Here’s a list of some of the things I discovered that have gluten/dairy:

Gluten:
1. Soy Sauce
a. My husband and I went out to dinner on my first two weeks of being gluten & dairy free.  We went to a Hibachi restaurant that we absolutely love.  We sat at the bar, ordered drinks (I got wine and water), and placed our food order.  I ordered a house salad with ginger dressing and sashimi.  Immediately after eating my house salad, I started getting sharp pains shooting up my left side of my body.  When I say sharp pains I mean scary sharp take me to the emergency room pains.  They went away after a few seconds and I looked right at the bartender and said, “Did anything I just ate have gluten in it?”  She then informed me the soy sauce they use has gluten and the ginger dressing has soy sauce in it.  I was frustrated. Hurt – physically and mentally. I wanted to go & enjoy a nice dinner with my husband and I was being too stubborn to ask questions about the menu.  I thought I had ordered the safest items and I was sure I wasn’t going to gluten myself.  2 Lessons Learned: 1. Soy sauce has gluten (unless it specifically states gluten free) and 2. ALWAYS ask questions

2. Licorice
a. I don’t have a crazy story about this one, but I read it and was shocked.  Black and red licorice are made with wheat.  Licorice root does not contain gluten (licorice root is in the tea I buy).

3. Grains – Ok, this one is easy & tough at the same time.  Everyone knows gluten is found in wheat, barley and rye. My concern when I found out I had to be gluten free wasn’t so much “what can’t I have” but more of “what CAN I have?!”
a. Rice
b. Quinoa (NOT couscous)
c. Buckwheat
d. Naturally gluten free flours – almond flour, coconut flour, arrowroot flour, etc.
e. Grains labeled gluten free – GF flour, GF bread, GF pretzels, GF pizza crust, GF pasta, etc.

4. Modified Food Starch
a. If it says CORN starch, you’re in the clear. Otherwise, who knows what they used for the food starch.
5. Let labels be your friend but don’t rely on them 100%. Read everything & if you’re unsure, just don’t eat it.  Don’t take a chance – it’s not worth it.  The FDA has a LOT of guidelines/regulations around labeling.  Items that contain wheat & milk will be labeled as such.  An item that is labeled as gluten free means that the company voluntarily had their product tested & the test resulted in less than 20ppm of gluten.  Should you only eat foods that are labeled as gluten free?  No.  You’re never going to find an apple or a squash with a “I’m gluten free” label on it.  Gluten free doesn’t necessarily mean healthier either – a lot of the gluten free snacks/cookies/etc have a lot more calories in them than the non gluten items.  Do your best to be gluten free & eat as much REAL food as possible.

5. Vinegar - If an ingredient list includes “distilled vinegar” or “vinegar” you’re in the clear.  “Vinegar” on an ingredient label is apple cider vinegar – You can have apple cider vinegar.  You cannot have malt vinegar.  I have read that rice vinegar can contain wheat (so be sure you double check if you’re going to have rice vinegar).

Dairy:
1. Ranch packet
a. If you check out my Homemade Ranch Dressing recipe you’ll hear my crazy story with a ranch packet.  Basically, don’t eat it.  Make your own ranch packets (they’re easy & you’ll probably have all of the stuff already in your cabinet– check out my homemade ranch dressing).

2. Gluten Free Pizza Dough
a. I asked my husband to buy me some gluten free pizza dough & he came home with this delicious ball of dough that was premade & in the organic freezer section of our grocery store.  I was so excited until I looked at the ingredients and I saw that it contained milk.  Needless to say, my husband will be eating that pizza crust on his own.  They make a LOT of different options of gluten & dairy free pizza crust.  Heck, they even have pizza’s premade gluten & dairy free.  Check out my Pizza recipe & check my Instagram for my “reviews” on my store bought gluten & dairy free pizzas.

3. Sauces
a. When eating out, watch your sauces. Hell, even in your home – watch your sauces!  There’s usually butter in hot/mild sauces.  There’s butter in white/wine pasta sauces.  There’s pretty much butter in everything that’s delicious ;) – Seriously though, just make sure you ask/check/do your research.  There are DELICIOUS dairy free “butter” options out there – my favorite is Earth Balance.  I didn’t discover it until I went dairy free, but even if I could go back to eating dairy I’d still buy Earth Balance. It’s made from oils & it’s fabulous.

4. Dressings
a. Honestly, there are some gluten free & dairy free options out there – but I have been avoiding them.  I’ve bought a few and I’m finding that it’s just a waste of money for me.  I don’t like any of them.  If you’re up for it, try to make your own.  I’ve been experimenting and well, I haven’t quite found a favorite yet.  There are a lot of good gluten free dressings if you can have dairy though!! :)

**As far as dairy goes, I had NO idea when I had to go dairy free that there are dairy free alternatives.  Call me naïve but I was always a “eat real food” person & the fewer ingredients the better.  I was clueless!  When I stumbled across the “vegan” organic section, I about dropped my basket in the grocery store!  Dairy free butter!  Dairy free yogurt!  Dairy free milk! Dairy free cheese!  It was like the gates of heaven in the organic aisle opened up for me!  I’ve walked past it a million times before, I just NEVER noticed.