HauntedEyes

Lisa, as I stated above, I consider it unsafe because Lipton corporate says some of their teas are not gluten free (not all are unsafe, but some definitely use gluten as an ingredient), plus they admit the potential for cross-contamination. It may very well be fine for some of you, but I am one of those extra-sensitive celiacs (the tiniest bit can make me sick, and EVERY time I have had Lipton tea since going gluten-free I get sick from it. I do not get sick from other tea brands that affirm they are gluten free). I am sure there would not be much gluten in their teas, but since I am so sensitive, I do not risk it. So as I mentioned above, you need to make the decision for your self, whether it is worth the risk or not.

Back when I first saw that myth, I researched the tea bags because at my workplace they provide iced tea for everyone. I discovered Lipton is NOT safe for a celiac. So at my workplace, they switched from Lipton to another brand for my sake. I had come across an email response from Lipton corporate to someone asking about gluten, which said that they cannot confirm their tea bags do not have gluten. They said some of their specialty teas DO have it, and there is also potential for cross contamination. It was 2 years ago that I read that, so I no longer have the info where I read it. However, I just now did a web search and came across Glutenfree-lifestyle's website that lists gluten-free foods by company, and their Lipton listing specifically says not all gluten-free, so read all ingredient labels carefully "per email dated 1/23/09", so maybe the mentioned email is the one that I had originally read. But 2009 is a while back now, so perhaps Lipton has since become more celiac friendly since then.

However, I will not risk Lipton. I get sick every time I have Lipton teas, though have no problems with other brands. I'm one of those extra sensitive people who can't handle a crumb of gluten. Just remember, Lipton also produces soups, mixes, pastas and bouillons, many of which are not gluten free ... if they are being processed on shared equipment or in the same facilities, you are risking gluten. In fact, I read several of their dry soup mixes that formerly were gluten free started using yeast made from barley ... while there isn't a lot of the ingredient used, there's still  risk for the super-sensitive, and again the potential for cross-contamination from shared equipment/facilities.

It sounds like you have gastritis. For me, when my gastritis flares up, it is a burning feeling (kind of like what rubbing alcohol feels like when you pour it into an open would, but it doesn't go away in seconds like the open wound does and takes several hours if not days to ease up). It can be excruciating, and really scary because it is so intense. Can cause vomiting just because of the pain. Prilosec doesn't work fast enough. Zantac (generic name is Rantidine) will ease the pain within about 1/2 hour.

Stay away from NSAIDS (like Advil, aspirin, Aleve, etc.) ... they can damage the stomach further and cause it to bleed, which could be life threatening.

My gastritis is caused mainly by eating foods I am intolerant to. When I first went gluten free, I had many intolerances pop up (I was probably intolerant to them before but just didn't realize it because of an overwhelmed immune system). It may just be one food bothering you, or several. Odds are, it is dairy, eggs, soy, corn or nightshades (potato, tomato, peppers) because those tend to be the ones most people wind up being intolerant to without realizing it. Besides gluten, I have IgA responses to dairy, eggs, soy, corn, nightshades, chicken, pork, beef, tuna, rice ... I had the IgA testing done by stool test from Enterolab (wound up with IgA responses to everything they tested for, EXCEPT oats and tree nuts). Because that nixes so much food, I still eat some of the ones that bother me the least periodically, but make sure to very consciously omit the ones that bother me the most ... still have to eat SOMETHING. But I am strict to avoid gluten.

Over time, some of the foods stopped causing the gastritis to flare up, or at least not as bad. So try strictly avoiding dairy, eggs, soy, corn, nightshades, and NSAIDS for a couple weeks, just to see if your stomach feels better. Try some Zantac to ease the burning you are getting right now. Then add those foods back, one at a time for a few days or a week each, to see if it bothers your stomach, so you can narrow down which might be the problem (could be all, but this way you could see which bother you the worst).

Cross Contamination/Eating Out:

Also make SURE you aren't getting gluten cross contamination. Maybe someone is double dipping from a gluten food into your gluten-free food. Don't share the same butter, peanut butter, or other condiments that get double dipped. Squeeze bottle condiments should be OK. Do not share toasters, cutting boards, colanders, wooden spoons, or blenders/mixers. Microwave is okay, IF people cover their food dishes when cooking ... otherwise food splatters that don't get cleaned up in the microwave could cross contaminate the next thing in the microwave.

