Balsamic Vinegar

[missceliac2010]

Hello fellow Celiacs!

My name is Heather and I am newly diagnosed with Celiac Disease *it's been about a week*. My Dad has had the disease since I was a teenager, so when I was diagnosed, I was at least a little familiar with the diet in general. First I'll tell you a little about me, as an introduction. I am a 35 year old mother of 2 boys, ages 13 and 11. I am dating a wonderful man who is very supportive of me and tries to help in anyway he can. He has done lots of research (he's the cook of the family) and is already getting comfortable to adjusting his own recipes to adhere to our budget and lunch.

I have had a couple of struggles with being accidentally glutenized, and of course find it very frustrating. I have a two questions, one specific and one general:

1. Specifically, does Balsamic Vinegar have gluten in it? My bottle of "Eremo Benedetto" lists the following ingredients: Wine vinegar, concentrated grape must, caramel, contains natural sulfites. (In that order). Being fairly new, and despite have an IPhone "app" called "Is that gluten free", I still struggle! Any thoughts?

2. In general, I wondered what people's symptoms are when they get "glutenized"? Are they pretty specific and general across the board for Celiac Spru patients? My tell-tale signs that I have done something wrong begin with a bulging, swollen belly. I am by no means a thin model, but I don't normally have a tummy that could pass for 5 (or so) months pregnant! I'm not preggos btw...LOL). The symptoms then turn to a terrible pain right under my rib cage. The pain lasts about an hour, but my swollen belly can last for hours. Is this a common reaction? How do you react? I would love to hear about what happens to my fellow celiac.com peeps!

Thanks,

Heather

(Missceliac2010)

[skigirlchar]

im going to answer #2 first - everyone seems to have differing symptoms, however many state they suffer from the swollen belly. others get brain fog. others get massive cramping. others get headaches. the list goes on and on. some people find that adding/taking digestive enzymes and drinking tons of water as soon as symptoms show up help w/ nixing the symptoms quicker than just letting it pass.

as for balsamic vinegar -

• the grape must is freshly pressed fruit juice (usually grape juice) that contains the skins, seeds, and stems. basicly this means you are also getting any of the naturally occurring yeast that grows on the grapes. for me - this is a HUGE trigger. needless to say, balsamic vinegar was one of the 1st things i needed to eliminated from my diet.
• the caramel is made by heating any of a variety of sugars - many need to cut out sugars who are on this diet

i would suggest, if you like the taste of vinegar and don't want to totally give it up yet, try finding a straight rice vinegar (usually can be found w/ the Asian food products in the grocery store) and substituting it. no, it doesn't have the same warm & full taste of balsamic, but they seem to be a better option for me.

good luck & know you have support here!

[Olivegirl]

Balsamic vinegar does not have gluten in it. The only vinegar that is a problem is malt vinegar.

My 'glutened' symptoms are very similar to yours. I always get a massively swollen stomach and cramping.

[missceliac2010]

Thanks for your responses! Sounds like the Balsamic "jury" is still "out". I think I'll remove it from my diet regardless, as any risk is not worth it.

Thanks again!

Heather

[lovegrov]

Thanks for your responses! Sounds like the Balsamic "jury" is still "out". I think I'll remove it from my diet regardless, as any risk is not worth it.

Thanks again!

Heather

The balsamic jury is not out at all. Balsamic vinegar is absolutely gluten-free. The other poster has a host of other allergies that make balsamic bad for her, but not for you, unless you have the same allergies.

Which brings up a different point. In this case, all Heather asked about was gluten. Not yeast. Not sugar. But one of the posts went into a bunch of non-gluten problems, which ended up confusing the issue of gluten. Let's be aware.

richard

[jebby]

Hi Heather,

Balsamic vinegar does not contain gluten and is safe for celiacs. Many salad dressings do contain gluten though, so I stick with plain old olive oil and balsamic vinegar when I have salads at restaurants.

