Mrs. N

I'm sorry it has been such a long time since I've checked this. How are things going?

I realize this post is ancient, but I'm replying because it came up when I searched for Gluten Free Makeup on Google.

For anyone else who comes across this, it absolutely does matter what you put on your face whether it's near your mouth or not. Anything that gets into your eyes can be ingested. Small particles can be washed into your sinuses and down your throat via your tear ducts. That's why you can often taste shampoo after you've gotten it into your eyes. I strongly recommend avoiding shampoo, eye makeup, foundation and anything else with gluten or known allergens or things to which your are sensitive.

Have a great day!

Yes, illness can trigger Celiac Disease. Testing is great if something shows up, but where gluten is concerned, negative results don't necessarily mean gluten is safe for him. The biggest thing to me is that his Dad has had such a positive response to going gluten free. Since it's genetic, and it won't hurt him, I'd be inclined to eliminate gluten and see how it goes. Keep in mind that gluten sensitivity can often be accompanied by other food issues, especially dairy. [Editing to add that you might need to take other foods into consideration if he improves but his symptoms don't go away.]

Hi Dawn,

If it were me, knowing what I know now, I would start eliminating gluten and forget everyone else. My bloodwork and biopsy were negative. Thankfully, I have a doctor who could see that one of my tests was pretty high within the normal range and recommended I give gluten-free living a try for 6 months to see what happened. I went that route, and had actually gone that route a couple of days before the biopsy and had noticed a difference in that short amount of time. One very reliable test for those who are reacting to gluten is the elimination of it. Some people have celiac disease/GI and don't have symptoms, but the rest of us know how we feel with and without gluten.

All of that to say that you are justified in jumping in with both feet and seeing how you feel. Stick with it for several months, though, as sometimes we have so much damage that it takes a while to notice a difference.

Regarding the anxiety, I have found that ingesting dairy causes me to feel like there is a black cloud over me and I want to cry. It's horrible! I, too, was told that I had a nervous stomach. Funny how I'm not quite so "nervous" without gluten and dairy in my diet.

I wouldn't worry too much about what the average MD says about this particular issue. Many of them have no idea what they're talking about. Thankfully, mine did.

Stylo, I just want to clarify something:

If you have Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance, you need to avoid gluten, not just wheat. You probably know that and were using wheat because it's sometimes easier to say wheat when we're used to talking to the uninitiated , but I wanted to make sure you know that there's a big difference between gluten and wheat alone when it comes to your body's ability to heal.

I wish you both much success in your journeys to better health!

I have been loosely diagnosed gluten intolerant. All of my tests for Celiac Disease were negative, though I have responded profoundly positive to strict adherence to the total elimination of gluten from my diet.

Since I've gone gluten-free, my mother and one of my aunts (mom's sister) has gone gluten free, and I have discovered that my cousin- same side of the family - went gluten-free about a year before I did. My Mom and my cousin both experienced dramatic positive responses to diet change. My aunt seemed to have a positive response, but she has Down Syndrome, and Down Syndrome people seem to have a common hang up about believing they're healthy, she doesn't always tell us when she's feeling poorly, so it has been hit and miss with her. My Mom and I think we see a couple of big differences, but we can't even get Aunt to acknowledge the issue.

Aunt recently had testing through Enterolab, and I'd really like to know what the result of her gene test means to the rest of the family, since it seems that both of my grandparents had at least one "gluteny" gene. I have no idea what I'm looking at, how to read it, or how to compose a search string to learn more about it! Would someone please help me to understand what it is that I'm looking at?

Thanks in advance!

Esther

Thanks for your reply, Kathy. Heinz verified that, too.

Still, I can't eat the stuff. :-\

Okay, this is what I got from Heinz a few minutes ago:

November 16, 2009

Dear Esther,

Because we understand how difficult it is for consumers with food allergies to find 'safe' processed foods, we clearly list the FDA Top 8 Major Allergens on our ingredient panels if they are included in our products.

The FDA specifies the Top 8 Major Allergens are as follows: Soy; Wheat; Peanuts; Eggs; Dairy; Tree Nuts; Shellfish & Crustaceans; and Fish.

Currently, these ingredients are listed specifically within our ingredient statements. They are also called out in bold print underneath the ingredient statement. Older packaging will only reflect these allergens within the ingredient statement itself (rather than reiterating the information in bold print).

Because recipes are not patentable, the terms 'natural flavorings' and 'spices' refers to dried spices which are not disclosed on the label for proprietary reasons. Unfortunately, if you are allergic to an ingredient other than those specifically declared, we are not able to disclose whether your ingredient is being used in the recipe, and therefore suggest that you avoid using this product.

