Who Is On Your Not-my-friend List?

[gfp]

Some Whole Foods 365 Brand products.

I've gotten reactions from their Almond Butter, Digestive Enzymes and a couple other things.

When this happened with the almond butter, I called and inquired (complained). They sent me packaging and postage and asked me to send it to a lab at the U of Nebraska. I heard back from them that there was no gluten detected in the product, but that they only check to 200 ppm.

They will check up to the sensitivity asked for by the client up to what is possible.

Every testing lab works the same way.... the first question the marketing people ask is "do you want to prove it is <X> free to a certain standard or do you want to know if it contains <X>".

In this case you were talking about a single item. Cost becomes an issue because more accurate means more expensive. In this case its a hard call..... if they were to test every package a consumer thought had poisioned them then cost is important. On the other hand if they wanted to test a new product or sample purity of a ingredient from a new supplier then cost is not an issue....

Its a really tough call.... some companies do make every effort and do expensive testing every so often and QC on the line with cheaper testing. Other companies set off from the start just aiming to say they are X free.

[VydorScope]

Tell me its not Danon yogurt please. I want to make my own but haven't figured it out with my maker yet.

My problem with danon is that htey are messing with defintions and changing words. In their most recent emails to me they say they will not classify ANY of their products as "gluten free" how ever some are "gluten safe". Thats a MAJOR red flag to me.

[Guest nini]

Amy's

Bob's Red Mill

Arrowhead Mills

McDonalds

WalMart's Great Value Brand (even though they are labeled gluten-free, I've had too many reactions from their products)

[wolfie]

Amy's

365 brand

Quaker (I now use Arrowhead Grits and Lundberg Rice Cakes)

[penguin]

My first glutening was from Kettle Black Pepper chips. It was bad. I don't trust them AT ALL!

[gfp]

My problem with danon is that htey are messing with defintions and changing words. In their most recent emails to me they say they will not classify ANY of their products as "gluten free" how ever some are "gluten safe". Thats a MAJOR red flag to me.

Good point I messed that above but I think this is the sort of thing you have to red flag.

As soon as companies start playing with words, definitions etc. they are hiding something.

[penguin]

Good point I messed that above but I think this is the sort of thing you have to red flag.

As soon as companies start playing with words, definitions etc. they are hiding something.

Companies are coming up with new and creative ways to cover their butts

[jerseyangel]

"Gluten safe"

[lindalee]

The only Dannon that is ok is the plain one. From Dannon:

Gluten: This protein is found in wheat, oats, rye and barley. DANNON yogurt products are not formulated to contain gluten, but they can't be considered gluten free. The natural system for stabilizing flavor might contain ingredients derived from gluten sources. Since there is a current lack of consensus on individual sensitivity levels to gluten, and there are no accurate tests to detect the presence and amount of gluten, DANNON yogurt cannot be classified as "gluten free"

Yoplait is ok, just read the ingredients. The only ones that I've found with gluten are the ones with cookies and granola.

Elonwy

The one I've been eating is Dannon All Natural Plain Yogurt-I believe Vincent is saying it might not be a good choice

[jesscarmel]

Lara Bars,

Some Lay's potato chips

And, I too seem to react to many products that are labeled Gluten-Free. I am getting to the point where I am suspicious of any processed food. And I'm afraid to eat out anywhere.

Lara Bars? i havent had a problem yet and find them really convenient. did they make you sick. i hope not because i like them

[queenofhearts]

The one I've been eating is Dannon All Natural Plain Yogurt-I believe Vincent is saying it might not be a good choice

Sounds to me like it's okay if it's plain but if flavored the stabilizers are iffy.

As for reactions, my only distinct one so far has been to MiDel Gingersnaps, which is a pity because they are good!

Leah

[lindalee]

I'm having a reaction to something - maybe Lay's Classic Potato Chips?

[flagbabyds]

to add to my list

Advil

Tylenol

Benadryl

they all make me barf

i get compounded gluten-free meds from Stokes Pharmacy

[tarnalberry]

to add to my list

Advil

Tylenol

Benadryl

they all make me barf

i get compounded gluten-free meds from Stokes Pharmacy

Are you sure that's a gluten reaction, though? Those meds are supposed to be gluten free - and I've never had a problem from the variations I've had.

Overall on this post, one thing to note - it's very difficult to determine if a product really really has a gluten contamination problem or not. A lot of these companies many people don't have problems with - which leads me to wonder if there's a secondary issue that some people experience trouble with. But, it also leads to the most important bit of advice for anyone with a dietary issue - if it bothers YOU, regardless of how others react, listen to your body and avoid it.

[flagbabyds]

oh yeah it is gluten i get my gluten reaction to them every time, so i just don't take them, it might be CC or it might just be cause they cant guarantee what is gluten-free of their productts.

[angel-jd1]

Overall on this post, one thing to note - it's very difficult to determine if a product really really has a gluten contamination problem or not. A lot of these companies many people don't have problems with - which leads me to wonder if there's a secondary issue that some people experience trouble with. But, it also leads to the most important bit of advice for anyone with a dietary issue - if it bothers YOU, regardless of how others react, listen to your body and avoid it.

THANK YOU for saying that. ..............I have been thinking that the whole time reading this thread. I just wasn't sure how to word it. You did it very nicely So I'll just say agreed and ditto!!

