Help me understand 'Gluten Free'.

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TeachTheGirl
TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I know that eating gluten-free has health benefits to some individuals. I was under the (perhaps misinformed) understanding that it was just generally 'better' for you than eating products with gluten.

My son ate a gluten-free cookie from our local co-op a few months ago and he came up in a rash. I didn't think too much of it, but a few weeks after that we tried again to see if it was a fluke and sure enough, there was a rash.

Yesterday he begged for a cupcake, specifically because it was chocolate with sprinkles, but it happened to be gluten-free. After trying to convince him to change his mind, he got that cupcake. And then woke up this morning with a case of the 'bad-tummies'. I can't help but think there's some kind of correlation.

Is it unwise to consume gluten-free products unless you're intolerant?

Replies

  • ubermensch13
    ubermensch13 Posts: 824 Member
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    It is possible the kid has an allergy to something in the gluten free products. Gluten free isn't bad for you if you aren't intolerant, but I am not of the opinion it is better for you if you don't have a gluten allergy.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    It is possible the kid has an allergy to something in the gluten free products.

    Agreed. Read the ingredients and try to isolate the cause.

    Eating gluten free does wonders for those who are gluten intolerant or have Celiacs disease. For most of us, it doesn't matter so much one way or the other. You won't lose weight any faster or be any healthier because you ate pasta made from rice instead of wheat.
  • rwoodman0903
    rwoodman0903 Posts: 3
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    I am on a GF diet for health reasons and had eaten alot of GF products. They often have rice, tapioca, soy, dairy nuts and corn in them which all can be allergenic. It turns out I was sensitive to soy, dairy and corn as well. So it could be whatever they are substituting is the culprit. I would check the ingredients (if possible) and see. (Now I stay away from most grains to avoid reactions)
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
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    I'm going to assume it's an allergy. Sadly with products that are made in these small bakeries, I don't think I could get a precise list of ingredients to be able to narrow it down. Would it be cruel of me to test the main culprits of these allergies (as suggested below: rice, tapioca, soy, etc) to see if he has further reactions? As far as I know, it's just uncomfortable. I've kept him home from school today as a precaution, but he's already jumping off of the couch. -_-
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    A lot of gluten free baked goods have things like guar gum added to give it the stickiness lacking from there being no gluten. He may be sensitive to something like that. Gluten free generally just means that a product is wheat and oat free but they do add a lot of other things to compensate for the elasticity that gluten provides in baked goods. Unless you have a problem with gluten I wouldn't say eating gluten free is healthier.
  • deannarey13
    deannarey13 Posts: 452
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    I'm going to assume it's an allergy. Sadly with products that are made in these small bakeries, I don't think I could get a precise list of ingredients to be able to narrow it down. Would it be cruel of me to test the main culprits of these allergies (as suggested below: rice, tapioca, soy, etc) to see if he has further reactions? As far as I know, it's just uncomfortable. I've kept him home from school today as a precaution, but he's already jumping off of the couch. -_-

    If it's just causing a mild reaction, then I don't think it would be cruel at all. In fact, I would isolate them one at a time to watch for reaction. This is the only way you would be able to avoid the allergen going forward with purpose.
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    I'm going to assume it's an allergy. Sadly with products that are made in these small bakeries, I don't think I could get a precise list of ingredients to be able to narrow it down. Would it be cruel of me to test the main culprits of these allergies (as suggested below: rice, tapioca, soy, etc) to see if he has further reactions? As far as I know, it's just uncomfortable. I've kept him home from school today as a precaution, but he's already jumping off of the couch. -_-

    If it's just causing a mild reaction, then I don't think it would be cruel at all. In fact, I would isolate them one at a time to watch for reaction. This is the only way you would be able to avoid the allergen going forward with purpose.

