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

Amaranth

Sarah Alli

Recommended Posts

Sarah Alli Apprentice
Sarah Alli
Posted

I tried a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies about a week ago (Open Original Shared Link quite good, by the way). I had never had amaranth before but I noticed that I felt kind of sick after I ate them. There's a stomach virus going around, though, and I work in a hospital where I'm exposed to every crud and crap that passes through the community. I figured it was gastroenteritis.

I made the cookies again this evening and lo-and-behold, I'm sick again. Amaranth is the only thing in the recipe that I've never had. It just seems weird because when I tried to look into it, I can't find anyone else reporting a problem with it, it seems pretty non-inflammatory. The amaranth can't be contaminated, it's Bob's Red Mill certified gluten-free etc and my kitchen has been 100% gluten free since I moved in almost a year ago. It's definitely not gluten making me sick though it feels the same- stomach pain, nausea, and my hands are all swollen back up from hive-like rashes (that had gone away when my dermatologist decided to get militant and gave me high dose topical steroids and tacrolimus).

So, now I'm in a bind. The cookies I made are actually for a fundraiser for our farmer's market on Saturday. I feel weird about giving away and selling something that makes me sick but I think it's just me because my fiance has eaten at least a dozen of them (they do taste good) and feels fine. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with the cookies, but I am concerned that if I can't tolerate amaranth, it might make other people sick too and then they'll think I've glutened them.

Has anyone else here had an odd reaction to amaranth? Should I just scratch the cookies off the menu? Or am I being neurotic and making too much out of what might be just an unrepentant case of norovirus?

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

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


T.H. Community Regular
T.H.
Posted

You could simply have an allergy to amaranth - not outside the realm of possibility, you know? It happens. Or it could be that one of your other ingredients happens to have a contaminated batch, even if it's usually okay.

Or is there one ingredient that you are using MORE of than you usually do? If you happen to have an intolerance, the quantity change could have an affect.

You might want to see if you can make these cookies again with another type of flour, like quinoa, and see if you can eat THEM without issue. Just to double check that it's the amaranth and not contamination from the other ingredients, you know?

mushroom Proficient
mushroom
Posted

I get that reaction to amaranth, quinoa, and millet, so don't feel alone. I do tolerate sorghum and buckwheat flours, I think because they are not grains.

Sarah Alli Apprentice
Sarah Alli
Posted
  • Author

You could simply have an allergy to amaranth - not outside the realm of possibility, you know? It happens. Or it could be that one of your other ingredients happens to have a contaminated batch, even if it's usually okay.

Or is there one ingredient that you are using MORE of than you usually do? If you happen to have an intolerance, the quantity change could have an affect.

You might want to see if you can make these cookies again with another type of flour, like quinoa, and see if you can eat THEM without issue. Just to double check that it's the amaranth and not contamination from the other ingredients, you know?

I am definitely going to try altering the recipe next time. I also might just be eating too many, since when I eat chocolate chips I also drink milk... and I'm mildly lactose intolerant.

However this morning I got my period so I am thinking that it might be that, and was gastroenteritis last time. My abdominal pain from my gluten intolerance is typically pretty low in my belly so it kind of fits.

If anything, this is a wonderful example of how difficult it is to pinpoint this stuff. I wish we had better testing methods for this stuff. I work in a laboratory and I love that I am seeing doctors order the celiac panels more and more but it's not enough.

Archived

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

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. trents
      - trents replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      Currently, there are no tests for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out and we do have testing for celiac disease. There are two primary test modalities for diagnosing celiac disease. One involves checking for antibodies in the blood. For the person with celiac disease, when gluten is ingested, it produces an autoimmune response in the lining...
    2. SamAlvi
      - SamAlvi replied to SamAlvi's topic in Celiac Disease Pre-Diagnosis, Testing & Symptoms
      5

      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      Thank you for the clarification and for taking the time to explain the terminology so clearly. I really appreciate your insight, especially the distinction between celiac disease and NCGS and how anemia can point more toward celiac. This was very helpful for me.
    3. Jsingh
      - Jsingh replied to lizzie42's topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      1

      Son's legs shaking

      Hi, My 7 year daughter has complained of this in the past, which I thought were part of her glutening symptom, but more recently I have come to figure out it's part of her histamine overload symptom. This one symptom was part of her broader profile, which included irritability, extreme hunger, confusion, post-nasal drip. You might want to look up "histamine...
    4. lizzie42
      - lizzie42 posted a topic in Post Diagnosis, Recovery & Treatment of Celiac Disease
      1

      Son's legs shaking

      My 5yo was diagnosed with celiac last year by being tested after his sister was diagnosed. We are very strict on the gluten-free diet, but unsure what his reactions are as he was diagnosed without many symptoms other than low ferritin. He had a school party where his teacher made gluten-free gingerbread men. I almost said no because she made it in her...
    5. trents
      - trents replied to Paulaannefthimiou's topic in Gluten-Free Foods, Products, Shopping & Medications
      1

