Gluten Free Ice Cream?

by Kathy
(Georgia)

I read in a gluten free restaurant guide that Dairy Queen Heath Blizzard was safe to eat. After working for nine months across the street from DQ I treated myself to a Heath Blizzard 1-2 times a week. I had been on a very strict gluten free diet for over a year. I began having mild symptoms of Celiac disease about two months ago. I began to search for any hidden gluten I might have been eating, I even checked soft drinks, nothing had gluten in it. My symptoms kept getting worse day by day.

Yesterday I had a blizzard and became extremely ill so I contacted the local dairy cream to find out the ingredients of their ice cream.

Sure enough, their ice cream contained whey. So for nine months, gluten has been causing damage to my small intestine without my knowledge.

Now I have to treat my Celiac symptoms and let my stomach heal again.

I did locate an ice cream that as far as I can tell is gluten free. It is Bryers Natural Vanilla. The only ingredient that may be gluten is Tara gum.

I have not been able to locate a site that lists Tara gum as containing gluten. Has anyone heard or read if Tara gum contains gluten?

Kathy

Comments for Gluten Free Ice Cream?

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You ,may be overlooking Carrageenan, a major cause of inflamation
by: Anonymous

I too am allergic to gluten, however in many dairy products it is actually the inflammatory inducing ingredients that cause celiac-like reactions. Ingredients which have 100% reaction rate for me are 'carrageenan', 'guar gum', xanthum gum','tara gum', really any of the thickening agents which contain inflammatory properties.

Unfortunately, the 'thickening' properties do not restrict themselves to the food product, but rather extend themselves to the human body which comes into contact with it during digestion. Search the scientific discussion of the properties of these ingredients and you will see more clearly what is going on and why the body may react during ingestion. My reactions include inflammation throughout the body including arthritic reactions, nerve compression at the neck causing pain in my shoulders and tingling in my hands, and lower down my sciatic nerves, as well as sinus congestion, bloating, pain in the intestinal area, IBS like symptoms, and irritation due to overall discomfort, as well as the gluten type skin irritation and itching.

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Ice Cream
by: Daphne

Has anyone looked at Haagen Dazs vanilla as being gluten free?

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Whey in ice cream
by: Judi

I have been gluten free 4 months now and two days ago I bought some ice cream with whey in it. My gluten free app said it was ok, so I ate a bowl two nights in a row.

Well, my stomach ballooned up and I've been very nauseas etc. I have carefully looked at everything I've eaten and it has to be the whey!

I had no issues with the "So Deliscious" brands of gluten free ice cream before that.

So, I'm not messing around with the whey when I can get the other kind. It's just harder to find where I live.

I know its sure not worth the misery I'm feeling now!

The strange thing is I was just tested for allergies recently and came up ok on wheat (straight wheat), soy, corn, fish, peanuts, and even dairy!

Yet I have so many issues with food! I'm getting confused as I'm sure I need to stay away from gluten but wondering about all the rest! Are there false tests? ( I've had issues for years plus have a large Hiatal hernia and no gallbladder also).

Thanks

Judi

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Rita's
by: Touscents

Gluten is not in Rita's ice creams, custards, or ices. Also not in Hagen Daz or Ben and Jerry's except when stuff like cookie dough or oreos are added.

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Gluten Free Products
by: Anonymous

I was reading these comments to help find a good ice cream that's safe for me to eat and I noticed the comment about the gluten in skin care products. I work in skin care and know that gluten molecules are too large to penetrate into the skin, therefore shouldn't be the cause of the rash. Have your friend look into the other ingredients in her products because she is most likely allergic to something else she's using.

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No Way, Whey!
by: Sophia

I have celiac disease and I cannot eat whey either.

Does anyone know when Breyers Natural Vanilla started adding tara gum? It has been the only dessert that is readily available for me to eat. But now I don't trust it because of the tara gum being added. I've been having reactions that I can't pin on anything. I'm back to doing the food diary. I'm not convinced that my frequent Breyers indulgences aren't harming me.

It's such a shame they changed the recipe! I loved the original.

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Whey
by: Kelly

I just read this and wanted to tell you that there is no gluten in whey.

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Dairy Queen
by: Kathy

Thanks for all the comments, I did find out that since my system was so damaged from Gluten, lactose was indeed causing my problems.

Since I have also cut out all dairy products I have been feeling much better. I have been much more careful about cross contamination when I eat out.

Bryers has a great lactose free ice cream and Bisquick now comes gluten free which is great.

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Celiac disease can cause lactose intolerance somtimes
by: Anonymous

I believe I may have a version of celiac disease and was just reading up on it and Wikipedia says: "As the bowel becomes more damaged, a degree of lactose intolerance may develop" so there is the whey problem explained.

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gluten and lactose free ice cream
by: Carol

I have added a gluten and lactose free ice cream recipe to the site that is safe to eat. You will find it here...

Lactose Free Ice Cream recipe.

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gluten in shampoo
by: Anonymous

Kathy,

Have you looked in your personal care products? Some shampoos, soaps, etc.... have gluten in them.

I know the woman who works at my health store gets the skin rash from that!

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Gluten free ice cream
by: Anonymous

Kathy,
Dairy Chef Ice Cream from Winnipeg Manitoba has the BEST ice cream. Other than things like cookies and stuff ADDED into the ice cream, it is GLUTEN FREE.

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Tara Gum
by: Melanie

I think it was Tara Gum you were wondering about. If you type in Safe gluten-free ingredients in the computer a list comes up and Tara gum is on the safe list. Check it out, the list is pretty extensive and there is a unsafe list too. I could'nt understand the whey thing either - theres no gluten in that!! ?

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Whey
by: Anonymous

Hi,

I also have a strong allergy to whey along with gluten.

Last fall when I was diagnosed and treated with the 2 week elimination diet, I was told to stay away from Whey.

When I do accidentally have whey, I get so bloated that I seriously look 6 months pregnant! It takes a good week to get it out of my system.

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Gluten free ice cream
by: Kathy

Lee,

I did not take into account cross contamination.

Blizzards are made with a lot of different ingredients, including candy and cookies. They may not have washed the blender they use after making a Blizzard with cookies in it.

The only ice cream I have found without Gluten ingredients is Bryers natural vanilla.

I know Gluten is often an ingredient that is used to bind caramel to candy bars such as milky way and used in jelly beans to hold the shell on them.

After almost a year of being gluten free, I let my guard down and did not consider hidden gluten or contamination by other ingredients.

Kathy

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Response to Lee
by: Anonymous

Lee,

Thank you for your response. I thought I read in one of my gluten free books that whey contained gluten. I guess I'll have to keep trying to track down where I am getting gluten from. I know I am eating something with gluten, because the symptoms are the same as when I was first diagnosed. I also have developed the rash that goes along with Celiac disease.

Kathy

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Whey is a dairy product
by: Lee

I don't understand Kathy's story.

Whey is not a wheat product it's a diary, the liquid from milk that is in the making of cheese products.

So the Dairy Queen Blizzard sounds like it upset the gluten-free diet she was on and created another problem alone with the ice cream.

We really have to be vigilant in knowing exactly what's in our foods that we eat out or bring home.

It's difficult when eating out, because the restaurants really are not educated on what a gluten-free diet is. Even it you explain it to them, it kind of goes in and out the ears. Maybe more awareness to these establishments from expert people in the field of gluten-free living could be a start.

Praying your feeling better soon Kathy.

Lee

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