Boo! The Most Suprising Places Gluten is Hiding

When I was first diagnosed, I cut out gluten from my diet. But, I didn’t understand how sneaky gluten could be. Some, like soy sauce, folks learn contains gluten pretty quickly. But others, I would never have guessed. Here were some of the most suprising:

• Straws - sometimes the glue in paper straws contains gluten

• Hing - this spice blend is in a lot of Indian food, and it is delicious. But, when the spice blend is made in the factory, it is often cut with wheat flour as a thickener. Many restaurants and cooks use hing in “gluten free” dishes, thinking it is just spices.

• Chewing Gum - many chewing gums are covered in a gluten-filled coating to prevent it from sticking to the package

• Instant coffee - While coffee itself is gluten free, heavily processed instant coffee may include gluteny anti-caking agents

• Shampoo - Some shampoos and conditioners have ingredients like wheat, barley, rye, oat, triticum, hordeum. Although we aren’t directly eating our soaps and shampoos, there is risk for cross-contamination