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

Enriched Rice - Really gluten-free?

Erica Rodman

Recommended Posts

Erica Rodman Newbie
Erica Rodman
Posted

Hi everyone,

I am pretty new at this...still waiting on a dx confirmation (had blood tests and biopsy). Last week I started a gluten-free diet (heavy label reading - I am aware of hidden gluten, etc). To the best of my (little) knowledge, I am doing pretty well. I am feeling much better. Symptoms I have had for years are subsiding.

I made dinner two nights this week in a crockpot. They were stew and chili so most of the ingredients were fresh. I became ill (GI, itchy, neuro problems) after both dinners.

The common denominators from both dinners are:

canned diced tomato and paste

HerbOx packet of bouillon

McCormick spices (not mixes, individual ones ie: thyme, etc)

All of these things were confirmed gluten free by the companies, but I know that I can't always go by that.

I did, however, eat a bowl of Minute rice (white, enriched) with each dinner. A friend with dx Celiac told me to avoid enriched products, but didn't say why. I called the rice company this morning (Riviana Foods) and was told they use a corn-based binding for the enrichment, but had recently switched manufacturing plants and would call me back with more info. I haven't heard back from them, and I'm not sure if I will.

Any thoughts about this? I should have my test results tomorrow as my GI doctor is supposed to call, but perhaps I have an intolerance to a different food as well.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


FMcGee Explorer
FMcGee
Posted

I don't know how the enrichment process works with Minute rice, but I do know that enriched foods tend to be pretty terrible for you. "Enriched" means they stripped out all the nutrients in processing, and then inserted them back in as stabilizers/preservatives, but they aren't nutrients you can absorb, because they wouldn't survive the heating process, let alone digestion. Every time you see "enriched," in breads and other products, it means "highly processed." If they're using wheat-based stabilizers that would certainly do it, but could you switch to brown rice and see if that helps?

Good luck!

Ahorsesoul Enthusiast
Ahorsesoul
Posted

The other common denominator from both dinners is the crock pot. If it is ceramic and has pores it maybe contaminated if it was used for glutened foods in the past. My old crock pot was a ceramic that had pores. I have new ones now.

Gemini Experienced
Gemini
Posted

I don't know how the enrichment process works with Minute rice, but I do know that enriched foods tend to be pretty terrible for you. "Enriched" means they stripped out all the nutrients in processing, and then inserted them back in as stabilizers/preservatives, but they aren't nutrients you can absorb, because they wouldn't survive the heating process, let alone digestion. Every time you see "enriched," in breads and other products, it means "highly processed." If they're using wheat-based stabilizers that would certainly do it, but could you switch to brown rice and see if that helps?

Good luck!

If there were any wheat at all in the box of rice, it would have to be listed as an ingredient to adhere to the labeling laws. Enriched foods are generally enriched with vitamins and minerals to replace what was lost in the processing of the food. I have never heard of wheat being an issue in the enrichment process and it is not an issue which you see on any reputable medical information having to do with Celiac Disease.

FMcGee Explorer
FMcGee
Posted

If there were any wheat at all in the box of rice, it would have to be listed as an ingredient to adhere to the labeling laws. Enriched foods are generally enriched with vitamins and minerals to replace what was lost in the processing of the food. I have never heard of wheat being an issue in the enrichment process and it is not an issue which you see on any reputable medical information having to do with Celiac Disease.

I agree, it would be on the label. I just wonder if there's something about the over-processing required for enrichment that bugs her. I don't do well at all with processed foods, never have.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

I don't think the minute rice would be a problem. I eat the name brand and a couple store brands frequently and I am pretty sensitive.

My thoughts also went to the crockpot.

HerbOx bouillon is gluten free but it does have soy. You may want to keep a food log to see if other soy products bother or if you see any other pattern. It isn't uncommon for us to have other intolerances.

