Accidental Glutening

[runner girl]

I was just wondering how long it takes before symptoms appear after accidentally eating gluten. I ate a salad last night that had croutons on top. I picked off the croutons and the top layer of the salad then ate the rest after washing my hands. I felt really "gassy" an hour later and was wondering if that was the cause. Before being diagnosed, I did not have symptoms except anemia (was tested because of family history). I have been gluten free for about 6 weeks and do notice I am not tired all the time like I used to be. I like to think that is because my iron levels are coming up and my intestines are healing.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Runnergirl

[jerseyangel]

It is pretty individual, and varies from person to person.

For me, it about 2 hours. The first sign for me is the gas, also.

You may notice more pronounced reactions now because a lot of us tend to become more sensitive to smaller amounts of gluten the longer we're gluten-free.

[Guest AlabamaGirl]

It only takes me about 10-15 minutes to tell I've ingested gluten. I get ulcers in my mouth and hives on my body almost immediately. The tummy trouble usually doesn't start for an hour or more. It seems to be different for many people. FYI ... I cannot pick croutons off my salad and expect to be okay. If I get even microscopic amounts of gluten, I get sick.