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  • Jefferson Adams
    Jefferson Adams

    By Jefferson Adams •

    Twelve Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Gluten-free Diet

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    Learn to avoid these twelve common mistakes can ruin your gluten-free diet.

    Twelve Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Gluten-free Diet - Image: CC--Kurtis Garbutt
    Caption: Image: CC--Kurtis Garbutt

    Celiac.com 07/19/2018 - Maintaining a gluten-free diet can be an on-going challenge, especially when you factor in all the hidden or obscure gluten that can trip you up. In many cases, foods that are naturally gluten-free end up contain added gluten. Sometimes this can slip by us, and that when the suffering begins. To avoid suffering needlessly, be sure to keep a sharp eye on labels, and beware of added or hidden gluten, even in food labeled gluten-free.  Use Celiac.com's SAFE Gluten-Free Food List and UNSAFE Gluten-free Food List as a guide.

    Also, beware of these common mistakes that can ruin your gluten-free diet. Watch out for:

    1. Watch out for naturally gluten-free foods like rice and soy, that use gluten-based ingredients in processing. For example, many rice and soy beverages are made using barley enzymes, which can cause immune reactions in people with celiac disease.
    2. Be careful of bad advice from food store employees, who may be misinformed themselves. For example, many folks mistakenly believe that wheat-based grains like spelt or kamut are safe for celiacs. Be careful when taking advice.
    3. Beware of cross-contamination between food store bins selling raw flours and grains, often via the food scoops.
    4. Be careful to avoid wheat-bread crumbs in butter, jams, toaster, counter surface, etc.
    5. Watch out for hidden gluten in prescription drugs. Ask your pharmacist for help about anything you’re not sure about, or suspect might contain unwanted gluten.
    6. Watch out for hidden gluten in lotions, conditioners, shampoos, deodorants, creams and cosmetics, (primarily for those with dermatitis herpetaformis).
    7. If your child has celiac disease be sure to avoid Play-Doh because it contains wheat flour.
    8. Be careful about hidden gluten in toothpaste, lipstick and mouthwash.
    9. Be careful about common cereal ingredients, such as malt flavoring, or other non-gluten-free ingredient.
    10. Be extra careful when considering packaged mixes and sauces, including soy sauce, fish sauce, catsup, mustard, mayonnaise, etc., as many of these can contain wheat or wheat by-product in their manufacture. Be especially careful about gravy mixes, packets & canned soups.
    11. Even some brands of rice paper can contain gluten, so be careful.
    12. Lastly, watch out for foods like ice cream and yogurt, which are often gluten-free, but can also often contain added ingredients that can make them unsuitable for anyone on a gluten-free diet.

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A12):
     Eating Out? If you eat out, consider that many restaurants use a shared grill or shared cooking oil for regular and gluten-free foods, so be careful. Also, watch for flour in otherwise gluten-free spices, as per above. Ask questions, and stay vigilant.


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    cshav10

    Summation: don't eat anything that has been packaged and processed.

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    Guest Mary B.

    Guest Mary B.

    Posted

    The fact that there is gluten in envelope glue is a myth.

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    Elisabeth Gerritsen

    Well, it is not in my country, the Netherlands. I just licked at one envelope and immediately my lips started itching and swelling

     

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    notme

    just use the peel and stick ones.  i lick nothing that doesn't list ingredients.

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    Cherri Rip

    I Also Only use peel label & then stick letter envelopes as well, the pain is not worth the regular type gluten glue licking type of All envelopes. It makes me so sick I feel like I could almost die. 

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    JG27

    Hey all, I worked for an envelope manufacturer about 10 yrs ago and I will say that reaction or no reaction to the glue, please don't lick envelopes. The glue isn't really regulated and there is some gross stuff in it....mostly from things crawling around in the warehouse.

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    Deb Halfacre
    20 hours ago, JG27 said:

    Hey all, I worked for an envelope manufacturer about 10 yrs ago and I will say that reaction or no reaction to the glue, please don't lick envelopes. The glue isn't really regulated and there is some gross stuff in it....mostly from things crawling around in the warehouse.

    I can not even imagine...ugh! Thanks for he heads up!

     

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    LauraH

    I was just sampling horchata flavored ice cream in a grocery store, and the sample lady assured me it was gluten-free and that she fully understood how important it was.  I ate it, felt the diffuse abdominal pain that happens to me when I'm glutened.  Went and looked at the container, and sure enough, there was wheat in there.  Not sure why, as there weren't cookie/brownie/cake bites, and nothing else that normally indicates wheat ingredients, but yes...that ice cream was, in fact, full of gluten.  

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    Guest SKY

    Really sad that you are promoting the myth that envelope glue contains wheat. This is a very old piece of misinformation that has been proven to be false many times over. It brings into question the credibility of all of your "news" when you promote something so blatantly untrue. I suggest a retraction.

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    Guest MichelleDiane

    Guest MichelleDiane

    Posted

    On 8/31/2018 at 8:13 PM, Guest SKY said:

    Really sad that you are promoting the myth that envelope glue contains wheat. This is a very old piece of misinformation that has been proven to be false many times over. It brings into question the credibility of all of your "news" when you promote something so blatantly untrue. I suggest a retraction.

    I tried to follow up on your statement that it has been disproved. It has barely been evaluated. Envelope glue isn't subject to many laws where I live (USA). I believe that's true in many jurisdictions. The Envelope Manufactures Association states that envelope glue contains corn not wheat. They make no assertion that the corn is gluten free, so cross contamination would be completely consistent with the statement. 

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    Scott Adams

    If it is made from corn then it would be safe for celiacs. Of course, if you have concerns you can always just use water to seal an envelope, or better yet, buy self-sealing envelopes.

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  • About Me

    Jefferson Adams

    Jefferson Adams is Celiac.com's senior writer and Digital Content Director. He earned his B.A. and M.F.A. at Arizona State University. His articles, essays, poems, stories and book reviews have appeared in numerous magazines, journals, and websites, including North American Project, Antioch Review, Caliban, Mississippi Review, Slate, and more. He is the author of more than 2,500 articles on celiac disease. His university coursework includes studies in science, scientific methodology, biology, anatomy, physiology, medicine, logic, and advanced research. He previously devised health and medical content for Colgate, Dove, Pfizer, Sharecare, Walgreens, and more. Jefferson has spoken about celiac disease to the media, including an appearance on the KQED radio show Forum, and is the editor of numerous books, including "Cereal Killers" by Scott Adams and Ron Hoggan, Ed.D.

    >VIEW ALL ARTICLES BY JEFFERSON ADAMS

     

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