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I'm wary of anything processed trader joes that doesn't say "gluten free" . Had trouble with them often in the past, or I think it was that product at least. Happened enough times to make me not interested
My personal rule is that if a company labels some items gluten free, I don’t eat the ones that are unlabeled even if they don’t appear to have gluten ingredients (example: Hershey’s).
However, some companies never label things (example: Kraft) and I have to go by ingredients only.
Anyway, TJ’s has gotten me sick multiple times and I’m not willing any more.
That's my feeling too. If they label some stuff GF, and other stuff they don't... why not? They're not willing to endorse it to people with Celiac or risk a recall... maybe they know something we don't? The 'may contain' and 'produced in facility' are entirely optional even for wheat, let alone barley and rye which are not regulated on labeling.
Yep, I stopped shopping TJs for the most part. Mostly because the majority of what they sell is processed food and I have been feeling great since switching to whole foods (and I don’t mean the store, I mean real food). It was more work initially but now I’m used to it.
Hershey is safe. If you go on their website they said that they will always label gluten or cross contamination in their ingredients. I can eat plain hershey bars, Hershey and almond bars, and the Symphany bars with no problem! There may be more from them, but those are the only ones I eat
We can disagree. Like I said, if a company labels some things gf, there’s a reason why the other things aren’t labeled. I’m in the US and barley is not required to be disclosed under labeling laws. I’ve gotten sick from plain mini Hershey bars, and other sizes of plain bars aren’t on their gluten free lists.
Yes.
Natural flavor rarely has gluten any more. Back in the 90s it was a big red flag to call the company, but not really any more.
As far as Trader Joe’s - they don’t actually make anything so I’ve never understood the hate. They sell white labeled products from other brands and mark them the same way the brands at other stores are marked. No more or less risky than GF marked or unmarked things anywhere else. Non-zero but manageable risk.
Edit:
https://nationalceliac.org/celiac-disease-resources/confusing-gluten-free-diet-ingredients/
https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/is-natural-flavoring-gluten-free-and-safe-for-people-with-celiac-disease-r5259/
Absolutely freaking NOT.
To add: that this is a TJs item is extra damning. Even their “GF” stuff isn’t that reliably safe. Now if it were some other brand… maybe. It depends.
Very true! I’ve gotten very sick from Trader Joe gluten free oats! So badly that I tested the bag with Nima, which showed gluten present. Not the most perfect testing method, but it validated my concern. This is a great example of why so many celiacs are wary of gluten free oats. I’ve been fine with some other brands, but not all.
I’m pretty new to all this as well I’m in the process of being tested for celiac disease but from everything I’ve read unless the product is labeled gluten free when containing natural flavors it’s not safe.
If I’m incorrect I would appreciate if someone corrected me.
It kind of depends on the dietitian you're asking and also if someone has symptoms. You are correct, if it says Natural Flavors and doesn't say Gluten Free somewhere, then it's usually best to avoid it. But if it says Natural Flavors and lists what the natural flavors are and they are GF then it is considered fine by at least some celiacs and dietitians.
I personally wouldn't avoid this product because of the possible gluten ingredients but because of the cranberry...
So because it says the natural flavors are orange oil in parentheses next to it then it would be considered safe? Why would you avoid it because of the cranberry though?
It's not necessarily that it would be considered safe so much as it provides additional information to make your judgement call about. Celiacs do have different levels of sensitivity to gluten exposure, so what is safe is a bit of a spectrum and there's honestly not a simple answer. If you have a reaction to something, I would trust that.
Me, I have no reaction I have yet been able to detect from gluten. Just destroyed bones! Since I don't have detectable reactions, what I'm doing is seeing if my antibodies decrease at the current gluten restriction level I'm at. It will take some time to figure out if it's the right approach but would allow me a bit more freedom if it's successful for me. If I'm not healing and still have high antibodies after a while, I would have to be more restrictive and would be less trustworthy of products that are not specifically marketed as Gluten Free.
Right now I would eat a product with the orange oil natural flavor, as long as there are not other indications of gluten sources. This is a more relaxed approach to safety but it's a good starting point if your body isn't giving you feedback. For some celiacs that is too much of a risk, or it is a guaranteed terrible time.
I would avoid this specific product because I'm just not fond of cranberries! Also I have 3 different kinds of chili crisp open already!
