Processed Food

[Kaycee]

I am quite new at this, and try to be very strict with myself, but apparently not strict enough, as I still do suffer from dairrhea. Did I spell that right? I think the longest stretch I have gone without is about four days. I meant diahrrea, nothing else.

I am beginning to wonder whether additives in cans and food could have something to do with it. I find that when I eat fresh fruit and veggies, plain straight meats and plain crackers, corn or rice without any additives in them, I seem to do really well. But then when I add, chocolate (just the plainest and only a little), straight gin, fizzy as in plain lemonade (non diet), canned foods, gluten free cereals and even gluten free breads, I don't seem to do too well. I get diarrhea. It could just be Mondayitis, as most of those foods are eaten over the weekend. But then they are still laced with preservatives, even though the products are stated to be gluten free, I was wondering, could it be all the additives giving me hell. A few years back some people felt they were allergic to the modern age. Maybe they had coeliac too and that I am allergic to the modern age as well.

I would like some comments on this, as when I first started, I thought it would be simple, and all I had to do was cut out the gluten, but it does not seem that easy. I seem to handle anything that has been unadulterated, and that includes milk, as I eat yoghurt and drink coffee with milk everyday. But since I don't eat much processed foods, I could have an allergy to something else that is in most processed foods, such as soy.

But my gut instinct says to avoid those numbers as best as I can.

Also, I eat apples and pears, and they have little stickers on them, so I just peel them off, but now I am wondering whether the adhesives have gluten in them, and that I should be cutting them out. Just a thought that occurred to me today.

Thinking beyond the square has not always been my forte, and I used to think allergies were a whole lot of twaddle, until we had a girl at school who is acutely allergic to peanuts, and then my view changed. I know I have not an allergy to gluten, but an intolerance, but intolerance sounds so lame Intolerance, the word does not even carry the weight behind it that this disease needs. Intolerance sounds pretty fickle to me.

Still enough ranting, I have raved on enough.

Cathy

[rinne]

I am beginning to wonder whether additives in cans and food could have something to do with it. I find that when I eat fresh fruit and veggies, plain straight meats and plain crackers, corn or rice without any additives in them, I seem to do really well. But then when I add, chocolate (just the plainest and only a little), straight gin, fizzy as in plain lemonade (non diet), canned foods, gluten free cereals and even gluten free breads, I don't seem to do too well. I get diarrhea.

Sounds like you have your answer. I can't handle additives and last week-end, when I went on a small binge after discovering the gluten free store, I learned I can't handle much in the way of gluten free store bought treats. I am wondering if another real problem with these items, in addition to the preservatives, is the sugar. Is it true that sugar takes nutrients from the body to process it? If that is true perhaps Celiacs, at least in the beginning simply don't have enough nutrients to lose any and given that it is in just about everything that is processed we do better when we eat food that is not processed.

[darlindeb25]

The gin would have made me very ill, for some reason, I can't tolerate alcohols in any form. A tiny glass of wine makes me sicker then the worst hangover ever. You have so many things that you are suspecting to be the problem. The only thing you can do is to eat simple, the things you know don't bother you, then add the others a little at a time. Try each food for 1 week, dont try one a day, that can still cause trouble. I react to some foods much slower then others, sometimes my reaction time is 1-3 days. Gluten free processed foods, like cookies and such do make me ill. Try keeping it simple for a while. Deb

[Kaycee]

Thanks for your replies. It makes sense to try things one at a time, but it is harder than said, as you probably know. It still takes tme to find out what it was that upset things. But now five months down the track, I eat more natural, than processed, so that makes it a bit easier.

I do keep it simple for most of the time. Alchohol does not seem to bother me, not that I drink much, I actually feel more hung over when I have glutened myself.

Tonight is a typical night, but I don't know what I ate that has set me off, as now I can't sleep and am restless, with the usual tummy nagging.

