I always think it is fun to see what other peoples favorite gluten free products are.   If I had to pick my favorite product, it would definitely be Tinkyada.  Not only does it taste the same to me as traditional wheat pastas, in some ways it is almost better!

Karina recently listed her Top 10 Gluten Free Favorites, in which Pamela’s Bread Mix took the top spot.   What are your favorite gluten free products?

In order to maintain a completely gluten free diet, it is essential that you do a lot more than just look for gluten in foods.  Did you know that gluten can also be found in all sorts of other things?  Did you know stamps contain gluten?  Certain medicines?

It would be to difficult to compile a complete list of these products, but here are some things you should look for if you are living gluten free:

• Lotions, creams and cosmetics (primarily for those with dermatitis herpetaformis).
• Stamps, envelopes or other gummed labels.
• Toothpaste and mouthwash.
• Some medicines contain gluten.
• Some brands of rice paper.
• Laxatives.

Can you think of any non-food or drink items that contain gluten that I might have missed?  Let me know in the comments below!

Remember that labeling law the FDA approved specifically to help people with Celiac Disease?  I noticed Atlanticville has written a quick reminder about the change and thought I would pass it along. Here is a portion of their post:

Currently, U.S. food-labeling laws require that the eight most allergenic foods (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts and soybeans) be listed by their commonly recognized name on ingredient labels of packaged foods sold in the United States. The labeling requirement, which took effect in 2006 under the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, helped consumers identify ingredients they needed to avoid as a result of various allergies and intolerances; however, for individualswith celiac disease, the labeling requirement was only partly helpful.

A definition of “gluten-free” has been developed for voluntary use on product labels, effective in August. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs and highly refined oils are not included, but any other processed food may put “glutenfree” on its label if it contains less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. There will also be new retail labeling guidelines in the fall regarding the country of origin of beef, lamb, pork, fish, shellfish, fruits, vegetables and peanuts. The information must state whether a product comes from the United States only, foreign sources only or is of mixed origin. Restaurants, cafeterias, food stands, and a few other small entities are exempt from this regulation.

Foods not governed by these guidelines may result in misleading labels that do not accurately reflect where individual ingredients are grown and processed. For example, a candy bar that is labeled “Product of France” may actually contain peanuts from Argentina.

Most people that are living gluten free lives are doing so for health reasons, and in particular, due to being diagnosed with Celiac Disease.   What many don’t know, however, is that the gluten free diet has gained some popularity in many areas of the United States among many health conscious people, who see the diet as a good way to eat well and improve their lives.

As you’d expect, Los Angeles is one of the places where this trend has picked up, and the L.A. Times recently wrote a post about the gluten free lifestyle:

Judy Beckett, a retired educator, was diagnosed with celiac disease two years ago: Her gut cannot tolerate gluten, and switching to these foods has improved her digestion and quality of life. Claudia Lopez, a housekeeper and mother of four, is looking for gluten-free food for herself and her family. She recently switched to it at the urging of a health expert she heard on Spanish radio.

Beckett and Lopez have plenty of company as more and more consumers embrace the gluten-free trend. Users run the gamut: There are people like Beckett with celiac disease who must be on the diet; others who believe the diet can alleviate chronic intestinal complaints and boost energy; still others who believe the gluten-free diet may help in the treatment of autism and a host of other disorders, including schizophrenia, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, attention deficit disorder, migraine and even fertility problems.

And some people are trying the diet simply because they’ve heard it is healthful.

“A lot of people are going gluten-free . . . but they really don’t know why,” says Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides, a company that forecasts food trends. “It’s just like, “Quick, it’s gluten-free, it must be good!’ “

Click over to check out the rest of their post!

Even though the gluten free lifestyle seems to become even more mainstream with each passing week, there are still a number of myths regarding the diet that many people don’t know about.

Today I noticed a great post uncovering a bunch of gluten free myths over at Delightfully Gluten Free. Here is a small part of their terrific post:

Myth 1: Vinegar is not gluten-free.
Truth: Most vinegars are gluten-free. The exceptions are malt vinegar and “flavored” vinegars, which have stuff added to them after the distillation process.

Myth 2: McDonald’s French Fries are not gluten-free.
Truth: A very small amount of gluten was in a flavoring used in the oil to par-fry the potatoes. The french fries have been tested and NO detectable gluten was found in the final product. Even the CSA believes them to be gluten-free. Now, you may not want to eat them on the principal that they once put even a small amount of wheat in them. That’s fine. But the bigger concern is the level of cross-contact caused by the obnoxious 16 year-old in charge of the fryer. If you’ve never had chicken nugget bits in your french fries, then you’re pretty lucky. And that is why I don’t eat their fries.

Myth 3: Alcohol from grain sources are not gluten-free.
Truth: The distillation process removes the gluten. I don’t know what kinds of alcohol are distilled, because I don’t drink it. I do know that beer is not distilled and does have gluten (unless you get one of the brands of gf beer).

Myth 4: Envelope glue has gluten.
Truth: I have not seen any proof that it does happen, though it still could. But, seriously, why would you want to put that stuff on your tongue anyways? I quit licking them when I was 10. Dab a little water on it and spread it around, and you’re set to go. Your tongue will thank you.

Click over to check out the other myths that are uncovered.