-Jessica

[gfp]

I'm having a reaction to something - maybe Lay's Classic Potato Chips?

This is the real frustrating thing!

I have been though similar, you have several different suspects and can't really work out which!

Its even worse if sometimes they seem to make you ill and sometimes not.

[misskerry]

I am new to this diet, but I have a question. I hope that it doesn't sound silly. These products create reactions in some people based on the gluten in them or the gluten that they have been contaminated with. So, what I'm wondering is if one person eats a product that causes them to have a gluten reaction, yet the next person doesn't have a reaction (and we'll just say that the only issue is with gluten and not anything else) wouldn't both of them still have the same kind of damage done to their intestines because of whatever caused the first person to get ill? I guess that I'm just trying to get it all straight in my mind because I know that some people are more sensitive to gluten than others are.

I sure hope that I didn't confuse anybody. Thanks!

[queenofhearts]

I am new to this diet, but I have a question. I hope that it doesn't sound silly. These products create reactions in some people based on the gluten in them or the gluten that they have been contaminated with. So, what I'm wondering is if one person eats a product that causes them to have a gluten reaction, yet the next person doesn't have a reaction (and we'll just say that the only issue is with gluten and not anything else) wouldn't both of them still have the same kind of damage done to their intestines because of whatever caused the first person to get ill? I guess that I'm just trying to get it all straight in my mind because I know that some people are more sensitive to gluten than others are.

I sure hope that I didn't confuse anybody. Thanks!

That is a darn good question!

[jerseyangel]

Overall on this post, one thing to note - it's very difficult to determine if a product really really has a gluten contamination problem or not. A lot of these companies many people don't have problems with - which leads me to wonder if there's a secondary issue that some people experience trouble with. But, it also leads to the most important bit of advice for anyone with a dietary issue - if it bothers YOU, regardless of how others react, listen to your body and avoid it.

I completely agree.

I *know* that I have other sensitivites and that's why I can't even tolerate certain things made in a gluten-free facility.

I told my "almond butter" story only because I thought people might be interested in a product that was suspect, and was then actually tested.

[kendra]

I think you spoke for alot of us, MissTerry. I really have to go by others reaction, which is why this board is so helpful, because my daughter does not have gluton symptoms, only the intestinal damage. I wonder if some people must have reactions to several ingrediants.

[LKelly8]

I guess that I'm just trying to get it all straight in my mind because I know that some people are more sensitive to gluten than others are.

I think of it like this, everybody's immune systems are different - if we were both in a room and somebody who had a cold sneezed, which one of us would get sick first? How long would we be sick? And how badly would we get sick? Alot depends on our individual, unique, immune systems.

How each of us would react to being glutened would also be a "unique experience".

[happygirl]

I think Kendra's example is perfect for this discussion.

We don't know why there are asymptomatic Celiacs or why there are Celiacs who get violently ill. What we do know is that gluten causes an autoimmune reaction to occur, regardless of symptoms.

I know this doesn't really answer the question, but I just thought it was important to highlight.

[Lister]

add to the list/ agree

amys ( had enchalads the worst gluten sickness i have had yet came from those)

kettle chips ( i was eating a bag a day and doing good and hten bag after bag was cced so i gave up)

lays stax (i puked withen 30 minutes)

alexandra frys (makes me very sick- may be because of milk)

as for blue dimond is it only the almod chips people are having problems with? i drink there milk on a daily basis with out any visibale problems (its the only milk i can find thats safe)

how come the dedicated gluten-free stuff seems to cause more reactions then normal brand foods that have some gluten-free products like or-ida never had a problem but amys almost always

[gfp]

I think of it like this, everybody's immune systems are different - if we were both in a room and somebody who had a cold sneezed, which one of us would get sick first? How long would we be sick? And how badly would we get sick? Alot depends on our individual, unique, immune systems.

How each of us would react to being glutened would also be a "unique experience".

This is true but a little aside.

I know I wouldn't be the one to get the cold, I don't get colds or most other viral/bacterial infections and if I do very very rarely. I don't remember my last cold but I know its more than 5 years ago.

The thing is I'm not sure I ever had colds.... at least often. My colds were always out of synch with everyones, when flu went round the office I was the one turning on and off the lights....every single person had flu except me.

What I used to think of as colds were in retrospect allergic reactions. My last cold reacted to antihistamines and the Dr. told me it wasn't a cold it was hay fever. I had just spent years being told that this was a cold ....

Think of it like being told this is red by someone colorblind....

I can however get a "cold" by walking through a perfume dept.... I get blocked nose and streaming eyes, headaches and fever...

I'm not entirely sure anymore how many times I really got a cold.

Just as a corallory.... I also had 'food poisioning' every week for 10 years! (prior to gluten-free) when I finally succumed to a nasty strain of typhoid I found its different. Still I managed to live through a bout of typhoid and kick the worst in less than 3-4 days without medical attention, my ex wife was hospitalised for 3 weeks.

My immune system is not weak... its overactive. It will even attack non viri like gluten!

Most people don't realise that its not the virus usually causes elevated temprature, its the bodies immune system.

Its not the virus makes us vomit or D its the body trying to purge itself.

People however have one of the lwest body temps of mammals, only pigs are similar but cats and dogs, horses and livestock all have much higher temps so our raising temperature isn't so effective at killing the virus.