Tapioca Flour

[jerseyangel]

I've been sick for 3 weeks now. I've been over everything I've eaten and used. I do not feel like I've been glutened. No D (the big tip off), but upper abdominal stuff like lots of gas, pressure, belching, nausea, and a burning in my mouth and dry throat. I've been going 2 times a day--it had been once for quite a while now. I almost feel like I've been poisoned--not to be dramatic, but for the purpose of description. The only common thing I come up with is that I've been baking with a homemade flour mix containing tapioca flour. Before this, I'd been doing so well. Also, back when I used to eat dairy, if I ate tapioca pudding, my mouth would always get dry. Am I nuts?

[key]

Patti,

I made some sugar cookies the other night. THey had tapioca flour, rice flour and corn starch flour. I was so happy they turned out, but then I was SO sick that night. Not gluttening symptoms either. It just felt like a ball in my stomach for hours, belching, my food just wouldn't digest and I had some abdominal pain(ended up sitting up until 2am watching tv and took pepto bismol). I know it wasn't gluten, because my son's ate the same cookies and were fine (one has celiac and had no symptoms). THey have been eating them and I won't touch them again. I had been gluttened the day or so before, so I thought maybe it was just that. I have had some stomach aches though when I eat some of the gluten-free breads. The gluten free pantry one has bothered me. I can eat Kinnikinnick's english muffins and pizza crusts. I can eat corn tortilla's etc. I wonder if it is the tapioca flour. I am not sure what is in all those breads, but something in some of them doesn't agree with me either. Didn't have any D from that episode though. Sometimes I believe I should just quit eating. I don't ever know sometimes.

Hope we both figure out the problem.

Monica

[jerseyangel]

Monica--Thanks for responding so fast! I also was excited that my cookies came out well, and proceded to eat some of each kind. All were made with the mix with the tapioca flour in it. I didn't feel well the next morning and I blamed the Hershey's Dark Chocolate Kisses in the Peanut Blossoms! So, what did I do--I made choc. chip cookies with the flour mix, thinking it must have been the kisses or the sprinkles on the sugar cookies. I felt better this past weekend, but yesterday I made banana bread with "the mix" and I feel awful today. I'm getting so tired of trying to figure out what is causing what! I wish someone could tell me--ok, this is what you should eat. I was really doing well before all of this--I hope the flour is the culprit as I can do very well without it. Like you said--lets hope we figure this thing out!

[key]

Patti,

Yup, I was doing great gluten-free for like 4-5 months and then bam! I can't stand it when I don't know what I have eaten that has made me not feel well, but for now I don't want to feel the way I felt the other night. I am scared to try anything baked anymore. I think I should just eat natural foods or something. Just thinking about such a large quantity of tapioca flour and corn starch in my bread kind of grosses me out actually. Even when I make it. It grossed me out before I was sick. I think I will just eat Potatoes for the next month! HA!

MOnica

[kabowman]

What else is in the mix besides tapioca flour? Corn starch? Soy flour? Potato starch? Could it be something else or do those in other mixes do fine for you.

Just a guess since some of those tend to be more problematic for celiac disease people rather than the tapioca...it took me quite a while to figure out the yeast on mine.

Also, something we add for baking is actually a mild laxitive - I just can't remember the name right now. One of those weeks.

[jerseyangel]

Monica--Before this Christmas baking fiasco, I always just used rice flour and some potato starch to soften it up a bit. Never a problem. I shouldn't have tried to fix something that wasn't broken! Whole, natural foods sound like a great idea right about now.

[key]

Just thought I would let you know that I checked my ingredients on the Kinnikinnick products and they have tapioca, yeast, corn or rice flour for me. THose products don't bother me. I did use xanthum gum, which I noticed wasn't in the other one's. I don't know, maybe it was just something else entirely. Something definitely bothered me that night. I don't think I was sick at all with any virus. It just made my stomach hurt and didn't digest right.

Guess the search continues.

Monica

[2Boys4Me]

Also, something we add for baking is actually a mild laxitive - I just can't remember the name right now. One of those weeks.

I believe guar gum is used as a laxative.

I wish I could help you all with figuring it out, but my son (the Celiac) never had any "classic" symptoms to gluten of any kind, nor does he have any symptoms now...I have no idea if he's ingesting any accidentally or not.

I guess my only suggestion is to avoid anything made with tapioca for a couple of weeks and then try it again to see what happens. Sort of a trial by elimination...I see a lot of people here trying elimination diets.

[jerseyangel]

Yea-I'll just stop using it and see if that helps. The other 2 ingred. were rice flour and potato starch--those I know are ok for me. I also used xanthan gum but only in the cookies, not the banana bread. Thanks for all the input

[sillyac]

Hi,

i read somewhere that soy allergic people usualy are also allergic to wheat .. so it seemed to happen with me. watch out how your body reacts to soy and derivates..

And milk can be a problem to an advance celiac isnit?

Also, eating cereals before going to bed as never been a good sleeping tactic to me, not only cos i can't (start and) sleep well as i don't seem to diggest properly, waking heavy next morning and ending up on coffee to sort-it-out!

mmm..

What do you celiacs eat before go to bed? Not bread for sure!

I try to stick to apples and pears but its difficult to stay out other more filling alternatives..

Thanks

[jerseyangel]

Well, I'm about to go to bed and I just had an apple, sliced with natural peanut butter.

[Becky6]

After being gluten-free for a month now I know there is something else that is bothering me! Not sure what yet! Possible dairy is my theory for now. My daughter is off dairy (has been since may and off gluten for 6 weeeks) so our dinner was gluten-free and df last night and I felt just fine! Yesterday I ate some gluten-free cand with milk in it and got that aching nasty stomach. So right now I think it is dairy. I hope you figure out what it is! IT is so discouraging when you finally realize how good you feel w/o gluten! Then wham something else gets you! Good luck!

[Diosa]

Another thought... did you use baking powder? Some baking powders have gluten in them. You might check to see if yours does. I have been extra careful to get only gluten-free baking powder.

I'm sorry they made you so sick. Hope you feel better.

I *just* started baking again, using a mix of corn starch, tapioca flour, garfava and sorghum. I can't tolerate rice at all, so I have to be a bit more creative with flour blends.

[jerseyangel]

Hi Beth--Thanks for the suggestion. I use Clabber Girl baking powder and it actually says gluten free on the label! I feel much better, thanks and I really do think it was the tapioca. I may be wrong, but I didn't eat any more of the stuff made w/the flour mix and the wierd symptoms went away within a day or so. I find it interesting that you can't tolerate rice--I have tried eliminating rice and have found that my excema has cleared up. Does make it harder, when you don't use the rice . Have you read Dangerous Grains? Yesterday, I think, I posted a paragraph from it on rice and why some gluten intolerant people can't use it.