hello folks

I've been struggling with a replacing a few potentially contaminated foods, mostly because I'm so dependent on them... I am an athlete and a massage therapist, and I really need easy snacks for between sessions. I've been supplementing with Trader Joe's trail mixes, which are made on "equipment shared with wheat... etc.". In the past, I've relied heavily on Builder Bars, which I've just recently realized contain oats. I'm a big fan of corn chips (don't react to corn), and while I check ingredients, I haven't bought ones that claim to be specifically gluten-free.

I've been wheat free for about 1.5 years, but still don't feel great, and wonder if these little transgressions are why. I don't seem to react to either of these, but I'm worried about the silent nature of a tiny reaction.

My IgGs for wheat are positive, don't have a celiac diagnosis, just know I feel miserable on wheat. This might be one place where _not_ having the diagnosis makes sticking to the diet more challenging.

So - do you all let your gut lead the way - if there's no outright reaction, is a food ok? Am I playing with fire?

And what are you all snacking on?

Thanks!

Going strictly gluten free may be a good idea for you since you have to be wheat free anyway------



Snack ideas:

gluten-free muffins
raisens, dates, dried figs,
nuts
sunflower seeds
celery stalks with peanut butter
rice crackers and cheese or peanut butter
plain sugar free yogurt (add your own fresh fruit )
apple slices and peanut butter
bannana and peanut butter

Can you tell I like peanut butter ??????? Yeah-- I'm allergic to peanuts too--- So I use Sunbutter, which tastes almost as good ! !

When I first went gluten free I did let my gut lead the way with food a lot. For me it was hard going gluten free all the way b/c I just didn't have time to figure out what to eat and do all of the proper research due to work hours.
I have been officially gluten free since February and have been feeling really good.

I like to snack on apples with peanut butter, oranges, gluten-free pretzels, arrowroot animal crackers, popcorn, grapes, nectarines, gluten-free cookies (1-2 at a time), enjoy life trail mix (they have 2 kinds), left over vegetables from my lunch or left over lunch later in the day at work. I eat Mission Corn Chips. A lot of foods are naturally gluten free so just look at the ingredients.

Some people cannot eat foods that are on shared equipment and some (like me) will try the food and eat it if they do not react (I only do this with some brands other brands I won't get since they are on shared lines). Some places clean the equipment very well between making up different products.

I would go gluten free if I were you since you are wheat free and see how you feel.
GOOD LUCK

Do you have a 'valid' negative diagnosis ? (full celiac panel while eating gluten)
http://www.glutenfreeforum.com/index.php?showtopic=50078

For some reason noone commented on this....
The results clearly show damage at very low levels (10mg/d) albeit less damage than 200mg/d...

Gluten free snacks are not that hard .... but like everything else about the diet it involves a change of mindset over what we are used to.


Carrot, celery sticks ... you can use a gluten-free dip and snack on these.
Nuts and Seeds add some protein.... the dip can add some fat's .(you sound pretty active so a few calories is probably a good thing)... guocamole etc. with some SAFE corn chips...
If your not lactose intolerant you can make sour cream dips too...
boiled eggs .... (last year I got critically thin..... only half to do with celiac disease) but I was eating 6-12 whites a day and about half that in yolkes...

A lot of this probably sounds complicated and time consuming, honestly the first shop is the hardest ... getting in the raw ingredients, changing the snack boxes to something not designed for sandwiches etc.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

I'm amused by the idea of a "valid" negative, since I'm convinced my negative blood test was completely false - I hadn't been eating wheat for a year! And I don't have the numbers, unfortunately, so I don't know whether they were just low or nonexistent.

Trail mixes are easy and do form the basis of my snacking diet. I'll happily leave behind the Trader Joe's mixes if I can find a substitute. Any thoughts on buying nuts and dried fruits like raisins? Is it safe to get them from bulk bins? Or do I need to find them in individual packages from some gluten-free source?

This is what i thought I remembered.
You don't seem to want to make the leap to gluten free from gluten lite.... often a 'false negative' is why...

You're risking cross-contamination with bulk bins.

I react to things on shared lines, even if they are labeled gluten-free. I notice it with some things right away or the next day, with others I notice it if I eat the same thing everyday or often. My symptoms are sometimes bloating but often anxiety, emotional outbursts and such. One time I had been eating cookies that I made using a gluten-free ingredient that was contaminated(I figured out later) and after several days of having a few everyday, I burst out crying and spontaniously said to my husband that I hadn't been myself or felt happy for days and that I think I had eaten gluten and cried some more. It struck me and I called the company and asked some questions and realized it was that ingredient and that it started when I started eating the cookies. I try not to consume things on shared equipment but also try not to eat the same product day after day.

There are many gluten-free snack/energy type bars. Lararbars are fruit and nut based and are very popular. Costco sells them in quantity. You can get a a good price from some online sources, even sports related sites if you buy in quantity. Bumblebars are another one. Make your own trail mix with fruits, nuts, gluten-free pretzels, choc. chips, etc. Mix it up in a big container and/or portion it out into individual ziplocks. Have a stash of non-perishable gluten-free snacks on hand so you can grab and go. It takes a bit of organization initially but it soon becomes second nature.

I hope this will help you stick closer to the diet. You said you tested positive for IgGs but you don't have the Celiac gene. Dr. O'Brian on his DVD "unlocking the mysteries of wheat and gluten" said that the only difference is the gene between an intolerant and celiac. They did not always know what the genes were and we do not know that people diagnosed intolerant will not be celiacs tommorrow also when they stumble across a new gene. Did Polio exist before they could test for it? If you have problems with gluten, then it is doing damage to your body in some form. So removing it should be taken seriously. I would follow the same guidelines as someone with Celiac disease. Dr. O'Brian talks about how it is the inflamation that is doing so much damage. Inflamation in your body has been shown to lead to cancer, heart disease, autoimmune diseases. So please take it serious. Hope this helps.

