FW: Ingredients on Lists to watch out for

I saw this list and decided to save a copy, and share one to you. The last big list is the one that has the mysterious ingredients, like yeast extract.   It is from www.Celiac.com

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What items on ingredients lists should I avoid?

Following is a list of things that are considered unsafe for obvious reasons; they all contain one of the forbidden grains as a standard ingredient (though even on this list there are exceptions, like gluten-free bread and some macaroon cookies which may be made without wheat flour):

bagels, barley, beer, biscuits, bran, bread, bulgur, cake, cake meal, cookies, couscous, crackers, croutons, cupcakes, doughnuts, durum, flour, french toast, gliadin, gluten, graham flour, graham crackers, kamut, macaroni malt, malt flavoring, malted milk, malt vinegar, matzo meal, muesli, muffins, noodles, oats or oatmeal, oat bran, pancakes, pasta, pastry, pie, pretzel, rolled oats, rye, semolina, spaghetti, spelt, toast, triticale, waffles, wheat, wheat germ, wheat starch, whole wheat

Be very sure to read all labels. Such common prepared food as cereals, ice cream, soups, yogurt, snack foods and processed meats (like lunch meats and sausages) may contain any of the above ingredients.

Seemingly innocent ingredients like "tomato paste" are suspect, too, because ingredients of ingredients are not required to be broken down. Some tomato paste may contain HVP, but when you see "tomato paste" in that jar of spaghetti sauce, it may be safe, or it may not. (Also check any cans of tomato paste you buy; if it says "100 percent tomatoes" it should be safe, but, surprisingly, many contain other ingredients).

It is a good idea to recheck labels at regular intervals. Ingredients may change at any time. For example, at one time Pringles Potato Chips were gluten-free. However, in the past year the ingredients changed to include wheat starch. Also, in some products the ingredients may vary from one batch to another. For example, Archway macaroons are sometimes made with potato starch, and sometimes with wheat starch. So, depending on which package you happen to buy, they may or may not be gluten free.

Any of the following may have wheat, rye, barley or oats as an ingredient. On some items wheat flour may be what we call a "hidden ingredient." This could be because conveyor belts are dusted with wheat flour, or wheat flour is mixed in to aid in pouring finely ground spices ("anti-caking agents"). (Food manufacturers are not required to list items used in "packaging" so be careful.) "Nebulous ingredients" are those with catchall names (like "modified food starch") that can be manufactured from a variety of sources, some of which are toxic, some of which are not.

Look at the ingredients list and check with the manufacturer:

annatto color, barbecue sauce, binders, bouillon, burrito (if wheat tortilla), butter-scotch, candy, caramel color, catsup, cereal, cheese (annatto color; molds may be introduced on bread crumbs), chewing gum (flour as ingredient or may be dusted with it), chocolate, cottage cheese (may contain food starches), curry powder (may have flour as a hidden ingredient to improve flow), emulsifiers, excipients, farina, fillers, food starch, french fries (contamination from cooking oil; vinegar retains color), frozen yogurt, gluten (corn gluten is not toxic), granola, gum (may be oat gum), hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP), hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) (if source not identified), ice cream, ice milk, leavening, Licorice candy (usually has wheat), maltodextrins (may be made with forbidden grains), mayonnaise, modified food starch (could be corn, could be wheat), mono & diglycerides (may use a wheat derived carrier), MSG (may be made from wheat outside U.S.), mustard (wheat flour may be a hidden ingredient), natural flavor (this can be anything; there is no disclosure requirement), nonalcoholic beer, rice syrup (may use barley enzymes), seasoning, sherbet, shortening (vitamin E from wheat germ may be added), soup, sour cream (may contain food starches), soy sauce (wheat used in most brands), spices (may have flour to improve flow), stabilizers, starch*, tamari (most okay, check ingredients), textured vegetable protein (TVP), tomato paste, tortillas, tostada, vegetable gum (may be made from forbidden grains), vegetable shortening (may be made from forbidden grains), white pepper, yeast (may be grown or dried on wheat flour), yeast extract, yogurt

* In the U.S. "starch" is safe as it should always be corn starch; in other countries it may be wheat starch. "Food starch" and "modified food starch" may be either corn or wheat, in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Anne Barfield
www.chickenparadise.com

3/21/06