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

Weird Ways We've Been Glutened

OptimisticMom42

Recommended Posts

OptimisticMom42 Apprentice
OptimisticMom42
Posted

Hello everyone,

I know this was stupid and I should have thought of it ahead of time but if it can happen to me maybe it could happen to other busy folks.

A co-worker brought in cherry tomatoes from his garden in a reused plastic grocery bag. I grabbed one out of the bag, rubbed it clean on my shirt and popped it in my mouth. A couple hours latter I'm wondering how I got glutened from cherry tomatoes. It had to have been whatever the bag was used for originally. All I can think of is how flour leaks out of those paper bags and gets all over everything.

Another good reason to stop using those plastic sacks and to wash my veggies!

Hope this helps protect someone else,

RA

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


runningcrazy Contributor
runningcrazy
Posted

I'm only glten free while waiting for enterolab results, so I'm not truly confirmed celiac about 1.5 weeks into the diet and feeing great I made "the cravings place" allergen free cookies and a hot one fell off the sheet coming out of the oven and landed on the floor. I know I saw stuff all over the floor but I popped it in my mouth anyway.

Later I was really sick and I remembered doing that. And I was reminded that my sister made real cupcakes there a little before me and that "stuff" I saw on the floor must have been flour!!

JillianLindsay Enthusiast
JillianLindsay
Posted

Mine's a real bonehead move! It was one of my first days on the diet and my first visit to Starbucks gluten-free. The person I was speaking to couldn't help me so after a long time hemming and hawing I just ordered a regular coffee. When I went to put cream & sugar into it I saw a vanilla powder and thought it would be nice to add a little flavour... duh! I sprinkled it on and could have kicked myself. After spending all that time trying to pick a drink I indiscriminately sprinkled on some random powder lol d'oh :rolleyes:

Mtndog Collaborator
Mtndog
Posted

So many butthead moves here- the latest one was REALLY wanting a fudgsicle, being really tired and not noticing "malt powder" at the end of ingredients.

That and shampoo or conditioner- so stupid!

Lisa16 Collaborator
Lisa16
Posted

I have a short list:

1. vitamins. When I first started I was taking a multi and two days into gluten-free, I looked at the ingredients and it said "derived from wheat."

2. a banana bread lara bar OR the de-icer on the plane. I was going to HI and ate a larabar, once I was firly sure we would be taking off. We were delayed and, well... see the funny ancedotes thread

3. a box of rice chex. I had bought three on special (a 3 for deal) and didn't realize I had gotten one of the old boxes. I was halfway through it and wondering why the heck I was sick when I noticed. DUMB.

4. Teabags. Yep. I got glutened by tea. Always read the ingre3dients-- never assume.

SGWhiskers Collaborator
SGWhiskers
Posted

Eating grapes with freshly washed hands. The soap had vitamin E.

Picking up a bag of garbage with used birdseeds at the bottom. Woosh. Up with a plume of gluten in the face.

Jonbo Apprentice
Jonbo
Posted

I've had a few "duh" ones. One was friend offering some craisins from bag she had. Me knowing they are OK, I eat a handful. Not 1 minute after that, my mind thinks outside the box. She's eating fried food and reached in before me. Needless to say not long after it went a little downhill but recovered by the next day fully. When I inquired, she said "Oh yeah, I also ate some of my cheez-its before also when eating them". <_<

Other time was not long after I was diagnosed and still learning, and same friend offered some doritos. They weren't in bag (plastic baggy from home with some in it). I think "Doritos must be fine, corn chips and cheese powder". Eat a few. Learn the hard way. Reading online, fathoms me the original ones have wheat but most other ones didn't.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


ranger Enthusiast
ranger
Posted

At the hospital with a friend. There was a box of donuts and a pump type coffeepot on the table. She handled several donuts, then got her self some coffee. Then, I got some coffee, opened up my bag of gluten-free crackers and proceeded to eat them. Sick for 3 days - learned that donut crumbs can live on handles! It's a learning curve!

  • 3 weeks later...
StacyA Enthusiast
StacyA
Posted
Eating grapes with freshly washed hands. The soap had vitamin E.

Picking up a bag of garbage with used birdseeds at the bottom. Woosh. Up with a plume of gluten in the face.

I don't understand the concern about vitamin E - or is it just you?

Amyleigh0007 Enthusiast
Amyleigh0007
Posted

This isn't weird but it is stupid. Last Christmas I ate handful after handful of a delicious chocolate and peanut butter candy that was on the desk of a co worker. I assumed they were safe. I got very, very sick and when I checked out a bag of the candy at Walmart one of the first ingredients was wheat flour. I no longer assume!!

SGWhiskers Collaborator
SGWhiskers
Posted
I don't understand the concern about vitamin E - or is it just you?

