Celiac V. Gluten Intolerance

[MerrillC1977]

If I have a gluten intolerance, rather than actual Celiac Disease...do I have to avoid gluten to the great extent that Celiac patients do (i.e. can't use pans that have ever touched gluten, i.e. if there's crumbs on my plate the entire plate is trash, i.e can't use gluten beauty products, etc.)...or will simply not ingesting gluten be enough to keep me healthy and happy (i.e. take the crumbs off my plate and keep eating, i.e. able to wash with gluten beauty products, i.e. can use the same pans that have been used for gluten meals, etc.)? Thank you.

[Jestgar]

Most people with "just gluten intolerance" get really really sick when they eat gluten - any gluten.

I would suggest you spend a month being as scrupulously gluten-free as possible,then see what happens when you ignore crumbs. That will be your answer.

[krystynycole]

I am gluten intolerant...no celiac label...I cannot even kiss my husband who ate gluten or drank a beer without a reaction. I have to be very strict or I will pay! Though there are some gluten intolerant people who are not that strict just as there are some celiac's who are not that strict either. Both categories have different levels of sensitivities not exclusive to one or the other.

[Februaryrich]

If you're very sensitive to gluten, you shouldn't be using the same pots and pans. I myself am intolerant but I can use the same pan if washed carefully. I don't have any official celiac label but I don't wanna eat gluten just to get it confirmed.

[shezatrip]

Great post. I have been trying to figure this out too and can't quite get the information.

I want to know if there are certain degree's of gluten intolerance. For instance, Are there people

who can eat small splurges with no effect?

[pricklypear1971]

Great post. I have been trying to figure this out too and can't quite get the information.

I want to know if there are certain degree's of gluten intolerance. For instance, Are there people

who can eat small splurges with no effect?

I don't know. There are degrees of everything, I guess. If you are gluten intolerant and not Celiac, you could try.

Gluten intolerance is a rather new diagnostic field. Most intolerants have been told they aren't Celiac, therefore have no problem - so eat gluten. But gluten-free solved the problem.

Anyway, there was a research paper published recently about intolerants, an article in the NYT, etc. Google a bit and see what you find.

[sa1937]

Merrill, my rule of thumb was that if I could get something clean, I kept it. If not, I replaced it pretty much on the basis of need... like a new toaster, colander, wooden spoons, cutting boards, etc. Not everything has to be expensive. Since that time I've bought a lot of new things just because I feel I deserve them and it's fun to replace ancient stuff.

You'll probably have to figure out what works for you depending on your level of sensitivity.

[Skylark]

If I have a gluten intolerance, rather than actual Celiac Disease...do I have to avoid gluten to the great extent that Celiac patients do (i.e. can't use pans that have ever touched gluten, i.e. if there's crumbs on my plate the entire plate is trash, i.e can't use gluten beauty products, etc.)...or will simply not ingesting gluten be enough to keep me healthy and happy (i.e. take the crumbs off my plate and keep eating, i.e. able to wash with gluten beauty products, i.e. can use the same pans that have been used for gluten meals, etc.)? Thank you.

You do what keeps you healthy and feeling well. It's different for everyone and there is a wide range of sensitivity among both celiacs and people with gluten intolerance.

Pans are fine for almost anyone with gluten issues if they scrub clean with no residue (or wipe clean in the case of Teflon). The only pans that retain gluten are seasoned ones like woks and cast iron. There is no way to find out whether they make you sick without trying. The risk with beauty products are contact allergies to wheat, flaring DH, and getting the product in your mouth.

There are some extraordinarily sensitive people (both celiac and gluten intolerant) on the board who keep separate pots and dishes, but they are in the minority. I have a long-standing personal concern that the super-sensitive folks on the board make people with more typical levels of gluten sensitivity a little paranoid. There has been a lot of research showing that plenty of celiacs can tolerate a few milligrams of gluten daily with no antibodies, villous damage, or ill-effects. Most US and Canadian folks on the board are getting a bit of gluten in so-called gluten free baked goods. They all have occasional traces of gluten; certified gluten-free by GFCO means below 10 ppm, not that the food won't ever have a trace of gluten. Don't get THAT worried unless you are having gluten symptoms that just won't seem to go away.

Crumbs depend on your level of sensitivity. The only way to tell whether you react is to challenge with a few crumbs and see if you get sick.

