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

May Contain Wheat

Castle

Recommended Posts

Castle Newbie
Castle
Posted

I have been gluten free for almost 3 years now but I still struggle with this topic.

Do you eat foods that have labels with "May contain wheat" Or " May contains traces of wheat"

I don't have physical symptoms so I don't ever really know if I have been contaminated or not. I never purposely eat food that I know contains wheat but I will eat foods that have the label saying "May contain" occasionally. What's your take on this and what do you do? I know it's my choice in the end but I am curious to know what other people do when it comes to this!

Thanks!

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


alex11602 Collaborator
alex11602
Posted

We don't in our house, but I also have two young children to think of and wouldn't take a chance with their health. I also find there are plenty of options without that warning, so why bother? That's my personal take on it.

psawyer Proficient
psawyer
Posted

Castle, you said in a previous topic that you are in Canada.

Open Original Shared Link

There is no meaningful difference between "may contain x" and "may contain traces of x"--both indicate the possibility of accidental content at some low level.

I generally avoid products that "may contain wheat," especially if there is an alternative that does not have the warning. But, the warning is voluntary, so its absence does not necessarily mean anything.

ravenwoodglass Mentor
ravenwoodglass
Posted

Do you eat foods that have labels with "May contain wheat" Or " May contains traces of wheat"

I also avoid stuff with this warning.

Hornet Rookie
Hornet
Posted

I avoid all labels that say gluten-free but are not made in dedicated gluten-free facilities. I don't know in reality why it can be called gluten-free if there may be traces of gluten, soy or other allergens.

Ultimately you have to decide what is best for you and if eating traces of wheat poses a problem for your health.

~**caselynn**~ Enthusiast
~**caselynn**~
Posted

I'm an avoider as well, any possible trace is a trace too much for me. ?

Castle Newbie
Castle
Posted
  • Author

Thank you all for your posts! I appreciate the feedback. I am leaning towards avoiding those foods with such labels but it's hard sometimes when there isn't an alternative.

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


lpellegr Collaborator
lpellegr
Posted

You also have to consider that since plenty of labels don't say anything about other things that might share the lines or factory, you could be eating things that "may contain traces of wheat" all the time without knowing it, so while it's good to avoid the potential contamination that they tell you about, it still won't keep you 100% safe. That said, if the package states that there's a chance for cross-contamination, I mentally thank them for their honesty and step away from the product.

eatmeat4good Enthusiast
eatmeat4good
Posted

I'm 2 years gluten free.

Got sick from nuts contaminated...definitely gluten by my reaction.

So when I grabbed the Spaghetti sauce that proudly says Gluten free on the front, and I turn it over and it says Made in a facility that also processes wheat...um...no thank you.

I feel sorry that people believe that gluten free on the label means it IS gluten free.

I've been testing that off and on this last year and it's totally true for me that if it's made in a facility that processes wheat, I'll probably get sick.

So as painful as it is.....

I've decided only to eat Certified Gluten Free products.

Cause even if you don't find that warning on the label...and there are no gluten ingredients, it doesn't mean it isn't contaminated. Unfortunately.

I really wish it were not legal to use the Gluten Free on the label unless the product is tested.

Adalaide Mentor
Adalaide
Posted

I appreciate the honesty from companies and steer clear of the products with that label. I was curious about it and tested it for myself. When I was feeling pretty well I decided to eat some dried blueberries with that label and had a very strong reaction. It's sort of a mixed bag for me though, as I take those words on the label as a warning of possible cc.

Here's what I mean by that. Cheetos for instance. Regular, normal Cheetos have no gluten ingredients but aren't produced in a gluten free facility. Sure, they take every precaution but who knows? Heck, they don't even have the warning on the bag, but I still won't eat them. On the other hand, Cheetos Naturals I will eat. It isn't that they are produced elsewhere, they aren't. It is that every batch is tested and verified gluten free, where the regular ones are not. It's an assurance thing that promises the product I am getting really is gluten free.

It's why I appreciate "processed in a facility..." warnings. My health just isn't worth risking over something like the Cheetos that are a little cheaper or the X that is mildly more convenient or whatever. Sure, it could very well be perfectly fine. But why risk it?