However, if you would like to have your physician fax us a request on their letterhead with a contact phone number detailing the specific ingredient(s) in question. They can fax that request to: (412) 237-5291.

Thank you for your interest in Heinz products.

Heinz Consumer Resource Center

Heinzconsumeraffairs@us.hjheinz.com

When I first went gluten-free, I contacted another company and gave them my list of foods to avoid and they willingly looked at their list and told me whether those things were in there. Apparently Heinz does not do business like that. Too bad for them!

Thanks, both of you, for taking the time to respond.

Michelle, shortly after I posted, I found this website - Open Original Shared Link - that says this in its condiments & misc. to avoid section: Heinz Worcestershire sauce, Lea & Perrins sauce, fermented soybean pastes (miso and natto).

I, too, sent a message to Lea and Perrins, and I'll post what they tell me.

Thanks again!

The only thing I've had different tonight is Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce. I have had everything else that we ate today before without a problem. I ate supper and a little while later started feeling that familiar beginning-of-a-long-night sensation in my stomach. I hate when that happens!!

Does anyone know if the "natural flavors" listed contain, or may have come into contact with, chicken, turkey, eggs, dairy, soy, canola or rapeseed oils, or gluten?

Thanks in advance,

Esther

My Aunt has Down Syndrome. She was dx'd with schizophrenia some years ago and is on meds for it. Over the last several years, she has had several evaluations for dementia. A couple of months ago, she was put on Aricept to try to stop the progression of the dementia. It did not seem to make a diff at all, so they increased the dose.

Meanwhile, she seems to hear voices and she is always confused. Things came to a head a couple of weeks ago. As one of her caregivers, I put my $2.02 worth in, and her guardian, the sister of the DS Aunt decided out of desperation to try eliminating gluten, dairy and aspartame from DS Aunt's diet. Today was the 2 week mark and WOW! What a difference! She acts less confused, does not seem to have heard any voices while she was with me, and seemed more relaxed. The guardian aunt said that she noticed that DS aunt was a lot more at ease yesterday. Sundays have been very difficult days for the DS aunt. There isn't the usual routine and it is much different than week days.

So anyway, does anyone know anything about Aricept? Does it take weeks to finally kick in, or do you think this change has more to do with eliminating the gluten, dairy and aspartame? If it were one of my kids, I'd assume it was the food issues simply based on my own relief after eliminating problem foods.

Thanks for any input you feel like giving.

I'm wondering what the difference is between masa and cornmeal. I've been using masa from the "International" aisle for cornbread and haven't had problems with that. Well, no problems except that my cornbread is usually a little dense, but then I have to cook and bake egg free as well. Not sure if it's the masa or the lack of eggs.

Maltodextrin in the US is derived from corn. If otherwise, it would be listed "maltodexrin (wheat)" It would not be a gluten worry.

Thank you!

Does it make a difference if maltodextrin is derived from corn?

I bought some NuStevia White Stevia Powder today thinking it was just plain Stevia. Well it isn't, and I am kicking myself for missing the other ingredients.

TIA!

Sorry Well, sodium bicarbonate is alkaline and as such it reacts with acids and bases - that is why it is a rising agent in baking when combined with vinegar. If you heat it above 140 degrees F it decomposes into sodium carbonate, water and carbon dioxide which means that it becomes a stronger alkaline. This stronger alkaline makes the harder cellulose fibres of plants decompose so that they break down easier. Sorry - never tried to explain this in English - I do hope this was somewhat clear

By the way it has a bodily function, too: It can stop the production of too much acid in the stomach, so you can stop heartburn with it...

I see! I will definitely give that a try. Stomach acid is an issue for me. Thank you for taking the time to explain that to me.

Hi,

yes, I cut down the liquid in the recipe. Actually it was a recipe which used egg, too, and I blended the mashed beans and eggs in the food processor until creamy.

The baking soda shortens the cooking time and makes the starches better digestible.

I should've asked how it makes them more easily digested. Does it break down something in the beans, or does it add to a bodily function? It's not a big deal. It's interesting to me how things work.

Hi,

navy bean flour is said to be great instead of garfava. You can grind the navy beans in a coffee grinder or food processor. I didn't try it this way, but I did try bread with cooked mashed navy beans. It turned out very good and tasted delicious. You should then soak the beans obernight and cook them with a half tsp. of baking soda. It makes them easier to digest.

Mia

Thanks! I will make a note of that. Did you have to reduce other liquids when you used them mashed?

I wonder what the baking soda does... ?

