So first thing is, cleaning out your pantry ACTUALLY means cleaning out the pantry, fridge, cabinets, and spices. And it took hours, since many of you know, there are SO many names for gluten. Three things I learned:
Nothing is safe. Besides the obvious pastas, flour, breads, etc. All my Great Value spices had a May Contain Wheat label. Great Value Chicken Broth was the same. Even a drink mix (to flavor water) had it. Yogurt had it. Beef Bouillon cubes had it....
Vinegar isn't always safe. Malt Vinegar is a definite no-no, but Apple Cider Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar, and others are safe. White Vinegar is the questionable one. It can be made from a variety of things, including gluten containing items. So although you may not have a reaction with one product containing white vinegar, it's possible to have issue with another product. And just because it's not a problem today, doesn't mean the company can't change their vinegar supplier and suddenly, you have a reaction. I decided to err on the safe side in most cases.
Even when you think you're good, you're not. I had dinner last night, then had the telltale headache followed by hours of nausea... Double checked ALL the ingredients and the only thing that could have been the culprit was my shredded cheese. I double checked each of those ingredients and although they should have all been gluten-free, the only ingredient that could have done it was Natamycin. After a brief google, I discovered that though it's generally considered to be a gluten-free ingredient, many people with a gluten allergy have had reactions to it. It's most commonly found in pre-shredded cheeses. So it looks like I'll be shredding my own cheese from here on out.
Update: Went shopping and discovered that Natamycin is in a lot of block cheeses too. At the time of this posting, it was not in Borden's or Great Value's block cheeses, but was in Kraft and Cracker Barrel.
Nothing is safe. Besides the obvious pastas, flour, breads, etc. All my Great Value spices had a May Contain Wheat label. Great Value Chicken Broth was the same. Even a drink mix (to flavor water) had it. Yogurt had it. Beef Bouillon cubes had it....
Vinegar isn't always safe. Malt Vinegar is a definite no-no, but Apple Cider Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar, and others are safe. White Vinegar is the questionable one. It can be made from a variety of things, including gluten containing items. So although you may not have a reaction with one product containing white vinegar, it's possible to have issue with another product. And just because it's not a problem today, doesn't mean the company can't change their vinegar supplier and suddenly, you have a reaction. I decided to err on the safe side in most cases.
Even when you think you're good, you're not. I had dinner last night, then had the telltale headache followed by hours of nausea... Double checked ALL the ingredients and the only thing that could have been the culprit was my shredded cheese. I double checked each of those ingredients and although they should have all been gluten-free, the only ingredient that could have done it was Natamycin. After a brief google, I discovered that though it's generally considered to be a gluten-free ingredient, many people with a gluten allergy have had reactions to it. It's most commonly found in pre-shredded cheeses. So it looks like I'll be shredding my own cheese from here on out.
Update: Went shopping and discovered that Natamycin is in a lot of block cheeses too. At the time of this posting, it was not in Borden's or Great Value's block cheeses, but was in Kraft and Cracker Barrel.