Thursday, May 21, 2009

Coke, Caramel Colour and Sangria (yum!)

So after much debate with my fellow celiac friends I decided to find out whether or not Coke did in fact contain gluten. I have good news for all of you addicted to this caffeinated drink... it is in fact gluten free! Here is what the company lists as their gluten free products:

We are able to confirm that, in the U.S. and Canada, the following products are gluten free:
Coca-Cola classiccaffeine free
Coca-Cola classic
Coca-Cola Black Cherry Vanilla
Coca-Cola C2Coca-Cola with Lime
Coca-Cola Zero
Barq's root beercaffeine free
Barq's root beerdiet Barq's root beerdiet
Barq's Red Creme Soda
Diet Coke Black Cherry
VanillaDiet CokeDiet
Coke with Limecaffeine free
Diet CokeDiet Coke Sweetened with Splenda
SpriteDiet
Sprite Zero
Cherry CokeDiet
Cherry Coke
Fresca
DASANI Lemon
Minute Maid Light Lemonade
Simply LemonadeSimply Limeade
POWERade Mountain Blastand 100% of juice products (without added ingredients) are gluten free.
Additionally, we can tell you that all of our other products meet Codex's definition of gluten-free, which is currently less than 200 ppm (parts per million) (0.02%) gluten. Codex is in the process of reviewing this standard and we are monitoring the progress closely. At this time the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not have a regulatory definition of gluten-free.U.S. product nutrition information can be found by clicking here.Should you require information on another product, please send us your question in an email.For additional assistance, you may also contact our Consumer Affairs office by calling (800) 438-2653.

I hope this helps you all! Now the reason that there is debate around cola and soft drinks is the caramel colour. For the most part, caramel colour does contain gluten and can make you sick, so before you go and pick up your favourite drink or candy, make sure that the caramel colour used is derived from corn, thus making it gluten free!!

Now I have been lagging on the recipe front, as my new found GF restaurants in Vancouver have been taking up a lot of my time! I will make sure to post a delicious recipe soon enough. For now, here is a recipe for a protein packed, low carb, yummy salad for those warm days when eating food seems to be the last thing on your mind.

Oh and I will add a great recipe for Sangria! yum!:)

Salad

Base:

-Bunch of Spinach or mixed greens (Chlorophyll found in green leafy vegetables are so good for you and have been proven to reduce bad breath, so eat up!)
-1 cup chopped tomatoes, or cherry tomatoes
-1/2 english cucumber slices
-1/2 cup broccoli florets
-1/2 red pepper
-1/4 black pitted olives


Add ins:
- 1/4 cup of artichoke hearts (artichokes are really good to calm your stomach, help with a hangover and are also really yummy!)
-1/8 cup of sunflower seeds
-1/2 can of tuna or 1/2 chicken breast diced
1/4 cup grated low fat cheese of your choice (usually I like to use goat cheese or feta)

Dressing:

-2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
-1tbsp olive oil or sesame oil (nuttier flavour)
-1 tbsp maple syrup
-1 tsp grainy Dijon mustard

Mix the dressing in a bowl. Toss greens together mix in dressing, add the "add ins" and Enjoy!!!

Sangria (it is summer after all and a pitcher of this good stuff can just about make any day perfect!)

- 1 bottle of cheaper red wine (no need to but expensive wine as you are mixing it with other juices)
- 3 cans of organic tangerine spritzer (you can find this in any organic section at the grocery market)
-1/2 container of 100% mixed tropical fruit juice (I like to use a mix of mango and papaya)
- ice cubes
-frozen fruit chunks such a peaches, mangoes and strawberries

In a large pitcher, fill 1/4 with ice, add 1/4 cup of each frozen, peaches strawberries and mangoes. Add 1/2 bottle of wine, add 2 cans of spritzer and 1/2 container of juice (adjust to suit your own taste).

** Now I am warning you ahead of time...this stuff goes down fast because it taste so good!**

Have a fabulous day!

Cheers,

Allyson

2 comments:

  1. NOTE FRIEND, COKE TECHNICALLY IS NOT GLUTEN FREE IT GOT ME SICK AND MY RESEARCH SHOWED THAT THE COMPANY IT'S GLUTENFREE AT 200PPM UNLIKE THE 20PPM SUGGESTED AS SAFE BE CAREFUL
    lynardh@hotmail.com

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