I have been doing a lot of gluten free baking, and I have a lot of recipes to post. The last few weeks have been crazy though, so I have not been posting here as much as I wanted to. I hope to change that this week and post several new recipes.
Today though I wanted to share several reminders I had over the last week about the importance of reading labels. We all know that when dealing with food allergies, gluten intolerance, and celiac that you have to read labels. It is just something we do.
However, I think that we have all had times where we relax and get lazy about reading labels. This is really something we can not get lazy on. It is too important. We must take the time to read labels.
Last week I had two experiences that reminded me of how important this is. Both actually involve ice cream, but the example applies to almost all food.
We stopped at the store last Friday to pick up some ice cream to take to a church picnic. I was in a hurry, so I just grabbed some plain chocolate and plain vanilla ice cream. We have been staying away from ice creams with add ins or extras, because most of them contain gluten and/or nuts. We have found though that name brand vanilla and chocolate are usually safe. So, that is what I grabbed.
Well, it turns out that the chocolate contained wheat. Yes, chocolate ice cream can contain wheat. I have no idea why, but it did. Stated plainly on the ingredients list was wheat. I should have read the labels better.
Lesson learned. Even plain ice cream can contain wheat and gluten.
Our second experience was again with ice cream. We were out one evening as a family and wanted to find something that we could all eat. We were trying to find some ice cream that we could all have. We decided on a place we thought was safe. My husband said, ” I think you better check to make sure that this is okay to eat.” I was sure they were fine, but did a quick internet search to be sure.
It turns out that the majority of that brand of ice cream is made with peanut oil. Peanut oil, in regular ice cream! Why! Can I just ask why?
I am not trying to complain, but really why do they put wheat and nut in so many things?
Those experiences gave me another wake up call about reading labels. I can’t relax. I can’t not read them. No matter how much of a hurry I am in, I MUST read all labels. It is just not worth the risk.
What items have you seen lately that surprised you about what they contained?
Oh yes…..wheat can be hidden in so many things!! I always read the labels. Even those you have been counting on sometimes change!
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I hear you there!! There are so many “hidden” places of nuts – it makes me annoyed. Makes food buying a challenge.
.-= SnoWhite´s last blog ..Menu Plan – June 6 =-.
I have a barley allergy, and, at first, I was just avoiding the things that were overtly barley (i.e. “Chicken and Barley Soup”). Now, one of my favorite snacks is barbecue potato chips, especially the KC Masterpiece ones from Lay’s. Until they started giving me allergic reactions. Then I looked at the label, and, lo and behold, barley malt flour. So, like you, I’ve had to get more strict on checking labels, and I’ve found that barley malt flour is a popular ingredient in lots of snack foods. It’s really frustrating, and I understand your struggle!
When we first went gluten free I was shocked that gluten was things like potato chips, hot dogs, lunch meat, and yes, chicken broth? It makes very little sense. Why would they put wheat, rye or barley in those things? I guess they make cheap fillers.
.-= flora´s last blog ..Grilled Corn on the Cob =-.