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Accidental Gluten In Diet

mandigirl1

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mandigirl1 Enthusiast
mandigirl1
Posted

:blink: Listen everyone......I have an experience to share with you....

One of my favorite foods (ever since Im a little girl) has been Corn Pop cereal...you know which one? the sugary kind in the yellow box? I forgot the brand)

Well, it just so happened that I screwed up and ate an entire box of the cereal.....and just TODAY learned that if you look at the label on the box it clearly says THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS WHEAT INGREDIENTS.

I NEVER had reason to double check the label....I just foolishly ate them without checking. Since being diagnosed with celiac disease 6 years ago, I remember enjoying the cereal...especially since the label said nothing about wheat!

It took my boyfriend to be more careful with my gluten-free diet than ME......luckily he noticed it while food shopping for me!!!! It never dawned on me to look at the label. I assumed it was okay, because, 6 years ago it was!!!

Now I dont know if this is a new label/warning they put on the box, since we've made more progress with celiac disease "politically" by raising public awareness. I have read about manufactors having to be more careful to list allergic ingredients.....I think laws have been made/enforced finally!!!!

I am beyond being upset about the fact that Ive unknowingly consumed a box of this non gluten-free cereal!!!!

Ironically, not knowing the cereal was non gluten-free, I suffered a major "attack". I was sooooo sick!!! No one including me or my doctor thought it might be celiac disease related!!!!! We thought everything else instead--a stomach flu, food poisoning, etc. I was so sick I layed in bed crying in pain!!! Plus I was so damn nausea, I felt like I had to throw up every second, but couldnt. Of course my stomach was killing me. I was shaking......cold and hot at the same time!!!!!! This was as bad of an attack as 6years ago, when I was finally diagnosed (after eating a bowl of Cream of Wheat!!!) if not worse! All I remember I kept saying while crying on and on was, "I wouldnt wish this on my own worst enemy!!!)

I didnt suspect it was celiac disease because I am so DAMN careful and watch everything I eat.....I thought "I didnt eat anything with gluten, so why think its that?" Needless to say it was the worst experience. I really needed a hospital but didnt go......what could they have done for me anyway, if it was Celiac??? There's no remedy/medicine to get rid of it......it just has to "run its course", right?????

Well, looking back, it all makes sense. I ate a box of gluten (MY WORST NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!!) because I was careless in not double checking the label.

For me, it was an episode, unrelentless, went on for hours. All I could do (besides drive my boyfriend crazy) was CRY!!!!! I never ever experienced such nausea in all my 32 years!!!!! My mom pointed out to me, in an attempt to calm my nerves regarding the pain.......

Wait....you didnt have children yet.....wait til you experience labor and childbirth!!!!

So Celiacs, my message:

Be Very Careful!!!!!

Spread the word about Corn Pop cereal!

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KaitiUSA Enthusiast
KaitiUSA
Posted

Yes, alot of things that you think would be gluten free turn out not to be. You can have Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles by Post though :D They are a Kraft brand and will not hide anything.

Anyways, this is an example of why it is so important to read labels. At least now you know so you don't consume it anymore. I have made that mistake before as well with Rice Krispies when I first started the diet.

There are some things you can do to ease symptoms when you get a reaction but there is not much you can do but let it run its course. I find I get extreme nausea with reactions and hot peppermint, ginger, chamomile teas help soothe my stomach and then I have some comfort foods that seem to help as well. So I mean there are things you can try to help but thats it.

I hope you feel better quickly.

KAthyB Newbie
KAthyB
Posted

When my daughter was first diagnosed in March of 2003 I was constantly on the message boards and saw the warning that Corn Pops which were always gluten-free were changing the ingredients. I went out and bought a box from the last gluten-free batch. Genuardi's/Safeway make a corn nuggets cereal that is very much like the corn pops and is gluten-free. Sorry you found out the hard way. Hope you feel better soon.

Kathyb

Carriefaith Enthusiast
Carriefaith
Posted

Gluten reactions are no fun. I'm sorry you had to go through that :(

Wait....you didnt have children yet.....wait til you experience labor and childbirth!!!!
:D That's funny, but I bet some people's gluten reactions are just as bad.
mytummyhurts Contributor
mytummyhurts
Posted

When I was diagnosed last year, my doctor gave me a list of gluten-free food and Corn Pops was on it. I looked at the label at the store and one of the first ingredients was wheat. Obviously they need a new list.

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

Corn Pops added wheat for the first time several months ago.

richard

Merika Contributor
Merika
Posted

Hey Mandigirl,

Sorry about your troubles with the corn pops. :o If it's encouraging at all, I think you might find childbirth less troublesome and possibly shorter :)

Merika

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Diosa Apprentice
Diosa
Posted

You poor dear! :( I feel so bad for you. I can just imagine how bad it was (I get the stomach pains as well, along with the nausea) I got "glutened" yesterday by cleaning up Wheetabix crumbs from the counter, and that was only a tiny bit.

