9 replies to this topic

[sleepybeauty]

On May 1, 2008, my blood test came back with a highly positive reading of 271 for the gluten antibodies. I am having a biopsy on Monday. I have thrown every kind of suspect food item out my house. Or so I think. However, so many of the labels say natural flavors, or natural flavorings. Are these safe for us? Please help. I'm really afraid that with how positive my test came back I'm going to have to be EXTREMELY careful.

[RiceGuy]

Some flavorings can contain gluten, so it is best to verify by looking on the company website and/or contacting them by phone or email.

In case you haven't yet seen this, here's a link to some lists of safe and unsafe ingredients:
http://www.celiac.co...3B-Ingredients/

[ShayFL]

I sure hope you have not been gluten free since May 1st as your biopsy might come up negative as your villi might have healed to a point where the biopsy will not pick up damage.

The villi begin healing as soon as you cut gluten out of your diet and some people heal VERY quickly (within weeks). So if you are gluten free and have been for more than a few weeks, dont be surprised if the biopsy comes back negative and you do not get a Dx of Celiac.

But with your blood YOU ARE Celiac. So try not to be lulled into a sense of security based on the biopsy. If you continue to eat gluten you will be damaging yourself and setting yourself up for auto-immune, cancer, etc.

***Now to answer your question. I avoid both of these things because I am sensitive to MSG and both of these contain it. MSG comes from seaweed, so they can still call it "natural". I personally do not buy any product that does not list everything out individually.

I WOULD NOT buy this product:

Ingredients: Rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthum gum, modified palm oil, spices and natural flavoring.

But I WOULD buy this one:

Ingrediets: Rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthum gum, palm oil, thyme, parsley, rosemary and sea salt.

***Manufacturers now know that we look for "hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated" so they use "modified" to fool us and since the Govt allows some trans fats and they can still claim zero trans fats, this is how they get around it and trick us into buying their crap. If the oil has been modified in anyway they have to claim that. They just dont have to tell you "how" it was modified.

[JennyC]

Gluten can hide in natural flavorings, but many mainstream companies have policies of disclosing any gluten in their ingredients. If the product is not from a company that discloses gluten and it does not say gluten free, then I contact the company before I let my son eat it. When you do call companies, ask if the have a gluten labeling policy. It's best if they have a policy for disclosing gluten, so we don't have to rely on lists that can change. Also ask who their parent company is, as they will likely have the same policy. For example if you call La Choy and speak to them about their soy sauce, you could possibly miss that the parent company Con Agra discloses gluten in ALL of their MANY products.

These companies disclose gluten (it won't hide in natural flavorings, spices, etc.):

http://www.glutenfre...donothidegluten

[sleepybeauty]

I sure hope you have not been gluten free since May 1st as your biopsy might come up negative as your villi might have healed to a point where the biopsy will not pick up damage.

The villi begin healing as soon as you cut gluten out of your diet and some people heal VERY quickly (within weeks). So if you are gluten free and have been for more than a few weeks, dont be surprised if the biopsy comes back negative and you do not get a Dx of Celiac.

But with your blood YOU ARE Celiac. So try not to be lulled into a sense of security based on the biopsy. If you continue to eat gluten you will be damaging yourself and setting yourself up for auto-immune, cancer, etc.

***Now to answer your question. I avoid both of these things because I am sensitive to MSG and both of these contain it. MSG comes from seaweed, so they can still call it "natural". I personally do not buy any product that does not list everything out individually.

I WOULD NOT buy this product:

Ingredients: Rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthum gum, modified palm oil, spices and natural flavoring.

But I WOULD buy this one:

Ingrediets: Rice flour, tapioca flour, xanthum gum, palm oil, thyme, parsley, rosemary and sea salt.

***Manufacturers now know that we look for "hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated" so they use "modified" to fool us and since the Govt allows some trans fats and they can still claim zero trans fats, this is how they get around it and trick us into buying their crap. If the oil has been modified in anyway they have to claim that. They just dont have to tell you "how" it was modified.

[sleepybeauty]

Thank you for all the information. No I have not been gluten free since May 1st, I will officially gluten free tomorrow. I am lucky enough to have found this web site, and knew that I could heal within the time in between my blood test and biopsy. It has given me time to get ready mentally also. Because although I know most of the foods I have been eating are making me sick, I am very fond of them. So now I am ready.

I had the same reaction to ingredients that are generically listed as "spices". I threw all of those away just to be safe. Thankfully my husband is really supportive and is even given up his bread for his beloved sandwiches.

Again thank you for all the information.

[sleepybeauty]

Gluten can hide in natural flavorings, but many mainstream companies have policies of disclosing any gluten in their ingredients. If the product is not from a company that discloses gluten and it does not say gluten free, then I contact the company before I let my son eat it. When you do call companies, ask if the have a gluten labeling policy. It's best if they have a policy for disclosing gluten, so we don't have to rely on lists that can change. Also ask who their parent company is, as they will likely have the same policy. For example if you call La Choy and speak to them about their soy sauce, you could possibly miss that the parent company Con Agra discloses gluten in ALL of their MANY products.

These companies disclose gluten (it won't hide in natural flavorings, spices, etc.):

http://www.glutenfre...donothidegluten

[sleepybeauty]

Gluten can hide in natural flavorings, but many mainstream companies have policies of disclosing any gluten in their ingredients. If the product is not from a company that discloses gluten and it does not say gluten free, then I contact the company before I let my son eat it. When you do call companies, ask if the have a gluten labeling policy. It's best if they have a policy for disclosing gluten, so we don't have to rely on lists that can change. Also ask who their parent company is, as they will likely have the same policy. For example if you call La Choy and speak to them about their soy sauce, you could possibly miss that the parent company Con Agra discloses gluten in ALL of their MANY products.

These companies disclose gluten (it won't hide in natural flavorings, spices, etc.):

http://www.glutenfre...donothidegluten

Thank you so much, I really appreciate it.

[sleepybeauty]

Some flavorings can contain gluten, so it is best to verify by looking on the company website and/or contacting them by phone or email.

In case you haven't yet seen this, here's a link to some lists of safe and unsafe ingredients:
http://www.celiac.co...3B-Ingredients/

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me this info. I don't know what I would have done with out this site to find people that give such great support.

[larry mac]

.....I had the same reaction to ingredients that are generically listed as "spices". I threw all of those away just to be safe. Thankfully my husband is really supportive and is even given up his bread for his beloved sandwiches......

If you haven't been gluten-free until tomorrow, how do you know you react to "spices"? Any possible gluten contained in spice ingredients (which I wouldn't worry about anyway since wheat is not a spice) would be infinitesimally small compared to the major gluten you eat before going gluten-free.

Why does your husband have to go on a gluten-free diet? He doesn't have Celiac Disease. I make my wife sandwiches; hasn't made me sick.

best regards, lm