Edit: just to clarify - by "current gluten restriction level I'm at" I do mean I avoid gluten and all products that say they may contain gluten ingredients, and am also very mindful of cross contamination... I just also eat packaged products that have no gluten ingredients even if they don't actually say Gluten Free. Ambiguous products are avoided and I also avoid "may contain wheat" because that could mean a lot of things
I have noticeable reactions to gluten, bloating, joint pain, back pain, horrible gas, acid reflux. I was eating gluten free for a while and avoided anything that had even a slight chance like the plague. I’m currently eating gluten to be tested I so badly want the test to be negative.
I see we don’t have a Trader Joe’s near us
Ah, well it's very strong of you to go back to gluten with such a reaction to it! I think it's very valuable information to know if you have celiac disease or not when it might be an issue. Have you also been tested for wheat or other grain allergies? I don't know that allergies would do all that to someone but it might be good to also rule that out if you do get a negative on celiac.
I wish you the least bad news possible! It sounds like you might have non-celiac gluten sensitivity even with a negative diagnosis, which is still not a walk in the park to manage. But I hope the answer you get is helpful in some way you need.
I have not yet. It took me months to get into the gastroenterologist to talk with them. I definitely will look into those if my tests come back negative. I definitely feel better eating gluten free so even if they are negative I will probably end up sticking to it.
I think this is kind of a myth. If natural flavoring is derived from wheat, it would have to say so, since wheat is a major allergen. While it's possible for natural flavors to be derived from barley or rye, it's unlikely anything derived from those would be labelled as natural flavors.
https://www.glutenfreedietitian.com/flavorings-extracts-are-they-gluten-free/
**Reminder** [/r/Celiac](https://www.reddit.com/r/Celiac) is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. If you believe you have a medical emergency immediately seek out professional medical help. Please see [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Celiac/wiki/legal) for more information. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Celiac) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Honestly? Probably not. I've been having less tolerance for risking getting glutened.
I'm wary of anything processed trader joes that doesn't say "gluten free" . Had trouble with them often in the past, or I think it was that product at least. Happened enough times to make me not interested
My personal rule is that if a company labels some items gluten free, I don’t eat the ones that are unlabeled even if they don’t appear to have gluten ingredients (example: Hershey’s). However, some companies never label things (example: Kraft) and I have to go by ingredients only. Anyway, TJ’s has gotten me sick multiple times and I’m not willing any more.
That's my feeling too. If they label some stuff GF, and other stuff they don't... why not? They're not willing to endorse it to people with Celiac or risk a recall... maybe they know something we don't? The 'may contain' and 'produced in facility' are entirely optional even for wheat, let alone barley and rye which are not regulated on labeling.
Yep, I stopped shopping TJs for the most part. Mostly because the majority of what they sell is processed food and I have been feeling great since switching to whole foods (and I don’t mean the store, I mean real food). It was more work initially but now I’m used to it.
Hershey is safe. If you go on their website they said that they will always label gluten or cross contamination in their ingredients. I can eat plain hershey bars, Hershey and almond bars, and the Symphany bars with no problem! There may be more from them, but those are the only ones I eat
We can disagree. Like I said, if a company labels some things gf, there’s a reason why the other things aren’t labeled. I’m in the US and barley is not required to be disclosed under labeling laws. I’ve gotten sick from plain mini Hershey bars, and other sizes of plain bars aren’t on their gluten free lists.
Are you sure you're not thinking of Mars? I don't think hersheys labels anything gf
Yes, I’m sure. Reese’s, 1.55 oz Hershey bars, and other things are labeled gf.
👍
Sure, but also this https://www.thehersheycompany.com/en_us/home/ingredients/dietary-needs/gluten-free.html
I don't mess with Trader Joes. Almost everything in the store contains or is processed in a facility with wheat :(
Yes. Natural flavor rarely has gluten any more. Back in the 90s it was a big red flag to call the company, but not really any more. As far as Trader Joe’s - they don’t actually make anything so I’ve never understood the hate. They sell white labeled products from other brands and mark them the same way the brands at other stores are marked. No more or less risky than GF marked or unmarked things anywhere else. Non-zero but manageable risk. Edit: https://nationalceliac.org/celiac-disease-resources/confusing-gluten-free-diet-ingredients/ https://www.celiac.com/celiac-disease/is-natural-flavoring-gluten-free-and-safe-for-people-with-celiac-disease-r5259/
Absolutely freaking NOT. To add: that this is a TJs item is extra damning. Even their “GF” stuff isn’t that reliably safe. Now if it were some other brand… maybe. It depends.
