Takala

I really do not understand the responses to the "I find bits of food on my things" which are claiming that noticing this, and re- washing it because of the possibility of cross contamination in a gluten- shared household, is being "overly obsessive."

I think this is borderline trolling behavior designed to elicit a protest, besides being bad advice.  Remember that slogan, "not even a crumb?" 

If you're sharing kitchen cookware or plates and utensils that were used with gluten, that are "supposed" to be clean, and they are not coming up "clean" for whatever reason (sloppy handwashing & rinsing by another person, or a malfunctioning dishwasher rinse cycle) to the point where you pick up a "clean" plate or a pot out of the cabinet, and there is something old and dried on there that you can actually see, (I mean, really, just eeeuwww     )  then keep your kitchen stuff separate and on a shelf or in a cart or upper cabinet which is clearly marked, and it's for your use and no one else's.

If this is a dishwashing machine that is not getting dishes clean, start by telling the others they need to be really rinsing the dishes off before they get put into it, no matter what the directions say, and try switching dishwasher detergent brands.  I can't believe the crud I've seen on "washed" dishes that were just run thru a home dishwasher by people just assuming they could throw an unwashed, unrinsed dish into the thing.   I live on a well, not city water, and the minerals in this water just doesn't allow soap to lather up easily.  Other people will have the opposite problem, install a water conditioner, and their processed water will be "too" soft, and it just will NOT rinse effectively, no matter what.  For awhile we struggled with this, and ended up taking out the stupid water conditioner, I can outwit the hard water, but could not get things in the dishwasher, nor my hair in the shower, to ever rinse clean without leaving a lot of scum with the "softened" version. Yuck. yuck. yech. (you will notice in other posts I talk a lot about pure apple cider vinegar.... or baking soda.... we get a lot of use out of this here)  If you have a human relative that isn't very good with the handwashing & rinsing dishes routine, just keep your stuff separate, and wash your own.  You can also volunteer to be the person who picks up the dishes after the meal, and rinses them before they load into the dishwasher.  It is exasperating, but trying to get the culprit to notice this problem is sometimes an exercise in futility. We were taught as children to hand rinse anything first, that was going to either the sink to be washed, or to be loaded into the dishwasher, and woe unto them that didn't, so it's just a habit.  I mean, nobody, really wants to see dishes that aren't clean. 

     octopuses

Too wet. 

Okay, let's review. The directions said add the eggs, oil, and water, but you left out the optional cheese.  The cheese adds a bit of protein and oil and moisture. 

The directions are always so whacked up on these Chebe boxes.  I beat the eggs and the oil together, and depending on what else I intend to do, then add either exactly the 1/4 cup of water and the cheese and mix that, THEN, add the dry mix all at once, and stir it with a large sturdy spoon, slowly.  Adding the mix slowly doesn't work well.  I don't even touch the stuff with my hands until the dough is behaving like dough.  At first I stir, then fold and press with the spoon, pushing the crumbles together.   If the mixture is refusing to make a dough ball, and is too sticky, I then have a spare box of sacrifice Chebe in the fridge, which I have opened and set out on the counter, ready to shake in a little bit more tapioca mix.    So I add a little more.   Then I stir again and fold again and press with the spoon, seeing if it wants to go into a ball that is not overly sticky.  THEN,  when it seems just a little bit too dry, I take my oiled hands (I have set out an oiled paper towel, or a dish with a little oil, or I call for spouse to put some in my hand)  and start to knead the dough.   Which then turns into a dough ball and gets more "pliable" as it is kneaded. 

Since you left out a whole cup of cheese, you might try adding either a bit more Chebe flour mix out of a spare box, or a bit more of a different kind of gluten free flour, nut meal, etc, say, one to three tablespoons, and a little bit more oil to replace the oil in the missing cheese.  Or, instead of a quarter cup of water, start with only 1 tablespoon, and see if it makes a dough, then if not, add more to see what amount you need for your project. 

Once I have the dough ball I cut it or pinch it into how many pieces I want to end up with, for what ever project.  Sometimes I add quite a bit of other types of gluten-free flours, such as buckwheat or amaranth or a mixture, (you can also use nut meals, I grind those in the blender, as I also grind the buckwheat cereal or seeds) then add an extra egg and oil, plus a dash of vinegar and some baking soda, and make a "big batch" of sandwich rolls and little biscuits.   For the Chebe pizza mixes, besides what it says on the package,  I just add about a tablespoon of another type of gluten-free flour, then press it out on an oiled and corn floured pan and pre bake it for about 10 minutes, to make it crispier, before adding the toppings. 

