Gluten is a Sneaky Bitch

As you likely know, The Hubs and I recently decided to begin eating gluten free. What we didn't know was how incredibly sneaky gluten is!

We have been sans gluten now for about two and a half weeks, or so we thought. When we sat and thought about whether or not we were noticing any differences, we had to admit that we were feeling pretty much the same. At first we rejoiced thinking brownies and any restaurant we wanted were back in our grasp. What we soon realized was that The Hubs' protein powder has cookie crumbs in it and the chips he eats at work have barley flour in them. This caused me to re-evaluate what I was consuming. As far as I could tell, my eating had been impeccable. I resisted the urge to order a sandwich at Panera. I religiously read ingredient lists and called companies to make sure what I bought was safe. I sadly passed up the brownie samples as everyone else at knitting dug in. What I didn't do, however, was check the gluten free status of my beloved frappuccino.

When I realized that the only thing I hadn't checked was my frap, I quickly made my way to the Starbucks website where I found that they don't release allergen information online. Their feeling is that you should just ask in person. Their official position is that they do not consider any of their products to be gf due to the risk of cross contamination. Their representatives have also stated that "If there are concerns about this product possibly containing an ingredient that you do not wish to consume, we would recommend that product not be consumed." They very much dance around the topic of whether or not their products contain gluten, stating they cannot reveal any more than what their website lists as ingredients for "proprietary" reasons. I'm kind of put off by this! Fortunately, I was able to find an email from one representative who stated that the frappuccino base is not gluten free. So, after much searching and very little actual help from Starbucks, I think I know why I haven't noticed any big changes. I have to admit, I'm a little heart broken. I live for Pumpkin Spice and Egg Nog frappuccinos! I've seen rumours that the lattes are safe, but I honestly don't know if it is worth it.

So, we're starting over, again. Thanks, Starbucks!