Jump to content

Why eating 'gluten free' is so frustrating!


Mallard

Recommended Posts

I made a post a while ago about my wife having to eat a gluten free diet due to a food allergy. Since then we have had our up's and down's, but have learned a lot about what is safe and what to stay away from. The problem is, it's not that cut and dry.

 

If you walk through your local grocery store you may see some foods labeled "Gluten Free" on the front, or in smaller print below the Nutrition Facts. If you have a food allergy like peanuts, soy, tree nuts, etc. you make sure to check the label to make sure that under the ingredients it doesn't say "CONTAINS: xxx." If you have a peanut allergy and it doesn't say "CONTAINS: PEANUTS" it's safe to eat. This hold true with all labels. Except gluten.

 

According to the FDA, in order to be labeled "Gluten Free" the item must contain "less than 2%" gluten. The problem is, 2% is still enough to cause a reaction in some/most people with the allergy. The severity of the reaction is what differs between people. Some people just bloat up, or have to run to the bathroom. Others can be violently sick for 4 days, and at least one person stated they have gone into anaphylactic shock and had to use his epi pen.

 

It would be totally unacceptable for "peanut free" labeled food to contain 2% peanuts, so why is this acceptable for gluten? How does someone know what foods are safe when even the foods labeled safe aren't safe!?

 

Tonight everything we had for dinner was either fresh, or came from something labeled gluten free. After dinner my wife was having a reaction and I thought she was crazy (since I had been extra careful with what I serve every night). After a Google search I found several other people who had problems with the same food. The manufacturer claims they wash the production line twice between gluten and non-gluten products, but they obviously have a cross-contamination problem. I don't know what to do anymore.

 

Extremely frustrated right now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 55
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Sorry Phil. An old roomate and good friend of mine is gluten free also. It was very frustrating when it came to going out to eat or sharing a dinner idea. Usually it was not a problem because he and I were bachelors living together, he just ate his own thing.

I could not imagine working this into a family.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel you dude. I am allergic to Milk, eggs, fish, soy, wheat, yeast, grass, pollen, trees, any fruit not cooked (yes there is a diffrence between cooked fruit and non cooked, animals with high dander, dust, and probably more than I know. It sucks because almost everything involves that shit/cross-contamination playing a factor. Though some foods won't hurt me as bad as others but still sucks.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel you dude. I am allergic to Milk, eggs, fish, soy, wheat, yeast, grass, pollen, trees, any fruit not cooked (yes there is a diffrence between cooked fruit and non cooked, animals with high dander, dust, and probably more than I know. It sucks because almost everything involves that shit/cross-contamination playing a factor. Though some foods won't hurt me as bad as others but still sucks.

 

Im allergic to everything too. Basically any food, animals, pollen, dust,etc. Most of it is just slightly, so i can still do/eat whatever i want and it doesn't bother me enough for me to give any shits. The couple things i absolutely have to stay away from though are pinnacilin(sp), and hamsters....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Im allergic to everything too. Basically any food, animals, pollen, dust,etc. Most of it is just slightly, so i can still do/eat whatever i want and it doesn't bother me enough for me to give any shits. The couple things i absolutely have to stay away from though are pinnacilin(sp), and hamsters....

 

I have to stay away from milk eggs wheat and cats are my Number 1 biggest problems. everything else will just hurt my tummy alittle. Ill eat a small danatos slice of pizza and hold it down for 10min and it will just come right back up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have to stay away from milk eggs wheat and cats are my Number 1 biggest problems. everything else will just hurt my tummy alittle. Ill eat a small danatos slice of pizza and hold it down for 10min and it will just come right back up.

Damn man, that's shitty.

 

Bad hamster expierence once that caused you to need a hospital trip involving penicillin? :p

 

http://vimeo.com/6655362

 

Yeah, it's more so to keep those memories repressed. Now i need to go back to therapy dick.

 

But really... hamsters make me break out and itch like crazy and the last time i took penicillin i had lips bigger than jay-z for 4 days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

anybody that thinks their allergic to gluten is crazy, true story.

 

You're an idiot.

 

There are plenty of medically documented effects of gluten on people's bodies that have the allergy/sensitivity/disease/disorder, whatever you want to call it. Not to mention the people that immediately have side effects after eating it, like getting violently ill for days.

 

You could at least Google "Celiac Disease" or "gluten sensitivity" before opening your mouth.

  • Downvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

anybody that thinks their allergic to gluten is crazy, true story.

 

lol I hope you're just trolling.

 

Personally, I've been wanting to cut out alot of wheats, corns, gluten and the like. It's not natural for us. This is why I believe so, so many have allergic reactions to it. Same with dairy. (Though, I could NEVER get up dairy and don't you fuckin dare try to make me!) I have a lot of stomach problems and Im hoping this will help. Seems to a bit so far though I've got a long way to go.

 

There aren't any websites that list food products safe to eat for those who suffer like your wife?

  • Downvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

here is a list of gluten free foods that we have at whole foods dublin...send me a pm if you want more help finding gluten free stuff...i know lots of moms that do gf diets and since i work at whole foods, i have lots of access to info there

 

http://wholefoodsmarket.com/specialdiets/MA_DUB_Gluten_Free.pdf

 

may i ask what the food item is that she had a reaction to?

are you using the same pans/utensils to cook the gf food that you use with other foods? that can cause cross contamination, too....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You're an idiot.

