Having hidden gluten fall into your diet is just as bad as actually eating actual gluten. Some people will argue that it's not a big deal because it's in small or trace amounts. But I will let you in on a little secret-It's bad! Save yourself the pain! It's not worth it! And small amounts of hidden gluten over a period of time add up big time! Even trace amounts can send your body down the rabbit hole. You may say you didn't notice any symptoms, but there are plenty of symptoms happening on the inside of your body that most often treat as mystery symptoms. Adding chronic inflammation into your body is not the place you want to head towards! Trust me. And it's just as bad as eating the real thing.
So now that we have that covered, let's talk about WHERE hidden gluten may lurk behind the scenes.
Common ways hidden gluten can sneak into your diet:
- Imitation Crab (also found in sushi)
- Sushi rice (sushi rice is often sprayed with a wheat coating, making sushi rice unsuitable for Celiacs or those with a Gluten-Sensitivity)
- Foods fried in the same oil fryers: tortilla chips, fries, vegetable chips, potatoes, breakfast potatoes, onion rings, bacon (sometimes), even the healthy avocado fries and chickpea fries!
- Machinery to make in-house tortillas
- Food preparation in restaurants, cutting boards, colander, cross-contaminated containers, pasta making bowls, water even utensils
- Herbal teas or teas (some of the flavored and holiday teas are made with Malt Barely and are indicated on the package) (Sugar Cookie, Gingerbread, Hazelnut, and others usually have malt)
- Condiments
- Rye bread
- Soy Sauce, Teriyaki Sauce, BBQ Sauce, Tamari Sauce, Hot Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Hoisin Sauce
- Salad Dressing
- Caramel Coloring (can be derived from corn, but can also be derived from a gluten source. Caramel coloring is found in soda, sports drinks, Starbucks syrup flavors, Dunkin Donuts, and most coffee places syrups) (this is not to be confused with caramel candy).
- Valentine candy-like Russell Stovers, Whitman's, and other drugstore brands, the cross-contamination alone are severe.
- Halloween Candy, Easter Candy, and Holiday Candies-Often the demand during these holidays is so great that these manufacturers farm out the candies to be made on outsourced machinery that can often be used with gluten. This is stated on candy websites, but not on the packaging. Small print.
- Lipstick, lipgloss, chapstick, lotions, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, eyeliner, blush, foundation, mascara, hair products
- Candy
- Cough Drops
- Medications, Antibiotics, and OTC drugs
- Vitamins, Minerals
- Nasal sprays
- Dental treatments
- Mouthwash
- Toasters
- Alcohol-Whisky, Gin, certain vodkas, flavored alcohol, malt alcoholic drinks, beer (although whiskey, gin, and vodka have distillation processes which claim to get all the wheat out, some Celiacs actually have trouble with these anyway. I have learned to stay away from Whisky, Gin, and certain vodkas. The research I have done on Gin and many brands is that they cannot confirm Gin is actually gluten-free. Potato vodka is always ok like Tito's. Kettle one is not a potato vodka, but doesn't bother me the way Grey Goose does.)
- Bailey's Irish Cream Liquor and other flavors. They contain Malt flavorings and caramel coloring.
- Kahlua is considered gluten-free but also contains caramel coloring.
- Guinness beer
- Nigerian Guinness beer
- Cold Cuts and Deli Meats and the deli slicer! (have the deli clean the slicer before you have your meat sliced on it)
- Processed Meat
- Onion rings, zucchini chips, mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, fish sticks, potato skins, hash browns, mashed potatoes
- Spinach dip
- Dip
- Meatballs
- fried calamari
- Sauces
- Bloody Mary mixes, Pina Colada mixes
- Gravy
- Stuffing
- Flavored syrups used as drink enhancers
- Cereal
- Vitamin E, Wheat Germ oil in cosmetics (Vitamin E is not always derived from a gluten-free source)
- Stabilizers, binders, and fillers are usually gluten and should be avoided
- Reduced-fat products can contain hidden gluten
- Puddings, custards, pie fillings
- Coffee flavors gourmet and non-gourmet (I usually get a plain decaf coffee and flavor it with my own spices)
- CANDY CANES!! (A box of candy canes usually does not offer that gluten is used because it's not in the ingredients, it's in the processing. Therefore the package often does not detail this info. Wheat and gluten powders are used to keep the candy cane from sticking in a messy way to the clear plastic wrap. Ever wonder how it gets in there so nicely? The brand Spanglers is a certified gluten-free facility and all their candy including their candy canes are gluten-free in ingredients and processing.
- Vegan products
- Cous Cous is not gluten-free
- Granola
- Oatmeal (use only certified gluten-free oats)
- Pam Cooking sprays (not all are gluten-free)
- Pizza Ovens
- Imitation Soy
- Dried Fruit
- Nuts and Seed packages
- Bulk Nuts and Seeds
- Loose Dates (usually sprinkled with oat flour (not the gluten-free kind)
- Processed snacks like flavored popcorn, flavored chips, candy, chocolate…even the ones that look healthy.
- Juice and Smoothie stores, Fresh juice machines - why? Because they don't clean the juicer of the blender after every single one they make, and many smoothies use non-gluten-free powders, superfoods, protein powders, nuts, seeds, and non-gluten grasses. It's best to make your own.
- Cutting boards - hidden gluten can hide in the scratches on the boards and hidden gluten can last on cutting boards for a long time.
- Here are some "adult" ways hidden gluten can lurk: Sharing cigarettes (why? because if you are sharing it with someone who is not gluten-free; their lip liquid residue will sit on the rim of the cigarette causing cross-contamination or that person was eating gluten), sharing alcoholic beverages/cups, also cocktail shakers in bars and clubs made to mix all kinds of drinks and are not necessarily getting washed in between each round, sharing bongs/bowls for marijuana use, kissing, candy-flavored sex toys.