Keep at the diet even if the test results are negative. Give it a bit of time and see if it helps. It can take some time for us to heal and we can have some ups and downs at first.

Erica Rodman Newbie
Erica Rodman
Posted
  • Author

Thanks, guys. So would it be "normal" to fluctuate from really good days to really bad days at first? Of course it's possible it's soy, corn, etc that is also the culprit. Not sure at this point. All I know is that something I am eating is making me sick.

My question with the enrichment has to do with the binding process. In order to get the coating to "stick", starch is used. It is possible that the starch is wheat-based or has wheat in it.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Thanks, guys. So would it be "normal" to fluctuate from really good days to really bad days at first? Of course it's possible it's soy, corn, etc that is also the culprit. Not sure at this point. All I know is that something I am eating is making me sick.

My question with the enrichment has to do with the binding process. In order to get the coating to "stick", starch is used. It is possible that the starch is wheat-based or has wheat in it.

If it was wheat based it should have to be listed on the label according to FDA regs. I am supersensitive and if they did use wheat for that I would be constantly ill as I eat Minute Rice a couple times a week.

It is normal for us to have good and bad days early on. What are you typically eating? Have you checked all toiletries, shampoos, craft materials like glues etc?

Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

I would guess either the crock pot or the herbs/spices. Does your crock pot have a teflon surface, some do. Also did you replace your herbs/spices or are they from pre gluten free? If so it is possible they could be contaminated from before. What were your utensils?

tarnalberry Community Regular
tarnalberry
Posted

Some foods are "enriched" for ... social purposes. Rice is one of the foods typically enriched with folic acid to reduce birth defects in the population. But it is also to replace the iron, niacin, thiamin, and other vitamins/minerals stripped out when removing the bran and germ. (One good alternative here - just eat brown rice, which is more nutritious than enriched white rice. You can make a big pot of it, and freeze it if you want quicker rice during the week. Of course, that wasn't the question. :) As for the question, no - I've never seen an enriched rice that had wheat.)

Erica Rodman Newbie
Erica Rodman
Posted
  • Author
What are you typically eating? Have you checked all toiletries, shampoos, craft materials like glues etc?

Well for breakfast, gluten free toast, waffle, fruit if I can. Lunch is a sandwich with fresh deli meat (turkey, ham). They use a different slicer for gluten-free stuff. Dinners are a meat, vegetable, potato or rice, pasta, etc.

The shampoo I was using up until last week did have wheat germ oil in it. I replaced with a different one (Shikai). My deodorant had barley in it, replaced that too.

Also did you replace your herbs/spices or are they from pre gluten free? If so it is possible they could be contaminated from before. What were your utensils?

I did not replace the herbs/spices. So it is possible they are contaminated. My eating utensils are stainless steel, but some of my cooking utensils are that black plastic-like material. The crockpot is ceramic, but it is brand new. My cookware has that teflon coating on it. Would it need to be replaced? Rubber spatulas too?

Roda Rising Star
Roda
Posted

Well then I guess you can rule out your crock pot. Your eating utensils are fine. I had two pans with teflon, a wok and griddle, and I quit using the griddle since it had some scratches. I still use the wok. Most things I cooked in it were fine and it was still in excellent shape. My other pots/pans are caflon with no coating, but there is one I don't use anymore because it is pitted. My husband uses those for gluten stuff only. I did get new plastic utensils, and rubber spatulas for gluten free items, again keeping the old for when hubby makes something. I got a new colander for gluten free pasta. I got rid of my baking stone and waffle iron and I replaced my wood cutting boards, cake pans, muffin tins, and bread pans. I still use all of my glass bake/cookwear and most of my tupperware if in good shape. I replaced some of my herbs/spices that I thought would be suspect to cross contamination, sugar(white/brown/powdered), and anything else baking wise I was suspicious of. I thought I would be allright with playdoh in the house, but realized I was in la la land and banned it first of this year. I replaced it with soyer dough and scrubbed all of the toys. Now I can play without problems. I'm still working out some bugs on possible cross contamination in my house. My husband is pretty good, but it's hard to change overnight. The kids are another story. If I'm getting cc'd I'd bet it's the kids (I'm not symptomatic, but gliadin antibody IgG was still slightly elevated). I've been working on that too. When I am home I don't let them eat stuff but dad does. He needs to be more aware of where they are eating things and what they are touching. I make them sit at the table and when done, immediatly to wash their hands. Hope this helps.