[Jenniferxgfx]

I really thought because I was "just" gluten intolerant, I didn't have to be as careful as some folks here, but it turns out I'm one of those super sensitive folks.

It's all so very personal and individual. The only difference between celiac and GI is the name. Level of sensitivity isn't dictated by what the "official" diagnosis is.

It takes a conscious effort to pay attention to everything I touch and/or put in my mouth. If my reactions were less severe, I might be more flexible, but I just can't afford the setback. Listen to your body and it will tell you what you need

[MerrillC1977]

It's all so very personal and individual. The only difference between celiac and GI is the name. Level of sensitivity isn't dictated by what the "official" diagnosis is.

I don't think this is entirely correct. My understanding is that true Celiac damages the villi and small intestine, possibly eventually causing cancer....whereas "just" gluten intolerance doesn't cause actual damage. Although, the symptoms of each can be identical and similarly severe. Please correct me if I am wrong. Thank you.

[MerrillC1977]

There has been a lot of research showing that plenty of celiacs can tolerate a few milligrams of gluten daily with no antibodies, villous damage, or ill-effects. Most US and Canadian folks on the board are getting a bit of gluten in so-called gluten free baked goods. They all have occasional traces of gluten; certified gluten-free by GFCO means below 10 ppm, not that the food won't ever have a trace of gluten. Don't get THAT worried unless you are having gluten symptoms that just won't seem to go away.

So, is there a way to know how many milligrams of gluten are in, for example, a slice of bread, or a half-cup of pasta, etc?

[Skylark]

I don't think this is entirely correct. My understanding is that true Celiac damages the villi and small intestine, possibly eventually causing cancer....whereas "just" gluten intolerance doesn't cause actual damage. Although, the symptoms of each can be identical and similarly severe. Please correct me if I am wrong. Thank you.

This is correct...sort of. If there is a lot of malabsorption with the gluten intolerance you can have long-term issues like osteoporosis, which is essentially bone "damage". There is also research linking gluten intolerance to autoimmune thyroid disease. As far as I have read, enteropathy-associated T-cell leukemia is only found with untreated celiac.

It's also impossible to tell whether a particular person with strong celiac symptoms is gluten intolerant or just having false negatives on the celiac tests. The testing is far from perfect. That means there is some risk to playing games with gluten if you have very celiac-like symptoms.

So, is there a way to know how many milligrams of gluten are in, for example, a slice of bread, or a half-cup of pasta, etc?

If you can eat a slice of bread or a half-cup of pasta, you're not gluten intolerant. Plain old flour is about 8% gluten. You'll have to do the math from there.

[MerrillC1977]

If you can eat a slice of bread or a half-cup of pasta, you're not gluten intolerant.

What if someone *can* eat a slice of bread, or a piece of pizza, or a half-cup of pasta and not feel any symptoms....yet having removed gluten from their diet made one of their main symptoms (constant minor intestinal pain) disappear? This is the case. What do you make of that?

[ravenwoodglass]

What if someone *can* eat a slice of bread, or a piece of pizza, or a half-cup of pasta and not feel any symptoms....yet having removed gluten from their diet made one of their main symptoms (constant minor intestinal pain) disappear? This is the case. What do you make of that?

One slice of bread or piece of pizza and no symptoms would not firmly rule out celiac or gluten intolerance as the antibodies can take some time to build up. If you are going to challenge gluten you need to eat it 3 to 4 times a day for up to a week or until symptoms appear if they appear sooner. There are also some folks who don't have GI symptoms and are diagnosed by 'accident'. In the end if you feel better without gluten in your diet then just stay gluten free. If you for some reason need a diagnosis then go back to eating gluten for about 3 months. You do still run the risk of a false negative with testing though.

[ravenwoodglass]

I don't think this is entirely correct. My understanding is that true Celiac damages the villi and small intestine, possibly eventually causing cancer....whereas "just" gluten intolerance doesn't cause actual damage. Although, the symptoms of each can be identical and similarly severe. Please correct me if I am wrong. Thank you.

You have to keep in mind that celiac and gluten intolerance both cause antibodies. Those antibodies can attack any organ. There are folks, for example with DH (the skin form of celiac) that do not always have gut damage but they are still considered to be celiac. Endoscopic biopsies are not perfect and do miss a lot of us so we do have to wonder how many of those that were told they were 'just' gluten intolerant simply had a false negative biopsy or blood test.