Posted December 4, 2012. OK this is helpful, but strikes me as really funny. If you are even considering eating most of this stuff, you’re a ways off the path of wellness and recovery from Lyme and Lyme symptoms. But it’s helpful to read. Gives you an idea of how gluten is hidden in things. (P.S. I’m going to put a recipe for fudge in my book that is amazing and you can eat and still stay on the path to 100% Recovery… ) To your good health!
Fudge to cure lyme symptoms? Not this fudge!!
THE TOP 10 LIST! (From the Tender Foodie) To Avoid Gluten this Holiday Season
1. Swedish Meatballs: Most premade meatballs are mixed with breadcrumbs or flour as an inexpensive way to stretch the meat. And that’s not even considering the gravy the meatballs are doused with. If you aren’t completely certain about the ingredients, your best bet is to just stay away.
2. The Meat and Cheese Platter: Many deli meats contain natural and artificial flavors (including those which include gluten). I have unwittingly consumed gluten-laden turkey, not realizing that the “natural juices” that it was marinated in contained MSG.
3. Candied Nuts: Most times these should be gluten-free, but I have seen packages of candied nuts that contained maltose (which may be derived from barley, which is not gluten-free). Of course, if you make a giant batch yourself, you can control what ingredients you use, and as a bonus, a tin or bag tied with a ribbon full of candied nuts makes a lovely hostess gift.
4. Bloody Marys: Some brands of Bloody Mary Mix (ahem… Mr. & Mrs. T) are not gluten-free. Whether the gluten is from the caramel color, the disodium guanylate, the autolyzed yeast extract, or something else I can’t pronounce, let alone spell, I do not know. But if you’re craving a Bloody Mary, make it with pure tomato juice or V8, which is gluten-free.
5. Bacon-Wrapped Little Smokies: Whenever my friends Rob and Amy host a party, there is a crockpot full of bacon-wrapped little smokies. And no matter how good it smells, with its brown sugary, bacony goodness, I stay away. Why? In this case, the source of gluten is likely not the bacon, but the ingredients in the little smokies sausages, or the sauce that it contains (soy sauce, worchestire sauce, and smoke flavoring all contain gluten of some kind, unless made gluten-free). And because the holidays are such a busy time of year, I don’t have weeks to recover from ingesting gluten. So I smell but don’t taste.
6. Cheese-Flavored Popcorn: Do you remember those Christmas tins of 3 different flavors of popcorn? When I was a kid, I adored these, alternating between the caramel and the cheese corn (Chicago style!). But as I went gluten-free and started reading labels carefully, I realized that not all cheese popcorn is created equal. And while there are brands out there that are gluten-free, there are also those the use MSG (or other gluten-containing ingredients) as an inexpensive way to flavor.
7. Fudge: Two years ago, I was tossing back fudge at a holiday party, not thinking twice about it. I had surveyed the buffet and pegged the homemade (though not by me) fudge as one of the safe items for me to eat. It was lightly spiced, like chai, and I was enjoying my 5th piece when the hostess came up to me and said, “Do you like it? Its gingerbread fudge! I crumbled up gingerbread cookies into fudge as I poured it into the pan!” Needless to say, the gingerbread cookies were not gluten-free, and because I had failed to ask questions (or avoid the buffet altogether), I had to cut short my time at the party.
8. Candy Canes: Most—but not all— candy canes are free of gluten (and dairy)! This is one of the safer items, but it’s still best to check the package ingredients and brand before you accept that peppermint hot chocolate, or unthinkingly stick a candy cane in your mouth. I know Bob’s, Spangler’s and Hammond’s all make candy canes that are free of gluten. But read ingredients anyway.
9. Eggnog: When made from scratch, eggnog should be gluten-free, containing only cream, milk, sugar, eggs, nutmeg and flavorings such as bourbon, rum or vanilla.I have, however, seen some of the carton-ed stuff containing wheat flour, presumably as a thickener. Like candy canes, eggnog should be safe, but read labels to be sure.
10. The Dip on the Veggie Platter: Usually a ranch dip accompanies pre-made veggie trays, and chances are fair that the dip contains gluten. By all means, eat the vegetables, but unless you know for sure the dip is okay, it is safer to avoid. And this isn’t even considering a cutting board that has already been used to cut bread and other gluteny items and thus is subject to cross-contamination. It is always safest to bring something you made yourself, but then make sure you serve yourself first. I’ve been to plenty of parties where a congregation around the food table means hungry (and unthinking) guests use the pasta salad spoon to also dish up “safe” fruits (thereby contaminating the most innocuous seeming item at the party—the fruit platter).
“My speech therapist and I wrote Jim a letter using my communication board asking him to come and visit my school,” said Harper. “We mailed the letter and to everybody’s surprise, Jim accepted my invitation.”