Spot The Gluten

[SGWhiskers]

My reactions to gluten have been weaker and weaker since going gluten free. Night terrors, pain and migraine are the worst of the symptoms and the night terrors only happen when I've been glutened. I think.

I woke up screaming again last night, so I'm sorting through what I ate.

For the past 2 days I've eaten lots of familiar foods but a few things were newer to my diet. I have some leftovers I would like to freeze too.

First was a home made "hot pocket" type of snack. Kraft or Unilever brand pizza sauce with all kinds of preservatives and modified food starch, but it didn't say wheat and I thought those two brands always said gluten ingredients if it was there. Hormel pepperoni and a Teff burrito wrapper. I had 3 of burrito wrappers last week without incident though. I was planning on making the snack for my hubby, so I wasn't as careful as normal and took the burrito out and set it on the outside of the packaging while I made the "hot pocket." He opted for a different snack, and it looked great to pregnant me, so I went for it. Think I cross contaminated myself? The Teff wrappers are stored in the gluten free display at the grocery store.

Second suspicous item was home made split pea soup. I used generic spit peas and was too lazy to rinse them. The packaging ingredients only listed peas (I've run across other brands which listed peas and wheat. Why?) baby carrots, pork I eat all the time, gluten free bullion I eat all the time. Dried onions I eat often, McCormicks rosemary. Salt/pepper.

I also had gluten free vanilla which I think I've had several servings from this bottle on other days. Yes, I have, although those were cooked and this wasn't, but that shouldn't matter.

So, before I throw out lots of soup, do you think that was it, or was it the home made "hot Pocket"?

[K8ling]

Oh wow, I don't know! I am leaning more towards the hot pocket. But the peas make sense too. Hmm. I hate to tell you to try this but maybe do a control with the soup- I would hate for you to throw it all out and have it not be that.

[kareng]

They all sound fine. The Teff wrappers I have say gluten-free and no reason to think otherwise. If your sure all the ingredients are gluten-free, maybe you got something from what the Hub was eating? Now, I know this is radical thinking, but is it possible this had nothing to do with gluten? Could it be something else like hormones, the 3 glasses of wine( ), or a virus? (Actually 3 glasses of wine usually hurt my head not my stomach)

I just re- read your post. What did you have vanilla with? If your chugging it, that could be a problem.

[SGWhiskers]

They all sound fine. The Teff wrappers I have say gluten-free and no reason to think otherwise. If your sure all the ingredients are gluten-free, maybe you got something from what the Hub was eating? Now, I know this is radical thinking, but is it possible this had nothing to do with gluten? Could it be something else like hormones, the 3 glasses of wine( ), or a virus? (Actually 3 glasses of wine usually hurt my head not my stomach)

I just re- read your post. What did you have vanilla with? If your chugging it, that could be a problem.

I'm not chugging vanilla I had a small splash in my warm milk while we were watching TV. I really do mean a splash. (1/4 tsp?) I make warm soy milk with a bit of sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. I didn't add the vanilla until after the microwave. I am pretty sensitive to alcohol though. Would adding it before putting it in the microwave "cook off" the alcohol?

I'm wondering about this being from something else too, but I don't know what. I'm actually afraid of what since it seems to come and go in "flares. This is the first time I can't really link it to possible gluten. Every other time, there was either definate gluten, or possible gluten.

Hubby is gluten free in the house while I'm pregnant. He did toast some Udi's bread in the old toaster, but that was only for him to eat. We also have a bird who I can't find any gluten free bird see for. Hubby changes the food, and I stay out of the room for 30 minutes after.

Yes, my teff said gluten free as well. My concern with it was maybe preparing it on the outside of the packaging might have CC'ed it. Or I was wrong about the modified food starch from either Kraft or Unilever being gluten free.

A cold seems unlikely. This pregnancy has been really good to me and hormone fluctuations don't seem hugely likely at 15 weeks. I really would prefer gluten or accidental vanilla overdose to some other problem coming in "flares".

[kareng]

I'm not chugging vanilla I had a small splash in my warm milk while we were watching TV. I really do mean a splash. (1/4 tsp?) I make warm soy milk with a bit of sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. I didn't add the vanilla until after the microwave. I am pretty sensitive to alcohol though. Would adding it before putting it in the microwave "cook off" the alcohol?

I'm wondering about this being from something else too, but I don't know what. I'm actually afraid of what since it seems to come and go in "flares. This is the first time I can't really link it to possible gluten. Every other time, there was either definate gluten, or possible gluten.

Hubby is gluten free in the house while I'm pregnant. He did toast some Udi's bread in the old toaster, but that was only for him to eat. We also have a bird who I can't find any gluten free bird see for. Hubby changes the food, and I stay out of the room for 30 minutes after.

Yes, my teff said gluten free as well. My concern with it was maybe preparing it on the outside of the packaging might have CC'ed it. Or I was wrong about the modified food starch from either Kraft or Unilever being gluten free.

A cold seems unlikely. This pregnancy has been really good to me and hormone fluctuations don't seem hugely likely at 15 weeks. I really would prefer gluten or accidental vanilla overdose to some other problem coming in "flares".

I didn't realize or most likely forgot, about the gluten-free bun in the oven. When you said you have night mares and you woke up screaming, I asume you mean from a really bad nightmare. Pregnant women at 15 weeks do have hormonal changes. Nightmares are definitely a complication of prenancy for a lot of people. I had them, too. I rarely ever have dreams that make me scared or cry otherwise.

[Charlie's Girl]

Unfortunately- I'd be looking at the split peas. Are they processed in a dedicated plant or do they run along the same conveyor belt as the barley and other glutenous items? Can you call the manufacturer?

Congrats on the baby- may your pregnancy and delivery be easy and effortless.

[curiousgirl]

Oh wow, I don't know! I am leaning more towards the hot pocket. But the peas make sense too. Hmm. I hate to tell you to try this but maybe do a control with the soup- I would hate for you to throw it all out and have it not be that.

So, if it was the peas, if they were washed before cooking, would that have solved the problem?

These are the "hidden" glutens that are so difficult...would ever have thought that a bag of split peas for soup could possibly be cc'd?? You think you're eating clean by making your own split pea soup, but.........

[nora-n]

..... We also have a bird who I can't find any gluten free bird see for. Hubby changes the food, and I stay out of the room for 30 minutes after.

......

Now bird feed is known to even raise antibodies of people who feed them outside in the open, so I guess bird feed with gluten inside the house is not okay for someone super-sensitive.

[i-geek]

So, if it was the peas, if they were washed before cooking, would that have solved the problem?

These are the "hidden" glutens that are so difficult...would ever have thought that a bag of split peas for soup could possibly be cc'd?? You think you're eating clean by making your own split pea soup, but.........

I've found wheat berries in lentils before. I remember reading somewhere that others had found barley in bags of red lentils. It would not surprise me in the slightest to learn that something similar was in that bag of split peas, and thus would have been cooked right into the soup. My rule for legumes is always sort (a good rule regardless, since beans and dried peas often have a few stray pebbles that escape processing- that's how I cracked a tooth a few years ago) and wash before using.

[tarnalberry]

Two things:

1) you can make your own bird food. pretty easy, and WAYYYYYY healthier than seed. (seed as a primary food is pretty nutritionally unbalanced, actually).

2) at 15 weeks pregnant, you are most certainly experiencing a WIDE range of HUGE hormone changes. you may not feel "obvious" symptoms (morning sickness is not the only one), but they are there, and they will continue during pregnancy. it is quite possible that this is a manifestation of them.

bonus third thing: it might be worth looking at whether or not it is some other food that is causing some additional problems. (like dairy)