-free)

Amy's Marinara Sauce (it is also free of dairy, tree nut, soy, and corn; and is Kosher)

What are your favorites?

Is MSG Gluten-Free?

We had a reader question about whether or not MSG (monosodium glutamate) is gluten-free.  There is a lot of chatter on different sites about MSG, and MSG can come from a variety of sources like corn, sugar beets, molasses, and wheat.  Many sources say that MSG in the US is rarely made from wheat today, or that the protein is distilled/process out of the end-product. However, I have no evidence or guarantee that the U.S. MSG is wheat-free and the purity of any distillation is also of some debate. Some people still react to distilled gluten-based grains in alcohols and vinegars, etc.  Also, I double-checked with Kyra Bussanich, who, as an award-winning gluten-free pastry chef works closely with her ingredients and their sources.  She said that MSG is something to beware of, in part because her own reaction to it mimics her reaction to gluten (as does mine), but mainly because there are food processors that use MSG as a flavoring.  More importantly,  even if the processor is a US company, they don't necessarily use US ingredients: she's worked in places that have sourced their ingredients from Asia, where the MSG may or may not be derived from wheat.

Whether derived from wheat or not, MSG does, however, cause reactions in many people such as nausea, headaches, lightheadedness and heart palpitations or heart rate changes.  Though the FDA say it is a "safe when eaten at customary levels", and the European Union calls it a "food additive", enough people have an adverse reaction to it that is similar to an allergic reaction.  It is best to avoid MSG, esp. if you have allergies to its source product, or a reaction to the MSG itself. As Kyra told me, "its better to be safe than sick!"

Also important to note - MSG, or more strictly, "glutamate" can be present in foods that have "natural flavor" in their ingredients. Aspertame, as well, can be included in the label, "natural ingredients." Since "natural ingredients" is a label that has many legal loopholes, it is one ingredient that is best to avoid. Put any food product that has this label back on the shelf.

Here are some ingredients that contain MSG in some form:

• Ajinomoto
• Any “hydrolyzed protein”
• Anything “…protein”
• Anything “hydrolyzed”
• Autolyzed Yeast
• Calcium Caseinate
• Calcium Glutamate
• Gelatin
• Glutamate
• Glutamic Acid
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein
• Magnesium Glutamate
• Monoammonium Glutamate
• Monopotassium Glutamate
• Monosodium Glutamate
• Natrium Glutamate
• Sodium Caseinate
• Soy Protein
• Soy Protein Concentrate
• Soy Protein Isolate
• Textured Protein
• Textured Vegetable Protein
• Vetsin
• Whey Protein
• Whey Protein Concentrate
• Whey Protein Isolate
• Yeast Extract
• Yeast Food
• Yeast Nutrient

Protein powder contain many of these ingredients, especially whey proteins and often yeasts. There are very few protein powders out there that do not contain these types of ingredients. A good option is to find a gluten-free hemp protein powder, one that is not processed with any additives. Hemp is a complete protein.

There is a fantastic post from the Elephant Journal on this MSG Question as well.  It contains a list of more labels & foods that could potentially contain MSG, plus much more information on this food additive. Read it here.

Thanks to our reader for this question! 

~Elisabeth Veltman

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