-K wrote: ...here are some I've discovered:
>

Additions:

Any food product that has listed in the ingredients "Spices", "Modified Food Starch" or "Carmel Color."

Wheat or wheat gluten is often a filler or flavoring agent in many spice combinations and manufacturers aren't required to list them. Modified Food Starch is often corn starch, but because manufacturers aren't required to specify, and their recipes change, it could have wheat included or wheat contaminated contents. Unfortunately this blocks out a fair portion of foods on the market. But that's not such a bad thing because they're all processed foods you'd probably be better off without eating anyways. Carmel coloring is most often derived from barley malt but some manufacturers will list the source. Common opinion is that carmel colorants in US products are gluten-free, but a lot of manufacturers import their ingredients and aren't required to report it (like say in in a complex product where it is a sub-ingredient to the overall product, like carob chips in a granola bar) , so it's a crap-shoot if it's safe unless the source is listed.

But with new labeling standards, and market push, they are getting much better at it. And, consequently, the list of foods we can eat expands on a daily basis. It's hell feeling afraid of your food.

I've recently gotten my polite, "can you eat this?" reply down to a brisk two sentences for the unsure and unaware:

"I can eat whole foods only - think basic, fresh, unadulterated ingredients. If it's a processed food or food product, I probably cannot have it."

Someone actually asked me the other day if I can have olive oil, so I came up with the above.