At potlucks, go through the food line first, or bring your own food (keep your portion separate the whole time). Check that seasoning mixes are gluten free. I really don't trust other people's foods at potlucks, except perhaps for fruit and veggie trays. You never know if they clean up all the crumbs before attempt making something gluten free, or maybe they made a cake or bread before so there could be flour in the air. I just bring several gluten free items to serve for my contribution but before arriving have a personal portion in a separate container for myself so I don't go hungry. Unless you know specifically how someone cooked a turkey, I'd avoid it ... if they used one of those oven cooking bags, the instructions say to use a tablespoon or two of flour in the bag before putting the turkey or other meat in, so you could get cross contaminated that way. Stew prepared by someone else, I'd avoid unless you know what seasoning they used ... many people use stew seasoning mixes, of which many are not gluten free. Avoid the green beans at potlucks and buffets ... many use beef bouillon to flavor them, and most bouillons are not gluten free (if you need some bouillon for your own cooking, Hydrox small envelopes are safe, just not the other types, like cubes).

Check any medications or supplements are gluten free (Advil Liqi-Gels and their other liquid forms are NOT gluten free, but with gastritis you need to avoid Advil anyway).

Ensure any candies you eat are gluten free ... check with the manufacturers (all Hershey miniatures they say they cannot guarantee are gluten free); Heath, York, PayDay, regular Kisses, full-size Hershey bars chocolate or almond, full-size Reeses are safe (except for special holiday ones). Mr. Goodbar and Krackle are not safe. Twizzlers are not safe. Most jelly beans are OK.

Soy sauce may not be safe (most use wheat, read the label). When I eat out at a Chinese or other Asian restaurant, if I am allowing myself soy, I ask for gluten-free soy sauce (La Choy is gluten free, though usually isn't served in restaurants; Kikoman is usually what is in restaurants, so you have to ask for the gluten-free type of Kikoman). If they don't have any, or if I am avoiding soy, I just ask for no soy sauce and for them to season with salt, pepper, and garlic. Make sure you don't order anything with breading, and if it is something with a sauce only get something that uses cornstarch to thicken (would be a clear, white sauce). If, because of language difficulty, you cannot get them to understand, just say no sauce and only use salt, pepper, and garlic. Rice noodles should be OK, but if it is on a buffet, ask for some from the kitchen ... I have to do that at Hu-Hot because they put the rice noodles right next to the wheat-based noodles, and people are always using the same tongs to serve themselves from both, or are dropping the gluteny noodles into the rice noodles.

McDonald's french fries are NOT safe, even if they use a dedicated fryer ... they use a beef flavoring that has gluten to flavor the fries; most fast-food chili is NOT safe (Wendy's, Sonic); most fast-food grilled chicken is NOT safe (Burger King, McDonald's, etc.). For the big burger chains (i.e., McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Hardee's, Steak & Shake), the only safe thing is the ice cream, some of the burger patties without bun (not all are safe because some will use a specialty seasoning with gluten), and salad without the grilled chicken or croutons, and some breakfast items like basic eggs and bacon. I do not trust the apple/yogurt/granola packets from McDonald's due to the granola not being gluten free and them all being packaged in the same container ... too easy for the granola to cross contaminate the yogurt. The only safe things from Sonic are hot dogs without buns and ice cream. I totally avoid places like Subway or other delis or pizza places ... cross contamination is too likely with the flour in the air from the baking, or the crumbs from the food preparation.

Nothing at Taco Bell is safe, except for tostadas and two of the rice bowl options. 

A lot of steak houses with a specialty seasoning are not safe (i.e., Texas Roadhouse, etc.) ... just order it only seasoned with salt and pepper. 

At many of the chain restaurants, a lot of the vegetables you would expect to be safe are not. Make sure to ask for their allergy menus to see which are safe.

Frozen vegetables ... READ THE LABELS; some are not safe, not just because of seasoning or sauces added, but because some use wheat to keep the vegetables from clumping together. Wal-Mart brand has been bad about this.

If you are a Christian church goer, make your own communion bread ... let me know if you need tips on how.