Erica Rodman Newbie
Erica Rodman
Posted
  • Author

Thank you, yes that helps. It seems I am going to have to be more stringent. I want to wait until I know for sure what's really going on. It's expensive to have to replace everything if it's really not necessary.

Thanks so much for the advice and guidance everyone.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Thank you, yes that helps. It seems I am going to have to be more stringent. I want to wait until I know for sure what's really going on. It's expensive to have to replace everything if it's really not necessary.

Thanks so much for the advice and guidance everyone.

"To the best of my (little) knowledge, I am doing pretty well. I am feeling much better. Symptoms I have had for years are subsiding."

Since you are feeling much better and symptoms are subsiding please don't let a negative test result convince you that gluten isn't an issue. It is tough at first but your body is giving you the best answer. No matter what the test results it is telling you that you are doing the right thing. There is such a high rate of false negatives with testing that sometimes we have to listen to our bodies as a last resort and yours seems to be telling you that the gluten-free diet is working.

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. trents
      - trents replied to JudyLou's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @JudyLou! There are a couple of things you might consider to help you in your decision that would not require you to do a gluten challenge. The first, that is if you have not had this test run already, is to request a "total IGA" test to be run. One of the reasons that celiac blood antibody tests can be negative...
    2. JudyLou
      - JudyLou posted a topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      1

      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

      Hi there, I’m debating whether to consider a gluten challenge and I’m hoping someone here can help with that decision (so far, none of the doctors have been helpful). I have a history of breaking out in a horrible, burning/itchy somewhat blistering rash about every 8 years. This started when I was in my early 30’s and at that point it started at the ankle...
    3. marzian
      - marzian commented on Scott Adams's article in Diagnosis, Testing & Treatment
      5

      A Future Beyond the Gluten-Free Diet? Scientists Test a New Cell Therapy for Celiac Disease (+Video)

      This is very exciting news. The research lends itself to preventing the immune system in other autoimmune disorders from getting out of sorts. As someone with a compendium of autoimmune disorders I feel a bit of hope.
    4. Jmartes71
      - Jmartes71 posted a topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      0

      Medications

      Hello, just popped in my head to ask this question about medications and celiac? I have always had refurse reaction to meds since I can remember of what little meds my body is able to tolerate. I was taking gabapentin 300mg for a week, in past I believe 150? Any ways it amps me up not able to sleep, though very tired.However I did notice it helped with...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to GlutenFreeChef's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      11

      Blood Test for Celiac wheat type matters?

      I'm not saying that some celiacs won't need it, but it should be done under a doctor's supervision because it can cause lots of problems in some people.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,142
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Mark Conway
    Newest Member
    Mark Conway
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @JudyLou! There are a couple of things you might consider to help you in your decision that would not require you to do a gluten challenge. The first, that is if you have not had this test run already, is to request a "total IGA" test to be run. One of the reasons that celiac blood antibody tests can be negative, apart from not having celiac disease, that is, is because of IGA deficiency. If a person is IGA deficient, they will not respond accurately to the celiac disease blood antibody tests (such as the commonly run TTG-IGA). The total IGA test is designed to check for IGA deficiency. The total IGA test is not a celiac antibody test so I wouldn't think that a gluten challenge is necessary. The second is to have genetic testing done to determine if you have the genetic potential to develop celiac disease. About 30-40% of  the general population have the genetic potential but only about 1% actually develop celiac disease. So, genetic testing cannot be used to diagnose celiac disease but it can be used to rule it out. Those who don't have the genetic potential but still have reaction to gluten would not be diagnosed with celiac disease but with NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity).  Another possibility is that you do have celiac disease but are in remission. We do see this but often it doesn't last.
    • JudyLou
      Seeking advice on potential gluten challenge

