Wheat Grass Juice...

[rock on]

Hi,

I've been on the gluten free diet for about 2 1/2 months now. I don't have a diagnosis...I've never been tested. I'm mainly doing it for 2 reasons...1. to support my husband while he tries to figure out how to relieve his ongoing health problems and 2. because I've suffered from IBS for years. I'm feeling a little better as far as my gastric problems go, although now I'm dealing with the opposite end of what I was having when I started the diet - meaning C instead of D.

But, my real question is this...I was just thinking about a time a few years ago that I tried a shot of wheat grass juice at a health food store. I got almost instantaneously nauseas & my head felt real dizzy. They told me that that happens to people sometimes.

Do you guys think that that could have been an indication that I really do have a problem with gluten?? Does wheat grass have gluten in it?

I've been wondering if I'm doing this diet in vain - that maybe I don't have a problem with gluten. I do feel better in general, so I'm not thinking about stopping the diet. I've been eating more healthily than ever before in my life. But, it would be nice to have some sort of proof that I should be eating like this.

Any opinions or proof that a reaction to wheat grass is indicative of a gluten sensitivity would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Try a search of wheat grass on this site. I remember a thread a year or so ago, and everybody did say that wheat grass juice does contain gluten.

I had terrible diarrhea both times I had wheat grass juice--it started about half an hour after drinking it. And I didn't have obvious intestinal reactions to gluten at the time.

[ravenwoodglass]

  rock on! said:

Hi,

But, my real question is this...I was just thinking about a time a few years ago that I tried a shot of wheat grass juice at a health food store. I got almost instantaneously nauseas & my head felt real dizzy. They told me that that happens to people sometimes.

Do you guys think that that could have been an indication that I really do have a problem with gluten?? Does wheat grass have gluten in it?

.

Thanks!

Did the same thing to me when I accidentally got a drink with it in it.

One valid way of diagnosing a problem with gluten is dietary challenge. Have you tried being strictly gluten free for a couple of months and then doing a deliberate challenge with a gluten only food like cream of wheat or triscuits? You would eat it three times a day for up to a week and watch for any reaction. Gluten reactions are often delayed and may not show until 3 to 5 days after the start of the challenge. When you react you have had a positve and can drop the gluten.

Also many of us have problems with soy and dairy, both of which can cause C and both intolerances are common with gluten intolerant folks.

[rock on]

Thanks for the responses! I did look around here for threads on this...the debate is strong. Seems like companies that make wheatgrass are adamant (of course!) that there's no gluten in the juices because gluten lives in the wheat berry. But, others (myself included) are suspicious that it would be difficult to ensure that no wheat berries make it into the juice. I think I'll steer clear of the wheatgrass juice no matter what.

I have not done a gluten challenge...yet. I have been considering it to just confirm what I believe is true. But, I am a little nervous to possibly intentionally make myself sick - especially right now (holidays, lots of work deadlines, etc). Maybe sometime when I know that I have a few days without any real pressing issues.

I know that I can't have soy milk - it gives me horrible gas. I've thought that I am lactose intolerant since I was a child. I used to use Lactaid milk, but changed to rice milk this year. I did slip up & have a bowl of ice cream last week...and had horrible gas. But, I don't know if I have a problem with casein. Does anyone know if dairy intolerance can be delayed? Could the C that I'm experiencing really be related to the ice cream I ate days ago?

[ravenwoodglass]

Yes dairy can be a delayed effect if you are dealing with a casien (milk protein) rather than a lactose (milk sugar) intolerance. Also when looking at labels on dairy free items be sure to look for casein as many times unfortunately dairy just means lactose free. I have found this to be particularly true while looking for a soy free and casein free cheese sub. I haven't yet found one without casien.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

There is also a huge debate about Rice Dream Rice Milk, which claims to be gluten-free, but uses barley enzymes in the processing, and is actually .02% gluten, which means it can legally call itself gluten-free, but it seems to cause bad reactions in those who are extremely sensitive to gluten (like, um, celiacs ).

[rock on]

  Fiddle-Faddle said:

There is also a huge debate about Rice Dream Rice Milk, which claims to be gluten-free, but uses barley enzymes in the processing, and is actually .02% gluten, which means it can legally call itself gluten-free, but it seems to cause bad reactions in those who are extremely sensitive to gluten (like, um, celiacs ).

I use West Soy milk for that very reason.

[ravenwoodglass]

  Fiddle-Faddle said:

There is also a huge debate about Rice Dream Rice Milk, which claims to be gluten-free, but uses barley enzymes in the processing, and is actually .02% gluten, which means it can legally call itself gluten-free, but it seems to cause bad reactions in those who are extremely sensitive to gluten (like, um, celiacs ).

Ya gotta love a government which tells us how much poison we can have. This makes me angrier than anything else at this point. Nothing like an FDA that cares more about big business than about the people they are supposed to protect. They did this regulation specifically so that companies can keep a gluten free label on food that is not so they can..........sell more of it. Too bad the practice can also make us very sick and leave doctors thinking we have other problems or refactory sprue because we are 'only eating gluten-free food' and still symptomatic.