I have been gluten free for about 3 years, except for a few months last year when I decided to get extra testing so needed to do a gluten challenge. I've had a big problem with losing lots of hair, most noticeable in the drain after I shower (enough to block the drain each morning, then still a handful in the hair brush afterward). However, at the start of this year I started using PatchMD vitamins (a vitamin supplement that is a patch, so totally bypasses the digestive tract and goes through the skin directly into the bloodstream, a big plus for a celiac who is still healing up). I can't say for sure how truly well the patch works scientifically because I haven't had any blood testing to confirm, so can only say how I have observed my health improving while on the patch. 

When first starting the patch, after being on it for a while I just happened to notice I wasn't having to clean lots of hair out of the shower drain. Then there was about a month I ran out of patches and had to wait to order more. The time period I was without the patch, my hair loss in the shower started up again. When I received more of the patch, my hair loss stopped again within a couple weeks. I stopped a couple weeks and started up again to confirm, and had the same results. So for me, for sure, the hair loss is malnutrition/malabsorption from celiac. And after several months on the patch, my hair is growing longer, faster, without the scraggliness and breakage I had in the past. 

I've also noticed much healthier looking fingernails and toenails, and my skin and complexion look and feel much better. My facial skin had been really dry the last few years, but I've noticed with my patch supplements my skin is getting oilier again (not oily in the bad way that promotes acne, etc., but the healthy way that your skin naturally takes care of itself). 

The last two months, I've also managed to feel alert, more energetic and awake throughout the entire workday, which is something I have not experienced in more than 20 years. And the brain fog is slowly going away.

So, yes, I do think the malnutrition caused by celiac disease can cause hair loss and the proper combination of nutrients can help. For me, most of the various multi-vitamin pills just don't work ... they make me vomit, and I just don't think I absorb them correctly. Besides gluten, I am also intolerant to soy, corn, potato, rice, dairy, and eggs, which in one way or another are used as binders or fillers in the various vitamin pills and probably are what causes me to vomit them. The PatchMD vitamin patches have helped me a lot -- at least for hair, skin, nails, energy/alertness, and mental clarity. I take their multi-vitamin patch, the Vitamin D/Calcium patch, and the B-complex patch. I still have not experienced the brighter yellow urine a person will get when you've taken too much Vitamin C or the B vitamins, so I don't think I've overdone the B's yet. If my urine winds up becoming yellower, I'll stop the B-complex, since I'll assume that will be a sign I'm finally getting enough B from my food ... but for now I'm not getting that so I believe I still need the extra B's.

I just bought a pot of oyster mushrooms from the farmers market to grow and harvest at home. However, it just occurred to me the straw it is growing in may be wheat straw. Would mushrooms grown in wheat straw be safe to eat if they are cleaned well?

SAD lights won't affect your vitamin D levels ... they emit the wrong type of the UV light spectrum to generate vitamin D. However, I have tried both. Vitamin D3 supplements definitely helps me reduce inflammation. And the SAD lights do perk me up. I don't get depression related to SAD. But I do suffer from fatigue and idiopathic hypersomnia, which the SAD lights do help. The lights perk me up and I don't get tired until much later in the day.

Thanks for the recipes! I will give them a try.

Help please. I'm somewhat new to gluten-free eating (about 6 months). I would like some tried-and-true bread recipes that omit the following problem foods:

Gluten

Eggs

Soy

Casein (dairy)

Corn

Rice

Potato

Oats are OK for me, as are nuts.

I am having a hard time because so many of the gluten-free recipes use corn, rice and potato, which I cannot have, and also egg. I have not even come across a decent all-purpose gluten-free flour that does not use one of my problem foods—I have resorted to grinding my own flours instead. I'm having difficulty getting the texture right, I think, because many of the recipes use egg, and I am having to try something else (like chia seeds). Nothing seems to come out quite right. Yes, I do know gluten-free baking tends to be a bit denser, and I'm OK with that. I just don't think what I'm making is coming out right in the end. And I can't compare it to store-bought gluten-free baked goods because all of those have my problem foods in them, so I've never eaten them. I can't even get Chebe bread to come out quite right, I think, because of avoiding eggs and dairy (I'm guessing my Chebe isn't right ... since I haven't had it before and can't have it according to the written instructions, I have no real comparison). I've asked around elsewhere, but no one ever responds.

