have been bad for past 12 hrs!! only thing was diet coke with drink! on bottle it says barley malt extract!

[jaynewoolliams]

OB barley is a def no no but is this enough to send me over the top? Only had a glass..thought i had most things covered in diet!! head bad and tummy aching through the obv!!! just for a glass of coke

[meanioni]

Malt is barley that has been germinated (to provide sweetness). Barley contains gluten.

So yep malt will do you in.

[jaynewoolliams]

THANK you so much for replying this site is helping me so much as newish to all this cutting out stuff...so glad i am not at work today!!!!

[NorthernSoul]

Is this a non-Coca-Cola brand cola? Diet Coke (i.e. the branded version) has no gluten in:

coca-cola.co.uk/brands/diet...

coca-cola.co.uk/faq/ingredi...

If it was an alternative brand then barley malt may have been added. In the future, watch out for 'cloudy' drinks as this often indicates malt is floating around!

[jaynewoolliams]

i have always stuck to the branded 'diet coke' and YES it was a Asda branded one!! Didn't think....until i had the symptoms Thank you all xx

[NorthernSoul]

Well, I hope you feel better soon!

This has got me wondering about the on-tap coke in pubs... I know it's often Coca-Cola brand but perhaps I need to start checking in future!

[meanioni in reply to NorthernSoul]

Just came across this about the type of caramel used in cokes: cspinet.org/new/201102161.html which is of interest and looks like has been properly researched (albeit it is from the US so may be different here).

I've stopped drinking coke recently as I had a hunch that it was causing me food reaction type problems. Have not had any reactions since, which may be coincidence but to be honest think I'm better off keeping off the stuff anyway!

[FionaGFG Administrator in reply to NorthernSoul]

Yes we avoid the taps in pubs for that very reason as especially if they do larger tops they'll dip the nozzle in beer.

[Tim_C in reply to FionaGFG]

Does that mean I have good excuse to always have Cider instead

As others have said, never thought of the tap coke being dodgy.

[Elspeth]

Thanks for posting about this! Diet coke is something I would never have thought about before! I will from now on though!

Hope you feel better soon!

[nichole]

another thing my daughter had a reaction was a bodycream, it contained wheat and it was put all over,i cant remember the name it was a while ago. Just thought you should be aware that it may not just be foodstufs to look out for!!

[meanioni]

Marks and Spencers Cola has malt in it and is therefore not gluten free.

Worth reading labels of fizzy drinks as I have found a small number contain modified starch (processed form of wheat).

[Hidden]

Hi Nichole.

The fact of wheat being present in bodycream does not create a problem unless it was/is digested. Gluten cannot be absorbed through the skin only by eating.

[ianwoowoo]

Oh Great - more things to think about - I never considered the possible effects of coke or others brand cola's...... bummer !

[ladyshelly]

good point to make to all of us thanks....but i would like to back up the girl with a reaction to body cream as i used to get strong reactions to hay/straw & although it may not have strictly been a coeliac reaction (even though you can breathe in the dust) it was very simular but with the added joy of swollen eyes & lips....going into work looking like that certainly helped clear any ideas of me being a hyperchondriac from anyones minds....the thing is once your immune system gets a battering from coeliac disease you are weakened or more sensitive to other allergens....i will not use toiletry products with gluten in the ingredients....it just makes sense....