Meh, I Think I React To Chex :-(

[anabananakins]

After a few days of achey joints, not a great feeling tummy and major balance issues, it occurred to me that pigging out on Chex might have gotten to me. I was eating the honey nut one on my trip and felt fine, but I never ate all that much at once. However, the box of cinnamon that I brought home got eat (solely by me) in less than a week. Usually my diet is so clean if I get glutened I can tell in 2 hours from my stomach's reaction, and I don't usually get the balance problems unless I've been glutened repeatedly (as happened when I travelled last year - bagels in shared toaster, yeah).

That would make sense wouldn't it? That gluten free label or not, I could be repeatedly getting enough tiny amounts of gluten from eating so many bowls of it? Serves me right for being such a pig. My balance is terrible today, it's only a fortnight since I was gleefully showing my cousin how I could do the stand with your feet together and eyes closed test again, and yesterday and today I can't even do it with my eyes open. I keep dropping things, and I walk into walls again and last night I felt like I was crawling out of my skin. My brain is mush Plus the aching joints/muscles - ugh, I can't believe I used to feel like this all the time. I stayed home today and I do feel a bit better, hopefully it'll pass soon.

It's a good thing the nearest chex is all the way accross the Pacific Ocean from me.

[pricklypear1971]

Ya know, I never have been a cereal person til gluten-free. Then i picked up Rice Chex. I never read the label til I dropped milk to reduce iodone - and discovered they have dye in them.

I dont do well on dyes, never have. So I won't be buying more.

[ENF]

I enjoy Honey Nut Chex, which is gluten and dairy free, but avoid Cinnamon Chex, which is also gluten-free but has "nonfat milk" listed in it's ingredients.

[dilettantesteph]

I get that build up of small amounts of gluten to produce achy joints. I think that it can work that way.

[gfkikamonster]

I react to Chex as well, and also to the new gluten free Rice Krispies. It could be that they are glutened, but I considered another possible source: they all have MBT in them. I don't eat many foods with MBT anymore since most processed food has gluten in it (and much of the gluten-free processed food is "all-natural" or "organic" and doesn't have harsh preservatives. To test this theory, I got the Wegman's store brand rice chex, which are gluten-free and do not have MBT. So far, no reaction. So either Wegman's is doing a better job of keeping gluten out or I was actually reacting to MBT rather than gluten, I think!

[Austin Guy]

Have you tested for a fructose malabsorption? Chex has a lot of sugar in it.

[pricklypear1971]

I react to Chex as well, and also to the new gluten free Rice Krispies. It could be that they are glutened, but I considered another possible source: they all have MBT in them. I don't eat many foods with MBT anymore since most processed food has gluten in it (and much of the gluten-free processed food is "all-natural" or "organic" and doesn't have harsh preservatives. To test this theory, I got the Wegman's store brand rice chex, which are gluten-free and do not have MBT. So far, no reaction. So either Wegman's is doing a better job of keeping gluten out or I was actually reacting to MBT rather than gluten, I think!

Probably so. I forgot about that. I had a horrible reaction to Riceworks chips - supposedly gluten-free but packed full of every nasty flavor enhancer, color, etc. known.

[mushroom]

I am another Chex reactor, do not react to Rice Krispies, and also decided it was maybe the MBT.

[shadowicewolf]

There is no dye in the rice chex.

Ingrediant list is: whole grain rice, sugar, salt, molassas, vitamin E, and BHT.

[pricklypear1971]

There is no dye in the rice chex.

Ingrediant list is: whole grain rice, sugar, salt, molassas, vitamin E, and BHT.

Cinnamon-Sugar variety.

[anabananakins]

Have you tested for a fructose malabsorption? Chex has a lot of sugar in it.

I haven't done the test, but my dietician does think that I have fructose malabsorption based on how I reacted to removing particular fruits and veges from my diet. But I don't usually get the balance problems from it, just bloating and an upset stomach. But the large amount of sugar in Chex is definitely a reason not to eat it.

What is MBT, I don't know anything about that? Thanks for all the suggestions!

[pricklypear1971]

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and the related compound butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are phenolic compounds that are often added to foods to preserve fats.

How do they preserve food?

BHA and BHT are antioxidants. Oxygen reacts preferentially with BHA or BHT rather than oxidizing fats or oils, thereby protecting them from spoilage. In addition to being oxidizable, BHA and BHT are fat-soluble. Both molecules are incompatible with ferric salts. In addition to preserving foods, BHA and BHT are also used to preserve fats and oils in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

What foods contain BHA and BHT?

BHA is generally used to keep fats from becoming rancid. It is also used as a yeast de-foaming agent. BHA is found in butter, meats, cereals, chewing gum, baked goods, snack foods, dehydrated potatoes, and beer. It is also found in animal feed, food packaging, cosmetics, rubber products, and petroleum products.

BHT also prevents oxidative rancidity of fats. It is used to preserve food odor, color, and flavor. Many packaging materials incorporate BHT. It is also added directly to shortening, cereals, and other foods containing fats and oils.

Are BHA and BHT safe?

Both BHA and BHT have undergone the additive application and review process required by the US Food and Drug Administration. However, the same chemical properties which make BHA and BHT excellent preservatives may also be implicated in health effects. The oxidative characteristics and/or metabolites of BHA and BHT may contribute to carcinogenicity or tumorigenicity; however the same reactions may combat oxidative stress. There is evidence that certain persons may have difficulty metabolizing BHA and BHT, resulting in health and behavior changes. BHA and BHT may have antiviral and antimicrobial activities. Research is underway concerning the use of BHT in the treatment of herpes simplex and AIDS.

