Domino’s Gluten-Free Offering. Is it Soy-Free?

The gluten free diet is taking off all around the world, it seems. People are keen to try a gluten free diet and see how they feel, which I think is great for our range of foods in the supermarket and restaurants.

The United States of America seems to be no exception here, with a major pizza chain, Domino’s Pizza releasing a gluten free crust pizza last Monday (7th of May, 2012).

Unlike the gluten free pizza base in Australia the one they’ve sourced over there seems to be soy free as well. I do know, however, that soy oil is used on the pans at Domino’s, Eagle Boys and Pizza Hut at least here in Australia so I’m assuming that this is the case over there as well. Thus, it probably is not an option for those on a soy-free diet.

There is also the concern of gluten cross-contamination. How careful are they? Have their staff been trained?

I’m sure this aspect of things will improve given time. I just wish they’d get rid of that darn soybean oil! Surely if they could make the effort to offer a gluten free crust, changing the cooking oil should be easy enough shouldn’t it?? Come on, Domino’s!

Do you live in the USA? Have you tried a Domino’s gluten free crust pizza? Let us all know your thoughts.

Nuttelex – Real Soy-Free Margarine!

One thing I continue to find within my gluten and soy free life is just how few foods we, as a society, actually eat! Typical households consume wheat and soy on an every day basis at virtually all mealtimes; breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Interestingly enough, margarine is of no exception. It seems like almost a ‘modernised’ butter. As well as this, virtually all margarine and table spread contains soy lecithin. Why? It just doesn’t make sense.

Are the phospholipids present in these substances good for us? Whilst I hear they have some positive effects on lowering cholestrol and promoting a ‘healthier lifestyle’, it does in fact seem strange that a common allergen is being added to a product so similar to butter, anyhow.

Thank goodness I don’t have to avoid dairy on top of all the rest of it, as my alternative to margarine has always been butter (though I used to be a big fan of it before becoming allergic to soy).  But don’t despair!

Nuttelex Original - a dairy-free, soy-free spread for all your needs!

The good news is that I now have a substitute to margarine I for individuals who tolerate neither dairy, soy nor gluten.  It’s made by Nuttelex.  In fact, a large variety of their products are soy free including their Original, Lite, Olive and Kosher varieties.  A complete listing of their products is available on their website.  Sunflower lecithin is used in all products in place of soy lecithin, so there’s no loss in nutritional value in comparison to other varieties of margarines. Please note that the Pulse flavour contains plant sterols derived from soy, as indicated in the ingredient listing.

I was quite pleased with this find and if I were to ever cook for someone allergic/intolerant to dairy, I would certainly choose this brand over any other. Their margarine varieties are far healthier than that of any other brand and although slightly more expensive, these products are definitely worth the extra cents!

Canola Oil – May Contain Traces of Soy

On one of my recent shopping trips, I decided to pop into Aldi so I could at least save some money on basic everyday items.  Being on such a diet (Gluten and Soy Free) does, in the long-term, prove expensive!  Therefore, whilst I’m prepared to spend a little more on specialty products, I tend to like to make ends meet with other, less expensive products.

However, one of the basic cooking items I get, due to the nature of my soy allergy, is canola oil.  This tends to be the best basic alternative to generic vegetable oil and is ‘usually’ safe for soy allergies.  I used to say ‘always’ however after having discovered this product, I’m not so sure!

 

MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF SOY

Pure Vita is a brand of cooking oils and oil spray formulas sold at Aldi.  Their range consists of two oils, vegetable and canola.  The vegetable oil blend, obviously, contains a warning statement about the possible presence of soybean oil along with canola oil as most generic vegetable oils do!  However, the thing that struck me most about the canola oil is that it contains a statement just below the ingredient list, making mention of the fact that the product  ”MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF SOY”!

How should one interpret this?  When it says soy does that mean refined soybean oil, or does that mean the raw soybean?  Since the soybean oil is not likely a supplied ingredient from outside, it could well be a 50/50 chance between the former and the latter!  I was horrified to find a canola oil that had a warning like this however considering the low prices here at Aldi, it is of no surprise to me at all!

How would you deal with this situation, would you allow such a product into your soy free diet or would you perhaps shop somewhere else to buy canola oil from a brand that didn’t use the disclaimer?

Takeaway Pizza – Gluten Free, Soy Free

Here in Australia, anyone somewhat familiar with a gluten and soy diet would find it very hard to imagine takeaway pizza suitable for this lifestyle, some of which has been discussed by me on the Pizza Posts at Gluten Free Family and a review on Pizza Capers at Gluten Shmooten.  I was emailed by someone, only earlier this year (for that matter), who had just found out about having to avoid gluten, soy and chic peas.  She was enquiring as she was curious about which pizza outlets in her area may be able to accommodate her needs.  [Sometimes individuals who've problems with soy ingredients will react to other legumes and their derivatives as well, but that's a whole other story we shall discuss later!]

