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Weird Reaction - Nut Allergy Or Gluten Reaction?

UKGail

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UKGail Rookie
UKGail
Posted

I was travelling home on a mostly empty train today, and I sat about 6 or 8 feet away from a woman who was eating a snack. Instantly my body started tingling and my chest started to tighten and my throat tickled. I moved to the end of the carriage, (and saw that she was eating a large pot of nuts coated in something or other). The end of the carriage still wasn't far enough away, and I had to walk past her again to get to the next carriage, which was blissfully clear, and had calm and uneventful journey home.

Can anyone say if this might be a nut allergy issue or a gluten reaction? I don't seem to have any problems buying packaged bread and baked products for my family in the supermarket, provided I don't linger too long (and having those items in the kitchen at home).

Since going gluten free about 6 weeks ago I have been suspicious that I might be having an allergic reaction to nuts. However as this reaction (chest and throat tightness, abdominal swelling and a burning skin rash) happened so soon after going gluten free, it has been hard to distinguish whether it was due to gluten withdrawal sypmtoms nor not. More lately I seem to have been able to eat a couple of cookies with almond flour in them, provided i don't overdo it, so I am not entirely sure I have become allergic to nuts.

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StephanieL Enthusiast
StephanieL
Posted

If you have never reacted to nuts before, it is HIGHLY UNLIKELY that you would have a reaction like that from just being in the same area. Not impossible, but very very unlikely. (My child does have tree nut and peanut allergies, this is something we have gone over with out Dr. about)

Could it be gluten? I don't know.

Good luck trying to figure it out!

GlutenFreeManna Rising Star
GlutenFreeManna
Posted

I was travelling home on a mostly empty train today, and I sat about 6 or 8 feet away from a woman who was eating a snack. Instantly my body started tingling and my chest started to tighten and my throat tickled. I moved to the end of the carriage, (and saw that she was eating a large pot of nuts coated in something or other). The end of the carriage still wasn't far enough away, and I had to walk past her again to get to the next carriage, which was blissfully clear, and had calm and uneventful journey home.

Can anyone say if this might be a nut allergy issue or a gluten reaction? I don't seem to have any problems buying packaged bread and baked products for my family in the supermarket, provided I don't linger too long (and having those items in the kitchen at home).

Since going gluten free about 6 weeks ago I have been suspicious that I might be having an allergic reaction to nuts. However as this reaction (chest and throat tightness, abdominal swelling and a burning skin rash) happened so soon after going gluten free, it has been hard to distinguish whether it was due to gluten withdrawal sypmtoms nor not. More lately I seem to have been able to eat a couple of cookies with almond flour in them, provided i don't overdo it, so I am not entirely sure I have become allergic to nuts.

This certainly sounds more like an allergic reaction, IMO. Gluten reactions are so varied I suppose it "could" be from gluten but it seems very unlikely. The symtpoms you describe-swelling, throat closing and hives are allergy reactions. You might also consider that it's not a food allergy but an environmental allergy instead--like an allergy to pollen, dust, grass, cologne, fumes from the train engine, etc. If you had that severe of a nut allergy you would know it when you ate nuts. Also the chest tightness could be a sign of either asthma or an anxiety attack.

lovegrov Collaborator
lovegrov
Posted

Very highly unlikely to have anything to do with gluten.

richard

UKGail Rookie
UKGail
Posted
  • Author

Thanks for all your thoughts. I had thought it was an allergy type response, but wasn't sure, because I am new to both immediate gluten reactions and to allergies. I have had a couple of previous episodes recently of a response to nuts, but only to nut ingestion. I have no idea what else could have been triggering my response in that particular carriage, as the next carriage along was fine. I am also allergic to some antibiotics.

I don't think it was an anxiety response as I am around gluten foods all the time both at home and at work, and I just focus on washing my hands frequently and never putting them close to my mouth, and being careful about my food prep.

