Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

These Ingredients Are So Hard To Understand

Aj63

Recommended Posts

Aj63 Newbie
Aj63
Posted

Hello Everyone,

I was diagnosed on Wednesday and am OK with it all. At have been sick for a long time and at least I know what is going on, can manage it and am not going to die and leave my little girls. I now dramatic, but it's literally the only thing I have been thinking about the past year.

Anyhoo, I am in the process of cleaning out my cupboards, trying to get the house pulled together, which I can only do a little at a time, because I have no energy. I was at the store today and I am so confused about the ingredients on cans. I have Acesulfame Potassium, Sucralose, Monosodium Glutamate, Maltdextrin, etc., etc., etc. coming out of my ears. I mean Sucralose I am assuming is some type of sugar. Maltdetrin has malt in the word, so I am assuming it is bad. I was at the store for 2-hours yesterday and 2-hours today. Is there a detailed cheat sheet anywhere explaining the ingredients with the really big names?

BTW

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


JennyC Enthusiast
JennyC
Posted

Congratulations on the early success with gluten free food. The first two dinners after my little boy started the gluten free diet were absolutely horrible. I felt so bad I cried and gave him french fries for dinner--but he didn't mind! :lol:

The ingredients are tricky. There's a good list of ingredients to avoid on this site.

Acesulfame Potassium sounds very artificial so I personally would not worry about it. Sucralose is an artificial sweetener. My son reacted to it, but I think it was because it upset his tummy for other reasons. Monosodium Glutamate is MSG. It is not good for anyone and it can irritate your stomach. Maltdextrin is corn based in the US and Canada.

In my opinion, the most dangerous ingredient is natural flavoring, or other types of flavors. Modified food starch almost inevitably corn or wheat based. If it is wheat based, it must be disclosed on the label since wheat is one of the top eight allergens (barley, rye and oats are not).

I try to buy from manufacturers that will disclose all gluten (not just wheat) in the ingredient label. I will post a link to the list below. I recommend that you call the manufacturers yourself. A couple on the list are "iffy" in my mind. I like to stick with General Mills and Kraft as much as possible.

Open Original Shared Link

lorka150 Collaborator
lorka150
Posted

Acesulfame Potassium is an artificial sweetener. Often used in conjunction with Aspartame so it tastes less "aspartame-y". Safe if you are okay with artificial sweeteners, in the sense that it's gluten free.

Ridgewalker Contributor
Ridgewalker
Posted
Congratulations on the early success with gluten free food. The first two dinners after my little boy started the gluten free diet were absolutely horrible. I felt so bad I cried and gave him french fries for dinner--but he didn't mind! :lol:

Oh wow, me too! Lucas ate a lot of peanut butter on carrots and yogurt at the beginning... Sigh... a LOT! It took me quite a while to get the hang of gluten-free pasta.

In my opinion, the most dangerous ingredient is natural flavoring, or other types of flavors.

I agree completely. It's a very common ingredient, and it can actually be darn near anything. :angry: If I'm in the store and pick something up to check the ingredients, "natural flavors" will make me put it right back down. I'll look it up online when I get home. Luke and my Mom have both been glutened by "natural flavors" too many times. I never risk it anymore, EVER.

cruelshoes Enthusiast
cruelshoes
Posted

These lists are a life saver. When I was first diagnosed I printed them off and carried them everywhere with me.

Unsafe food ingredients

Safe food ingredients

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

There are quite a number of companies/brands that have a policy of clearly disclosing gluten in their ingredients. If the maker of the food is one of these, then if you don't see a gluten grain listed, the product is safe. With these brands, you don't need to worry about things like "natural flavor" or "modified food starch." If it contains gluten, the gluten grain will be named.

The list I currently have is:

Arrowhead Mills, Aunt Nelly's, Balance, Baskin Robbins, Ben & Jerry, Bertoli, Betty Crocker, Blue Bunny, Breyers, Campbells, Cascadian Farms, Celestial Seasonings, ConAgra, Country Crock, Edy's, General Mills, Good Humor, Green Giant, Haagen Daz, Hellman's, Hershey, Hormel, Hungry Jack, Jiffy, Knorr, Kozy Shack, Kraft, Lawry's, Libby's, Lipton, Martha White, Maxwell House, McCormick, Nabisco, Nestle, Old El Paso, Ortega, Pillsbury, Popsicle, Post, Progresso, Ragu, Russell Stover, Seneca Foods, Skippy, Smucker, Stokely's, Sunny Delight, T Marzetti, Tyson, Unilever, Wishbone, Yoplait, Zatarain's.

happygirl Collaborator
happygirl
Posted

Using that list makes a world of difference!!! Always turn the product over and look on the back label---you'll often find that a brand is owned by one of the companies that Peter listed. Makes food label reading SOOO much easier---and its trustworthy.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


missnbagels Explorer
missnbagels
Posted

Welcome aboard to the gluten-free lifestyle. It does get better

don't worry.

Here is a link with things you can have

https://www.celiac.com/articles/181/1/Safe-...ents/Page1.html

This is a link for things you can't have

https://www.celiac.com/articles/182/1/Unsaf...ents/Page1.html

Aj63 Newbie
Aj63
Posted
  • Author

Gosh, thank you all so much. The company list will be very helpful as will the lists of safe and unsafe foods. I really appreciate them. Today was a bit rough. Had a slumber party last night with 12 5-year old screaming little girls and it just about killed me not having a bite of piping hot pizza. Ugh!!! Tomorrow's task is making gluten-free pizza. Cross your fingers for me. :P

Matilda Enthusiast
Matilda
Posted

...

MeJenn Newbie
MeJenn
Posted

Another helpful hint is to ask your natural grocer for a list of gluten-free foods available in their store. I live in Colorado and we have a chain out here called "Vitamin Cottage" which has a huge selection of gluten-free items as well as a handy product list. Good luck with everything...it only gets easier, frustrating, yes...but easier.