Back to the topic.  It is very hard to find a pizza outlet offering gluten free that is able to also accommodate the soy side of things and this has become increasingly evident in the last year, mainly due to the introduction of gluten free pizza bases at a majority of major pizza chains around this country.  Domino’s Pizza in Australia and New Zealand made a significant move last November in this regard at the time of introducing gluten free bases to their menu.  Eagle Boys (an Australian pizza chain) did the same, only marketing the final pizza product as ‘gluten friendly’ instead of gluten free – the term that seems to be rapidly coming to play here, anyway.

The pizza bases used at Domino’s Pizza in Australia and New Zealand are endorsed by the Coeliac Society of Australia and New Zealand Coeliac Society respectively.  The endorsements is applied for, to the Coeliac Societies, by Domino’s Pizza.  This ensures that customers can be confident in the fact that the bases are, in fact, certified gluten free (one primarily *important* step in the process of producing a gluten free product, as deemed appropriate by the relevant Coeliac Societies mentioned).

However, I’m sorry to say that this isn’t really of that much help to those having to avoid other ingredients such as soy, as the gluten free bases used (supplied by Julian’s in Australia) contain soy flour as their primary ingredient!  I shall add that the bases used at the Domino’s stores in New Zealand are supplied by Venerdi, who’s products are all  soy free.

Therefore, to all those in New Zealand, it is actually possible to get a gluten and soy free pizza from Domino’s (yes, I recently confirmed this!) stores all around the country.  Please note, the following steps (on top of choosing a gluten free base and appropriate toppings, of course (N.B. even if you are not Gluten Free, you will need to order the soy-friendly pizza on the gluten-free base as this all the other bases require pans lined with the soy oil).

Here’s what you will need to do when ordering a gluten free, soy free pizza from Domino’s in New Zealand:

• notify the staff about your need to avoid soy (preferably at a less busy time of the day).
• peruse the allergen listing document found New Zealand website or in-store carefully, noting ingredients that need to be avoided.
• choose toppings based on this information (it is best to build your own pizza in this case)!

 

IMPORTANT:  Be aware that the pizza sauce (i.e. tomato sauce) used at Domino’s contains ‘trace amounts’ of soy due to the soybean oil used in this product.  The only safe base sauce is the Alfredo (N.B. If you don’t require GF, BBQ sauce is also an option).

 

• ask that they line the pizza base pan with some parchment paper before placing the gluten free base on the applicable surface.
• ensure appropriate preparation methods are followed.
• enjoy!

Please remember that the above points apply to stores in New Zealand only.  Be aware that it is currently not possible to order soy free pizzas from either Domino’s or Eagle Boys in Australia. Bummer!

That should make life a little easier for the Kiwis over there.  There’s also Hell Pizza over there, that offer gluten free bases from the same supplier as that of Domino’s in New Zealand, however coming from Australia I am unsure about topping recommendations and oil issues so I’ll have to leave those inquires over to you!

In the meantime, I shall return to focusing on the Australian gluten free, soy free pizza life?  So, what’s with it?

I was saving the best news ’til last…

Pizza Capers

Well folks, you will be pleased to hear that it was not long ago that I discovered a pizza chain over near where I live, Pizza Capers, located in various areas around Australia .  They offer gluten free bases that are absolutely delicious and crispy and free from dairy and soy although they do contain egg, corn and yeast.  (I shall keep my eyes open, particularly on corn, and will certainly update you on this blog should I discover a pizza outlet to serve GFSFCF bases for sure).  Their gluten free pizza bases are manufactured at a plant near their headquarters in Brisbane and, for me, it is absolutely great to have discovered a place where I can go in and buy a pizza without any hassles at all!  Staff are always very attentive and every experience here has been a positive one!  They really agree with me! I have a picture of one at the top right-hand corner of this post!  (I think I’ve just about enough coupons for a free one, too!)  A vast majority of their toppings are safe and neither soy oil nor cooking sprays exist on premises (only canola and olive oils are used to line the pans).  This place is certainly a must try for all who can!

Of course, we can only assume these products to be gluten and soy friendly, primarily due to the fact that ingredients containing these items are used on premises at all outlets, hence GF denoting  the ‘Gluten Friendly’ status on their menu.

A Soy Free Cooking Spray for All!