For tea I had a stir fry, homemade with a bit of chicken in it and tamari soy sauce, the one without wheat, spuds and pumpkin and frozen peas and beans. I am quite fastidious about checking labels, and there was nothing to suggest anything. Could it be chicken, as I presume they still get fed wheat and grain, like when we had them when growing up.

About the gluten free staples, or should I say treats, but then they don't feel like treats, more like fillers, when I say I can't tolerate them too well to my friends etc, they give me a funny look. I am not surprised because when I first suspected they were a problem, I thought no way, how could they. They are made for people like me. But they still have additives in them. Now I feel the food industry is still letting me down.

Cathy

[kabowman]

I have the same problem and am thinking of giving up my hazlenut milk-I can't find a rice milk that doesn't make me sick any more but can still eat rice. If I keep my food to just fresh meat and veggies and starches, I do OK, as soon as I add other stuff in, which we all do at least occasionally, I get sick.

[AndreaB]

It sounds like you may have a problem with soy. You reacted to dinner in which you had soy sauce, you reacted a day that had chocolate in it which has soy lecithin. Check you other goodes. Soy products are in many things, especially soy lecithin (all chocolate) and soy flour. Enjoy Life makes treats, bread, cereal and bagels. They don't use any soy or the major allergens. If you haven't tried their products you may want to. There cereal isn't great but I like the treats (cookies) and bread (plain). Haven't tried the bagels or no rye bread. Soy can cause many of the same problems as gluten and I have read that it causes intestinal damage.

[Mango04]

Processed food makes me sick as well.

I find that when I eat fresh fruit and veggies, plain straight meats and plain crackers, corn or rice without any additives in them, I seem to do really well.

You have your answer. That's how I have to eat if I want to remain healthy. We're brainwashed to believe our bodies are supposed to be able to tolerate additives and chemicals in processed foods, but our bodies are not designed for all that. There's nothing wrong with eating fresh, unprocessed food. Especially if you're gut instinct tells you that's what's right for you!

[Green12]

When our bodies are compromised with an auto-immune illness it is very common to be highly reactive to many foods, not just gluten. I would continue to go with your gut feeling to avoid those foods you feel are questionable and stick with those you know you don't have any reactions to. Listen to your body, it knows you best!

Many on this board have a problem eating processed and packaged foods, even the gluten-free stuff, and can only eat whole unprocessed food- meats, fruits, veggies, items with the fewest ingredients possible and minimal processing.

[tarnalberry]

if you're in the UK, and eating gluten-free processed foods, could it be that they have CODEX wheat starch in them, which is listed as gluten free, but can have up to 200ppm gluten in it? some people still react to that much gluten.

[Kaycee]

It sounds like you may have a problem with soy. You reacted to dinner in which you had soy sauce, you reacted a day that had chocolate in it which has soy lecithin. Check you other goodes. Soy products are in many things, especially soy lecithin (all chocolate) and soy flour. Enjoy Life makes treats, bread, cereal and bagels. They don't use any soy or the major allergens. If you haven't tried their products you may want to. There cereal isn't great but I like the treats (cookies) and bread (plain). Haven't tried the bagels or no rye bread. Soy can cause many of the same problems as gluten and I have read that it causes intestinal damage.

Damn, you might be right there. I have been trying not to think about another intolerance/allergy, but damn, it could be the soy! Not to mention all other additives!

Guess what I am going to do today, yes you're right, go chocolate free, just to avoid soy. No wonder I was crook over easter! Too many bunny visits.

Enjoy. Where in NZ will I get that. Probably nowhere. But I read all labels, and yes nearly all chocolate has soy in it. We are pretty good at labelling things here, so that shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for prompting in a direction I was putting off.

[AndreaB]

Enjoy Life is sold through glutenfreemall.com. I imagine the shipping/customs costs would be prohibitive though. Enjoy life does sell chocolate chips. If you really want something with chocolate or to make chocolate chip cookies etc than maybe you wouldn't mind the extra expense.

You'll find soy in lots of stuff to unfortunately. Keep us posted as you progress through the allergic/intolerant battles.