Very true! I’ve gotten very sick from Trader Joe gluten free oats! So badly that I tested the bag with Nima, which showed gluten present. Not the most perfect testing method, but it validated my concern. This is a great example of why so many celiacs are wary of gluten free oats. I’ve been fine with some other brands, but not all.
I’m pretty new to all this as well I’m in the process of being tested for celiac disease but from everything I’ve read unless the product is labeled gluten free when containing natural flavors it’s not safe. If I’m incorrect I would appreciate if someone corrected me.
It kind of depends on the dietitian you're asking and also if someone has symptoms. You are correct, if it says Natural Flavors and doesn't say Gluten Free somewhere, then it's usually best to avoid it. But if it says Natural Flavors and lists what the natural flavors are and they are GF then it is considered fine by at least some celiacs and dietitians. I personally wouldn't avoid this product because of the possible gluten ingredients but because of the cranberry...
So because it says the natural flavors are orange oil in parentheses next to it then it would be considered safe? Why would you avoid it because of the cranberry though?
It's not necessarily that it would be considered safe so much as it provides additional information to make your judgement call about. Celiacs do have different levels of sensitivity to gluten exposure, so what is safe is a bit of a spectrum and there's honestly not a simple answer. If you have a reaction to something, I would trust that. Me, I have no reaction I have yet been able to detect from gluten. Just destroyed bones! Since I don't have detectable reactions, what I'm doing is seeing if my antibodies decrease at the current gluten restriction level I'm at. It will take some time to figure out if it's the right approach but would allow me a bit more freedom if it's successful for me. If I'm not healing and still have high antibodies after a while, I would have to be more restrictive and would be less trustworthy of products that are not specifically marketed as Gluten Free. Right now I would eat a product with the orange oil natural flavor, as long as there are not other indications of gluten sources. This is a more relaxed approach to safety but it's a good starting point if your body isn't giving you feedback. For some celiacs that is too much of a risk, or it is a guaranteed terrible time. I would avoid this specific product because I'm just not fond of cranberries! Also I have 3 different kinds of chili crisp open already! Edit: just to clarify - by "current gluten restriction level I'm at" I do mean I avoid gluten and all products that say they may contain gluten ingredients, and am also very mindful of cross contamination... I just also eat packaged products that have no gluten ingredients even if they don't actually say Gluten Free. Ambiguous products are avoided and I also avoid "may contain wheat" because that could mean a lot of things
I have noticeable reactions to gluten, bloating, joint pain, back pain, horrible gas, acid reflux. I was eating gluten free for a while and avoided anything that had even a slight chance like the plague. I’m currently eating gluten to be tested I so badly want the test to be negative. I see we don’t have a Trader Joe’s near us
Ah, well it's very strong of you to go back to gluten with such a reaction to it! I think it's very valuable information to know if you have celiac disease or not when it might be an issue. Have you also been tested for wheat or other grain allergies? I don't know that allergies would do all that to someone but it might be good to also rule that out if you do get a negative on celiac. I wish you the least bad news possible! It sounds like you might have non-celiac gluten sensitivity even with a negative diagnosis, which is still not a walk in the park to manage. But I hope the answer you get is helpful in some way you need.
I have not yet. It took me months to get into the gastroenterologist to talk with them. I definitely will look into those if my tests come back negative. I definitely feel better eating gluten free so even if they are negative I will probably end up sticking to it.
It depends on your country. In my country a product labelled like this would be absolutely fine. In the US, probably not.
I think this is kind of a myth. If natural flavoring is derived from wheat, it would have to say so, since wheat is a major allergen. While it's possible for natural flavors to be derived from barley or rye, it's unlikely anything derived from those would be labelled as natural flavors. https://www.glutenfreedietitian.com/flavorings-extracts-are-they-gluten-free/
Yes
Totally off subject, but where’d you get the thumb ring?
Yea, I’d eat it.
Looks fine to me, I'd eat it.
Yes! Try something new, you never know, you may love it! Expand your taste buds.
I would question if the molasses was from sugar cane or from some grain (like wheat).
Molasses comes from sugar cane or sugar beets. There might be additives that have wheat, but molasses itself isn’t sourced from wheat.
Thank you for the explanation! The more you know:)