Being Gluten Free

[radgirl]

This may seem silly, but I thought I'd throw it out there for discussion. When going gluten-free, is one every TRULY gluten free. I know there are gluten-free products out there, but unless you live in a bubble, isn't there always going to be some level of contamination? Perhaps I am not thinking this through clearly. Thoughts?

[gfpaperdoll]

Some of us that are super sensitive - me, do not eat many processed foods, I am almost grain free except for some rice & corn. I do no eat any packaged gluten-free product - I will get sick everytime.

So yes, I am gluten-free because I make everything I eat - from scratch. For instance I take a can of tomato paste & seson to make my ketchup...

[radgirl]

Some of us that are super sensitive - me, do not eat many processed foods, I am almost grain free except for some rice & corn. I do no eat any packaged gluten-free product - I will get sick everytime.

So yes, I am gluten-free because I make everything I eat - from scratch. For instance I take a can of tomato paste & seson to make my ketchup...

I understand. But even with rice and corn, isn't there even a slight possibility for CC?

[Guest j_mommy]

Here are my thoughts.....

I do my absolute best to be Gluten free!!! I DO NOt cheat in any way. But if you do not make all of your food from scratch then I don't believe you can be 100% gluten free....you can be 99.99%!LOL But if you eat out, off a gluten-free menu, there is bound to be alittle something even if you don't react to it!

I think that you have to do the best you can, read labels, call companies and when you do go out stress that you can't have wheat rye barely or oats.

Since going gluten-free I have had very few CC issues but I have had a couple.

[jerseyangel]

I think we all do the best we can, but when dining out or eating processed mainstream brand foods, there's always the chance of cross contamination and getting some gluten slipping in. Even with products made in a gluten-free facility--do they always follow the ingredients every step of the way?

I'm very sensitive, so I don't eat out, and eat probably 95% whole foods. I do use a few processed foods that I trust because I've not had a reaction to them.

For me, the goal is to avoid gluten as much as I possibly can, and hopefully the traces that I can't control won't be a factor.

[elye]

Ditto with me...and I'm somewhat at a disadvantage, because my reactions to gluten are quite subtle, so I'm sure I've been cc'd and not been aware of it. One advantage of being ultra-sensitive to gluten--you know when you've slipped up!

[tiffjake]

I am sure that I am not 100% gluten-free because I eat gluten-free things that are "made in a facility that also processes" bla bla bla. I am careful, but I DO eat out. I don't eat gluten on purpose, but I am sure some gets in there. I try to put it in perspective- I am exposed to ozone, toxic fumes, sick people at work/school/shopping, enclosed recycled air on planes, and on and on and on....so I do no freak out about being 100% totally gluten free. Don't get me wrong, I do not eat it on purpose, but I also do not make my own ketchup (wow!! thats amazing gfpaperdoll!!!!) Just MY opinion....

[Guest Doll]

I *personally* feel that you can never be 100% gluten-free unless you DO live in a bubble. Perhaps 99.5% if you are VERY careful. This is why I can't wait for Alba's AT-1001 in trials now. This will close the leaky gut (or at least help the leaky gut), thus reducing the risk of even slight CC with gluten. For people like me (very sensitive) it will help a lot.

I personally think we need a cure for Celiac. The gluten-free diet is NOT a cure. It doesn't close the leaky gut, change our genetics, or fix our abnormal immune response to gluten. It is only a treatment, much how like insulin is not a cure for diabetes. The gluten-free diet is not good enough for me. A cure for me involves closing my leaky gut and/or fixing my abnormal immune response to gluten.

*Perhaps* AT-1001 will also help those with refractory Celiac, who may be reacting to minuscule amounts of gluten that are impossible to completely eradicate. Note that up to 40% (perhaps more) of Celiacs still have some degree of intestinal damage on the gluten-free diet. This *could* be due to trace amounts of gluten.

It *IS* possible for most people however to eliminate enough gluten (what would appear to be 100%) to cause their symptoms to go into remission.

Not eating out at all and having a 100% gluten-free kitchen helps, as well as eating unprocessed foods. Just remember, if you use tomato paste from a can, one of those tomatoes could have been handled by a glove or hand with gluten traces, or there could be a trace of gluten in the line made to process the paste. ;P You just never know!

I try to eat very little processed stuff like fish, veggies, salad, brown rice, etc. but there is no way to make sure this is gluten-free 100%.

[radgirl]

Thanks everyone for your posts. I can see where many of you are coming from. For me, it's almost a quality of life issue. Even if you do make everything 100% scratch in your home, IMO, there seems to be no guarantees of gluten-free. Heck, for all we know, there could be some level of gluten floating through the air. Yes, all we can do is do our best to remove as much of it as possible, but I also don't want to be held prisoner in my house or in my life because I can't go out to eat, I can't do this, I can't do that. As it is, I live a good portion of my life like that and it's very stifling and confining. IMO, there is only so much you can do to remain gluten-free, but inevitably, it will get in your system some how and it's just a matter of doing the best you can with what you have.