Glutened Again

[CNV2855]

Was feeling so much better too up until yesterday, but I started having glutening symptoms and they continued throughout today. I'm at a loss as to where I was exposed but maybe you guys can help. I wrote down everything I came in contact with that is questionable.

Simply Orange orange juice

Spices (usually single ingredients, Alessi Black Peppercorns, McCormick Garlic Powder, McCormick parsley flakes, Spice Islands Oregano).

Great Value Distilled White Vinegar [someone helps cook for me and this was used in my food starting yesterday. This is my first and only real suspect but EVERYTHING I've read says this stuff is gluten free and that most white vinegars are made with corn and not wheat. I couldn't find any ingredients for Great Value so I haven't any idea what it's made of.

Raw produce (cabbage, carrots, green beans, all unseasoned)

Raw beef (unseasoned)

Finest Naturals and NOW vitamins, both say gluten free on the bottle.

Obviously the vinegar is the only thing I can think of. It's especially suspect because that's the only new thing I've added into my diet recently. I'm itching like crazy, my DH flared, and everything... so I doubt it's an intolerance. Is the stuff safe or isn't it?

[CNV2855]

This vinegar bottle does not say gluten free on it. I've heard that Great Value will put gluten-free on the label if the product is gluten free so this scares me. What are the chances that it's distilled from wheat?

[lynnelise]

I've never had an issue with white vinegar. I actually think Great Value stopped labeling things gluten free as kind of a CYA thing. White vinegar is almost always derived from corn. As an aside most (but not all) celiacs can tolerate distilled grains.

[Skylark]

Even distilled vinegar made from wheat does not have detectable gluten so it's rare to get a reaction. That said, a few folks do react.

If I were you I'd switch to apple cider vinegar. Heinz says they only use corn for their white vinegar and apples for their apple cider vinegar so the Heinz white vinegar might be safe too. You can challenge in a few weeks with the Great Value vinegar to be sure you've got the culprit.

[Kansas]

Distilled vinegar bothers some us, including me. And that limits us even more in our food choices as distilled vinegar is used alot. I substitute cider vinegar for distilled, and have had no problems. I don't purchase anything with white or distilled vinegar in the ingredients.

[ravenwoodglass]

Even distilled vinegar made from wheat does not have detectable gluten so it's rare to get a reaction. That said, a few folks do react.

If I were you I'd switch to apple cider vinegar. Heinz says they only use corn for their white vinegar and apples for their apple cider vinegar so the Heinz white vinegar might be safe too. You can challenge in a few weeks with the Great Value vinegar to be sure you've got the culprit.

I am one of the few who do react to distilled gluten and Heinz is the company I go with for vinegar. Although most US made distilled are from corn who knows where GV brand is made or what it is distilled from.

I would also drop the Simply Orange for a bit and then challenge it when your feeling better. It was a long time ago but I had an awful reaction that it seemed could only be traced back to their lemonade.

If your DH is flaring make sure that your vitamin does not have iodine and also keep in mind that our reactions can be delayed so it might be something you ate yesterday or the day before that got you.

[CNV2855]

I am one of the few who do react to distilled gluten and Heinz is the company I go with for vinegar. Although most US made distilled are from corn who knows where GV brand is made or what it is distilled from.

I would also drop the Simply Orange for a bit and then challenge it when your feeling better. It was a long time ago but I had an awful reaction that it seemed could only be traced back to their lemonade.

If your DH is flaring make sure that your vitamin does not have iodine and also keep in mind that our reactions can be delayed so it might be something you ate yesterday or the day before that got you.

I was reading a post by someone who saw the vinegar manufacturing process on Modern Marvels. They said that after the mixture is distilled, a grain based mixture is then added to help ferment and there is absolutely NO distillation after it's added so whatever was in the mixture that was added is also in the final product.

If that mixture contains gluten...

[Lisa]

I was reading a post by someone who saw the vinegar manufacturing process on Modern Marvels. They said that after the mixture is distilled, a grain based mixture is then added to help ferment and there is absolutely NO distillation after it's added so whatever was in the mixture that was added is also in the final product.

If that mixture contains gluten...

Perhaps what you read was MALT Vinegar. Malt Vinegar is not gluten free. All others are considered safe for most people with Celiac to consume.

[Takala]

Check the label on the garlic powder and see what country it came from - China ?

I've reacted to that, even tho it's supposed to be a safe brand.

[T.H.]

Simply Orange orange juice - these are ones that my kids seem to be okay with on occasion. They are also a bit challenging to find out any information from - I've tried to contact them three separate times and never been able to get a response.

