If your family is on a GF/CF diet could you help me out? I have a few questions.

[Jennefer@SSA]

What is the consensus about these items - I have seen conflicting information in my online research:

Baking Soda - I have bought gfcf baking powder but what about baking soda?

Vanilla and other extracts - many celiac sites say that b/c the alcohol in extracts are distilled then there is no gluten in regular extracts yet many sites say to stick with gfcf extracts. This is a tough one for me b/c I love to bake and all the gfcf extracts we've tried are not quality imho.

Can we drink orange juice that is calcium fortified? I have seen a source that says their source of calcium is from milk but I cannot verify that. We've been drinking Minute Maid OJ and Tropicana both with calcium.

Can someone help me out with the Rice Dream dilemma? So many sites say this product has gluten and to avoid it yet their packaging states that it is in fact gluten free. Ds6 has grown to enjoy this drink and I love that is is available with as much calcium as a glass of milk. Does anyone have a website or a source that explains how this controversy started? I need to eliminate it quickly if I discover it in fact does contain gluten.

Do you have any other hidden sources of gluten/casein that are not commonly known? We've gotten all the biggies out and many that were surprises to me.

Here is a helpful pdf I found from TACA that lists 160 GFCF items that can be purchased in grocery stores.

http://gfcf-diet.talkaboutcuringautism.org/gfcf-foodlist.pdf

Thanks so much in advance!
Jennefer

[Mama Lynx]

Some people do well using the "iffy" products; others do not. If you're already using them, I'd say to continue on and see how you do. If you do not experience enough relief, cut those items out too.

[LisaTheresa]

The baking soda, vanilla extract and calcium fortified OJ should all be fine. When we first started the diet, vanilla extract was not considered gluten free since there is alcohol in it and there was some question about whether it contained gluten. Now that the labelling laws have improved, vanilla extract is something I use regularly.

As far as the Rice Dream, it contains a very small percentage of barley. It is something like .002%. The new labelling laws have a threshold that is higher than .002%, so Rice Dream is now able to state that their product is gluten free.

I have mixed feelings about this. Some people are more sensitive to gluten than others and I don't like knowing there is even a small amount of gluten in a product. If your son is doing fine on the Rice Dream, I would use it, but only if you have had a period without it so that you are sure he is not reacting to it. I feel my son reacts to it, but I have only tried it a couple of times. I will probably try it again in the future just in case I am mistaken. I would really like to use it for the same reasons that you do.

HTH,
Lisa

[Michele in New Zealand]

There is no way on this earth I would touch Rice Dream with a barge pole! :D

There are better alternatives - almond milk, other brands of rice milk. I make our own almond milk but it is not fortified with anything. I soak almonds for 24 hours, blend them with agave syrup, cinnamon and GF vanilla. Strain and repeat.

As far as getting your calcium.... kale and brazil nuts are great for calcium

Hth, Michele.

[HollyDay]

We can tolerate Rice Milk, but my gf's dd cannot. So, I guess it would depend upon how sensitive your dc's system is. Goat's milk or almond milk might be good alternative (that is what they use). I use soy milk for some things.

Vanilla...... We can tolerate it, but I make sure I buy a really good variety with no propylene glycol. I usually make my own. But, my celieac friend cannot tolerate it at all.

Baking Soda . . . . have you tried agar-agar? I have not personally tried this one - but I have read about it.

You mentioned hidded sources of glutein and casein. Dont forget about personal products. Some folks cannot even tolerate topical glutein or casien in shampoos, soaps, lotions, etc.

Also, a know a few folks who cant get near oats because of cross contamination.

[Hausunterricht]

If you shop at Costco their big bottle of vanilla says gluten free on the back!