The everyday items with ‘hidden’ gluten: Can they make a person with coeliac disease sick?

Everyone knows bread and pasta are a nightmare for those with coeliac disease, but did you know these products are too? From mayo to ice-cream, here are the items to double-check.

When I found out I had coeliac disease two years ago, my whole life changed.

My body was attacking my small intestine every time I ate gluten, meaning my only option was to cut the gluten all together.

I knew that meant cutting bread and pasta and finding alternatives, which already felt like changing my entire meal plans.

But gluten in mayonnaise? Ice-cream? Shampoo? Do I have to avoid all of them?

Coeliac Australia’s health advocacy officer Penny Dellsperger shares the products you need to avoid as a coeliac — plus debunks common myths about when you can come into contact with gluten.

Ice-cream

Products will state ‘may contain gluten’ if processed at facilities that also carry gluten-containing items.

Thickeners, colourings and flavourings in ice cream can all contain gluten. Even gluten-free by ingredient ice creams may not be safe if made in the same factory as gluten-containing flavours.

Sauces

Some brands add gluten to their sauces — always be sure to check!

Ms Dellsperger said some of the hardest categories of food to manage are those that sometimes contain gluten depending on the brand.

Tomato sauce is always OK, according to Ms Dellsperger, but mayonnaise, oyster sauce and soy sauce require you to check for added ingredients.

Icing sugar and corn flour

Experiment with gluten-free flours to find what works best for your recipes.

If you’re new to being coeliac, watch out for sneaky additions of wheat flour to your icing sugar and cornflour.

“Thankfully now you know you’ve got the bigger manufacturers like CSR making icing sugar mixture without wheat flour,” Ms Dellsperger said.

You’ll need to experiment with gluten-free flours, from my experience. It’s no secret they don’t always work the same as regular flour products in terms of thickening a product, and can carry a different taste.

Shampoo and conditioner

Many hair and beauty products contain wheat.

I freaked out just a couple of weeks ago when I found wheat protein in my shampoo. Thankfully, Ms Dellsperger told me that unless I was drinking my hair care products, I had nothing to worry about. Gluten cannot be absorbed through the skin.

“The amount that you would need to ingest to cause an issue is not something that’s going to happen just by accidental exposure, by getting a little bit of shampoo in your mouth when you’re washing your hair or something like that,” she said.

“You would have to intentionally drink bottles of shampoo to reach any level of concern.”

Cutlery

Some people with coeliac disease carry their own cutlery to avoid cross contamination.

I’ve seen some coeliacs carry around their own cutlery, fearing cross contamination.

But Ms Dellsperger confirmed it was “not physically possible” to get contaminated by cutlery that has been washed.

“If someone finds they’re getting sick because they think they’ve used cutlery, I would actually suspect that there could be something else going on clinically,” she said.

But be warned not to double dip!

If someone has used their knife to wipe butter on their bread, don’t use the same one for your own gluten-free toast for risk of cross contamination.

Kissing a gluten eater

Can you be ‘glutened’ by someone else?

It’s something we’ve got to consider being coeliac! Can I cop a smooch if he’s just downed a parma?

“Only if someone were to transfer a significant amount – like a mouthful of crumbs – into your mouth,” Ms Dellsperger said.

With a laugh she confirmed that “it would have to be something you’d have to chew on and swallow for it to be an issue”.

“I hope that wouldn’t happen because that’s a bit gross,” she said.

Oats

Some people with coeliac disease will also need to rule out oats.

Pure, uncontaminated oats contain a gluten-like protein called avenin, and a small number of people with coeliac disease react to this. For that reason, oats cannot be labelled as gluten free in Australia.

“Why most can eat pure oats, but then a small minority can’t, we don’t yet know,” Ms Dellsperger said.

Some coeliacs take an ‘oat challenge’ to see if they can tolerate them, which includes medical monitoring while reintroducing them back into the diet.

“We’re encouraging people to have a conversation with their doctor about oats, as they are a really nutritious and healthy grain and they do help to replace a lot of the good nutrients that are often missing from a gluten free diet,” Ms Dellsperger said.

“Once you take out wheat, rye and barley, you miss out on a lot of those good things.”

Be careful when eating ‘GF’ at restaurants

Always check the labels before purchasing food items.

In Australia, packaged products cannot be labelled as gluten free unless they absolutely are.

Restaurants however can label foods as gluten free even if they’re cooked in the same pots and pans as food containing gluten.

“As with any kitchen, there’s always going to be risks,” Ms Dellsperger said.

“It’s not realistic to expect that guarantee in a restaurant setting.

“You do need to upskill in being able to advocate for yourself in a really nice and polite way. Being able to ask those questions and be comfortable that they do have the knowledge to cater for you.”

As with many coeliacs, I avoid foods cooked in common fryers.

“It’s not that the oil itself is contaminated – it’s actually the bits of batter or crumb that come off the gluten containing items that are the potential source of cross contact,” Ms Dellsperger said.

“If a place is skimming those crumbs off and cleaning the oil regularly, the risk of cross contact is reduced.”

Keep monitoring your health

If you think you have coeliac disease, keep eating gluten before you get tested.

Severity of sensitivity can vary between people, and at the end of the day, what you risk eating is an individual choice.

“This basically reinforces the importance of that regular follow up so that you know that the measures you are taking are effective in managing your condition,” Ms Dellsperger said.

“Because there’s no other way to really know. You can’t rely on the absence of symptoms to confirm tolerance.”

If you think you have coeliac disease though, keep eating gluten! It’s the only way to ensure an accurate biopsy to confirm the condition.

Originally published as The everyday items with ‘hidden’ gluten: Can they make a person with coeliac disease sick?