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    • Aretaeus Cappadocia
      Gluten free nuts

      By Aretaeus Cappadocia · Posted

      I wanted to respond to your post as much for other people who read this later on (I'm not trying to contradict your experience or decisions) > Kirkland Signature Super Extra-Large Peanuts, 2.5 lbs, are labeled "gluten free" in the Calif Costcos I've been in. If they are selling non-gluten-free in your store, I suggest talking to customer service to see if they can get you the gluten-free version (they are tasty) > This past week I bought "Sliced Raw Almonds, Baking Nuts, 5 lbs Item 1495072 Best if used by Jun-10-26 W-261-6-L1A 12:47" at Costco. The package has the standard warning that it was made on machinery that <may> have processed wheat. Based on that alone, I would not eat these. However, I contacted customer service and asked them "are Costco's Sliced Almonds gluten free?" Within a day I got this response:  "This is [xyz] with the Costco Member Service Resolutions Team. I am happy to let you know we got a reply back from our Kirkland Signature team. Here is their response:  This item does not have a risk of cross contamination with gluten, barley or rye." Based on this, I will eat them. Based on experience, I believe they will be fine. Sometimes, for other products, the answer has been "they really do have cross-contamination risk" (eg, Kirkland Signature Dry Roasted Macadamia Nuts, Salted, 1.5 lbs Item 1195303). When they give me that answer I return them for cash. You might reasonably ask, "Why would Costco use that label if they actually are safe?" I can't speak for Costco but I've worked in Corporate America and I've seen this kind of thing first hand and up close. (1) This kind of regulatory label represents risk/cost to the company. What if they are mistaken? In one direction, the cost is loss of maybe 1% of sales (if celiacs don't buy when they would have). In the other direction, the risk is reputational damage and open-ended litigation (bad reviews and celiacs suing them). Expect them to play it safe. (2) There is a team tasked with getting each product out to market quickly and cheaply, and there is also a committee tasked with reviewing the packaging before it is released. If the team chooses the simplest, safest, pre-approved label, this becomes a quick check box. On the other hand, if they choose something else, it has to be carefully scrutinized through a long process. It's more efficient for the team to say there <could> be risk. (3) There is probably some plug and play in production. Some lots of the very same product could be made in a safe facility while others are made in an unsafe facility. Uniform packaging (saying there is risk) for all packages regardless of gluten risk is easier, cheaper, and safer (for Costco). Everything I wrote here is about my Costco experience, but the principles will be true at other vendors, particularly if they have extensive quality control infrastructure. The first hurdle of gluten-free diet is to remove/replace all the labeled gluten ingredients. The second, more difficult hurdle is to remove/replace all the hidden gluten. Each of us have to assess gray zones and make judgement calls knowing there is a penalty for being wrong. One penalty would be getting glutened but the other penalty could be eating an unnecessarily boring or malnourishing diet.
    • trents
      Has anyone had terrible TMJ/ Jaw Pain from undiagnosed Celiac?

      By trents · Posted

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    • Scott Adams
      Has anyone had terrible TMJ/ Jaw Pain from undiagnosed Celiac?

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      I'd be very cautious about accepting these claims without robust evidence. The hypothesis requires a chain of biologically unlikely events: Gluten/gliadin survives the cow's rumen and entire digestive system intact. It is then absorbed whole into the cow's bloodstream. It bypasses the cow's immune system and liver. It is then secreted, still intact and immunogenic, into the milk. The cow's digestive system is designed to break down proteins, not transfer them whole into milk. This is not a recognized pathway in veterinary science. The provided backup shifts from cow's milk to human breastmilk, which is a classic bait-and-switch. While the transfer of food proteins in human breastmilk is a valid area of study, it doesn't validate the initial claim about commercial dairy. The use of a Dr. Osborne video is a major red flag. His entire platform is based on the idea that all grains are toxic, a view that far exceeds the established science on Celiac Disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence, and a YouTube video from a known ideological source is not that evidence."  
    • Wheatwacked
      Has anyone had terrible TMJ/ Jaw Pain from undiagnosed Celiac?

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