[lucky28]

Funny you posted this, I was thinking the same thing. I have only been gluten-free since aug. 9th and been VERY vigilant. I basically stripped my diet to meat, bananas, veggies from the garden, rice, quinoa, organic gluten-free corn chips and lactaid milk. Been feeling so much better but last week I bought a box of the honey nut chex and thought I reacted to it also. I had a bowl of it 3 different times and each time I had severe bloating and stomach cramps, etc . I even went as far to check the fda recall list just to see if they might have been recalled due to "undeclared wheat" or something similar. I guess I'll just leave them out of my diet for now.

[anabananakins]

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and the related compound butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are phenolic compounds that are often added to foods to preserve fats.

How do they preserve food?

BHA and BHT are antioxidants. Oxygen reacts preferentially with BHA or BHT rather than oxidizing fats or oils, thereby protecting them from spoilage. In addition to being oxidizable, BHA and BHT are fat-soluble. Both molecules are incompatible with ferric salts. In addition to preserving foods, BHA and BHT are also used to preserve fats and oils in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

What foods contain BHA and BHT?

BHA is generally used to keep fats from becoming rancid. It is also used as a yeast de-foaming agent. BHA is found in butter, meats, cereals, chewing gum, baked goods, snack foods, dehydrated potatoes, and beer. It is also found in animal feed, food packaging, cosmetics, rubber products, and petroleum products.

BHT also prevents oxidative rancidity of fats. It is used to preserve food odor, color, and flavor. Many packaging materials incorporate BHT. It is also added directly to shortening, cereals, and other foods containing fats and oils.

Are BHA and BHT safe?

Both BHA and BHT have undergone the additive application and review process required by the US Food and Drug Administration. However, the same chemical properties which make BHA and BHT excellent preservatives may also be implicated in health effects. The oxidative characteristics and/or metabolites of BHA and BHT may contribute to carcinogenicity or tumorigenicity; however the same reactions may combat oxidative stress. There is evidence that certain persons may have difficulty metabolizing BHA and BHT, resulting in health and behavior changes. BHA and BHT may have antiviral and antimicrobial activities. Research is underway concerning the use of BHT in the treatment of herpes simplex and AIDS.

Thank you for all this information. It doesn't sound like something I particularly want to eat, though there seem to be pluses and minuses to it. It's fascinatingly creepy some of the stuff that goes into food and we're completely oblivious.

[weluvgators]

Interesting post! Chex was a suspect (two "gluten free" foods were eaten together, so it may have been one of them, both of them or the combination) in a very bad reaction that one of my children had after eating it for 3-4 days in a row, and it was most evident when she started losing her balance and stuttering up a storm! It then proceeded to severe, debilitating joint pain. Another child and myself had already stopped eating the stuff because we felt like we were getting low levels of gluten from consumption of it. And another child of mine also has had reactions to Chex - it seems like his typical gluten reaction. We just don't even trial the stuff anymore, as none of us think it is worth eating based on our experiences with it.

It sure would be nice to have a box of cereal to reach for, but we haven't found one yet that seems appropriate for our level of sensitivity.

[smc]

Wow, Pricklypear1971 I had a terrible reaction to Riceworks chips too that knocked me out for a few days. I never knew what got me .

[alexsami]

funny, well not really, but i just pigged out on organic fruit juice sweetened gluten free corn flakes....needless to say....stomach NOT happy

[pricklypear1971]

Wow, Pricklypear1971 I had a terrible reaction to Riceworks chips too that knocked me out for a few days. I never knew what got me .

Oh wow, Riceworks is TERRIBLE. Read the ingredients and look them up. Never seen such a toxic soup. Who knows, it may have been cc, too but it gave the worst reaction for a WEEK.

[RER]

It's nice to know I'm not alone. I have tried chex many times over the last 20 years or so. We used to head straight to the cereal aisle when we visited the US as kids to get them because they weren't available in Canada. They recently came to Canada so I tried them again. But it was the same result. I can handle them for a couple breakfasts and then the reaction is undeniable. It's so disappointing. When I contacted the company to question their processing for this product I was told the processing equipment is cleaned between runs of the wheat and gluten-free items, but they are run on the same equipment. It's hard to believe my stomach can be that sensitive but this sort of hyper-sensitivity seems to happen again and again. 

 

I noticed a section somewhere here on super sensitive celiacs, so I'm off to read more there next....

 

But one more thing first, I wonder if there's a more centralized list of "gluten-free" products that have red flags. I would add to this list Kraft/Skippy etc peanut butters, Philadelphia cream cheese, Gluten-free rice krispies by Kellog's, Gluten-free corn flakes by Nature's Path, Gluten-free crackers by Breton's, the older style of San-J Tamari soy sauce (white or black labels that do NOT list wheat in the ingredients), against the grain products from Lakeview bakery in Calgary Alberta.

 

Thanks!

 

 

[w8in4dave]

I react to chex also. Again it is a boxed thing! I now try to avoid anything boxed or bagged , key word is "Try" It is hard to do specially during the holiday season. But it is do able! I now just get fruit and veggies to pig out on. Celery carrots , apples oranges grapes are a good go to.

[NoGlutenCooties]

I don't do well with Chex, but for me it is definitely a sugar/processed crap reaction - nothing to do with gluten.  If I keep it to a small bowl and eat something else with it that has decent protein I'm fine.  Keep in mind, milk has sugars in it too, and the corn and rice in the cereal digest quickly and get turned to sugar too - so it's a triple-wammy.