You may have to go "more" gluten free to the point of being considered eccentric by a conventional medical professional who hasn't experienced this, but it beats being sick all the time.

In the beginning I was grain free and low starch for a long time.  And I'm still lower carb than a "normal."  I am not "normal." I am me, damaged by living for most of my life on the wrong diet.  I added in a little bit of grains to be able to do them if I had to, but I'm better off without most of them, even if they are technically gluten free.  And cosmetics, lotions, shampoos, makeup with gluten ?  Fuggedaboutit.   Really, my allergic pets taught me that cross contamination can come from the most unexpected places.  

= Behavior changes caused by gluten, i.e., the meltdowns.  Young teensters & toddlers.... aie yee yee.   

You really need to get written copies of all your test results.  This will help you in the future if another doctor gives you any grief about adhering to a gluten free diet.  What your current doctor is doing is borderline criminal, imo.  He/she is saying keep eating gluten if you want to, because it hasn't damaged you enough yet to reach the state of being able to be "formally" diagnosed.  The same thing as telling a person with insulin resistance, but not diabetic yet, to keep eating lots of junk snack food.  A lot of these docs are reading the propaganda coming from the wheat lobby, the registered dietitians under the influence of such, AND from a certain celiac research center that make it to the popular media, that the gluten free diet is so difficult and unhealthy a fad diet, that it should only be recommended to those who are formally given the Official Celiac Diagnosis, otherwise they allegedly will be missing out on enough fiber, which is going to make them.... fat. They are dead set (pardon the pun) against acknowledging mere gluten intolerance. 

Shorter Takala: once testing is completed, don't eat stuff that makes you feel sick. 

Look, guys, if some of you don't quit with the misinfo on the USDA "natural flavors" loophole, which allows gluten in barley and rye byproducts, and from processed starches and other grain byproducts which may not be gluten free, to be applied or used as flavoring or seasonings,  you are going to inadvertently make somebody sick.   USDA does not care at all about gluten free labeling according to a statement I have read from the current Secretary Vilsack, he says companies following VOLUNTARY food labeling for the top 8 allergens is enough and does not think the USA needs stricter standards.  Never assume. We do not have gluten free labeling standards here at this time, April 2013, in the United States. 

Ask yourself "what is different?" about this year vs. last year, re: everything that is going into your mouth, including otc and Rx medications.  Strongest possibilities are cross contamination, additional food reactions such as to oats, soy, and thyroid issues, or a combination of all three. 

Don't despair, it's possible to figure this out. 

Yes, I react badly to gluten-free oatmeal cross contamination, and this started years after giving up gluten.  I found out by eating snack foods with oatmeal fiber, and then started to react badly to the Bob's Red Mill brands of flours, because they mill gluten-free oatmeal in their facilities.  Oh, well.  A small percentage of us do. 

I strongly suggest not, unless one likes playing reaction roulette !

She immediately told me that yes for the FDA but not the USDA. They do not have to declare it.

[/i]Yes, this is a very little known loophole from USDA that the food manufacturers love to exploit, when they think it is in their favor. I looked at the ingredients lists for several of the Atkins frozen meals, and they had the word "flavorings,"  such as "modified starch product, ingredients dah, dah, dah, etc, flavorings." listed as a separate ingredient. 

Remember, in the United States, "flavorings" or "natural flavorings" can be made out of anything. 

Example, the Atkins frozen Beef Merlot has broccoli, seasoned cooked beef and "modified food starch product" (beef, water, modified food starch, salt, [i]flavorings ) water, canola oil, onion, ....  etc

and there are "flavors" or "flavorings" mentioned several other times on this list of ingredients.   http://www.atkins.co...eef-Merlot.aspx

Even this list for the Crustless Chicken Pot Pie, which only has the warnings "contains milk,soy"  has the word "flavorings" as the next to last ingredient.   http://www.atkins.co...en-Pot-Pie.aspx

Also seeing "natural flavorings" listed on the Roasted Turkey Tenders with Herb Pan Gravy, along with "flavorings" listed in the "turkey base" ingredient subgroup.

