Is This A Gluten Reaction?

[wwebby]

I'm still pretty new to eating gluten free and have been, I think, very good for the last month. Could today's incident be a gluten reaction?

I woke up late and missed breakfast. At school (I'm a teacher) during my free period I bought an apple and two bags of Frito Lay Baked Lays to eat. The only questionable ingredient was "modified food starch" but I thought I had read somewhere that their food starch was corn-derived.

About 2-3 hours later, around 1 pm, I had stomach and instestinal pains and then I slept all afternoon, I felt so drowsy. My stool this afternoon was slightly "off" but not too bad (I don't want to give too much detail!!).

Since I never noticed my reactions to gluten before and/or I'm getting more sensitive now that I'm gluten free, I wondered if this was a gluten reaction. Does it seem like one? Thanks.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Do you usually eat Frito-Lays products?

(FormFrito-Lay)

"The above products do not contain gluten nor casein; however, they are produced on the same line as our products that do contain gluten and casein. Although the lines are washed between batches, a slight residue may remain on the lines. Individuals who are extremely sensitive may be affected."

They have Baked Lays on their gluten-free list.

However, I know that I personally have reactions to their products.

[Carriefaith]

The last time I tried lays chips (I had the regular lays stax) was late in the evening about a month ago. That night I woke up at 3am extremely sick and I spent a good hour in the bathroom. Trust me, it wasn't pretty. Their website says they are gluten free and I read somewhere that the stax were possibly produced on a separate line, which would mean no cross contamination. I don't know what is going on... either they are contaminated or my body just really dislikes them. I think it's contamination.

After that incident I vowed never to eat a lays product again. They just don't sit well with me

[wwebby]

Thanks. I must be a reactor too. I used to eat Lays stuff all the time, but I've only been gluten free for a month and this was my first attempt while gluten free. My tummy and intestines are still bothering me and I'm so sleepy!

[FreyaUSA]

I'm thinking Lays must have a bad batch out there. Two of my kids have been reactive all week and the only thing I haven't double checked are the potato chips (because I "know" Lays are gluten-free. ) I just told my eldest son about everyone's recent reactions and he's off them from now on, he said. Very big bummer.

[mela14]

I've been having the Cape Cod potatoe chips and thing I am doing OK.

I've also been having Terra Sweet Potatoe chips as a treat...LOVE EM...but I had them late last night and woke this mornign with lots of muslce pain. Not usre if it's the chips though as I don' think they have bothered me before. Between, the fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue,immune deficiency I'm not sure what comes form what. So for now....the chips stay! The sweet ones are sooooooooooooo yummy!

The Cape Cod chips are really good too and so crunchy.

For me, I am also soy and peanut intolerant and have to make sure that they are not cooked in either of those oils. I don't know what the Lays are cooked in but you may want to check.

[celiacfreeman]

Modified food starch could be any starch. Fritos are starch is from corn, but

never assume this with other vendors.

[YankeeDB]

Sometimes baked chips are baked on floured surfaces to prevent sticking so even though wheat may not be an "ingredient" the chips may have picked up trace amounts from the cooking surface. For this reason I only eat oil-based chips.

[lovegrov]

According to Lay's (as of a few months ago), the Stax, plain Lay's chips and Fritos are made on dedicated lines (no flour on the line either). Everything else is on shared lines.

richard

[Carriefaith]

Thanks Richard,

That is what I thought about the lays stax that is why I was surprized when I reacted so badly to them.

[kvogt]

Why do chips need modified food starch to be chips? Personally, I only eat the chips that say Ingredient: potatoes, oil and salt; or corn, oil and salt. The "flavored" chips have an ingredients list that requires a degree in chemistry to understand what you are actually putting into your body. None of these "simple" chips have ever caused me any problems.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

I agree with you, kvogt!

Speaking of other chips, Utz are real good.

[westy]

I was diagnosed with Celiac disease a couple of months ago, and have been very good about making sure everything that I eat is gluten-free. Yesterday I didn

[YankeeDB]

I don't always believe what manufacturers say about their products. Who knows how careful poorly paid workers are around these "dedicated lines". If I react to something, I avoid it in the future despite others' assurances. Just my GUT FEELING, you know?