A lot of Vitamin E comes from Wheat Germ. It also goes by tocopherol and tocopherol acetate. Many companies use other sources though. I call the company. I never thought about it in hand soap.

jabberwife Explorer
jabberwife
Posted

Lisa16 - What is it about a Banana Bread Larabar that glutened you? I'm confused...is there something I should know?

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted
Lisa16 - What is it about a Banana Bread Larabar that glutened you? I'm confused...is there something I should know?

Hi, I am not Lisa but she was stating that she wasn't sure what got her. The Larabars are gluten free. No worries if you like them keep feeling safe eating them

summerteeth Enthusiast
summerteeth
Posted
4. Teabags. Yep. I got glutened by tea. Always read the ingre3dients-- never assume.

I second you on the tea bags. They didn't happen to be the Tazo green ginger bags, did they? Best tea ever... and now I can't have it.

Also: salad dressing. I was an airhead and forgot to read the label, thinking "Caesar dressing should be safe..." WRONG. I paid for that one... big time.

And lastly, grapefruit shampoo.I wash my hair the morning after I buy it, thinking "Wow - this smells really good". I started to get sick later in the day and couldn't figure out why. I tell Adam, my fiance, and he says "Uhh... your shampoo clearly states "wheat"" (he is allergic to SLS).

jabberwife Explorer
jabberwife
Posted

LOL - I was about to say...

larabars are my go-to snack, just in case I don't have time to make something from scratch, or if I'm going somewhere where I don't know where my next meal is or whether I'll be able to eat it!

:)

Thanks.

  • 4 months later...
grainfree Newbie
grainfree
Posted

I had a reaction after eating a cashew Larabar. The ingredients are cashews and dates. According to the Canadian Celiac Association, dates and other dried fruit may be dusted with gluten powder to prevent sticking. Something to consider when reading labels.

Archived

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

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,685
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    tdouglas2901
    Newest Member
    tdouglas2901
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Who's Online (See full list)

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I'd go with a vodka tonic, but that's just me😉
    • Rejoicephd
      Draft gluten-free ciders… can they be trusted ?

      By Rejoicephd · Posted

      That and my nutritionist also said that drinking cider is one of the worst drink choices for me, given that I have candida overgrowth.  She said the combination of the alcohol and sugar would be very likely to worsen my candida problem.  She suggested that if I drink, I go for clear vodka, either neat or with a splash of cranberry.   So in summary, I am giving ciders a rest.  Whether it's a gluten risk or sugars and yeast overgrowth, its just not worth it.
    • Inkie
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Inkie · Posted

      Thank you for the information ill will definitely bring it into practice .
    • Scott Adams
      Tea Bags and Gluten

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      While plain, pure tea leaves (black, green, or white) are naturally gluten-free, the issue often lies not with the tea itself but with other ingredients or processing. Many flavored teas use barley malt or other gluten-containing grains as a flavoring agent, which would be clearly listed on the ingredient label. Cross-contamination is another possibility, either in the facility where the tea is processed or, surprisingly, from the tea bag material itself—some tea bags are sealed with a wheat-based glue. Furthermore, it's important to consider that your reaction could be to other substances in tea, such as high levels of tannins, which can be hard on the stomach, or to natural histamines or other compounds that can cause a non-celiac immune response. The best way to investigate is to carefully read labels for hidden ingredients, try switching to a certified gluten-free tea brand that uses whole leaf or pyramid-style bags, and see if the reaction persists.
    • Scott Adams
      Inconclusive results

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      This is a challenging and confusing situation. The combination of a positive EMA—which is a highly specific marker rarely yielding false positives—alongside strongly elevated TTG on two separate occasions, years apart, is profoundly suggestive of celiac disease, even in the absence of biopsy damage. This pattern strongly aligns with what is known as "potential celiac disease," where the immune system is clearly activated, but intestinal damage has not yet become visible under the microscope. Your concern about the long-term risk of continued gluten consumption is valid, especially given your family's experience with the consequences of delayed diagnosis. Since your daughter is now at an age where her buy-in is essential for a gluten-free lifestyle, obtaining a definitive answer is crucial for her long-term adherence and health. Given that she is asymptomatic yet serologically positive, a third biopsy now, after a proper 12-week challenge, offers the best chance to capture any microscopic damage that may have developed, providing the concrete evidence needed to justify the dietary change. This isn't about wanting her to have celiac; it's about wanting to prevent the insidious damage that can occur while waiting for symptoms to appear, and ultimately giving her the unambiguous "why" she needs to accept and commit to the necessary treatment. This article might be helpful. It breaks down each type of test, and what a positive results means in terms of the probability that you might have celiac disease. One test that always needs to be done is the IgA Levels/Deficiency Test (often called "Total IGA") because some people are naturally IGA deficient, and if this is the case, then certain blood tests for celiac disease might be false-negative, and other types of tests need to be done to make an accurate diagnosis. The article includes the "Mayo Clinic Protocol," which is the best overall protocol for results to be ~98% accurate.    
×
×
  • 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.