Archived

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

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

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      133,322
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    James Minton
    Newest Member
    James Minton
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.6k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • catnapt
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By catnapt · Posted

      oh that's interesting... it's hard to say for sure but it has *seemed* like oats might be causing me some vague issues in the past few months. It's odd that I never really connect specific symptoms to foods, it's more of an all over feeling of unwellness after  eating them.  If it happens a few times after eating the same foods- I cut back or avoid them. for this reason I avoid dairy and eggs.  So far this has worked well for me.  oh, I have some of Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Hot cereal and I love it! it's hard to find but I will be looking for more.  for the next few weeks I'm going to be concentrating on whole fresh fruits and veggies and beans and nuts and seeds. I'll have to find out if grains are truly necessary in our diet. I buy brown rice pasta but only eat that maybe once a month at most. Never liked quinoa. And all the other exotic sounding grains seem to be time consuming to prepare. Something to look at later. I love beans and to me they provide the heft and calories that make me feel full for a lot longer than a big bowl of broccoli or other veggies. I can't even tolerate the plant milks right now.  I have reached out to the endo for guidance regarding calcium intake - she wants me to consume 1000mgs from food daily and I'm not able to get to more than 600mgs right now.  not supposed to use a supplement until after my next round of testing for hyperparathyroidism.   thanks again- you seem to know quite a bit about celiac.  
    • trents
      IBS-D vs Celiac

      By trents · Posted

      Welcome to the celiac.com community, @SilkieFairy! You could also have NCGS (Non Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) as opposed to celiac disease. They share many of the same symptoms, especially the GI ones. There is no test for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out.
    • trents
      how much gluten do I need to eat before blood tests?

      By trents · Posted

      Under the circumstances, your decision to have the testing done on day 14 sounds very reasonable. But I think by now you know for certain that you either have celiac disease or NCGS and either way you absolutely need to eliminate gluten from your diet. I don't think you have to have an official diagnosis of celiac disease to leverage gluten free service in hospitals or institutional care and I'm guessing your physician would be willing to grant you a diagnosis of gluten sensitivity (NCGS) even if your celiac testing comes up negative. Also, you need to be aware that oats (even gluten free oats) is a common cross reactor in the celiac community. Oat protein (avenin) is similar to gluten. You might want to look at some other gluten free hot  breakfast cereal alternatives.
    • SilkieFairy
      IBS-D vs Celiac

      By SilkieFairy · Posted

      After the birth of my daughter nearly 6 years ago, my stools changed. They became thin if they happened to be solid (which was rare) but most of the time it was Bristol #6 (very loose and 6-8x a day). I was on various medications and put it down to that. A few years later I went on this strict "fruit and meat" diet where I just ate meat, fruit, and squash vegetables. I noticed my stools were suddenly formed, if a bit narrow. I knew then that the diarrhea was probably food related not medication related. I tried following the fodmap diet but honestly it was just too complicated, I just lived with pooping 8x a day and wondering how I'd ever get and keep a job once my children were in school.  This past December I got my yearly bloodwork and my triglycerides were high. I looked into Dr. William Davis (wheat belly author) and he recommended going off wheat and other grains. This is the first time in my life I was reading labels to make sure there was no wheat. Within 2 weeks, not only were my stools formed and firm but I was only pooping twice a day, beautiful formed Bristol #4.  Dr. Davis allows some legumes, so I went ahead and added red lentils and beans. Nervous that the diarrhea would come back if I had IBS-D. Not only did it not come back, it just made my stools even bigger and beautiful. Still formed just with a lot more width and bulk. I've also been eating a lot of plant food like tofu, mushrooms, bell peppers, hummus etc which I thought was the cause of my diarrhea before and still, my stools are formed. In January I ran a genetics test because I knew you had to have the genes for celiac. The report came back with  DQ 2.2 plus other markers that I guess are necessary in order for it to be possible to have celiac. Apparently DQ 2.2 is the "rarer" kind but based on my report it's genetically possible for me to have celiac.  I know the next step is to bring gluten back so I can get testing but I am just not wanting to do that. After suffering with diarrhea for years I can't bring myself to do it right now. So that is where I am!   
    • catnapt
      anyone here diagnosed with a PARAthyroid disorder? (NOT the thyroid) the calcium controlling glands

      By catnapt · Posted

      learned I had a high PTH level in 2022 suspected to be due to low vit D  got my vit D level up a bit but still have high PTH   I am 70 yrs old (today in fact) I am looking for someone who also has hyperparathyroidism that might be caused by malabsorption    
×
×
  • 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.