Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Help! Want to go out for bubble tea....

GlutenedCN

Recommended Posts

GlutenedCN Apprentice
GlutenedCN
Posted

Hey guys, 

I have a friend who wants to take me out for bubble tea, but I feel awkward because I'm not sure about contamination issues. I am also sensitive to dairy. 

Has anyone here had problems with bubble tea, or is it safe for celiacs? 

Also, I know that I can get milk free bubble tea, but I'm a little worried about contamination. 

Thoughts? 

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


kareng Grand Master
kareng
Posted

Ask the place ahead of time. Maybe go by and sope it out.    What would contaminate the tea?  What else do they make?  Where do they make the other stuff?

GlutenedCN Apprentice
GlutenedCN
Posted
  • Author

I tried calling, but customer service was really bad. 

The woman kept telling me that I could have milk because it wasn't dairy. 

I'm asking about bubble tea in general. If contamination were not a problem, is bubble tea usually gluten free? 

cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

I know nothing about bubble (boba)  tea except mixes are used (processed) and whole tapioca is added.  There are many stores around my house which are owned by Koreans.  Nice people, but they do not have much exposure or knowledge about celiac disease in my personal experience.  You know that "deer in the headlights" look when you ask about gluten.  My gluten-eating kid likes the drinks, but I opt for plain coffee with cream at the Starbucks located in the same strip mall.  

Keep us posted on the results of your research.  

GF-Cheetah Cub Contributor
GF-Cheetah Cub
Posted

" I'm asking about bubble tea in general. If contamination were not a problem, is bubble tea usually gluten free?  "

Yes.

My celiac daughter likes boba tea.  I have tested her favorite tea with ezgluten test kit as well as NIMA, and they have always tested negative.   We only get our tea at this one specific tea shop (they have 3 different locations).   They pretty much only sell tea and coffee, and some snacks that are usually kept in a window display and in their own plastic casings.  

Boba tea is just milk tea and tapioca.   You can order with black tea or green tea, and with or without milk.   These places generally don't use flour or soy sauce in their "production line".   I would avoid tea places that also sell food.  

GlutenedCN Apprentice
GlutenedCN
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for all your input guys! 

After much research, I decided to scope out a bubble tea place in advance. It was a specialty tea  shop, but did sell other things like cake. Thankfully, the gluten containing products were carefully separated from the tapioca pearls and tea. I also requested a copy of their tea ingredients, which were gluten free. 

I decided to risk it, as I didn't have anything up for the next few weeks and could handle a glutening. I was really hoping that I wouldn't have a reaction, and to my delight, I didn't. 

I really appreciate the advice everybody gave, as they helped me choose a low risk establishment to trial with. 

Claire 

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      127,672
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Felecia
    Newest Member
    Felecia
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121k
    • Total Posts
      70.3k
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Testing positive for antibodies, are there visible changes to the colon that could be seen without a biopsy?

