Halloween ... Celiac Style

 

Once a year, the streets are filled with ghosts and goblins, witches
and wizards, all looking for treats. For people with celiac
disease, Halloween does not have to be a scary experience!

People with celiac disease need to avoid a protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, oats, barley and rye. Since product formulations frequently change, many manufacturers prefer to refer consumers to ingredient labels rather than publish lists of their gluten-free products. Unfortunately, current labeling laws require that manufacturers need to state only that a product contains wheat, leaving the possibility that barley, rye and/or oats might still be used. Also, many of the small packages of treats that are distributed by friends and neighbors don’t include ingredient labels at all.

 

For information about gluten-free Halloween products, look to the Celiac Sprue Association’s gluten-free commercial product listing or Clan Thompson’s database of gluten-free foods that can be downloaded to a PC or Palm Pilot. Both resources are updated at least once per year and specifically mention seasonal items. Many chapters of the support group R.O.C.K. (Raising Our Celiac Kids) have also published their own lists of gluten-free seasonal candies for children. Use these valuable resources but remember that ingredients can change at any time, miniature versions may have different ingredients than their full-sized counterparts, and there are only a few manufacturers that will guarantee that there is no cross contamination. Below are some popular candies taken from these resources — take a look and see if your favorites made the list!

 

5th Avenue Almond Joy Andes Mints Baby Ruth Bazooka gum Bit-O-Honey Bubblicious gum Butterfinger Carefree sugarless gum (all) Cella’s choc. covered cherries Charleston Chews Charm’s Chunky Clark Bar Cremesavers Dentyne gum (all)

Dots Dum Dums Goobers Heide candies (all) Hershey kisses Hershey w/almonds Hershey Hugs Hot Tamales Jolly Rancher (all) Junior Mints Lifesavers (all) M&Ms (all except Crispy) Marshmallow Peeps Mary Jane MilkyWay (Dark/Lite, NOT regular) Mike and Ike

Mounds Mr. Goodbar Necco Wafers O Henry O Henry w/peanut butter Reese’s (except Reesesticks) Rolo Caramels Skittles Smarties Starbursts (all) Sugar Babies/Daddy Tootsie Rolls (all) Trident gum (all) Wonka (all except Wonka Bar) Wrigley’s gum (all) York Peppermint Patty

 

Most of the above-mentioned resources also list products that are NEVER gluten free. Some popular candies that individuals on a gluten-free diet should always avoid are: Twizzlers, Kit Kat bars, 3 Musketeer Poppables, Hershey Krackle, M&M Krispies, Nestle Crunch, Reese’s Sticks, Snickers Poppables and Whoppers.

Diligent label reading and a gluten-free lifestyle are critical for those with celiac disease, but in combination with several respected resources, it is still possible to enjoy the holiday. Give unwanted candy to a food bank, an office, or trade it for more gluten-free candy!

For more information:

www.csaceliacs.org

www.clanthompson.com

Click here for a listing of Gluten Free products
carried at ShopRite

 

“Green Glo” Braised Chicken

Don’t let your trick-or-treaters fill up on candy. Serve up this gluten-free dish before they go door-to-door.

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

2 shallots, peeled

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro or 1 tbsp. dried cilantro

1 cup chopped fresh parsley or 1 tbsp. dried parsley

3/4 cup gluten-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 tbsp. olive oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1. To prepare sauce, place shallots, pepper flakes, oregano, cilantro and parsley in blender container. Add a little of the chicken broth; cover and process. Repeat until all broth is used; set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Season both sides of chicken to taste with salt and black pepper; brown chicken on both sides. Add sauce; cover and cook about 5 minutes on each side until tender and no longer pink (170°F).

Serves 4

Per serving: 224 calories, 3g carbohydrate, 28g protein, 1g fiber, 10g fat, 2g saturated fat, 73mg cholesterol, 165mg sodium