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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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
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

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
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

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

ravenwoodglass Mentor
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
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

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

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.

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Donate

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):





    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):




  • Recent Activity

    1. - cristiana replied to KathyR37's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      4

      New here

    2. - trents replied to KathyR37's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      4

      New here

    3. - Theresa2407 replied to Theresa2407's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      2

      Probiotics

    4. - KathyR37 replied to KathyR37's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      4

      New here

    5. - Scott Adams replied to KathyR37's topic in Coping with Celiac Disease
      4

      New here


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,814
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    ColbyBowlin
    Newest Member
    ColbyBowlin
    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

    • cristiana
      Hi @KathyR37 and a very warm welcome here.  I am so very sorry that you are going through all of this. I just wanted to check, have you ever been tested for any other gastrointestinal conditions? Cristiana  
    • trents
      @KathyR37, I would suspect that in addition to gluten intolerance, you have other food intolerances/sensitivities. This is very common in the celiac community. The most common offenders are oats, dairy, soy, corn and eggs with dairy and oats being the big two. Have you considered this? Have you tried keeping a food diary to detect patterns?
    • Theresa2407
      thank you for your advice.   I have always taken them and I use Stonehedge because they are in a glass bottle, but don't have to be refrigerated.  I also like they are 3rd party tested and state gluten free. But you never know if something better has come alone over the years.
    • KathyR37
      Thank you for your response. I have already learned about the info you sent but i appreciate your effort. I am the only one in my family cursed by this disease. I have to cook for them too. I make sure that my utensils are free of gluten and clean after using them for other food. I use non-porous pots and pans and  gloves when cooking for them. One huge problem I have is a gag reflex out of this world and if something doesn't taste good it is not going down. Most commercially made breads and such taste like old cardboard.Pastas are about the same. I did find one flour that I like and use it regularly, but it is so expensive! All gluten free food is way more expensive. I only eat twice a day because I cannot afford to buy all that. We live on a very low income so my food purchases are quite limited.
    • Scott Adams
      What you've described—the severe weight loss, the cycle of medications making things worse, and the profound fear of eating before leaving the house—is a heavy burden to carry for 15 years. It is absolutely not your fault. While everyone's journey with celiac is different, the struggles with the learning curve, social isolation, and dietary grief are feelings many in the community know all too well. Your question about whether you should just eat what you want and manage the symptoms is a heartbreaking one, born from years of frustration. It's crucial to know that the diarrhea is a sign of ongoing damage to your small intestine from gluten, and simply managing the symptom with Imodium doesn't stop that internal harm or the risk of other complications. The fact that you are still getting sick within an hour of eating, even while trying to be gluten-free, is a huge red flag that something isn't right. This could be due to cross-contamination in your kitchen (e.g., using a shared toaster, colander, or condiment jars), hidden gluten in foods, or the possibility of another concurrent condition like refractory celiac disease. Don't give up!  This article has some detailed information on how to be 100% gluten-free, so it may be helpful (be sure to also read the comments section.):    
×
×
  • 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.