J

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. rei.b
      - rei.b replied to rei.b's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      11

      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      I was tested for celiac at the same time, so I wasn't taking naltrexone yet. I say that, because I don't. The endoscopy showed some mild inflammation but was inconclusive as to celiac disease. They took several biopsies and that's all that was shown. I was not given a Marsh score.
    2. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to rei.b's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      11

      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      Food and environmental allergies involve IgE antibodies. IgE antibodies provoke histamine release from mast cells. Celiac disease is not always visible to the naked eye during endoscopy. Much of the damage is microscopic and patchy or out of reach of the scope. Did they take any biopsies of your small intestine for a pathologist to examine? Were...
    3. rei.b
      - rei.b replied to rei.b's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      11

      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      I was tested for food allergies and environmental allergies about 7 months before I started taking Naltrexone, so I don't think that is the cause for me, but that's interesting! The main thing with the celiac thing that is throwing me off is these symptoms are lifelong, but I don't have intestinal damage to correlate with lifelong undiagnosed celiac...
    4. trents
      - trents replied to lmemsm's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      10

      Finding gluten free ingredients

      Welcome to the forum, @Kara S! Warrior bread is a grain free bread product. Google it. There are commercial mixes available, I believe, Youtube videos and many recipes.
    5. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Colleen H's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      6

      Gluten related ??

      @Colleen H, I have had similar reactions and symptoms like yours. I started following the low histamine Autoimmune Protocol diet developed by a doctor with Celiac Disease herself, Dr. Sarah Ballantyne. Her book, The Paleo Approach, is very helpful in understanding what's going on in the body. Not only do you have antibodies attacking the body...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,130
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Tony White
    Newest Member
    Tony White
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • rei.b
      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      By rei.b · Posted

      I was tested for celiac at the same time, so I wasn't taking naltrexone yet. I say that, because I don't. The endoscopy showed some mild inflammation but was inconclusive as to celiac disease. They took several biopsies and that's all that was shown. I was not given a Marsh score.
    • knitty kitty
      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Food and environmental allergies involve IgE antibodies.  IgE antibodies provoke histamine release from mast cells.   Celiac disease is not always visible to the naked eye during endoscopy.  Much of the damage is microscopic and patchy or out of reach of the scope.  Did they take any biopsies of your small intestine for a pathologist to examine?  Were you given a Marsh score? Why do you say you "don't have intestinal damage to correlate with lifelong undiagnosed celiac disease"?   Just curious.  
    • rei.b
      High DGP-A with normal IGA

      By rei.b · Posted

      I was tested for food allergies and environmental allergies about 7 months before I started taking Naltrexone, so I don't think that is the cause for me, but that's interesting!  The main thing with the celiac thing that is throwing me off is these symptoms are lifelong, but I don't have intestinal damage to correlate with lifelong undiagnosed celiac disease.
    • trents
      Finding gluten free ingredients

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the forum, @Kara S! Warrior bread is a grain free bread product. Google it. There are commercial mixes available, I believe, Youtube videos and many recipes. 
    • knitty kitty
      Gluten related ??

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      @Colleen H, I have had similar reactions and symptoms like yours.  I started following the low histamine Autoimmune Protocol diet developed by a doctor with Celiac Disease herself, Dr. Sarah Ballantyne.  Her book, The Paleo Approach, is very helpful in understanding what's going on in the body.   Not only do you have antibodies attacking the body, there are mast cells spreading histamine which causes inflammation.  Foods also contain histamine or act as histamine releasers.  Our bodies have difficulty clearing histamine if there's too much.  Following the low histamine AIP diet allows your body time to clear the excess histamine we're making as part of the autoimmune response, without adding in extra histamine from foods.  High histamine foods include eggs, processed foods and some citrus fruits.  The AIP diet allows meat and vegetables.  No processed meats like sausage, luncheon meats, ham, chicken nuggets, etc. No night shades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant).  No dairy.  No grains.  No rice.  No eggs.  No gluten-free processed foods like gluten free breads and cookies.  No nuts.  No expensive processed gluten-free foods.  Meat and vegetables.  Some fruit. Some fruit, like applesauce, contains high levels of fructose which can cause digestive upsets.  Fructose gets fermented by yeasts in the gastrointestinal tract.  This fermentation can cause gas, bloating and abdominal pain.   The AIP diet changes your microbiome.  Change what you eat and that changes which bacteria live in your gut.  By cutting out carbohydrates from grains and starchy veggies like potatoes, SIBO bacteria get starved out.  Fermenting yeasts get starved out, too.  Healthy bacteria repopulate the gut.   Thiamine Vitamin B 1 helps regulate gut bacteria.  Low thiamine can lead to SIBO and yeast infestation.  Mast cells release histamine more easily when they are low in Thiamine.  Anxiety, depression, and irritability are early symptoms of thiamine insufficiency.  A form of thiamine called Benfotiamine has been shown to promote intestinal healing.   Thiamine works with the seven other B vitamins.  They all need each other to function properly.   Other vitamins and minerals are needed, too.  Vitamin D helps calm and regulate the immune system. Thiamine is needed to turn Vitamin D into an active form.  Thiamine needs magnesium to make life sustaining enzymes.  Taking a B Complex and additional Benfotiamine is beneficial.  The B vitamins are water soluble, easily lost if we're not absorbing nutrients properly as with Celiac Disease.  Since blood tests for B vitamins are notoriously inaccurate, taking a B Complex, Benfotiamine, and magnesium Threonate, and looking for health improvements is a better way to see if you're insufficient.   I do hope you will give the low histamine AIP diet a try.  It really works.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.