Spices - Are these new spices or old ones? If they're old, could there be the possibility that some gluten cc remains on the outside of any of the bottles, or possibly even inside the top, where the holes are for shaking a powdered herb out? Any that you commonly used when there was loose flour in the air?

Great Value Distilled White Vinegar - Based on 2 year old info, the walmart vinegar was corn based. I do not know if it is made in a shared facility, however. I think the added substance mentioned in modern marvels was, if I remember right, a yeast mixture. Yeast frequently has a starch added just before drying, to make it easier to shape/make into a powder. Usually that's corn. However, it can be very difficult if not impossible to find out the yeast source from a company. Heinz, for example, was unwilling to release that information when I spoke to them last year.

Raw produce (cabbage, carrots, green beans, all unseasoned) - Did you grow these or buy them at the store? How do you usually clean them? There's a chance (although lower) that they have been cc'd. Those 'free cookies' are getting more common at more grocery stores, so there's little kids holding gluten cookies, walking the entire store and touching everything, including veggies and fruits, sometimes. If the veggies/fruits are washed, though, it's likely fine.

Raw beef (unseasoned) - what's the source? Is there any chance of gluten cc at the butcher's? Do they make flour coated meats there, or share grinders with any sausages that contain gluten? Some butcher's have good practices to prevent cc, but sometimes an employee may not be as careful as he/she should be.

Finest Naturals and NOW vitamins - Was either of these a new bottle? If so, if you're concerned, might be worth calling them up to see if they test their products for gluten, since that's not required for them to make the 'gluten free' claim.

[GlutenFreeManna]

Someone helps cook for me and this was used in my food starting yesterday.

Everyone else pretty much covered the food, so I'm just wondering about this statement. Is this an outside person coming into your home and cooking using your gluten-free pans, etc? Or are they using their own kitchen and their own non-gluten-free dedicated items to prepare your food? Do they cook for other people or eat gluten themselves? If they are cooking or eating gluten food right before making your food, they could have forgotten to wash their hands well enough, had crumbs or wheat flour dust on their clothes that got brought into your kitchen. If you are sensitive enough that would do it.

[CNV2855]

I've used everything else before except for Bayer aspirin and the vinegar.

Curiously, Great Value marks its gluten-free products as "gluten free" and this vinegar has no gluten free label. Supposedly that means that means Wal-Mart does not consider this product safe for us to eat.

They have no qualms about labeling the safe food gluten free, so why is there no label on this bottle? It's starting to make me wonder.

[CNV2855]

I doubt it's a contamination issue on my end as everything is prepared with my food in my kitchen. There's no gluten containing foods in my house, etc. and she doesn't eat here. I made a list of all the possible sources and everything checked out except this and the Bayer aspirin (they won't guarantee gluten-free).

I'd hate to challenge this stuff again if it made me sick but I think that's my only option. I want to know for sure if I have problems with distilled vinegar.

Of course it could be something else, I just can't for the life of me think of what it could be. I'm pretty sure I wrote down everything I put in my mouth over the last couple of days...

[Jestgar]

Did she bake bread before coming over and have flour dust on her sleeves?

[eatmeat4good]

It could be salicylates if you reacted after taking the Bayer aspirin. Something like 1/100 people are sensitive to salicylates. A sensitivity can develop at any time. It is cumulative and reactions are worse the more you consume if you have a sensitivity to it. (it is also high in certain fruits and vegetables) My salicylate reactions and gluten reactions are very similar...migraine, muscle weakness, fatigue, depression and anxiety, nausea.

I'm much less sensitive to salicylates now than I was a year ago when I started gluten free. Maybe due to leaky gut...and it healed? I don't know...Just something for you to consider.

[Marilyn R]

I don't know if this will be helpful or not, but I like the rice wine vinegar from oriental stores, not sure if Wal-M sells it. It is really tasty in salad dressings or as a substitute for wine in recipes I've tried. Wish you well, hope you feel better tomorrow!

[Ollie's Mom]

Check the label on the garlic powder and see what country it came from - China ?

I've reacted to that, even tho it's supposed to be a safe brand.

Me too.

We stopped using it after the first time my husband used it. He was so upset because he thought the brand was safe.

[CNV2855]

Me too.

We stopped using it after the first time my husband used it. He was so upset because he thought the brand was safe.

You guys are saying that you've both been glutened by McCormick garlic powder? I don't see anything indicating its origin except for "packaged in U.S."