I had a very, very bad reaction to Advil Liqui-Gels about a month-and-a-half ago (been gluten free since May). When I took it, the only thing on my mind was my pain and that I couldn't take Tylenol because of the corn. I totally forgot Advil Liqui-Gels were wheat derived. On top of having to avoid gluten, I also must avoid corn and soy, among many other problem foods. Within 1/2 hour of taking the Advil Liqui-Gels, besides getting nausea and sharp stomach pains, I started getting all sorts of neurological problems: twitching eye, numbness, tingling, burning and stinging scalp, dizziness and vertigo, weakness ... all so bad I thought I was going to have to go to the hospital. Only good thing about it was it did take care of the pain I took it for in the first place.

Advil used to be my painkiller of choice, and I hadn't noticed any problems before going gluten free. But now that I am gluten free, I definitely notice it being a problem. I have had some of those neurological problems before going gluten free, but never was able to associate it with anything, probably because gluten and Advil were regularly used and my body had been compensating.

Here in the US, most of the liquid form of Advil (think children's elixirs) and the Liqui-Gels are wheat derived. The other forms of Advil are safe for celiacs, IF gluten is the only thing you are having to avoid. If you have to avoid corn, you are out of luck because it is in the non-liquid versions.

I'm sure it can't be much gluten in the Advil Liqui-Gels, but as little as it is, it just isn't safe for me.

Anyone have any suggestions for non wheat, corn or soy based pain killers? Everything I can find has one of those in them. I hear even all prescription pain killers in the US use corn as binders and fillers.

I just had one the other day. Dreamed I was walking by a bakery and bought two glazed donuts. I was half way through eating one when I realized, whoops, gluten! But in my dream I thought, I goofed and shouldn't have eaten half the donut, but since I have already "done the deed" and the damage was done I decided to finish the donut and went ahead and wolfed down the rest of it and gave the second donut to my husband. In the dream, I did tell him I slipped up and need to be better. I think my dream was a direct result of my having cravings for a donut the day before and resisted the urge in real life. Can't have it in real life, but did in the dream, even though I knew it was wrong even in the dream. Just wish I was stronger in the dream and had resisted the donut in the first place!

I think the cravings and dreams will get better after I learn to cook with gluten-free flours, just to fulfill the rare craving I have for a baked treat. I found a bunch of recipes yesterday that I am hoping to try. Unfortunately, most of the store-bought gluten-free breads I can't have because they have chicken eggs, corn, potato, rice, soy or milk, which I can't have. And so many of the gluten-free flour mixes have those items in them, so I can't use them. So the challenge for me is to make the gluten-free flours and baked goods on my own omitting those things. I really miss pasta, and so far I'm not doing so well trying to make my own while omitting those things ... it's going to take a lot of experimenting, I think. I am looking forward to the culinary challenges and consider it an adventure.

You mentioned having quinoa. That could be the problem ... perhaps it wasn't rinsed well enough? Quinoa has a natural resin coating it that protects the grain from critters. The resin can cause stomach problems if it wasn't rinsed off well.

I did have some enzymes, even some papaya enzymes, but trashed them last week because they contained either corn, rice or soy, which I cannot have. The reason I am wanting to sprout is to get more nutritional value because I do have to vastly restrict my diet right now and even a lot of supplements contain ingredients I cannot eat right now. Sprouted beans are supposed to be easier to digets and have more nutrition than the cooked dry beans.

I was wondering about sprouting my legumes and my allowable grains, since they are supposed to be more nutritious and have enzymes we need. Supplementing with enzymes will be hard for me, since many have soy, corn or rice ingredients, which I have to avoid for a time. From those who have been celiac or gluten intolerant for a longer time and do sprout, from your experience are the sprouted foods (raw and/or cooked) easier on your gut, or would they be too harsh until things are healed up?

And I know there's more nutrition in the veggies if you eat raw, but is raw too harsh for one new to cutting out glutens and other food sensitivities?

Since I am going to have to drastically cut what I can eat, I want to get the most "bang for the buck" nutrition-wise from the food I do eat.

I have not tried it for glutening yet, but I definitely have noticed sinus congestion, pain and brain fog clearing when I mega dose Vitamin C.

I live in an area with a lot of hunting, so I periodically get venison from friends. In fact, I had a venison roast this past week, but I suspect I'm sensitive to it because I got reflux from it every time I ate it. Bison/buffalo won't be hard to find, just expensive.