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum @cameo674! First, let me correct a misconception you have about celiac disease and intestinal anatomy. Celiac disease does not affect the colon. It damages the lining of the small bowel which is on the other end of the intestinal track from the colon. The small bowel, the duodenum, is the part of the intestines right below the stomach. So, your colonoscopy would not have been examining that area. The scope just won't go up that far. Examination of the small bowel is done with an endoscopy, not a colonoscopy. The go in through the mouth, the stomach and into the upper part of the intestines.  People with celiac disease experience an autoimmune response when gluten is consumed that generates inflammation in the lining of the small bowel which, over times, wears down the millions of tiny finger-like projections that constitute this lining. We call those finger-like projections "villi" and the lining is termed the "villous lining" of the small bowel. The inflammatory response by the immunes system perceiving gluten to be an invader threat produces antibodies that can be measured in the blood. This is what was what those tests were done for that you posted in your opening narrative. The villous lining of the small bowel is where all of the nutrition is absorbed from the food we eat. The constant inflammation of celiac disease over time wears down these millions and millions of tiny finger-like projections and greatly reduces the efficiency of nutrient absorption. Hence, it is common for those whose celiac disease has been undiagnosed for a long time and who continue to consume gluten develop health problems that are related to nutritional deficiencies, even though they may be eating well. Your test results do indicate you have celiac disease. The most important of those tests you listed is the Tissue Transglutaminase (IgA) - 44.0 U/mL and it was "out of range". We abbreviate this as tTG-IGA. I take "out of range" to mean it was elevated. You did not include the reference ranges used by the lab for the tests so I am assuming "out of range" means positive or high. There are no industry standards for reference ranges for these tests. Each lab uses their own because they each build the tests a little differently or may use different units to express the results. Normally, if any of the celiac blood antibody tests are positive, a GI doc will want to perform an endoscopy with biopsy of the small bowel lining to microscopically check for damage to the villous lining. This is confirmation of the blood antibody testing. Sometimes they will forego the endoscopy/biopsy if the tTG-IGA score is very high. But it is very important that you not begin to cut back on gluten until all testing is complete. Doing so will allow healing of the small bowel lining to begin and will likely invalidate the testing. It is recommended that people consume at least 10g of gluten daily (about the amount in 4-6 slices of wheat bread) in the weeks leading up to the endoscopy/biopsy.  Finally, it sounds like your middle child also needs to be tested for celiac disease. A couple of studies done with rather large sample sizes in the last couple of years showed that almost 50% of first degree relatives of those with celiac disease, when tested, also had celiac disease. Many of them were "silent". That is, they were largely asymptomatic.
    • cameo674
      Testing positive for antibodies, are there visible changes to the colon that could be seen without a biopsy?

      By cameo674 · Posted

      Still waiting to get into the doctor to discuss my test results and see if further testing like a biopsy is necessary. My appointment is in June 2025.  Yep it takes that long to get in to see the doc.     Anyway, I paid to have some functional health bloodwork done in December 2024.  I got the results just after Christmas. Because my middle child suffers from bloating and she asked if I ever considered that I might be gluten intolerant or have celiac disease, I added the celiac blood tests to the testing that I was having completed.  That child has panic attacks when a needle goes near her; so, I decided to do the testing to see if she needed to move forward with testing for herself.   My test results were: Deamidated Gliadin (IgA) - 53.8 U/mL; Deamidated Gliadin (IgG) - 250.0 U/mL; Tissue Transglutaminase (IgA) - 44.0 U/mL; Tissue Transglutaminase (IgG) - < 1.0; and Immunoglobulin A (IgA) - 274.0 U/dL. The first 3 are out of range and the 2nd two are in range.  That company does not offer the Cyrex array 3 & 4 so I could go in armed to my appointment with further information.  I have read the article that seems to be posted as a reply for most of the posts in this forum.   First of all, I never thought I had an issue with gluten, because I never associated flatulence or constipation with gluten. I know I am lactose intolerant.  As I have gotten older, I’m in my late 50’s, I have decreased my bread/pasta intake 4 or 5 years ago, because I have been trying to increase my protein intake which is hard for me to do since I don’t really like protein most the time.  My friend who is a nurse said that I should not go on a gluten free diet until a doctor decides whether or not I need a biopsy which may take a few months to get on a doctor’s schedule based on how long it will be just for my initial visit. So my question is this, wouldn’t the gastro doc, who did my colonoscopy when I turned 50 when I did not have a restricted gluten diet, have noticed that I had celiac if I had it? Or are there zero visible changes to the colon it’s self?   I did not have any polyps so no biopsies were preformed as a result of that preventative colonoscopy.            
    • Rebeccaj
      glutened?

      By Rebeccaj · Posted

      glutened peoples experience ?via flour airbourne.
    • eKatherine
      Did I outgrow celiac

      By eKatherine · Posted

      Keep in mind that you might also have a dietary sensitivity to something else. Get into the habit of reading ingredients lists.
    • BoiseNic
      Did I outgrow celiac

      By BoiseNic · Posted

      I would avoid gluten at all cost. Sometimes there will be no noticeable damage, but it is still causing an autoimmune response that will manifest in some way or another eventually. Throwing up from a macaroon sounds like something other than celiac disease also.
×
×
  • Create New...