Are Your Vitamins Making You Sick?

Sometimes gluten can appear in strange places; places you’d never expect. When you’re diagnosed with Celiac Disease, or gluten-intolerance, it’s up to you to make sure your toothpaste, the ketchup bottle in your fridge, and even your vitamins don’t contain anything that can make you sick.

Some of these products may surprise you. For example, most people wouldn’t suspect their vitamins contained gluten when in fact gluten is a common ingredient in multiple vitamin brands. This is especially discouraging for those of us living gluten-free because vitamin deficiency seems to come hand in hand with Celiac disease and gluten-intolerance. So we’re happily taking our daily vitamins, thinking we’re doing something good for our health, when in fact we’re actually doing harm. Unintentionally, of course.

The only way to be sure your vitamins are gluten-free is to check for yourself. Some companies are making this easy on us by marking their vitamin labels “gluten-free.” Celiac.com also offers an extensive catalog of gluten-free vitamins. Don’t be discouraged if your vitamins do not come with a convenient label though–sometimes its necessary to make a phone call to the company. Though inconvenient for you, most companies are more than willing to divulge such important information. And, if the unfortunate truth is that your vitamins are no longer safe for you to take, this is a great opportunity to voice your regret over not being able to use their product.

With Celiac disease becoming more and more common (statistics now show that 1 in 133 people has Celiac disease), vitamin companies are recognizing the importance of producing gluten-free products. Until then, it’s up to you to make sure your vitamins aren’t keeping you healthy, not making you sick.

[Editor’s Note: Post originally published in 2018.]

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Author Information: Leslye Walton, Tacoma, WA
Leslye Walton is a writer and Events Coordinator for the nonprofit organization, 826 Seattle. After being diagnosed with Celiac Disease last year, Leslye is still searching for a gluten-free version of those maple bar donuts she once enjoyed so much. Leslye currently lives in Tacoma, Washington with her husband and three very put-upon pets.
Her website is: www.leslyewalton.com
Leslye can be reached by email here.