Is there any connection between food additives and coeliac?
When I first went gluten free after being diagnosed with coeliac, I improved but after a few months I took a couple of steps back like most people do. I blamed it on everything, from dairy, to nuts to soy. In an effort to try and minimise the risk of eating hidden gluten I went to eating as natural as possible with the least amount of additives, such as preservatives, colourings, flavours etc. This worked wonders and I could control what I ate and reactions became minimal. But it is a hard act to follow, so there were times when I inevitably slipped and had additive laden food, but then I found I was starting to feel miserable, so again I cut out the additives.

So I have now basically got to the stage where I eat as natural as possible, with dairy and nuts and minute amounts of soy, chocolate, barcadi and treat foods, and feel wonderful, but when I eat food with extras, such as coke, bacon, chocolate I sometimes feel like I have been glutened, funny tum and a hung over feeling in the morning. Not all the food with extras, but quite a bit of it I react to. I know these supposed additives are gluten free, so maybe I have problems with additives. I would like to know which ones, but ignorance is probably better for my health. Is this being far fetched? Sometimes I think people close to me think I am just making problems for myself and that it might all be in my head.

I was brought up in a world, late 50's where we lived on a farm and ate mainly home made food. When I left home and married and had children I tried to recreate the same diet I was bought up on, as natural as possible. It was only when I went to work and had four children to raise on my own did I learn how to do shortcuts in cooking. You know, put a packet of flavouring in a stew, prepared food, and more takeaways than was healthy. My cooking style changed and this is when I first noticed my bowels habits etc were changing. I'm not trying to say additives caused coeliac, but more I am suggusting that maybe the additives did not help in keeping my symptoms at bay, and exaserbated them.

I am sure I had coeliac previous to this, as whenever I was pregnant I had low iron levels and there were other things that pointed to possible coeliac.

Just my two cents worth and on why I feel I still cannot get away with eating too many additives.

Cathy

Could It be a reaction to MSG? Though MSG is debatable on weather it is safe for Celiacs, I have always found that it causes gluten like reactions in me. I don't think something like Coke would have MSG, but Bacon may and any canned goods or even many broths. Coke could have artfical sweeteners and they can cause problems too.

Hopefully somone else can give you some more insight.

Nitrates in the bacon could easily bother you and does many people. The carbonation in the Coke could bother you and does bother some people. Chocolate? Could it have something along the lines of the red wine bothering some more than others? The flavonoids? Some people have very sensative tummies! It's good you pay attention!

I also have problems with additives...pretty much all of them.

I dont eat processed foods. I have problems with MSG, aspartame, food dyes (red 40 etc), sulphites, preservatives, etc.

I eat whole foods and stick to organic.

I dont know what could be causing your problems with added chemicals....for me its due to high toxicity. I got sick from mercury and a hidden lyme infection...ever since I've been intolerant to gluten, chemicals, molds and pretty much anything that is adding to the toxic burden my body is already dealing with.

There are ALOT of things to cause problems in processed foods. Caffeine can also contribute to symptoms....so that might be part of what bothers you with coke.