Welcome to Yes/No/Maybe, where we categorize 3 food items by how they fit into our sons’ allergy profile. (Read our allergy statement for more info — it’s not all of the top 8, or a 100% vegan diet, but it’s a little of both with a side of gluten-free.) Generally we’ll focus on the ones that caught us by surprise, or the ones we’ve had to explain to people a lot.
YES: Cheerios (most flavors)
Cheerios are made from oats, which — broadly speaking — are free of wheat/gluten. But I do have to mention that not all oats are 100% safe, because there have historically been issues with trace amounts of wheat being present. Fortunately our kids aren’t usually affected by trace amounts, but you’ll have to evaluate your own level of sensitivity. However, General Mills have reportedly been improving their process since 2015 to better ensure that Cheerios have no trace of wheat/gluten.
Of course, there are some flavors of Cheerios that are still off-limits, due to either added wheat or nuts. This fortunately does not include Honey Nut Cheerios in our case, since we aren’t dealing with almond allergies. But it does rule out some of the more obscure flavors:
- Banana Nut Cheerios (pecans)
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios (peanuts, obviously)
- Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch (wheat)
Fortunately, they currently label which ones are and aren’t Gluten-Free pretty clearly, so it’s not as much of a minefield as it would’ve been a decade or so ago.
NO: Chili Seasoning Mix (and other seasoning mixes)
Generally speaking, in cooking, spices are guilt-free. You use as much as you want as long as it tastes good. Spices rarely have any significant amount of calories, and in most cases there are no allergy concerns either. Too much salt can be a health concern, but usually it’ll taste bad long before it gets to that point. In fact, some spices may actually have health benefits.
However, pre-mixed seasoning “blends” can be a problem area, because sometimes they include things that you wouldn’t expect. As just one example, this chili seasoning mix from McCormick seems harmless enough at first, but buried in the ingredient list is “Enriched Wheat Flour”. There are plenty of other examples as well, but this happens to be one that snuck up on us.
To be clear, the purpose of this column is not to “call out” a product for not meeting our needs — I’m sure there’s a good reason for the flour to be in there. We just want to call attention to the importance (and burden) of always checking the ingredients. As silly as it may seem to label everything “Gluten-Free” even if it’s something you’d never expect to have gluten in it in the first place, it’s amazing how often it shows up where you’d least expect it. These days, if you don’t see the GF label on something, it’s always worth checking to find out why. Sometimes it’s just an oversight, or an inability to guarantee 100% compliance with strict guidelines; but other times there’s a nasty surprise waiting for you.
MAYBE: Popcorn
This is one where the choice of flavoring agent makes all the difference. Popcorn has 3 essential ingredients: popcorn kernels, oil, and (usually) salt. In most cases, the oil used for the frying is simply vegetable oil or something along those lines. Butter would burn far too easily, so it’s almost never that. But obviously, buttered popcorn is a thing — the butter is typically added afterward by being melted and drizzled over the popcorn. In other cases, it’s added via some kind of powder.
In any event, if you’re making your own popcorn, it’s extremely easy to keep it allergy-friendly. Just don’t add butter and you’re good! (Obviously, if you’re doing pre-packaged microwave popcorn, just check the ingredients as you would for anything else.)
Personally, I’ve found coconut oil to be the perfect medium for popping corn. Its high smoke point and slightly sweet flavor complement popcorn perfectly. Of course, I’m also fond of using bacon fat. (Usually I do half-and-half: for each ½ cup of popcorn kernels, about 1½ Tbsp of coconut oil and 1½ of bacon fat.) Obviously this is not a vegan option, and you’ll also want to make sure the bacon you originally got it from didn’t have any allergenic seasonings on it. But in most cases, it’s great. You’ll hardly miss butter at all.
In case you’re wondering, “kettle corn” is also safe, assuming a generally allergy-safe environment. The only addition is sugar (ideally, anyway — always check!). At home, I use a stovetop popcorn maker from Whirley-Pop. When I make kettle corn, I first heat the oil with 3 “test” kernels; after they pop, I add the other kernels, the sugar, and the salt. This method (as opposed to adding the sugar & kernels at the beginning) helps prevent the sugar from staying in there too long and burning.
Image credits:
https://pxhere.com/en/photo/807422 – Public Domain / CC0 1.0
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Redchilipepperpowder.JPG – Badagnani / CC BY-SA 3.0
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cheerios_(49819761387).jpg – Ajay Suresh / CC BY 2.0
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