Did you know that chocolate bars, imitation seafood and herbal teas may contain gluten? To really make the gluten free diet work for you, it’s important to know all the ins and outs…particularly where gluten hides in products that you might not think about.

Where does gluten hide? Here are a few examples.

• Processed foods particularly deli meats, hot dogs
• Malt vinegar and soy sauce
• Imitation seafood
• Beer
• Dry Roasted Nuts: some companies use dust with a wheat mixture
• Glue on postage stamps and envelopes
• Chewing gum
• Some lotions, creams and cosmetics such as lipstick
• Vitamins and medications

Terms to watch out for that may contain gluten:

• Corn starch and wheat starch
• Dextrin
• Modified food starch
• Natural flavoring/artificial flavor/color/smoke flavor
• Fillers

Now is the time to become a label sleuth. According to registered dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix, author of the new book Read It Before You Eat It, if you need to follow a gluten-free diet always be vigilant about label reading, especially because many manufacturers change their products without notifying the public. Something you might have enjoyed previously may now be unsafe.

I’ve posted a gluten-free and celiac disease resource document with links to celiac organizations, food companies, recipes, cookbooks and more at the Nutrition & Health Center.

You might be wondering if you will ever eat a chocolate brownie again. The answer is absolutely! My colleague, dietitian Liz Weiss, writes a blog called Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen. She has shared a gluten-free black bean brownie recipe that her readers rave about. Yes, it’s made from black beans instead of flour.

The folks at Cabot Creamery have a number of gluten-free recipes on their site using cheese such as cheddar mashed potatoes and layered broccoli salad.

If you love cheese, register to win a $60 gift box of award-winning reduced-fat Cabot cheeses at the Nutrition & Health Center. Go to the Nutrition & Health Center at WDBO.com …you’ll see the link to register.

More Websites for Helpful Information:

Celiac Disease Foundation http://celiac.org/

Shelley Case, RD, Gluten-free Expert http://glutenfreediet.ca/

Her Book: Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide

Gluten Intolerance Group of North America http://gluten.net/

Gluten-free Cookbooks, Recipes and Food:

Savory Palate, Inc. http://savorypalate.com/

The Gluten-Free Mall http://www.glutenfreemall.com/

stellaLucy Gluten-Free Market http://www.stellalucy.com/

Listen to this week’s podcast