      Bob red mill gluten free oats

      Not necessarily. The "Gluten Free" label means not more than 20ppm of gluten in the product which is often not enough for super sensitive celiacs. You would need to be looking for "Certified Gluten Free" (GFCO endorsed) which means no more than 10ppm of gluten. Having said that, "Gluten Free" doesn't mean that there will necessarily be more gluten than "Certified...
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):

  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,869
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    LMGarrison
    Newest Member
    LMGarrison
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By trents · Posted

      Currently, there are no tests for NCGS. Celiac disease must first be ruled out and we do have testing for celiac disease. There are two primary test modalities for diagnosing celiac disease. One involves checking for antibodies in the blood. For the person with celiac disease, when gluten is ingested, it produces an autoimmune response in the lining of the small bowel which generates specific kinds of antibodies. Some people are IGA deficient and such that the IGA antibody tests done for celiac disease will have skewed results and cannot be trusted. In that case, there are IGG tests that can be ordered though, they aren't quite as specific for celiac disease as the IGA tests. But the possibility of IGA deficiency is why a "total IGA" test should always be ordered along with the TTG-IGA. The other modality is an endoscopy (scoping of the upper GI track) with a biopsy of the small bowel lining. The aforementioned autoimmune response produces inflammation in the small bowel lining which, over time, damages the structure of the lining. The biopsy is sent to a lab and microscopically analyzed for signs of this damage. If the damage is severe enough, it can often be spotted during the scoping itself. The endoscopy/biopsy is used as confirmation when the antibody results are positive, since there is a small chance that elevated antibody test scores can be caused by things other than celiac disease, particularly when the antibody test numbers are not particularly high. If the antibody test numbers are 10x normal or higher, physicians will sometimes declare an official diagnosis of celiac disease without an endoscopy/biopsy, particularly in the U.K. Some practitioners use stool tests to detect celiac disease but this modality is not widely recognized in the medical community as valid. Both celiac testing modalities outlined above require that you have been consuming generous amounts of gluten for weeks/months ahead of time. Many people make the mistake of experimenting with the gluten free diet or even reducing their gluten intake prior to testing. By doing so, they invalidate the testing because antibodies stop being produced, disappear from the blood and the lining of the small bowel begins to heal. So, then they are stuck in no man's land, wondering if they have celiac disease or NCGS. To resume gluten consumption, i.e., to undertake a "gluten challenge" is out of the question because their reaction to gluten is so strong that it would endanger their health. The lining of the small bowel is the place where all of the nutrition in the food we consume is absorbed. This lining is made up of billions of microscopically tiny fingerlike projections that create a tremendous nutrient absorption surface area. The inflammation caused by celiac disease wears down these fingers and greatly reduces the surface area needed for nutrient absorption. Thus, people with celiac disease often develop iron deficiency anemia and a host of other vitamin and mineral deficiencies. It is likely that many more people who have issues with gluten suffer from NCGS than from celiac disease. We actually know much more about the mechanism of celiac disease than we do about NCGS but some experts believe NCGS can transition into celiac disease.
    • SamAlvi
      High TTG-IgG and Normal TTG-IgA

      By SamAlvi · Posted

      Thank you for the clarification and for taking the time to explain the terminology so clearly. I really appreciate your insight, especially the distinction between celiac disease and NCGS and how anemia can point more toward celiac. This was very helpful for me.
    • Jsingh
      Son's legs shaking

      By Jsingh · Posted

      Hi,  My 7 year daughter has complained of this in the past, which I thought were part of her glutening symptom, but more recently I have come to figure out it's part of her histamine overload symptom. This one symptom was part of her broader profile, which included irritability, extreme hunger, confusion, post-nasal drip. You might want to look up "histamine intolerance". I wish I had known of this at the time of her diagnosis, life would have been much easier.  I hope you are able to figure out. 
    • lizzie42
      Son's legs shaking

      By lizzie42 · Posted

      My 5yo was diagnosed with celiac last year by being tested after his sister was diagnosed. We are very strict on the gluten-free diet, but unsure what his reactions are as he was diagnosed without many symptoms other than low ferritin.  He had a school party where his teacher made gluten-free gingerbread men. I almost said no because she made it in her kitchen but I thought it would be ok.  Next day and for a few after his behavior is awful. Hitting, rude, disrespectful. Mainly he kept saying his legs were shaking. Is this a gluten exposure symptom that anyone else gets? Also the bad behavior? 
    • trents
      Bob red mill gluten free oats

      By trents · Posted

      Not necessarily. The "Gluten Free" label means not more than 20ppm of gluten in the product which is often not enough for super sensitive celiacs. You would need to be looking for "Certified Gluten Free" (GFCO endorsed) which means no more than 10ppm of gluten. Having said that, "Gluten Free" doesn't mean that there will necessarily be more gluten than "Certified Gluten" in any given batch run. It just means there could be. 
×
×
  • 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.