Here's the USDA faq  on "natural flavorings." link:   http://www.fsis.usda...rings/index.asp

You will see that they talk about spices, spice extracts, essential oil, oleoresins, vegetable powders.  Substances derived from MEATS have to be labeled.  MSG (monosodium glutamate)  has to be labeled most of the time, but there is another loophole for that, if a food is naturally high in MSG proteins (free glutamate) it doesn't have to be labeled.  Hydrolyzed animal or vegetable proteins are supposed to be identified by source.  Autolyzed yeast is supposed to be identified.

You will notice there is one category missing in the USDA list of things they "care" about in ingredients added to meat for product labeling. That's the modified food starch.  That is because, technically, a starch is not a protein, and is, in theory, not containing the protein. Because it is so highly processed that the protein is not supposed to be there.   Voila !   WE HAVE THE LOOPHOLE.   "Starch" doesn't come from animals with a central nervous system and a pulse, proteins do, so the USDA official attitude is, "not ours to worry about, FDA, it's yours if you want it."   FDA says, "we don't do meat. we're really busy.  See the USDA."   USDA: "we're busy. this is voluntary. we believe it's adequate."  

Celiacs and Gluten Intolerants = screwed !  & at the mercy of those companies which are vigilant about their voluntary standards. Be nice to those who do fully disclose hidden proteins on labels. 

And this is one of the reasons why the bad food labelers got upset about that CA proposition 37, because it had a clause about not allowing the generic "natural flavorings" anymore. That certainly would have put a crimp in somebody's practices. 

I've had some interesting discussions with people on the internet who swear up and down this can't be so, the USDA would never be so mean to us consumers, as to omit an entire category.  Guess again. 

__

I thought I had better add, to the above, that it is possible that proteins can come from vegetable and nut sources as well as from meat, and did not mean to imply that they can only come from meat.  But this is about whether or not the USDA rules care if they are in the same package as the meat, so they would require a manufacturer to disclose it. 

Not if you are not gluten intolerant or celiac, it shouldn't.  For those of us who are very sensitive, we get more sensitive over time to trace contamination, and sometimes this matters a lot, depending on how the manufacturing or packing facility handles the ingredients, do they have a dedicated, gluten free line, or do they run gluten or wheat products on the same lines, then wash them down afterwards ?  I've reacted to some processed foods that are listed on the label as "gluten free"  but at the same time I've sometimes switched brands to one with no gluten free labeling, but no gluten ingredients AND good manufacturing processes and dedicated lines, plus the warning says "may be processed in a facility that has traces of _______" (with no gluten listed)  and had a successful outcome.   These researchers who say the 20 ppm (that's 20 parts per million) is the amount of gluten cross contamination a regular celiac/gluten intolerant can take before showing symptoms, are dealing with what they believe to be the statistical averages, not the high and low ends of what really happens.  Compare this to my spouse, who eats gluten free at home....  it doesn't matter the least to him, and he can switch back and forth from a "safe" menu for me, to a regular meal out.  He just needs a bit more carbohydrate than I do, because we are different in how we process it. 

Surprises in the brain, been there, done that, got the T- shirt....  you're in uncharted territory, but I hope it works out for you, whatever happens. 

Make them give you written copies of all the tests and the biopsy report...   this is extremely important.  I would also request a follow up visit with this doctor to discuss why he said immediately after the procedure there were some signs of celiac.   Once you go off of gluten full time and completely, it is very difficult to get a medically confirmed diagnosis because the diagnostic "gold standard" is still the positive biopsy (in the U.S.) even with the positive blood test.  You also need to ask the doctor how many biopsy specimens did he take because it IS possible to miss early/beginning patchy celiac damage if they take only a few.   People with inconclusive test results post here frequently, who go off of gluten, then realize what a commitment it is, still don't feel "good" because they have to clean up other food/health issues and aren't sure what to do, then they come back and make up excuses as to why they should resume eating gluten again for a retest, then the retest comes out negative, then they try to convince themselves they don't really have a gluten problem.   But they do.  Gluten can be very addictive, and the resulting "leaky gut" with celiac can cause havoc with all these other types of food, giving you (temporary) intolerances.

After you get your real test information wrangled out of this doctor's office, and get an official recommendation/opinion of what to do next, (don't let them just try to give you IBS meds or something even more ridiculous, and wtf is this about not testing you for nutrient levels, and has anyone checked you for bone loss ?) then you can figure out if you want to pursue a diagnosis with another doctor or just do a trial gluten free diet to see how you respond to it.   Because if you see another doctor in the future, he/she may really be interested in that positive ttg and may be willing to diagnose you (or at least acknowledge you really are a gluten intolerant and not a funky dieter)  if you have some other symptoms crop up that make it much more likely to be celiac.  

