I am grateful that your magazine is available. I am not yet officially diagnosed, but may need to follow a gluten- free diet. Right now I have a question about soft drinks. Are regular ginger ale, Coke and Pepsi gluten free? What about other soft drinks or sodas in general? Thank you for any guidance you can provide.
Most sodas are gluten free. The ingredient that raises questions most often is the caramel color. Although caramel color can be made from barley, it is most often made from corn. The Pepsi- Cola Company said there is no gluten in any carbonated soft drink produced by the company in North America. The caramel color used in Pepsi beverages is not derived from wheat, oats, barley, rye, spelt or triticale, the company said. Diana Garza Ciarlante, a spokeswoman for the Coca- Cola Company, said the caramel color used in Coke products is derived from either corn or cane sugar. If an ingredient contains wheat, barley or rye it is labeled as such in the ingredient statement. Consumers can also check the gluten- free status of Coke products by calling the 1–800 number on the product’s package. A list provided by Ciarlante included, but is not limited to, the following sodas: Barq’s root beer (regular, diet, caffeine free, and diet red crème), Coke (regular, diet, diet plus, caffeine free diet, diet sweetened with Splenda, diet with lime, cherry, diet cherry, cherry zero, diet, vanilla, vanilla zero), CocaCola (regular, caffeine free classic and zero), and Sprite (regular, diet zero). Coke makes a number of fruit drinks, teas, bottled waters and other drinks that are also gluten free.
I get glutenened each and EVERY time I drink coca cola or Barqs. They lie. Pepsi I am afraid to try.
Faye Tull, You must have an additional allergy then. I am super sensitive and have had NO issues with Coke. You may need to see a doctor or partake of an elimination diet to find out what else is bothering you. Celiacs often have trouble with corn, as well as other things.
Coke and Pepsi give me problems also. Think its the fructose or carbonation that causes problems.
Same with me, I drink soda constantly, and I have Celiac Disease, so… Coke and Pepsi are fine
I have a friend super sensitive to gluten that throws up every time she drinks Coke. I’m with you.
I have learned the hard way not to go by anyone else’s diet. This disease is very individualized and not a one size fits all proposition. You will only learn by trial and error what you can eat/drink and what you can’t. The only advise that I got that worked was if you want to test your system, eat or drink ONLY that product alone, by itself and see how well you tolerate it. You will learn quickly what works for YOU.