Struggling with labels. Need help.

[CharlesBronson]

Hello All,

I'm about 1.5 months into my gluten free diet and struggling to make sense out of Canadian food labels. Also, I'm just so exhausted all the time it feels like I can't make sense of any of it. I thought I was doing well after about a month but then felt worse again and couldn't figure it out until I found out the black beans I was eating had a "May Contain" warning on them. Now, I'm paranoid and looking at all my labels over again and am just flat out confused, tired, angry and fed up.

Take Green Giant frozen veg mix, for instance... Its ingredients are corn, peas, carrots and green beans. There's no "May Contain" warning on the label, but also there's no Gluten Free mention anywhere on the bag. So, there's a chance this contains gluten right? But then why wouldn't they add the "May Contain" warning?

Unless something comes with a certified Gluten Free seal on it, does that mean it could contain gluten? What about supermarket meats? They are cut and packaged by the supermarket so there's no ingredients list or label. What do I do in this situation? 

Also, what about something like rice in a bag. The ingredients list is just "milled rice" but there's no mention of gluten free on the bag anywhere.

Basically, almost every meal I eat revives the fatigue, pain and nausea and about the only thing that relieve these symptoms is laying down or going to sleep.

Please offer some advice. 

Thank you

 

[Ennis-TX]

Do some searches and check the newbie 101 blog along with the safe ingredient list. Avoid processed foods and stick to name brand foods.
Addressing you listed issues, Green Giant produces "Sauced" and seasoned products using the same packaging machines cleaned between runs same with birdeye, etc. When in doubt call/email the company.  I gave up on that crap due to the feeling sick and only get fresh veggies and process bag and freeze in house now days.
Rice, check it by pouring it out on butcher paper check for "other" grains and foreign matter, then wash the rice. Look up vidoes of washing rice.

To tell you the truth part of  why I went Paleo at first was due to the grains and beans making me feel like crap. I learned they flared other AI issues, later found they messed with some other problems that just recently came to light. You might give the diet a try. The AIP diet is a bit more restrictive but can help you find other foods that might be a issue. Heck when I was first diagnosed there were SO many things that made me sick and bloated....still are but some I can eat now.

Simplify your diet and start a food diary your probably have some other issues you need to track down.
https://www.celiac.com/forums/topic/91878-newbie-info-101/
https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/are-food-sensitivities-for-life
https://www.wikihow.com/Keep-a-Food-Diary