 

There are plenty of medically documented effects of gluten on people's bodies that have the allergy/sensitivity/disease/disorder, whatever you want to call it. Not to mention the people that immediately have side effects after eating it, like getting violently ill for days.

 

You could at least Google "Celiac Disease" or "gluten sensitivity" before opening your mouth.

lol those people that make up those diseases are quacks. They are the people that think they are always sick but nothing is wrong with them. These aren't accepted in the medical world.

 

my ex thought that, she was/is crazy.

my sister thinks her kids are allergic to gluten, they suffer from malnutrition.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I feel you dude. I am allergic to Milk, eggs, fish, soy, wheat, yeast, grass, pollen, trees, any fruit not cooked (yes there is a diffrence between cooked fruit and non cooked, animals with high dander, dust, and probably more than I know. It sucks because almost everything involves that shit/cross-contamination playing a factor. Though some foods won't hurt me as bad as others but still sucks.

 

So what do you eat on an average day? That sounds like my whole diet, except for the whole tree/grass/animals with dander etc part...lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Same with dairy. (Though, I could NEVER get up dairy and don't you fuckin dare try to make me!)

 

I've heard that most animals are allergic to dairy as adults and that humans are the exception because we have conditioned ourselves to consume dairy after childhood.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

here is a list of gluten free foods that we have at whole foods dublin...send me a pm if you want more help finding gluten free stuff...i know lots of moms that do gf diets and since i work at whole foods, i have lots of access to info there

 

http://wholefoodsmarket.com/specialdiets/MA_DUB_Gluten_Free.pdf

 

may i ask what the food item is that she had a reaction to?

are you using the same pans/utensils to cook the gf food that you use with other foods? that can cause cross contamination, too....

 

I have thought of the cross contamination on our cookware, plates, etc. I try to be as careful as possible and only use things that have gone through a couple washes for her stuff. Honestly, I haven't made much of anything WITH gluten for quite a while, only my cereal.

 

She had an issue with Hormel Beef Au Jus entree. It's prepackaged and easy to heat in the microwave on days when either of us get home from work late. I found a forum on Celiac.com where several people said they had reactions after eating this. That's the only thing we ate that it could have been.

 

Thanks for the link. We've educated ourselves over the last year about what's safe. It's just frustrating when things that are labeled as a safe food can still contain 2% of the allergen, which is more than should be allowed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have thought of the cross contamination on our cookware, plates, etc. I try to be as careful as possible and only use things that have gone through a couple washes for her stuff. Honestly, I haven't made much of anything WITH gluten for quite a while, only my cereal.

 

She had an issue with Hormel Beef Au Jus entree. It's prepackaged and easy to heat in the microwave on days when either of us get home from work late. I found a forum on Celiac.com where several people said they had reactions after eating this. That's the only thing we ate that it could have been.

 

Thanks for the link. We've educated ourselves over the last year about what's safe. It's just frustrating when things that are labeled as a safe food can still contain 2% of the allergen, which is more than should be allowed.

 

no problem! we often have gluten free tastings and classes at whole foods...

seriously, let me know if you guys need help or recipes, etc...on my mommy forum, we have a huge recipe thread of gf and allergy free recipes...these girls know how to make tons of items gluten free!! and they know where to buy all sorts of items!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

no problem! we often have gluten free tastings and classes at whole foods...

seriously, let me know if you guys need help or recipes, etc...on my mommy forum, we have a huge recipe thread of gf and allergy free recipes...these girls know how to make tons of items gluten free!! and they know where to buy all sorts of items!

 

Awesome. PM me that page.

 

My mother in law has just about perfected pie crusts, we like pamela's mix for panckes, we found a decent pasta, and I just made a cherr swirl coffee cake/strudel withe GF Bisquick, although that's been hard to find and can be pricey.

 

http://www.liveglutenfreely.com by General Mills has been pretty good. Plus we have a local bakery that we sometimes get things from (http://www.celiacspecialties.com).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Awesome. PM me that page.

 

My mother in law has just about perfected pie crusts, we like pamela's mix for panckes, we found a decent pasta, and I just made a cherr swirl coffee cake/strudel withe GF Bisquick, although that's been hard to find and can be pricey.

 

http://www.liveglutenfreely.com by General Mills has been pretty good. Plus we have a local bakery that we sometimes get things from (http://www.celiacspecialties.com).

 

i can't send you the page because it's a private local moms forum :(

but i could search recipes and send them to you...anything you are looking for?

 

i've never heard of gf bisquick...but probably because we don't carry it at whole foods...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i can't send you the page because it's a private local moms forum :(

but i could search recipes and send them to you...anything you are looking for?

 

i've never heard of gf bisquick...but probably because we don't carry it at whole foods...

 

If I have to register for the forum I will.

 

GF Bisquick was released this past summer and it's extremely hard to find. I haven't found it anywhere near my house, but my parents were able to find it @ Giant Eagle on Sawmill/Bethel. It's been getting great reviews and there are a ton of recipes for it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...