[Ruth]

I think we had a "bad batch" of Fritos this fall. We all had our own personal symptoms of eating gluten, and Fritos was the only common food...

We have always been fine with Tostitos and Green Mountain Gringo tortilla chips.

[MySuicidalTurtle]

Westy, that does sound like some of the reactions I get. It get scary with the pain sometimes.

I seriously question a company that says:

"Individuals who are extremely sensitive may be affected."

Speaking of chips, while in Maryland we contacted Herrs, because they make awesome Crab Chips, and they said that their Crab Chips were gluten free but not produced on dedicated lines and that we shouldn't eat them. I was glad they knew how to answer.

On Frito-Lays website (updated December 14, 2004) they do not show Origional or Stax as being on dedicated line anymore.

[Carriefaith]

The "flavored" chips have an ingredients list that requires a degree in chemistry to understand what you are actually putting into your body

Ha Ha. That is so funny

I have a science degree and I still don't understand some of those ingredients! You know it's scary when!

I am trying to stay away from flavored chips. Corn chips are the only chips I eat now.

[Brittany]

I have a question - i just got diagnosed 3mon. ago blood and biopsy + but i can't tell when i eat gluten - what is a reaction ? becuase it really scares me that I don't have one and without an obvious reaction i may keep eating foods that hurt my intestine - which i don't wanna do either b/c it will cause scare tissue and cancer - the doctor said - so what is a typical reaction? are they varied even in people with Celiac ?

[Jeap]

Tostitos are the best for me. Frito's seem to greasy or something, they do not settle well with me.

What are you guys saying about regular Lay's potato chips? Are they causing problems? I eat them fairly regularly and can't remember them causing a problem, but I sure do not want to take a chance.

Thanks

JEAP

[MySuicidalTurtle]

If you don't eat gluten then you won't have a reaction. . .so you shouldn't wrry about it.

Reactions vary for everyone. . .some people also have more than one type of reaction.

Jeap, you can eat Origional Lays is you want. I know I personally react to them and on their site they say:

"The above products do not contain gluten nor casein; however, they are produced on the same line as our products that do contain gluten and casein. Although the lines are washed between batches, a slight residue may remain on the lines. Individuals who are extremely sensitive may be affected."

Open Original Shared Link

[Carriefaith]

Lays products almost always make me sick. I don't eat them anymore. I think I fall in the "Individuals who are extremely sensitive may be affected" category.

[Rikki Tikki]

Hello my name is melanie and I am all new to this too and I am hoping that I am replying..I have been gluten free now almost two months and I was buying the frito lay stacks and was never feeling better even though they say they were gluten-free I just decided to "when in doubt leave them out"

This post was sent to a moderator. Melanie, when you post hit add a reply instead of report. Thanks

[Carriefaith]

Sally,

I got one of my worst reactions from lays stacks (It was the only suspious thing that I ate that day). I won't go near them ever again! Just stay away!

[celiac3270]

Open Original Shared Link attempted to post this reply, but used the report button instead:

Hello my name is melanie and I am all new to this too and i am hoping that I am replying..I have been gluten free now almost two months and I was buying the frito lay stacks and was never feeling better even though they say they were gluten-free I just decided to "when in doubt leave them out"

[marinewife]

I know this is an old thread but I had to add to it. I have been gluten free for a few weeks now. Recently I bought baked chips made of rice, potato and vegetables by Flat Earth.

I had a reaction. Headache, foggy, sore throat, muscle aches. This is the first time I have had a reaction since being gluten free. I was not sure how quickly I react to gluten...whether it be a day or immediate. So today I have been trying to figure out if it was something I ate last night, or the dairy in my latte this morning, or the sugar free syrup they put in my latte, or the baked veggie chips I ate.

I have been going through the ingredients over and over again on the chips trying figure it out, then I came across this thread.

It turns out "Flat Earth" is a sister company of Frito Lay, so I am guessing from everyone else's reaction its cross contamination.

Well, I learned today I have a close to immediate reaction to gluten...within a couple of hours. A lesson I do not like learning.