Or the diagnosed celiacs of today will have their genes tested and be told they can't be celiac because they are not DQ2 or 8. Or that those who are 'only' gluten intolerant won't have autoimmune issues. Or an increased chance of cancer.
I agree with Christy, if your body is telling you it is poison even a little bit can hurt more than the medical community realizes IMHO. It just does it slowly and insideously.

Lara bars are great to snack on and give you that quick energy you need without coming down hard later. Costco sells them in bulk. Costco has some other snack "bars" that are also gluten free.

Somehow I didn't notice that this thread was continuing to lengthen...

I think my struggles with staying on the diet are probably pretty common among the mis- or self-diagnosed. A year and a half ago, when I got the results from the IgG test, I would never have guessed that I reacted to wheat. And my ND, while well intentioned, didn't think to send me for further testing. I went only wheat lite because that's all I thought I reacted to, and I certainly didn't understand that gluten was a larger issue.

The endomysial test I had over a year later (this past March) came up negative probably because I hadn't been eating wheat and further compounded the confusion - perhaps, I thought, some day I'll get over this! It was only by stumbling around on the internet and this site that I finally realized what was going on and starting getting in touch with some celiac-savvy people.

I have not had the gene test, and will probably resist doing so thanks to my wacky insurance.

You can maybe see why I've been thinking that some things were safe - and how I'd be leery of giving them up because they made my life so much easier. However, having recently been nailed by either the 'natural tarragon flavoring' in some non-malt vinegar, the 'spices' in some Trader Joe's mustard, and the 'natural flavorings' in Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce - I'm realizing that 1. I'm reacting to smaller amounts than ever before, and 2. that I'd better get strictly gluten-free, like, yesterday.

I hope I didn't come across as cavalier earlier, I'm more perplexed than anything else. But glad as always for this community! Thanks for all your snack suggestions!

Here is a good snack idea or have it for lunch or dinner. No cooking just choppin'

Layered Bean Dip

Mix a can of refried beans with 1 T. of McCormick taco seasoning (if desired or add a bit more) and spread it into a pie plate. Make guacamole if you like it and spread it on top of the beans. Then cover it with salsa to keep it from turning brown. Then add all your favorites: sour cream, cheese, olives, green onions, jalapenos or green chiles, fresh tomatoes, etc. Serve with gluten-free tortilla chips and share with a friend. Make 1/2 your favs and 1/2 their favs in case of nonfavs

If you really love snacking on trail mix you should just make your own. Buy each thing seperately and mix it together..that way you know for sure its gluten free. I use raisins, peanuts, almonds, and M+Ms...but you could use any nuts or any candy or whatever you like. (but remember granola is not gluten free its only wheat free)

Ah! But herein lies the question - do you buy the ingredients from bulk bins, and have you had trouble, or are you buying things in packages? I can't imagine that a nut company is labeling their packages of almonds gluten free...

I did make some simple mix for a hike the other day with hazelnuts and raisins. The raisins were sticky in the bin, leading me to believe that they hadn't been dusted with flour, but I had a terrible reaction that night. I haven't been able to parse out whether the raisins were the problem or if it was the really minute amounts of potentially troublesome "natural flavorings" in the worcestershire sauce i mentioned in an earlier post.

Hence my dilemna. Is a packaged product only safe if it says gluten-free on it? Including things like corn tortilla chips, where the ingredients look safe, but the packages doesn't directly state their gluten-y nature?

I rarely use bulk bins, but if i do I follow the following made up rules of mine: If there are gluten products within 4 to 6 bins in any direction it's a no go. If the bin has a scoop, it's a no go. If the bin has a turn dial and the product falls out the bottom, I'll consider it.

To be on the safe side, buy raisins in packages, yes? Much less worry.

Lea & Perrins Worcestshire is gluten-free as far as I know, we've used it recently with no problems.

A product does not have to say gluten-free to be safe. Look for the contains statement: "Contains: MILK, WHEAT" and look for the "Manufactured in a facility that also processes WHEAT" If you find those, then it's not a good idea. Otherwise, unless you see "oats" "malt" "barley" "rye" the product should be safe. I haven't had trouble with natural flavorings since the new law passed.

Corn tortilla chips - I wouldn't use Frito-Lay. Could just be taboo for me, but when I first was diagnosed someone said on this forum that they are known for CC and I avoid them like the plague. Mission brand is gluten free if you want to be sure.

Trader Joe's has a great gluten-free granola located near the cereals. I don't know if it is made on shared equipment though.

Enjoy life makes good granola if you like that:

http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/our_foods/granola.html


What I like the best, and found out this week, for snacks are these. After eating this and having them go down easy (unlike something from Ener-G, Kinnickinnick or something):

Fresh ground almond butter + Organic applesauce. Mix it very very well and use it as a fruit dip. It's heaven. Like a nutty apple crisp. I use cinnamon applesauce and it makes me so happy because it's just like this apple dip a family friend made that I'm not able to eat anymore because from what I remember it contained cottage cheese. Which isn't really necessary here in my opinion, but someday I might try mixing extra soft tofu into it and seeing how that is.

Fresh ground almond butter + Endangered Species Dark Chocolate Espresso bar. I don't know if you're dairy free or not but chocolate bar is made on shared equipment with milk. I have to be dairy free, but a bunch of other forum members said for me not to worry and I seem to be doing okay. Anyway, break off a chunk of the chocolate and slather it to death with almond butter. Then put another chunk on top to make a sandwhich out of it. It's like eating a really nutty fudge-y brownie and it's heaven.