But I should be able to get hold of some other game meats. A friend even gave us some squirrel once (and, yes, it is actually quite good, just not a lot of meat), and my mother-in-law said beaver is really, really good but it can only be eaten if it was trapped in a particular way (hunting rules). I'm told possum is not so good, despite the Clampetts on Beverly Hillbillies always talking about possum pie. I was teasing my husband last night that I could eat alligator, if I could get some shipped in from the south. Frog legs or rabbit might be an option, too. I occasionally see those for sale. Lamb is hard to find around here, mainly only seen around holidays.

For poultry, I can also eat quail, duck or goose. I do eat quail and duck eggs when I can get them, due to my chicken egg allergy. Does anyone know, is cornish game hen same as chicken (i.e., just a variety of small chicken), or is it a different fowl, like duck or goose, so safe to eat?

Yes, I do understand some of these things may go away with time if I remain off gluten. Fortunately, my results on the test were at the low end of reactive. But I suspect I'm one of those folks who is in immunological and nutritional "exhaustion." I had two typed pages of symptoms pointing to celiac or gluten intolerance when I approached my doctor two months ago, and was feeling about dead when I walked in to his office to ask for a biopsy (which of course came back negative, but he admits he may not have biopsied the right place or may not have gone far enough in). I did get a diagnosis of non-specific chronic gastritis out of the biopsy, though, and a little erosive gastritis. He put me on Zantac for the gastritis, and I nearly wound up in the hospital because I was having some of those severe side effects that indicate liver damage. The only thing that kept me out of the hospital was it was a holiday weekend and I figured out it was the Zantac; stopping the Zantac immediately stopped the side effects.

I have been off of gluten for two months now and have noticed improvements, but still feel like there are other food problems. I have known for two years about my chicken egg allergy (via blood test, I'm allergic and intolerant to white and yolk), so that has been out of my diet for years now. I eat quail or duck egg when I can get hold of them. I did begin to suspect chicken because of some reflux, but wasn't sure if it was from that or from having some other food I knew I should be avoiding.

The blood test two years ago had me just shy of being allergic to corn, so I do trust the EnteroLab results saying I'm reacting.

I've been avoiding tomatoes and peppers for several months now because I do get reflux bad with them, but had thought maybe it was the acid. I recently have been getting occasional stomach problems with potatoes, so suspected it was a problem. So again, I do think the EnteroLab result on the nightshades is correct.

Sometimes I've had problems with milk, but it hasn't been a frequent food item, just sometimes a bowl of cereal or ice cream. Again, because of my "sometimes problems" the test is probably correct there.

Since going gluten-free, I'd been eating more rice, which has been giving me some GI issues. It's the rice, beef, pork, and tuna in the EnteroLab results that surprised me. I don't like tuna, so probably have had it only once or twice over the last few years, though I do eat tilapia when I cook fish. Do I need to avoid tilapia since I reacted to tuna and tuna is supposed to be one of those fish that is least likely to trigger an immune response?

From that old blood test, I did turn up mildly intolerant to several foods, which sadly are some of my favorite foods, which I have been careful with over the last two years. Those include chicken eggs, avocado, asparagus, crab, garlic, sesame, banana, blueberries, celery, and a few others. I am severely intolerant to coffee according to that test, and need to treat it as an allergy, but I've never had a cup of coffee beyond the tiny bit in a cup of milk at a tea party when I was a kid, so that one doesn't concern me.

I just got my test results back today on my EnteroLab testing. I expected gluten, knew about egg, and suspected maybe corn, but I did NOT expect what I found out. Yes, I do have antibodies for all those, but I also have them for everything else they tested except to nuts and oats. I am new to suspecting gluten problems, and have been off gluten for about a month (biopsy was negative) except for some accidental cross contamination that made me very sick.

Test showed I have antibodies to:

gliadin (gluten)

casein (cow's milk)

soy

ovalbumin (chicken egg)

corn

rice

beef

tuna (so should avoid all seafood)

chicken

pork,

white potato (so should avoid all nightshades)

It sounds like I am going to have to go vegan! How do you cope with such a drastic change as having to cut out all the commonly used grains, and the commonly eaten meats, and also cut out the nightshades?! About all it leaves are some fruits and vegetables (of which from other testing elsewhere I know I am intolerant to