17 replies to this topic

[anabananakins]

After a few days of achey joints, not a great feeling tummy and major balance issues, it occurred to me that pigging out on Chex might have gotten to me. I was eating the honey nut one on my trip and felt fine, but I never ate all that much at once. However, the box of cinnamon that I brought home got eat (solely by me) in less than a week. Usually my diet is so clean if I get glutened I can tell in 2 hours from my stomach's reaction, and I don't usually get the balance problems unless I've been glutened repeatedly (as happened when I travelled last year - bagels in shared toaster, yeah).

That would make sense wouldn't it? That gluten free label or not, I could be repeatedly getting enough tiny amounts of gluten from eating so many bowls of it? Serves me right for being such a pig. My balance is terrible today, it's only a fortnight since I was gleefully showing my cousin how I could do the stand with your feet together and eyes closed test again, and yesterday and today I can't even do it with my eyes open. I keep dropping things, and I walk into walls again and last night I felt like I was crawling out of my skin. My brain is mush Plus the aching joints/muscles - ugh, I can't believe I used to feel like this all the time. I stayed home today and I do feel a bit better, hopefully it'll pass soon.

It's a good thing the nearest chex is all the way accross the Pacific Ocean from me.

[pricklypear1971]

Ya know, I never have been a cereal person til gluten-free. Then i picked up Rice Chex. I never read the label til I dropped milk to reduce iodone - and discovered they have dye in them.

I dont do well on dyes, never have. So I won't be buying more.

[ENF]

I enjoy Honey Nut Chex, which is gluten and dairy free, but avoid Cinnamon Chex, which is also gluten-free but has "nonfat milk" listed in it's ingredients.

[dilettantesteph]

I get that build up of small amounts of gluten to produce achy joints. I think that it can work that way.

[gfkikamonster]

I react to Chex as well, and also to the new gluten free Rice Krispies. It could be that they are glutened, but I considered another possible source: they all have MBT in them. I don't eat many foods with MBT anymore since most processed food has gluten in it (and much of the gluten-free processed food is "all-natural" or "organic" and doesn't have harsh preservatives. To test this theory, I got the Wegman's store brand rice chex, which are gluten-free and do not have MBT. So far, no reaction. So either Wegman's is doing a better job of keeping gluten out or I was actually reacting to MBT rather than gluten, I think!

[Austin Guy]

Have you tested for a fructose malabsorption? Chex has a lot of sugar in it.

[pricklypear1971]

I react to Chex as well, and also to the new gluten free Rice Krispies. It could be that they are glutened, but I considered another possible source: they all have MBT in them. I don't eat many foods with MBT anymore since most processed food has gluten in it (and much of the gluten-free processed food is "all-natural" or "organic" and doesn't have harsh preservatives. To test this theory, I got the Wegman's store brand rice chex, which are gluten-free and do not have MBT. So far, no reaction. So either Wegman's is doing a better job of keeping gluten out or I was actually reacting to MBT rather than gluten, I think!

Probably so. I forgot about that. I had a horrible reaction to Riceworks chips - supposedly gluten-free but packed full of every nasty flavor enhancer, color, etc. known.

[mushroom]

I am another Chex reactor, do not react to Rice Krispies, and also decided it was maybe the MBT.

[shadowicewolf]

There is no dye in the rice chex.

Ingrediant list is: whole grain rice, sugar, salt, molassas, vitamin E, and BHT.

[pricklypear1971]

There is no dye in the rice chex.

Ingrediant list is: whole grain rice, sugar, salt, molassas, vitamin E, and BHT.

Cinnamon-Sugar variety.

[anabananakins]

Have you tested for a fructose malabsorption? Chex has a lot of sugar in it.

I haven't done the test, but my dietician does think that I have fructose malabsorption based on how I reacted to removing particular fruits and veges from my diet. But I don't usually get the balance problems from it, just bloating and an upset stomach. But the large amount of sugar in Chex is definitely a reason not to eat it.

What is MBT, I don't know anything about that? Thanks for all the suggestions!

[pricklypear1971]

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and the related compound butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are phenolic compounds that are often added to foods to preserve fats.

How do they preserve food?

BHA and BHT are antioxidants. Oxygen reacts preferentially with BHA or BHT rather than oxidizing fats or oils, thereby protecting them from spoilage. In addition to being oxidizable, BHA and BHT are fat-soluble. Both molecules are incompatible with ferric salts. In addition to preserving foods, BHA and BHT are also used to preserve fats and oils in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

What foods contain BHA and BHT?

