Cold Cuts

It is always hard to grapple with just how products contain gluten, and one that catches a lot of individuals off guard is cold cuts, aka sandwich/deli meats. Sandwiches are a large part of the American culture. It is what a kid packs in their lunch box for school, it is what parents take to work. Thus we thought it was important to find out what deli meats our son could eat. Below are a number of gluten free brands:

Boar's Head Brand

Boar's Head Brand meats, cheese and condiments are all Gluten Free. Their deli meats and cheese contain no fillers, artificial flavors, colors or trans fat. This is very convenient considering there are approximately 500 products under the Boar's Head Brand available nationally. To make sure there is no cross contamination issues, you will have to ask the store to cut it on a cleaned slicer. You can read more about the brand in the Board's Head Nutrition Guide.

Hormel® Natural Choice® Sandwich Meats

Hormel recently has launched Hormel® Natural Choice® meats, which includes sandwich/deli meats. We came across it one day in our local Wal-Mart's sandwich meat cooler. I tossed it in the cart, figuring that I would give it a try, and we have been very pleased with the products. After further researching this line of products, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Hormel has also has a Gluten Free section on their website, where they offer the following statement:

As part of its commitment to food health and nutrition, Hormel Foods is proud to provide celiac disease information to help consumers navigate through the often confusing food landscape. On this site, you’ll find basic terminology, tools and resources to get you started on becoming and staying gluten free.

Hormel's Natural Choice sandwich meat is inexpensive, easy to locate and taste great. Hormel also has a coupon section on their website. I would highly recommend trying them with your family.

Applegate Farms

Applegate Farms makes a wonderful sandwich meat. A well know brand within the Celiac/Gluten Intolerant community, Applegate Farms offers organic and antibiotic-free product, their products are without a doubt some of the best and freshest tasting sandwich meat, we have ever had. The downside to their cold cuts is that they tend to be expensive, however, you can order them directly from Applegate Farms and in-bulk which can help to cut out the extra cost if you purchase it in a local grocery store. For a complete list of Cold Cuts, you can check out this list.