      By JudyLou · Posted

      Hi there, I’m debating whether to consider a gluten challenge and I’m hoping someone here can help with that decision (so far, none of the doctors have been helpful). I have a history of breaking out in a horrible, burning/itchy somewhat blistering rash about every 8 years. This started when I was in my early 30’s and at that point it started at the ankles and went about to my knees. Every time I had the rash it would cover more of my body, so my arms and part of my torso were impacted as well, and it was always symmetrical. First I was told it was an allergic reaction to a bug bite. Next I was told it was eczema (after a biopsy of the lesion - not the skin near the lesion) and given a steroid injection (didn’t help). I took myself off of gluten about 3 weeks before seeing an allergist, just to see if it would help (it didn’t in that time period). He thought the rash looked like dermatitis herpetiformis and told me to eat some bread the night before my blood tests, which I did, and the tests came back negative. I’ve since learned from this forum that I needed to be eating gluten daily for at least a month in order to get an accurate test result. I’m grateful to the allergist as he found that 5 mg of doxepin daily will eliminate the rash within about 10 days (previously it lasted for months whether I was eating gluten or not). I have been gluten free for about 25 years as a precaution and recommendation from my doctor, and the pattern of breaking out every 8 years or so remains the same except once I broke out after just one year (was not glutened as far as I know), and now it’s been over 9 years. What’s confusing to me, is that there have been 3 times in the past 2 years when I’ve accidentally eaten gluten, and I haven’t had any reaction at all. Once someone made pancakes (they said they were gluten-free, they were not) and I ate several. I need to decide whether to do a gluten challenge and get another blood test. If I do, are these tests really accurate? I’m also concerned that I could damage my gut in that process if I do have celiac disease. My brother and cousin both had lymphoma so that’s a concern regarding a challenge as well, though there is a lot of cancer in various forms in my family so there may be no gluten connection there. Sorry for the ramble, I’m just doubting the need to remain gluten free if I don’t have any reaction to eating it and haven’t had a positive test (other than testing positive for one of the genes, though it sounds like that’s pretty common). I’d appreciate any thoughts or advice! 
    • Jmartes71
      Medications

      By Jmartes71 · Posted

      Hello, just popped in my head to ask this question about medications and celiac? I have always had refurse reaction to meds since I can remember  of what little meds my body is able to tolerate. I was taking gabapentin 300mg for a week,  in past I believe 150? Any ways it amps me up not able to sleep, though very tired.However I did notice it helped with my bloating sibo belly.I hate that my body is that sensitive and medical doesn't seem to take seriously. Im STILL healing with my skin, eye, and now ms or meningioma ( will know in April  which)and dealing with this limbo nightmare. I did write my name, address ect on the reclamation but im not tech savvy and not sure if went through properly. I called my city representative in Stanislaus County and asked if theres a physical paper i can sign for proclamation for celiac and she had no clue about what I was saying, so I just said I'll go back on website. 
    • Scott Adams
      Blood Test for Celiac wheat type matters?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I'm not saying that some celiacs won't need it, but it should be done under a doctor's supervision because it can cause lots of problems in some people.
    • Jmartes71
      Airborne Gluten?

      By Jmartes71 · Posted

      I also noticed I get debilitating migraines when I smell gluten, wheat and its not taken seriously when it affects one in every way.Im still begging to properly be heard.I also noticed tolerance level is down the drain with age and life changes. I have been told by incompetent medical that im not celiac or that sensitive. Diagnosed in 1994 by gi biopsy gluten-free ever since along with other lovely food allergies. Prayers
×
×
  • 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.