Contamination Somewhere-Can't Figure Out The Source

[gfbakingmom]

My son and I were diagnosed with gluten intolerance about a year ago. His symptom is eczema; mine is intestinal trouble. I have been very strict since that time, rarely eating out, preparing all our meals at home, eating only foods that I have checked and made sure were gluten free. Our symptoms cleared up and we have been great, until . . . about six weeks ago. My son has developed his tell-tale eczema (and bad behavior) and my intestines are problematic again. This happens to coincide with my adding a new element to our diet: Baking gluten-free bread and muffins with flours other than almond flour, which I used exclusively until about mid-March. The flours I buy come from companies that claim certified gluten free: Bob's Red Mill, Nuts Online, and Arrowhead Mills. The "new" flours I had never used until the symptoms began are sorghum, millet, sweet rice, and tapioca starch. I use xanthan gum in the bread but not the muffins.

I am wondering if someone can give me some clues as to what might be causing our symptoms. We have not eaten out in at least three weeks. I cook with mainly whole foods, and the brands of canned goods/etc. are all things I have been using since we went gluten-free a year ago--they didn't trouble us before. Help!

Thank you.

[quincy]

My son and I were diagnosed with gluten intolerance about a year ago. His symptom is eczema; mine is intestinal trouble. I have been very strict since that time, rarely eating out, preparing all our meals at home, eating only foods that I have checked and made sure were gluten free. Our symptoms cleared up and we have been great, until . . . about six weeks ago. My son has developed his tell-tale eczema (and bad behavior) and my intestines are problematic again. This happens to coincide with my adding a new element to our diet: Baking gluten-free bread and muffins with flours other than almond flour, which I used exclusively until about mid-March. The flours I buy come from companies that claim certified gluten free: Bob's Red Mill, Nuts Online, and Arrowhead Mills. The "new" flours I had never used until the symptoms began are sorghum, millet, sweet rice, and tapioca starch. I use xanthan gum in the bread but not the muffins.

I am wondering if someone can give me some clues as to what might be causing our symptoms. We have not eaten out in at least three weeks. I cook with mainly whole foods, and the brands of canned goods/etc. are all things I have been using since we went gluten-free a year ago--they didn't trouble us before. Help!

Thank you.

Despite the gluten free nature of flours you can still react to them. are you using oats as well? some celiacs/gluten sensitive people cannot tolerate gluten-free oats or gluten-free oat flour.

[GlutenFreeManna]

Do you know if you are sensitive to oats at all? I will tell you I cannot use anything by Bob's Red Mill because they process "gluten free" oats in their gluten free facility with all the other gluten free flours they make. A small percentage of celiacs cannot handle any type of oats at all. For some sensitive people cc from even gluten-free oats can make them sick.

[Takala]

Well, that's a bummer.

I reacted recently to a bag of a certain kind of marked gluten free corn flour from Bob's, and it was a single grain type of deal with the quickbread, and it had to be that from what else I ate that day. I eat other forms of corn, so I was very annoyed. I do not know exactly what this is cc'd with, however.

It could also be the Arrowhead Mills. They use paper instead of plastic bags, and I've seen some displays with lots of flour dust residue on the bags, and the regular flours mixed in with the gluten free in the store displays, even in a venue where the store has the aisle marked gluten free. I also have seen several references here and elsewhere with people having cross contamination trouble with certain flavors, such as the millet. Other people swear by it and claim to not have problems. The other likely culprit would be the sorghum. Read here for a study done last year on cross contamination: Open Original Shared Link

The only way to tell for sure, is to just add one new gluten free flour at a time to the repertoire.

Rice is less likely to be grown near other wheat crops and tapioca is a root crop. You might try coconut flour, which is another nut flour. I grind my own almonds and buckwheat.

Whenever I do make something, I make sure if I'm dipping into a bag to always use a clean spoon, otherwise I pour it out into the mixing cup or bowl, so I don't spread residue.

[gfbakingmom]

We do not eat oats in any form (I know I react to them), so that isn't the problem. The flours I buy come from (Company Name Removed - They Spammed This Forum and are Banned) or other online sources--the millet flour came in a plastic-wrapped carton, with the paper sacks inside.

About the sorghum -- the company I bought it from tests everything to ensure that it is not contaminated, so they say.

[kareng]

I seen several people on here say that they react to tapioca. If you hadn't been using it before, maybe that got you? Could be one of the other flours. Maybe go a week or so back to what you were doing. Feel better. Then try using 1 new flour/ starch at a time. If they have to be mixed, maybe you could do 2 at a time.

