In honor of Celiac Awareness Month, here are the top ten places that gluten could be hiding in YOUR kitchen!  

-If you have Celiac Disease or any form of gluten sensitivity (or are caring for someone who does), this can be an important checklist. 

-Are your labs still showing elevated antibodies (IgG or IgA)?  If you’ve checked what seems like everywhere to eliminate sources of gluten…be sure to check these too! 

Where else have you found gluten to be hiding?  Share with us in the comments!

 Top 10 Places Gluten Could Be Hiding

1.  Envelope Adhesive

Don’t lick them closed!  Instead, use a moistened paper towel to seal them, or buy the self-sealing type.

2.  Gum, candy, & mints

Ingredients to watch out for:  hydrolyzed or modified starches, hydroxylated soy and soy lecithin, artificial flavorings and colors, dextrose, maltodextrin, and high fructose corn syrup (and I recommend steering clear of artificial sweeteners like aspartame).

3.  Pans or bowls used to cook and store pasta

Gluten is like GLUE…it is VERY hard to remove!  For this reason, everything we produce at The Gluten & Grain Free Gourmet is made in a dedicated gluten free, grain free, soy free kitchen and/or with dedicated pans and utensils.  Yes, it matters!

4.  Salad dressing, sauces, and marinades

These often contain grains and soy as thickening agents; watch out for modified starches, modified food starch, soybean oils, hydrolyzed vegetable oils, artificial flavorings and colors.

5.  Silverware drawer

If your household isn’t gluten free, crumbs just seems to magnetically collect there!  Even though my kitchen is dedicated…I still find crumbs!  They aren’t gluten crumbs, mind you…but I still find crumbs! 😉

6.  Utensils previously used to cook pasta or other gluten-containing items

Have you ever looked closely at your kitchen spatulas?  Really closely?  Usually, to the naked eye, even clean utensils will show some food left behind after hand scrubbing or dishwasher cycles.  Gluten clings and rarely lets go!

7.  Butter

If your kitchen is shared with non-gluten-free friends or family, butter is a tough one.  For example, did someone dip their bread knife in it?  Get your own butter supply, and label it!

8.  Medications & Vitamins

I’ve tripped up on these myself!  Even coatings to ibuprofen contain starches and other additives.  Regular medications (example:  Synthroid) often contain fillers, coatings, and other “non-active” ingredients.  The safest form of over-the-counter meds I have found are the gel type (for example, liqui-gels).  Read and study the label of any medication or vitamins, especially the inactive ingredient list.  See more about my vitamin experience at this post. 

9.  Contaminated dish sponge

Again, a shared environment is tough.  Before I had a dedicated gluten free kitchen, I used to keep my kitchen sponge in a ziploc bag, marked with GF ONLY, DO NOT TOUCH.  If a sponge is used to wash dishes from pasta, marinades, bread, etc., that gluten can easily transfer and contaminate your “safe” dishes and utensils.

10.  Products marked “gluten free” that simply…aren’t

Until the new FDA laws take full effect, food manufacturers can continue to use the term “gluten free” pretty liberally.  Read the labels carefully, and listen to your body!  If you react to something marked as “gluten free,” pay attention to what your body gives you as the truth.

Below is a “cheat sheet” you can share!  Let’s help spread the word and help those with Celiac to heal and be well!