Your bloating and abdominal cramping are pretty tyical symptoms for getting glutened.

I am new on here too, like you.

J

[MIZGWEN]

Hello my name is Gwen. I am newly diagnosed Celiac, just found out. I also have lupus, high BP and had a recent bout with pancreatitis. I am coming to terms with my new lifestyle but I need help...FIRST is there a such thing as gluten free green tea or is green tea naturally gluten free. I have to be able to drink something hot...my day and evenings will be UGH!

Help!

[heatherjane]

If you like Bigelow, a lot of their teas are gluten free: http://www.bigelowtea.com/Catalog/Product/36/3/34/Green+Tea.aspx

[Bubba's Mom]

Rooibos tea is very nice too. It's not a true tea..but is high in anti-oxidants. Very healthy.

I find that having tea is very calming. It's partly the warm drink..but it's also the holding of the warm cup that's soothing to the soul.

[Glutentester]

Balsamic vinegar can contain gluten in the same way wine can. 

Edited November 23, 2018 by Glutentester
Chose to remove my comments

[kareng]

10 hours ago, Glutentester said:

Balsamic vinegar can contain gluten in the same way wine can. 

That's an odd way to say it but , yes,  wine does not contain gluten and neither does balsamic vinegar .

[Glutentester]

Some wines do contain gluten. Many balsamic vinegars do contain gluten. Caramel colour, which is often used in cheap balsamic vinegars, is made from wheat. But even balsamic vinegars which do not list caramel colour often contain gluten. If you have a Nima tester, you can test for gluten in vinegar (see https://help.nimasensor.com/hc/en-us/articles/115009840368-Can-I-test-vinegar- ). I have tested many balsamic vinegars so far and found gluten in each of them. Gluten can get into wine because gluten-based sealers are sometimes used in barrels. If you are a sensitive celiac, these wines can affect you. 

[BilliB]

Stash or republic of tea are gluten free. Ive always reacted badly to bigelows.

The trace gluten in balsamic vinegar would be very low. Ive other issues which mean I cant use it. Ild question cross contamination of ingredients. Someone not washing hands, and touching the bottle with gluteney fingers.

Pots, pans, utensils, condiment s with cross contaminatin, but its unlikey the vinegar would gluten you unless you are hyper sensitivd. Say the wine used was

In wheat sealed barrels.

I can manage braggs apple cider vinegar in small quantities. Coconut vinegar is nice too.

 

[maelduin]

On 11/23/2018 at 8:38 AM, Glutentester said:

Some wines do contain gluten. Many balsamic vinegars do contain gluten. Caramel colour, which is often used in cheap balsamic vinegars, is made from wheat. But even balsamic vinegars which do not list caramel colour often contain gluten. If you have a Nima tester, you can test for gluten in vinegar (see https://help.nimasensor.com/hc/en-us/articles/115009840368-Can-I-test-vinegar- ). I have tested many balsamic vinegars so far and found gluten in each of them. Gluten can get into wine because gluten-based sealers are sometimes used in barrels. If you are a sensitive celiac, these wines can affect you. 

Ditto.  Thanks for pointing this out.  
 

I’m pretty new myself, and unfortunately found out right out of the gate that I am one of those people out there who are very sensitive to gluten in products.  We do exist.  

This may not affect you, and I hope for your sake it doesn’t because it sucks, but my advice to you is you have to find your tolerance level, which varies from person to person.

 In the case of the balsamic vinegar, I just went through this myself.  Several websites blithely state balsamic vinegar is gluten free.   I had a bottle that contains only grape must so I thought how could this possibly hurt me?  So I used it and got glutened.  

Then I dug around and found out about the wheat used to seal the casks.  For me, that’s all it took to get glutened.  For you or someone else, it might be fine.  

if I tell you it’s unsafe to use balsamic vinegar because of the wheat in the casks that could could potentially contaminate the vinegar, you have to take into consideration that I am extremely sensitive.  Ditto if someone else tells you It’s perfectly fine.  For the majority it is. 

