Accidental Gluten Ingestion

[leslieack]

Hello--

So I'm typically very, VERY careful about eating gluten-free (diagnosed Celiac almost 4-years ago), but the other day while having brunch I realized they kitchen had inadvertently allowed cooked pasta to get into a dish I had already been eating...so this might sound crazy...but if the damage is already done, does this mean I can cheat...just this once?

Thanks!

[Lisa]

Hello--

So I'm typically very, VERY careful about eating gluten-free (diagnosed Celiac almost 4-years ago), but the other day while having brunch I realized they kitchen had inadvertently allowed cooked pasta to get into a dish I had already been eating...so this might sound crazy...but if the damage is already done, does this mean I can cheat...just this once?

Thanks!

Well, I'm not quite sure about your question. It's accepted that most people with Celiac can handle 20ppm (parts per million) of gluten, safely.

Also, it's often recommended to reintroduce gluten for testing, one must ingest 3-4 slices of bread (or equivalent) a day, for a period of six to eight weeks....a minimum for accuracy in testing.

As well, it's know that it's not the amount of gluten consumed, but the autoimmune reaction which caused the response in your intestines (or elsewhere). I don't know of any study that suggested that the amount of gluten consumed, increases the symptoms or damage.

But, to answer you questions.....don't know. Once you realized that you took one bite of "real" pasta, does that mean you can finish the bowl? Donno!

I wish there was more current information available. I feel it would make all our lives a little more tolerable.

[Emilushka]

I always feel extra bloated (on top of what I ate accidentally) so for me, the answer is no. If I accidentally eat 2 bites of wheat pasta at the beginning of a meal and stop there, I'll feel bloated and full but not overly full. But I get symptoms for a week afterward (bloating, diarrhea, etc). So it's not like it's a walk in the park, but not eating does spare me some of my symptoms.

So for me, it's not an all-or-none. I wouldn't take the excuse to cheat.

[MelindaLee]

I have learned that a little cc I get some symptoms, stomach cramps, gas, etc. but if I get more (it's only happened once, when I think a restaurant served me bakes salmon with soy sauce on it) I have full blown symptoms, including a migraine (which is not a typical headache, but vision issues and numbness of my left arm and lips and nose) 7 days after the gluten ingestion. It was awful! I don't like the little cc issues, so wouldn't continue if I realized I had some, because I don't know how much is enough to trigger all the truly awful symptoms!

[AZGirl]

As with the others, the more I eat the worse it gets. I order enchiladas in our local restaurant who are typically careful, but after taking three bites I knew something was wrong. They had used flour to thicken the sauce. I stopped eating as soon as I got the first stomach pain. I was symptomatic for 2 days, but I know it would have been much worse if I would have kept going.

I guess it is different for everyone. I hope that it was worth it for you and that you weren't too sick.