I wrote this helpful guide for everyone trying to understand the dangers of gluten.

When my daughter and I first learned we had Celiac Disease, we thought we had stopped eating all the gluten. We did not eat any products that clearly labeled their ingredients. However, it is in understanding the words within the ingredients being used and that is where the gluten is hiding.

Caramel Coloring is Barley

There is barley hiding in all soft drinks like Coke, Pepsi and BBQ sauces under the word Caramel coloring. Caramel coloring is in a lot of drinks like Crush-Orange-grape and in lots of candies.

NO to white Vinegar and YES Apple Cider Vinegar

I called a major company to inquire about their vinegar and although vinegar is primarily made from corn, corn over the last few years has become a major type of fuel for transportation needs. Therefore, company’s can make their vinegar out of any grain they have available and the process does not have to be labeled as it is already under the FDA food umbrella. So you need to be careful with mustards, catsup, mayonnaise, and pickles. In Sushi, rice vinegar is used to make the rice sticky for the rolls and that often has some kind of gluten.

Hydrolyzed Oils

All products that have hydrolyzed oils have wheat contamination as wheat is used in the hydrolyzing process and is not labeled. Watch out for your peanut butters and even spices (if parsley is in garlic salt/powder, it probably has hydrolyzed oil to keep its color). I bought plain garlic salt with parsley and could not figure out why I kept getting so sick until I read the label in details!

Modified Food Starch

This can be found in cottage cheese, sour cream, and buttermilk and in just about every food product. The word Modified, can use any of the grains and the company does have not tell you what grain was used, however you start getting sick within 30 minutes of eating.

Rice

Wow, did you know many, restaurants, deep-fry their rice? Yes, they do and it has been fried in oil that also fried wheat products such as tortillas. So if you want Mexican food, the oil has been used to deep fry their flour tortilla products, then that oil is used to fry their corn chips for the salsa and the same oil is used in the beans and rice cooking process.

Milk Products

Milk can attack Celiacs and make us feel really bad. The attack we experience is called Anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is similar to what people get with bee stings, except for Celiacs; it never gets stronger and stronger like bee stings that can kill people.

When we consume milk, we get a rush of weakness, (can’t walk up stairs), shortness of breath and drenched in sweat. We experience shear exhaustion and we must rest.

Details of Milk

The breakdown here of what really makes you sick in the milk products can been seen in the video, How to Make Butter. When the butter starts forming, there is also a liquid separating and that is the Whey. The Whey is what is really attacking you and making you sick. So real butter (never margarines) Mozzarella and Sharp Cheddar Cheese is safe for you as there is no whey in the products. Make sure it’s sharp cheddar, as mild cheddar will have a lot of whey.

How to make butter:

Tuna

Without saying exact Tuna Fish companies’ names, one of them (cluck, cluck + ocean) uses a vegetable broth and insists that they do not use wheat or gluten in their product. However, it makes me get migraines and my tongue feels like it’s on fire and swells up. So look for Smart and Finals Tuna Polar Brand, its yummy and is only packed in water.

Natural Flavoring/Seasonings

This is a danger area as the word natural can be any gluten ingredient such as wheat, rye, oatmeal or Barley. The rule of thumb is; if it makes you sick, don’t use it. One time I bought the Garlic Salt with Parsley at Costco’s. I had no idea why I kept getting sick as it was just garlic salt. However, to keep the parsley ‘s bright green color, hydrolyzed oil was used and that is what kept making me so sick.

Tylenol

The red writing on Tylenol has gluten in it and gives me migraines.

Want to feel better?

I follow the book, “Eat Right for Your Type,” that would be blood type. I am a Blood Type O and have experimented with eating only Blood Type O’s highly beneficial foods and I feel so much better. When I eat foods on the totally avoid foods list, I am sick within hours. A person can either have their doctor tell them their blood type or they can donate blood at the Red Cross and find out for free.

Read, Read, READ, READ the Labels!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, you’re going to feel like you’ve turned into a mad scientist who has to read everything. In kind of a way, you have. Instead, lets just say you’re a Food Specialist now! You have to read every label every time even for products you bought last week. That’s how fast food Company’s changes their products. Like Lay’s BBQ Chips, one week I’m safe and the next week, I’m eating the chips and my tongue starts to burn and swell and I run to read the bag and the company is now coating the chips with Barley flour! WHY? I’m crying now!!!

Here’s to getting well!

Cris