If you are someone who does fine with the basic 20 ppm FDA standard for “gluten free” food which doesn’t even take into account factory and environmental cross-contamination, then you will probably be fine with the generally accepted guidelines, and a cursory website search will suffice.

If, on the other hand, you, or anyone else who is scratching their head wondering why “gluten free”’products keep making them sick, then I advise you to do a thorough internet search before hastily ingesting something you might regret (which is what I should have done before I opened that bottle of balsamic vinegar!)

When I first embarked on my gluten free diet, I was so sick it was sink or swim, and I was already drowning; so I started on a strict elimination diet.

I was shocked to make the horrifying discovery of how many things contain gluten.  It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that basically everything does, or is cross-contaminated with it in some form or another.  It’s used as sealants and binders not only in foods but in medications, vitamins, tea bags, casks, etc.  

I learned the hard way, you can’t assume anything is gluten free that passes through a factory, even if the product itself is natural.  

The only true “gluten free” diet is one that literally contains no gluten, i.e., fruits, veggies, and proteins, and which contains no processed foods, dairy, or grains, as all grains suffer from cross- contamination in one form or another.  

If you are someone super-sensitive like me, you may get no relief from any diet less strict.  But even I have been lucky enough to have found a few things I can tolerate.

Good luck!

Here are some good unbiased sources that I learned a lot from about celiac disease, FDA guidelines, cross-contamination, and labeling:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5548243/:

 

https://lilynicholsrdn.com/gluten-free-product-really-gluten-free/

https://www.verywellhealth.com/symptoms-continue-eating-gluten-free-562740

https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-much-gluten-can-make-me-sick-56248

https://www.glutenfreedietitian.com/contamination-of-naturally-guten-free-grains/

 

 

[jimbob99]

I had dinner at a friends house last night: grilled fish, baked veggies and fresh salad from their garden. The only additive was balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing which I thought was fine but by the time I got home my headache had started. It is 730 am and I still have the headache so it will be a big NO to balsamic vinegar going forward. 

[Gemini]

On 6/30/2020 at 10:34 AM, jimbob99 said:

I had dinner at a friends house last night: grilled fish, baked veggies and fresh salad from their garden. The only additive was balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing which I thought was fine but by the time I got home my headache had started. It is 730 am and I still have the headache so it will be a big NO to balsamic vinegar going forward. 

Balsamic vinegar can contain sulfites and it is high in histamine also, which can cause really bad headaches.  But it is gluten free and safe for the vast majority of Celiac’s.

 

[Hoosier Gluten Free]

My go to is Napa Valley Naturals Grand Reserve. The taste is amazing and I didn't react to it. They were bought out recently by Stonewall kitchens and I'm hoping nothing changes. I use it for marinades, drizzled over veggies for roasting and salads, of course. 

[RMJ]

On 9/6/2020 at 10:26 AM, Hoosier Gluten Free said:

My go to is Napa Valley Naturals Grand Reserve. The taste is amazing and I didn't react to it. They were bought out recently by Stonewall kitchens and I'm hoping nothing changes. I use it for marinades, drizzled over veggies for roasting and salads, of course. 

When I saw a dietician specializing in celiac disease she also recommended Napa Valley Naturals vinegar. However, that was a few years ago and I see that Stonewall has changed from cherry to oak barrels, which some say are sealed with wheat flour paste.  The Stonewall site just says no gluten ingredients.

[Hoosier Gluten Free]

3 hours ago, RMJ said:

When I saw a dietician specializing in celiac disease she also recommended Napa Valley Naturals vinegar. However, that was a few years ago and I see that Stonewall has changed from cherry to oak barrels, which some say are sealed with wheat flour paste.  The Stonewall site just says no gluten ingredients.

I think I'm going to have to risk it as the Reserve they produce is incredible. Many thanks for the heads up. If I react, then I'll have a clue where it came from.