Vitamin/mineral Supplements

[Guest Kathy Ann]

I have been told I need to take supplements. I am careful to pick the ones which say no dairy, no soy, no gluten, no corn etc. But some of those same supplements have things like vitamin E and vitamin C in them. Vitamin E is taken from wheat germ and sometimes soy, I believe. Phospatidyl choline comes from soy. Vitamin C frequently comes from corn. I have all of those allergies.

Do the inherent allergens in those foods remain in these isolated vitamins or are they eliminated by the processing?

My Naturopath believes it isn't a problem when they are isolated out like that. But it's a catch-22 for me. I really need to build up my nutrition so I can get well, but I can't seem to get well because it seems something is still poisoning me. I can't tell if it's the supplements. There's no clear pattern. I sometimes think I feel better when I don't take any supplements, but I sometimes also feel better when I don't eat any food at all.

Have those of you who get pretty quick gastro glutening symptoms, noticed that you can't tolerate the vitamins with E, C, etc. in them? My symptoms are more vague and it's hard to pin down if I'm reacting.

[Ursa Major]

Kathy Ann, try the hypoallergenic vitamins from Open Original Shared Link. They'll let you buy a sample pack for only $3.85 I believe (I've done that), to see if you react to them before you order their large packs (which last a long time). Those are the ones I am taking, and I am intolerant to many things.

[Guest Kathy Ann]

Thanks, Ursula!

[sparkles]

I use ONLY gluten-free supplements. I used to do the Health store thing for them but found in my local grocer (Cub, which is a Supervalue grocer) a brand called Nature Made and it says gluten-free right on the package! ClanThompson also has a listing of gluten-free supplements. Any person who says that it doesn't really matter has not had to make a B-line for the toilet in the middle of an important occasion.... If you have other issues besides gluten going on, I would contact the manufacturer. I am doing that more and more lately and have really had lots of positive results. Companies are very willing to give me a detailed listing of what is in their products so that I can avoid any unwanted ingredients. The internet has made this kind of communication so much easier. I always include my phone # and am finding that some companies call with the information as well as sending me an email!!

[darlindeb25]

Read the fine print on any vitamin bottle, even the ones that say gluten free. Nature Made is a good brand, it does not contain gluten. I was at a Puritan Pride outlet store here and the lady even went online to the company and they told her the vitamin I wanted was gluten free, yet as I was waiting and reading the label, what did I find--BARLEY GRASS. When I brought this to her attention, she then asked the company again and they said--the product does not contain enough gluten for us to constitute calling it gluten. I was very angry, I told her that they do not tell me how much gluten is too much and I have never bought any of their gluten free products, except for the liquid B12 that I take and you can be sure I read the label with a magnifing glass.