Meanwhile, welcome to Club Undiagnosed.  

Get a bottle of San Pellegrino water and bring your own straw, avoid the ice.  Suggest you do a few practice runs of just drinking at bar/restaurant with an actual sympathetic family member (if you have any    ) first.   Slip a baggie of safe gluten-free munchables in your purse to knosh on, if you want.  If you tip the bar wait staff very well, smile confidently, and just say "food allergies" they usually will not care.   Agree with the essential oil therapy, (this is proven to work on horses, we may as well use it ourselves) but the trick is to put it on BEFORE you are feeling stressed, and then do something calming, so it kicks in.  You can put a dab of diluted essential oil of lavender on your inner elbow, for example, wet a cotton ball with water and then add a drop of the oil before dabbing it.   I live in a high mosquito area, so I mix up essential oils in a dabber bottle that I keep in the car, along with some cotton, so I can re apply this before we go out, what cracks me up is how many people have said, "gee, your perfume smells great, what is that ?    This past week I've literally had mosquitoes bouncing off of me like crazy at dusk on a trail, but I smelled good and got a hit of lavender, all at once. 

My kids don't think I should offer to cook.  First off they don't think anyone would like to eat it.  Then my parents and brother's family would have a long drive.

So, let me get this straight.  They think your function in life is to just show up, after you've traveled the long distance, and pick up part of the restaurant bill ? 

Offer to do an hors d'ouvres (finger snacks) and drinks thing party for the relatives on a different day/time.  99% of appetizers can be made gluten free, on gluten free crackers, chips, etc,  and nobody would know the difference.  Most dips, such as guacamole or bean dip, are very, very easy to make gluten free.  Mock ranch dressing can be made out of almost anything, dairy free if need be,  if you have additional intolerances.  You don't have to eat anything you do not want to, just have food around for the others that is still gluten free, so you don't mess up your kitchen.  Most people will eat almond meal skillet bread with fresh rosemary and grated fresh lemon peel, or brazilian cheese rolls (chebe style) quite avidly, as long as they are told it's "gourmet" instead of gluten free.  You can put water chestnuts or almonds in pitted dates, wrap them in bacon, bake it, stick a toothpick in it, and people will devour it.   You can make mini meatballs with cooked rice instead of bread, and put them in a safe BBQ sauce, and then stick a toothpick in them for the serving platter.  If you don't trust commercial, gluten-free bbq sauce, you just make your own out of cider vinegar, molasses or agave, juice, oil, wheat free soy or coconut amino sauce, tomato paste, smoked paprika or smoked tabasco, or a hot, chopped up pepper for heat.       See also the idea above for a Taco bar or a baked potato bar.     Obviously the only reason these [redacted, unflattering phrase re: relatives ] care whether or not Mom and Dad have one last get- together is not that everybody gets to "be together" but that they think this is the Last Supper where somebody else picks up the tab for their favorite restaurant meal.  Sorry, I have no sympathy for them.  Other than that, don't waste time arguing with people who are no longer right in the head, life's too short. 

All the In&Outs that I have eaten at are allergy- aware, and knock on wood, none of them have "gotten" me with the fries, and this is compared to some pricier places with dedicated gluten-free menus, that have.   I really don't think this alleged dunking rolls in the fryers is a standard after hours procedure for this restaurant.  I had read the original link on HuffPo and it has taken on the status of urban legend, there was no time frame given, it could have happened many years ago, before most people had ever heard of "gluten free."   

Ah, uhm, eh.....   

 do not eat that much processed gluten-free food.

granola bar

coffee creamer

ore ida fries

bbq chips

snapple

plantars mix with m&ms

jellyrings candy 

french onion soup mix, worschestire sauce

diet soda

_______________

whew!  