One challenging area surrounding a soy free diet, particularly when eating out, or dining with friends, is the ‘oil’ factor!  I have described some issues with regard to this below:

 

VEGETABLE OIL (AN UNREALISED SOURCE OF SOY):

Oil has become such an essential item for the purpose of meeting our cooking needs in today’s society!  From grilling to making sauces to deep frying, all our foods are laden with many different forms of this essential ‘food-enhancing’ product. Some industries use olive, others use canola.

A surprising Source of Soy lies right in this Bottle

One mainstream cooking oil, however, that has become problematic to a number of soy/soya-allergic and intolerant individuals is generic vegetable oil.  One from the Crisco brand in Australia is pictured to the right! Although this term can be used interchangeably between canola, sunflower and olive oils, many do not realise that the word ‘vegetable‘ in terms of describing an ‘oil’ is in fact, almost always used  as a substitute for the food product soy.  In other words, household ‘vegetable oil’ usually contains soybean oil (check ingredients on back of oil container!!).  This is mainly due to the fact that it is the cheapest most widely used form of cholestrol-free vegetable oil in today’s society!

Canola oil works well as a substitute and quality restaurants and food service outlets have, in recent years, switched to using canola oil for all their cooking due to this common allergen concern as soy is a major ingredient in vegetable oil!  Individuals allergic/intolerant to soy should avoid this cooking aid at all costs, and although various medical practitioners and naturopaths claim that refined soybean oil (i.e. vegetable oil) is safe for individuals with soy allergies (due to the fact that it has been processed to remove the ‘proteins’), much remains unknown about long-term complications associated with continual consumption of minor soy sources within a soy free diet.  Stick with canola and oils of non-’vegetable’ origin.

[Edited to add:  ---THE FOLLOWING ITALIC TEXT IN THIS PARAGRAPH APPLIES TO AUSTRALIA ONLY---

Under the Australian food law, soy must be declared in the ingredient listing whenever used, however small the amount.  If you see vegetable oil listed in the ingredients, and the source is unidentified, be assured that this does not suggest that soy may be present.  If the commercial vegetable oil used does or may contain soybean oil it will be declared (i.e. vegetable oil (may contain soy) or vegetable oil (soy)). The term 'vegetable oil' is used interchangeably within the Australian food manufacturing industry and usually appears this way in ingredients if a blend (often sunflower and canola oil in Australia) has been used. Hope this helps clear things up!]

 

COOKING SPRAY (ANOTHER UNRECOGNISED SOY SOURCE):

Canola Oil Spray - A hidden source of soy!

Cooking spray contains oil and a propellant mixture used for the purpose of evenly dispensing liquid on the surface to which it is applied.  Most cooking oils, particularly canola, do not bind with such propellants by themselves. (Olive oil is generally an exception in this regard, hence many olive oil sprays on the market don’t contain soy!)  As a result, an emulsifying (binding) ingredient needs to be added to blend the propellent with the oil.  The spray, pictured right, is one of many typical canola cooking sprays on the market manufactured by Gold ‘N Canola, containing Canola Oil, Soy Lecithin, and various propellants.

And that’s where that cheeky ingredient, soy lecithin, comes to play, binding the two together (i.e. canola oil and added propellants), generally at a level between 3% and 7%.

Thankfully, living here in Oz, it is often fairly easy to find a soy-free alternative or two for such products.  Though this tends to be time consuming as products are not labelled soy free like they are ‘gluten free’.  It especially seems evident that if you see something that contains soy lecithin, chances are similar products will also contain soy lecithin and finding a soy lecithin alternative of that product is often an extremely un-satisfyingly, time-consuming and daunting task!

 

THE DISCOVERY OF A SOY FREE COOKING SPRAY:

The good news, and I’m really excited about it, is that Alfa One (a New Zealand old fashioned foods company) is now selling a Rice Bran Oil Cooking Spray here in Australia!  It is the only one I have found that is soy free!  I bought some just the other day to try out and I shall say it out loud for all to hear, ‘Use up that last canola cooking spray bottle and SWITCH TO THIS PRODUCT, NOW!’.  I do not say this with any intention of trying to stray people away from soy industry (even though I’m allergic to it and don’t really see how it’s so useful in everything) but the reason I am so keen on this product is because it actually WORKS!  And it works well, too.  Far better than any other cooking spray I’ve ever seen or tried in my life !  This product is worth every penny extra, doesn’t add a nasty rough coating to plates (making dishes easy to wash) and comes out clear.  There’s no ugly foamy residue expelled from this product at all, just like many olive oil sprays.  Rice bran oil seems to blend naturally with the propellant, whereas canola oil and other vegetable oils (other than certain olive oil blends) need additional products to make them ‘work’!