What Did I Do Wrong?

[UKGail]

I cooked supper for a friend and myself the other day. The following day I had all the usual symptoms of a glutening. The only thing I did different was serving a ready-prepared bag of green salad with supper, and ready-chopped fruit salad for dessert. This is the first time I had eaten ready-prepared fresh food since going gluten free. Having recovered reasonably well, I thought I dared risk it as I was unexpectedly too short of time to prepare anything else. Is this really a genuine risk, or was I maybe just unlucky and fail somewhere in my usually pretty careful environmental hygiene routine? I would be surprised I had purchased a rogue batch of food, as it was purchased from a very reputable retailer.

[mamaw]

sometimes pre-packaged salads become tainted by bacteria such as E-Coli... Maybe your things had a bacteria & that is what made you ill. Here in the US they get called back as soon as a person becomes ill or a random testing can begin a recall....just a thought.. Another is some pre=packaged things contain a perservative to keep them fresh for a longer time. those make me ill....

[Skylark]

Sorry you got sick. As well as considering non-gluten causes for your illness, I'd ask the retailer whether gluten-containing foods are prepared where they are packaging the salads and slicing the fruit. They may not be concerning themselves with allergen CC to the extent that you need.

[UKGail]

Thanks for the thoughts. I am not sure it was a bacterial problem as a glutening for me involves a migraine, and the symptoms are quite distinctive. This time was no different. A preservative being a contributory factor is something to consider. I am pretty sure that soy is a minor trigger for me, so it is not a stretch to think that chemical preservatives might be another. Maybe I will ask the retailer about their production facility. I've been trying to avoid doing this, as I don't want to have to think of myself as unduly sensitive to CC.

[bartfull]

Gail, do you have problems with corn? The "citrus" wash they use on bagged salads is made with corn.

[UKGail]

Bartfull - I don't have problems with corn that I am aware of, other than sweetcorn kernels being the last thing still to go right through me. I've been thinking about the preservatives that Mamaw mentioned and have been looking into sulphites. This seems to tally quite well with my symptoms which I get on eating a wide range of mainly processed foods, and I really struggle with wine (the only alcohol I might drink), but erratically so, as if there is level of tolerance and then a tipping point. Another clue for sulphites is I have had an anaphylatic response to both intravenous antibiotics and injected corticosteroids. Those, wine, and processed foods often have high levels of sulphites apparently. I have started to test this theory out by heading back to my "beginners" diet of fresh vegetables, rice, potatoes and fresh meat/fish only, and avoiding onion, garlic, leaks etc. Without knowing it, my beginners diet was low in sulphites. I am also going to look at my shampoos etc to see if removing sodium lauryl sulphate will help with my itchy spotty scalp. I know all these things helped alot when I first went gluten and lactose free, but I haven't been able to get past a level of milder residual symptoms with too many episodes of recurring migaine-based illness which lays me out for a couple of days each time.

I haven't been reading the board so often lately, have you been able to find enough safe corn-free food for yourself?

[Juliebove]

Could be cc on the fruit.