Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Meh, I Think I React To Chex :-(

anabananakins

By anabananakins
in Coping with Celiac Disease

Recommended Posts

anabananakins Explorer
anabananakins
Posted

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.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

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 Enthusiast
ENF
Posted

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 Collaborator
dilettantesteph
Posted

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

gfkikamonster Newbie
gfkikamonster
Posted

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 Contributor
Austin Guy
Posted

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

pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

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.

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

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

shadowicewolf Proficient
shadowicewolf
Posted

There is no dye in the rice chex.

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

pricklypear1971 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

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 Explorer
anabananakins
Posted
  • Author

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 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

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 Explorer
lucky28
Posted

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 :o . 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 Explorer
anabananakins
Posted
  • Author

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 Explorer
weluvgators
Posted

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 Rookie
smc
Posted

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 Contributor
alexsami
Posted

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 Community Regular
pricklypear1971
Posted

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.

  • 2 years later...
RER Newbie
RER
Posted

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 Community Regular
w8in4dave
Posted

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 Contributor
NoGlutenCooties
Posted

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.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,549
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Blough
    Newest Member
    Blough
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Scott Adams
      Taken Seriously

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Your post demonstrates the profound frustration and isolation that so many in the Celiac community feel, and I want to thank you for channeling that experience into advocacy. The medical gaslighting you endured for decades is an unacceptable and, sadly, a common story, and the fact that you now have to "school" your own GI specialist speaks volumes about the critical lack of consistent and updated education. Your idea to make Celiac Disease a reportable condition to public health authorities is a compelling and strategic one. This single action would force the system to formally acknowledge the prevalence and seriousness of the disease, creating a concrete dataset that could drive better research funding, shape medical school curricula, and validate the patient experience in a way that individual stories alone often cannot. It is an uphill battle, but contacting representatives, as you have done with Adam Gray, is exactly how change begins. By framing it as a public health necessity—a matter of patient safety and protection from misdiagnosis and neglect—you are building a powerful case. Your voice and your perseverance, forged through thirty years of struggle, are exactly what this community needs to ensure that no one else has to fight so hard just to be believed and properly cared for.
    • Scott Adams
      Looking for a gluten-free roomie in Denver CO

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      I had no idea there is a "Louisville" in Colorado!😉 I thought it was a typo because I always think of the Kentucky city--but good luck!
    • Scott Adams
      Allergy medication: cetirizine by the HealthA2Z is it gluten free?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Navigating medication safety with Celiac disease can be incredibly stressful, especially when dealing with asthma and severe allergies on top of it. While I don't have personal experience with the HealthA2Z brand of cetirizine, your caution is absolutely warranted. The inactive ingredients in pills, known as excipients, are often where gluten can be hidden, and since the FDA does not require gluten-free labeling for prescription or over-the-counter drugs, the manufacturer's word is essential. The fact that you cannot get a clear answer from Allegiant Health is a significant red flag; a company that is confident its product is gluten-free will typically have a customer service protocol to answer that exact question. In situations like this, the safest course of action is to consider this product "guilty until proven innocent" and avoid it. A better alternative would be to ask your pharmacist or doctor to help you identify a major national brand of cetirizine (like Zyrtec) whose manufacturer has a verified, publicly stated gluten-free policy for that specific medication. It's not worth the risk to your health when reliable, verifiable options are almost certainly available to you. You can search this site for USA prescriptions medications, but will need to know the manufacturer/maker if there is more than one, especially if you use a generic version of the medication: To see the ingredients you will need to click on the correct version of the medication and maker in the results, then scroll down to "Ingredients and Appearance" and click it, and then look at "Inactive Ingredients," as any gluten ingredients would likely appear there, rather than in the Active Ingredients area. https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/   
    • Scott Adams
      Protein or fat?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      What you're describing is indeed familiar to many in the Celiac community, especially in the early stages of healing. When the intestinal villi are damaged from Celiac disease, they struggle to properly digest and absorb fats, a condition known as bile acid malabsorption. This can cause exactly the kind of cramping and spasms you're seeing, as undigested fats can irritate the sensitive gut lining. It is highly plausible that her reactions to dairy and eggs are linked to their higher fat content rather than the proteins, especially since she tolerates lean chicken breast. The great news is that for many, this does improve with time. As her gut continues to heal on a strict gluten-free diet, her ability to produce the necessary enzymes and bile to break down fats should gradually return, allowing her to slowly tolerate a wider variety of foods. It's a slow process of healing, but your careful approach of focusing on low-fat, nutrient-dense foods like seeds and avocado is providing her system the best possible environment to recover. Many people with celiac disease, especially those who are in the 0-2 year range of their recovery, have additional food intolerance issues which could be temporary. To figure this out you may need to keep a food diary and do an elimination diet over a few months. Some common food intolerance issues are dairy/casein, eggs, corn, oats, and soy. The good news is that after your gut heals (for most people who are 100% gluten-free this will take several months to two years) you may be able to slowly add some these items back into your diet after the damaged villi heal. This article may be helpful: Thank you for sharing your story—it's a valuable insight for other parents navigating similar challenges.
    • Beverage
      Diagnosed celiac for 1-2 months ago and everything makes me bloated.

      By Beverage · Posted

      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.