[rdunbar]

i just eat meat, vegetables and fruit. i'm trying to avoid anything that can have a chance of being contaminated.

for me, it's not 'is it contaminated ?', it's 'is it possible that it's contaminated.?"

if theres a chance, i don't take it if i don't have to. and it seems like there is always a risk.

w/ gluten free flours, and other processed foods, you don't know what else was put through the mill, or what it was stored around.

i'm sure certain complanies are fine, and diligent about protecting their customers. then be aware that you are going on trust, and letting you guard down when your consuming these products.

[GlutenFreeManna]

We do not eat oats in any form (I know I react to them), so that isn't the problem. The flours I buy come from (Company Name Removed - They Spammed This Forum and are Banned) or other online sources--the millet flour came in a plastic-wrapped carton, with the paper sacks inside.

About the sorghum -- the company I bought it from tests everything to ensure that it is not contaminated, so they say.

What I was trying to explain is that if you react to oats there is a chance you will react to ALL Bob's Red Mill products because they are processed with oats. That is the case for me as well as for at least one other member here. We cannot use any BRM products becasue of the oat cc.

[quincy]

What I was trying to explain is that if you react to oats there is a chance you will react to ALL Bob's Red Mill products because they are processed with oats. That is the case for me as well as for at least one other member here. We cannot use any BRM products becasue of the oat cc.

Hi GFM. I didn't know that all BRM flours are processed where the oats are processed. Good to know; I thought for some reason their oat processing was completely separate. I will have to remember that. I used BRM corn meal to make muffins and YUCK, what a bad response I had.

I also remember that right after going gluten-free I reacted to ALL processed foods, so the best thing was to stick with rice, veggies, meat and chicken. very simple....

[gfbakingmom]

Wow, now that is very interesting. All Bob's Red Mill products are processed with oats . . . and I have been using them in earnest, especially the Hot and Tasty Cereal. I just started that about six weeks ago too. WOW, that is good to know. Now I am a bit miffed because I just ordered a TON of that stuff and it is not cheap at all. I will now cut out all the Bob's Red Mill products for two weeks and then see what happens. Hmmmm . . .

[psawyer]

Bob's Red Mill has a dedicated facility for their gluten-free products. The oats that come into that facility are "the purest gluten free oats grown by over 200 farmers on clean, dedicated oat-growing fields." [per their web site}

If you are one of the minority of celiacs who can not tolerate even pure oats, this may be an issue. But for most of us the concern with oats is that, unless special precautions are taken at every stage of the production process, oats are always contaminated with wheat.

[gfbakingmom]

Bob's Red Mill has a dedicated facility for their gluten-free products. The oats that come into that facility are "the purest gluten free oats grown by over 200 farmers on clean, dedicated oat-growing fields." [per their web site}

If you are one of the minority of celiacs who can not tolerate even pure oats, this may be an issue. But for most of us the concern with oats is that, unless special precautions are taken at every stage of the production process, oats are always contaminated with wheat.

Yes, this is true. However, I know that I react badly to Bob's Red Mill certified gluten free oats, specifically. When I was diagnosed, I went on a very strict, completely gluten and oat free for six months, and was completely healthy. Then, to test whether I could tolerate oats, I added Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats into one meal. I had a horrible reaction. Most celiacs can tolerate pure oats, and clearly I am not one of them. So, now I must learn if the other gluten-free products processed by Bob's Red Mill could be contaminated with oats.

[GlutenFreeManna]

Wow, now that is very interesting. All Bob's Red Mill products are processed with oats . . . and I have been using them in earnest, especially the Hot and Tasty Cereal. I just started that about six weeks ago too. WOW, that is good to know. Now I am a bit miffed because I just ordered a TON of that stuff and it is not cheap at all. I will now cut out all the Bob's Red Mill products for two weeks and then see what happens. Hmmmm . . .

Yes I think that's a good way to figure it out. Drop the Bob's Red Mill products and see if you improve. Good Luck!

[dilettantesteph]

What you need to do is use each flour separately for a period of at least a week before you try another one. That way you can figure out which ones bother you and which ones you can eat. In general it is a good idea to keep track of new food items and symptoms in a food diary.

I react to gluten free oats and Bob's products. Lots of gluten free food companies use gluten free oats. Those of us sensitive to gluten free oats have to be very careful.