I learned the hard way about Corn Flakes. You'd think Kellogg's Corn Flakes would be safe wouldn't you? Nope. Turns out they use barley in there.

I hope you feel better soon. <3

mle-ii Explorer
mle-ii
Posted

I made a similar mistake with the cereal I was eating. I was watching my gluten so much and even made sure the cereal was ok, it said wheat free. I noticed I was starting to get sick again, then one day I read the ingredients on the package and noticed it contained oats. Ack! Cut that back out and started feeling better again. :)

Guest nini
Guest nini
Posted

I've made that same mistake with something that has always been gluten free and then all of a sudden the company decides to reformulate and it's no longer safe. WHEN WILL THEY STOP DOING THIS?????

Sorry you had to go through that, and yes Corn Pops used to be safe and now they are not. It's only been several months now that they've added wheat starch to the ingredients. GRRRRRRR This is another company we all need to call, write and complain to. They need to know that adding gluten to a previously naturally gluten free product is UNACCEPTABLE and they are losing a great many customers by doing this.

And the celiac community is a vocal bunch, so we can get our message out there!!!!

Guest nini
Guest nini
Posted

I just called Kellogg's to complain, I suggest that you do the same! The only Kellogg's products that are gluten free are the fruit snacks and the Eggo syrup. 800-962-1413

jknnej Collaborator
jknnej
Posted

You poor thing-that is awful.

You should get a prescription of anti nausea drugs for when this happens. I take Phenegran and though it does make you sleepy, sleeping is better than being up feeling like you have to throw up! Besides, it's not like you can go out or to work if you're curled up in a ball on your bed!

gigimom Rookie
gigimom
Posted

We were aware of the Corn Pops being no longer gluten-free so, we switched to Malto Meal Corn Bursts by General Mills. They have been a favorite treat cereal for my kids. Now, I just heard that they can no longer be considered gluten free. I will call the company but for now has anybody else heard about this?

KaitiUSA Enthusiast
KaitiUSA
Posted

Yes, I don't use Malt-O-Meal anymore because they added wheat to their ingredients of the products that were once gluten free.

However, Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles by Post are gluten free

jenvan Collaborator
jenvan
Posted

I have a friend with celiac who used to eat corn pops, and started to get sick. It took her a couple of months to figure out corn pops had changed its ingredients to contain wheat. Why do they need to that do ? Arg ;)

Guest nini
Guest nini
Posted

yep, Malt-O-Meal changed their ingredients and their corn pops are no longer gluten-free. Before the change I stocked up on a bunch of bags of it. We just opened the last bag of corn pops... gotta make em last <_<

  • 6 months later...
Guest nini
Guest nini
Posted

Update: Kroger Corn Nuggets have been a good suitable replacement for Corn Pops and Malt O Meal's version, but they have now added wheat starch to Kroger Corn Nuggets as well... I just found the new ones in the store along with the old gluten free ones, all that was left of the safe ones were 6 boxes, so I bought them up... I may drive around to other Krogers and do the same! LOL...

I get soooooo irritated that manufacturers think it's perfectly ok to ADD wheat starch to a perfectly good gluten free food... I know it makes it cheaper for them to produce, but they also need to take into consideration the customers they will lose by doing crap like this.

francelajoie Explorer
francelajoie
Posted

My favorite cereal si Nature's Best Panda Puffs!!! I'm a big peanut butter fan and these are great!

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    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      after several years of issues with a para-gland issue, my endo has decided it's a good idea for me to be tested for celiac disease. I am 70 yrs old and stunned to learn that you can get celiac this late in life. I have just gradually stopped eating most foods that contain gluten over the past several years- they just make me feel ill- although I attributed it to other things like bread spiking blood sugar- or to the things I ate *with* the bread or crackers etc   I went to a party in Nov and ate a LOT of a vegan roast made with vital wheat gluten- as well as stuffing, rolls and pie crust... and OMG I was so sick! the pain, the bloating, the gas, the nausea... I didn't think it would ever end (but it did) and I was ready to go the ER but it finally subsided.   I mentioned this to my endo and now she wants me to be tested for celiac after 2 weeks of being on gluten foods. She has kind of flip flopped on how much gluten I should eat, telling me that if the symptoms are severe I can stop. I am eating 2-3 thin slices of bread per day (or english muffins) and wow- it does make me feel awful. But not as bad as when I ate that massive amnt of vital wheat gluten. so I will continue on if I have to... but what bothers me is - if it IS celiac, it seems stupid for lack of a better word, to intentionally cause more damage to my body... but I am also worried, on the other hand, that this is not a long enough challenge to make the blood work results valid.   can you give me any insight into this please?   thank you
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