Let's compare that to what I ate yesterday (btw, I am not built like, and would never pass for a gymnast, because I do other sports/exercise, plus farm chores, plus I'm much older, so bear with me)  Yesterday was a "rest" day for me to recover from what I did on Sunday, so I tried to eat less, I will usually have another small protein meal with some good fats in this mix.  

a small apple, sliced

handful of almonds

an ounce of hard cheese

coconut milk and fat free milk in decaf coffee 

a spinach salad with tomatoes, mushrooms, red peppers,  with baked chicken breast and some freshly grated cheddar cheese for protein

salad sprinkled with extra virgin olive oil and apple cider vinegar and salt

half a small baked potato with yogurt

snack(s) 

a tiny mandarin orange, 2 dried dates, a cherry larabar, decaf home brewed tea, (stevia sweetened) another piece of cheese, and a brown rice cake to be the cheese "cracker"

tilapia fish, dipped in egg, then in amaranth&buckwheat&bluecorn gluten-free flours mixed together, sauteed in olive oil,  with homemade mustard sauce using store bought mayo 

broccoli

homemade baked sweet potato fries with olive oil

water with fresh lemon squeeze

________

You will notice that I am eating several servings of fresh fruit and green vegetables per day, and really limiting grain carbs compared to a person with a "normal" metabolism.  I am not a person with a normal metabolism, I have an auto immune disease, and several other related conditions associated with it.  Yet the traditional dietary media keeps trying to insist that I am nutritionally deprived, or even worse, must be borderline neurotic, since I cannot eat massive amounts of grains that regular people eat.   I am too sensitive to trace gluten and oat cross contamination to eat commercially prepared grain foods, so I try to limit my indulgence in processed foods to as little as possible, so they don't slay me when I do have a little of them - and even then I'm really careful and avoid ones that I have reacted to in the past, even if dozens of people on the internet swear they are "safely gluten free" - I don't care, if I literally see my joints puff up, along with my face starting to break out and my vision going wonkers because my eyes are trying to cross, that's my sign. 

When people in my age group were growing up, we were taught to cook from scratch both at home and at school in "home economics" classes (how quaint) on the theory that we would be doing this as a lifetime endeavor.  While I did not like the classes at the time, I did learn something. It is possible to make food from basic ingredients that is better than cafeteria food.   We also had this food theory, before the dreadful, awful "Food Pyramid," called the "Basic Four" that humans should try to eat a balanced diet of dairy, proteins, fruits, and vegetables.  There was very little of this semi-vegan, low fat nonsense that the USDA and the grain subsidy lobby subsequently foisted upon the general public here in the USA in 1992, that all people should be eating a whopping 7 to 10 servings of grain a day, and that meat/proteins from dairy should be the least consumed, with a tiny amount of margarine or oil at the little pointed tip.  Of course, not knowing any better at the time, I did end up going on this route, and that is probably the least healthy I have ever been. (see here for the history of the Pyramid http://en.wikipedia....d_guide_pyramid ) 

The only thing they've done right, is in 2011 they've finally scrapped the Pyramid Failure to make America Thin & Healthy for this "My Plate" routine, but they still have the ongoing low fat obsession.  The reason I am bringing this up is to put your food choices in context with the times that you were raised in, if you are only 31, you were just hitting adolescence right when the Grain Pyramid from Hades was taking over our national pastime of talking about what is the best thing to eat to lose weight.  And you, as a result of winning the auto immune disease lottery,   now have heartburn so bad you can't make it through a day without antacid meds.  But your diet day seems to be lacking in the "fresh fruits and green vegetables" department, rather severely.  You're still counting calories, but you need to be shifting your thinking to what it is that makes your body work better, not what it is that is "low calorie" besides avoiding gluten.  I will never diss anyone for eating potatoes in place of grains, since most of these dietitians saying dumb things re: glutenfree to the media haven't had a bad glutening from a "gluten free" product, or they aren't struggling with ongoing damage of being undiagnosed for decades, but you may want to switch more to a type of "whole foods," really basic diet.  And you have to eat some kind of good fats, or your skin is going to dry out, and your hair is going to look pathetic and your brain is going to be deprived. 

Every meal, the New Basic Four:  A fruit, a veg, a protein, a fat.  

And you may want to try to wean off the diet sodas, as some of them seem to be associated with weight gain, anyway, besides the side effects from the artificial sweeteners triggering cravings. 

A few of us have had to go to a "gluten free at home" household, my husband suggested this, after watching me get waylaid really badly one too many times from accidental glutenings.  Since he also cooks, it makes it simpler to avoid the bad things in the pantry if they are not there to begin with.  If he goes to the store, he will lay out the items on the counter for me to read the labels before we shelve them. And it's just easier to cook the same thing for everybody, with the same utensils, and the leftovers are then safe. 

Of course, a lot of people, including myself, are going to tell you to get your thyroid antibodies checked, also.  But thyroid meds still can't fix a diet missing vegetables and fruits.