<<Disclaimer:  Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
=========================    Hidden Gluten
 
Whenever a product or ingredient is  identified as a possible source  of
gluten-contamination it  will  be highlighted  in  this section.    Some
products contain a minute amount of gluten and may not have a noticeable
physical affect,  but may  cause  internal damage.    NO GLUTEN is  the
ActionLine's goal.   Medical research has  established one standard  for
damage to  the gut,  but it  is  still unknown  how  much gluten  or  if
repeated exposure to small  amounts of gluten  will increase a  celiacs'
chance of certain cancers or cause subtle changes, such as lassitude and
depression.
 
Nebulous terms  must  be  researched  until  a  satisfactory  answer  is
obtained that the item is free of  any toxic protein.  When those  terms
are found on a label, we must routinely verify that it has not  changed.
If adequate information is obtained and fellow celiacs do not report any
adverse reactions, those products should not  be left out of your  diet.
Some celiacs limit labels with nebulous terms to only a few products, in
order to reduce the amount of time spent on routine verification.   When
in doubt leave it out, is the best course of action.
 
Gluten can  be  added to  a  product  as an  ingredient,  through  cross
contamination, or as a  result of the manufacturing  process.  When  all
gluten is kept  out of  a celiac's  diet, the  best quality  of life  is
enjoyed.  Each person must determine their preferred life style and  how
careful they will be in avoiding hidden toxic proteins.
 
1.  San-J Soy Sauce:  For  those who use the low-sodium (white  labeled)
variety, the company  now has added  wheat as a  last ingredient.  Susan
Marston from the lab  at SAN-J International in  Va., reports that  this
change is due  to the "new"  food labeling laws.  She stressed that  the
wheat is used as a "processing aid" - there may be questionable  traces,
no one knows for sure, thus the declaration of wheat is now noted.  They
also have a  low-sodium, wheat-free variety  (silver label) reported  by
the company as being GF.
 
2.  La Choy's reports that the regular and lite soy sauces are not GF.
 
3.  Boston  Marketplace is  testing a new  version of  their chicken  in
several locations that contains gluten.  This is reported to be a market
test only and they have plans to return to the GF version shortly in all
locations.  This reminds us to always routinely check all ingredients at
all locations for differences.