I just made the best gluten-free bread I've ever made. Ever. I even took pictures, but I'm not sure if posting photos is allowed, so I'll just say it's the one Nov 15, '08 post on my blog which is linked to from my profile. It's truly a thing of beauty! I could hardly believe it didn't have the traditional egg-free dough core that is characteristic of my baking.

Anyway, I've baked a lot in the last week, but I seem to be reacting to something, and I think it's the gar/fava. Does anyone know of another flour that does whatever it is that gar/fava does? I hate to give up decent looking baking, but I'm willing to go back to ugly if it means I won't be running to the bathroom every 15 - 20 minutes for 24 hours.

TIA,

The attitude of the waitress in the scenario - flippant, ignorant and put off by something she didn't seem willing to even try to understand - is why I almost never go out to eat anymore. No, the restaurant is not obligated to serve anyone, but it's their business to do so. They don't have to be accommodating, but giving even a rude customer the time of day, even if the place of business is in the middle of a rush, would go a long way, especially with many other customers watching what was going on. I could swear that I've read on this board that restaurant staff members want to make the customer happy so that they'll actually come back.

We don't know the situation, and I do wonder if the parent figure was someone other than a parent since the little boy gave the waitress the info. I think most of us have been in the situation where the last place we'd like to eat or eating out is our only option.

I'm not condoning the rudeness of the adult, but my experience is that most of the time, the restaurant waitstaff and management want to make our experience such that we want to come back often. It does sound like the woman with the child had an entitlement mentality, which doesn't work too well in most settings.

I had heart palpitations, too, for a while, but I discovered recently that I have a problem with Canola oil.

It is possible that you need some supplementation. Make sure you are getting enough nutrients and adequate levels of them. My son and I started taking a liquid multivitamin a couple of weeks ago. That seems to be helping, but I'm still having some fatigue.

I am very glad to read this thread just now. We need insurance problems slightly less than we need to remove one more food category from our menu.

This is a great thread! I am so glad to read all of your stories. It's so nice to not be alone. I had a different condition that stumped the first couple of doctors that I saw, the first of which I had seen repeatedly for months. I am blessed, though, in that my doctor suggested celiac disease right off the bat. I was the one who told her it couldn't be that and refused to go to a GI doc for about a year. I had just come off dairy and was feeling a lot better and the pain felt gall bladdery anyway. (I've since read that there is a connection between gall bladder disease and celiac disease.) After a year of on again off again pain, and then realizing I was still having diarrhea, just not as often without the dairy, I decided to cooperate with my doctor.

It seems like the other couple of frustrating health issues I've had were more difficult to dx and treat than celiac disease. I don't even know that I have celiac disease for sure, just that de-glutening has made a WORLD of difference.

Thanks for sharing, all.

What I'm wondering about is if gluten is getting stuck in the worn spots in the racks, or maybe it's not rinsing well and/or is getting spread onto everything via the swill splashing around. I do rinse everything well, but is it possible that gluten from previous washes is still in the dishwasher?

Thanks for mentioning plastics. I think there are still some things lingering that I need to get rid of.

What about dishcloths? Can all of the gluten be washed out of those, or do they tend to hang onto it?

I need to go read that "opt out" thread. I know I can't, but I sure wish I could opt out of all of this and have a huge slice of dairy covered, gluten contaminated pizza!

she also may have been a little embarrassed about the whole thing because she only just met you.

I have eaten things from embarrassment. Back in the days when it was "only" an allergy to several key ingredients in a lot of things, I took my kids to a friend's house to play with her kids. We stayed for lunch, as she had taken great measures to make something safe for me. As she was wrapping up preparations, she slathered my sandwich in mayo after I had just told her I am allergic to eggs. I about died! I didn't know what to do, so I ate the sandwich, let my kids play with hers for about an hour, and then went home, put in a movie for the kids and went to bed. And then to the bathroom. And then back to bed. And then back to the bathroom. Rinse and repeat.

I am no longer willing to put up and shut up, but there was a time when I didn't have my routine down for dealing with eating away from home and would go ahead and eat things that made me sick. Now I just don't eat away from home unless I bring my own food.

Anyway, I think it's great whenever anyone is willing to make such a thorough effort for someone else.

I have been gluten-free for several months, but I have been dragging for the last three weeks or so for no apparent reason. Could I be getting glutened from the dishwasher that we put in a few weeks ago? My son has been gluten-free since July, about a month after me, and he has had a LOT of problems lately for no apparent reason.

Please say it isn't so!! Please don't tell me I'm going to have to go back to hand washing everything!