    I agree. As long as the reactions aren't severe, this is exactly what an allergist would have you do. An "elimination diet" is usually performed with an allergist to take the suspect ingredient out of the patient's diet for a week or two in order to find out what is causing the allergy. After you go a couple weeks with no change, you move on to the next ingredient.
  • karrieamandakeeps
    karrieamandakeeps Posts: 39
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    The question is what is in those cookies and cupcakes that he ate. GF food like that is made from many things to replace the Wheat/Barley/Rye. It could be made from rice, tapioca, ect. You just never know unless you have a full list of the ingredients in the foods. Its not made of anything special, I had one person to ask something similar before but they thought it was something special added to make the product GF.
    Heres an example of an ingredient list of gluten free cookies:

    Icing sugar, flour blend (corn flour, potato starch, corn starch, white rice flour, tapioca starch, soy flour, potato flour, carrageenan, gum arabic, xanthan gum), organic palm oil, canola oil, cocoa powder processed with alkali, natural cocoa powder, invert sugar, natural flavors, corn starch, egg whites, sodium bicarbonate, sea salt, soy lecithin, ammonium bicarbonate.
    A lot of potential for tummy upsets if your lil one is allergic or sensitive to one of those ingredients.
  • lilteepot
    lilteepot Posts: 97
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    Sadly with products that are made in these small bakeries, I don't think I could get a precise list of ingredients to be able to narrow it down.

    Don't assume that. Ask the bakery for a list of ingredients. Food providers have an ethical responsibility to provide answers for questions about the ingredients of their products. Food intolerance is a very widespread and normal issue, and all food services deal with it -- even small local bakeries.
  • NeverGivesUp
    NeverGivesUp Posts: 960 Member
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    I am gluten free but I rarely eat processed gluten free products because of how I feel after I eat them. Not sure if it is the flour or the sugar. Best to get a piece of fruit instead. We are all different and obviously your child 's reaction should be alerting you to something he might be allergic to.
  • ton40orbust
    ton40orbust Posts: 155
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    Sadly with products that are made in these small bakeries, I don't think I could get a precise list of ingredients to be able to narrow it down.

    You would be surprised. If it is a small local bakery or a small bakery chain you can request to speak to a manager or owner and explain the situation. They may give you a list of ingredients for both the cupcake, and cookies if you got them from the same place that you can use to narrow down the possible problem.
  • rotill
    rotill Posts: 244 Member
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    "Gluten free" means it doesn't contain wheat, barley or rye. Oats is often included in things to avoid, but that is not because oats themselves contain gluten, but because they are often grown in fields where there may be strands of wheat, barley or rye mixed in. Gluten-free oats are just grown carefully separate.

    Sometimes wheat is treated to remove the gluten protein. I am not sure how this process works, so I can't say how people may react to it.

    Gluten free food is not hard to find, it's everything which does not contain the grains mentioned above. Gluten free bread, cookies or cakes are often made from potato starch, rice and corn, but also often from buckwheat. And here's the reason why I think you should, if possible, have a word with your doctor about your son's reactions.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckwheat

    As you will see, buckwheat is potentially as dangerous to people who are strongly allergic to it as nuts are. While an elimination diet where you slowly add certain foods is a good idea with most types of allergies, I'd have a chat with a doctor before I experiment with buckwheat, particularly if your son has already displayed a reaction. Of course, the doctor may tell you not to panic, and go do your diet experiments. If so, at least you checked.

    I hope you find the cause of his reaction, and that you do so without drama.
  • RambyPandy
    RambyPandy Posts: 118 Member
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    We took our son to an allergist for tests to see if he's allergic to nuts, etc. He wasn't but the process was interesting and helpful!

    My nephew is allergic to soy... I hear that's pretty common.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
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    Thankfully, it's a local bakery that I got the cupcake from, so I sent them a message asking for a list of ingredients. (I don't know if anyone knows or cares, but they won Cupcake Champions, a TV show. Their cupcakes are delicious.) Hopefully they'll get back to me so I can at least narrow it down a bit!
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
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    Foods made from refined flour, table sugar and added fats are not exactly healthy regardless if they contain the protein gluten or not. Often they use rice or potato flour which turn to sugar in the body pretty fast. If you want healthier sweet treats consider making your own flapjacks with jumbo oats, block creamed coconut, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit, dried fruit, xylitol and so on.

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