BHA is generally used to keep fats from becoming rancid. It is also used as a yeast de-foaming agent. BHA is found in butter, meats, cereals, chewing gum, baked goods, snack foods, dehydrated potatoes, and beer. It is also found in animal feed, food packaging, cosmetics, rubber products, and petroleum products.

BHT also prevents oxidative rancidity of fats. It is used to preserve food odor, color, and flavor. Many packaging materials incorporate BHT. It is also added directly to shortening, cereals, and other foods containing fats and oils.

Are BHA and BHT safe?

Both BHA and BHT have undergone the additive application and review process required by the US Food and Drug Administration. However, the same chemical properties which make BHA and BHT excellent preservatives may also be implicated in health effects. The oxidative characteristics and/or metabolites of BHA and BHT may contribute to carcinogenicity or tumorigenicity; however the same reactions may combat oxidative stress. There is evidence that certain persons may have difficulty metabolizing BHA and BHT, resulting in health and behavior changes. BHA and BHT may have antiviral and antimicrobial activities. Research is underway concerning the use of BHT in the treatment of herpes simplex and AIDS.

[lucky28]

Funny you posted this, I was thinking the same thing. I have only been gluten-free since aug. 9th and been VERY vigilant. I basically stripped my diet to meat, bananas, veggies from the garden, rice, quinoa, organic gluten-free corn chips and lactaid milk. Been feeling so much better but last week I bought a box of the honey nut chex and thought I reacted to it also. I had a bowl of it 3 different times and each time I had severe bloating and stomach cramps, etc . I even went as far to check the fda recall list just to see if they might have been recalled due to "undeclared wheat" or something similar. I guess I'll just leave them out of my diet for now.

[anabananakins]

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and the related compound butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are phenolic compounds that are often added to foods to preserve fats.

How do they preserve food?

BHA and BHT are antioxidants. Oxygen reacts preferentially with BHA or BHT rather than oxidizing fats or oils, thereby protecting them from spoilage. In addition to being oxidizable, BHA and BHT are fat-soluble. Both molecules are incompatible with ferric salts. In addition to preserving foods, BHA and BHT are also used to preserve fats and oils in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

What foods contain BHA and BHT?

BHA is generally used to keep fats from becoming rancid. It is also used as a yeast de-foaming agent. BHA is found in butter, meats, cereals, chewing gum, baked goods, snack foods, dehydrated potatoes, and beer. It is also found in animal feed, food packaging, cosmetics, rubber products, and petroleum products.

BHT also prevents oxidative rancidity of fats. It is used to preserve food odor, color, and flavor. Many packaging materials incorporate BHT. It is also added directly to shortening, cereals, and other foods containing fats and oils.

Are BHA and BHT safe?

Both BHA and BHT have undergone the additive application and review process required by the US Food and Drug Administration. However, the same chemical properties which make BHA and BHT excellent preservatives may also be implicated in health effects. The oxidative characteristics and/or metabolites of BHA and BHT may contribute to carcinogenicity or tumorigenicity; however the same reactions may combat oxidative stress. There is evidence that certain persons may have difficulty metabolizing BHA and BHT, resulting in health and behavior changes. BHA and BHT may have antiviral and antimicrobial activities. Research is underway concerning the use of BHT in the treatment of herpes simplex and AIDS.

Thank you for all this information. It doesn't sound like something I particularly want to eat, though there seem to be pluses and minuses to it. It's fascinatingly creepy some of the stuff that goes into food and we're completely oblivious.

[weluvgators]

Interesting post! Chex was a suspect (two "gluten free" foods were eaten together, so it may have been one of them, both of them or the combination) in a very bad reaction that one of my children had after eating it for 3-4 days in a row, and it was most evident when she started losing her balance and stuttering up a storm! It then proceeded to severe, debilitating joint pain. Another child and myself had already stopped eating the stuff because we felt like we were getting low levels of gluten from consumption of it. And another child of mine also has had reactions to Chex - it seems like his typical gluten reaction. We just don't even trial the stuff anymore, as none of us think it is worth eating based on our experiences with it.

It sure would be nice to have a box of cereal to reach for, but we haven't found one yet that seems appropriate for our level of sensitivity.