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I've been getting my almonds and walnuts at our local HF store!!
Well! Guess what?? The woman that stocks the GF and special diet items just told me that they are a no-no because they are bulk!!!
I said" Shite!! I've been eating them"!!!!!
Where do you get yours from??? How do we know they aren't rolled down a line that there has been wheat on?????? All it ever says on a package, etc., is raw almonds or walnuts... Nothing else!
Okay, I'm just an ignorant old country boy, but I don't understand why items that are sold in bulk, are significantly more likely to be contaminated with gluten than products sold in smaller packages, (unless there is a bin of bulk flour close to it in the store). All commodities are handled in bulk until the final packaging for retail. The walnuts and almonds are probably shipped in large bags, (they certainly have to be shipped in some kind of container - surely the the delivery doesn't involve a dump truck backing up to their back door and dumping them in the parking lot).
Unless someone is going around the store sprinkling flour all over everything, I don't see where the gluten is supposed to come from. Walnuts and almonds are not normally handled with the same types of equipment that is used to handle grain. If any contamination occurs, it will almost certainly occur in the retail store, (such as happens so often with the bulk bins in places like Whole Foods, where people use the same scoops for different products, and/or dribble contents into adjacent bins).
At least that's the way I see it.
Love,
Wayne
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Oh come on Wayne...if you dumped them in the parking lot via dump truck, you could add the lovely flavors of dirt and oil and other spooge from the lot and the loaders needed to scoop them back up. YUMMY!
I think you can be very paranoid about all products and cross contamination. Do you react to obvious gluten? I know most of you here do react. It takes me longer and it is more subtle so I know I could eat something with cross contamination and not be aware. But even the lists of "maybe" products/ingredients that could be wheat, could be corn. I've read some celiac lists saying if a US product its okay because it's probably corn, and others saying otherwise. Who to believe?
I don't know. All I know is I have to get more careful because I don't feel great and I suspect I've been too lax on the hidden stuff.
Wayne!
Thank You! Thank You!! For my good laugh of the day!
Your statements of a dump truck backing up and dumping them on the parking lot and someone going around sprinkling flour on everything just cracked me up!!!!!
All of the bulk nuts are not even close to flour substances or oats, etc....
Soooo!! I'm gonna still eat my handful a day now!!!!
As you can see, it's a long way from zero tolerance, and even the stuff in the bags labeled GF, can contain up to this amount, (100 ppm), and still be legally, (and presumably, safely), labeled GF.
But with manufacturers like Bob's Red Mill they have teh same claim that they are GF because there are less than 100ppm. But that DOESNT mean it is gluten free right? I know I react to the slightest bit of gluten and dairy so I try and get all my processed foods from plants that DO NOT handle gluten and dairy (Gluten Free Pantry is the best i my opinion and that is who I buy most of my flour through). I just cant get myself to buy the cheaper Bobs Red Mill or Arrowhead Mills.
I dont like that law at all about the parts per million... gimme a break either it is GF or not. I would certainly not appreciate that sort of claim when referring to nuts because I have a deadly allergy to coconut and even the slightest bit will throw me into shock and likely die (unless I have my epipen); it really just depends on how quickly I will die- I will go into shock faster with more amounts of coconut and will go into shock slower if I eat a smaller amount. At least this was the case when we did the allergy test at the Drs office... I was not very fond of those tests because supposedly the more you eat the suspected allergy the less you have to eat to go into shock. Basically I dont buy much that has "made in a factory that may make tree nuts- nope not touching it). I think my life is too valuable than to have a tasty treat!
Those are my two cents but it seems more like ohhhh 10 cents to me!
Dr Fine test shows positive for gluten and casien but negative for soy, eggs, and yeast
Maybe its UC maybe its MC? Who knows at this point, but at least I know my intollerances now... so heres to the road to healing!
I buy their wheat-free biscuit and baking mix. We use it to make waffles. I've deemed our waffle iron GF, so it is the only kind we make in this house. Even my picky kids eat 'em up! My husband is the breakfast chef - he follows the scratch recipe in the Betty Crocker cookbook, and uses the mix in place of flour. I think I've also bought their brand of xanthan gum.
Never a problem here, but I'm not one of the "multiply-intolerant" either, so I may not be a good judge to go by!
Sorry to hear that you're so sensitive to coconut. The reaction you describe is, of course, a classic allergic reaction, rather than an intolerance. Fortunately, most of us only have to deal with intolerances.
I too, really dislike the "safe threshold" laws that allow products with tiny amounts of gluten to be labeled as "gluten free". The reality of the situation is, though, that whether or not gluten is detected in a product, is typically a function of the sensitivity of the test equipment, and the skill of the individual doing the testing. IOW, the question is not whether or not there is any gluten in a product - the question is whether or not we and our test equipment are sophisticated enough to find it and accurately measure it.
If you use the most accurate test procedures, and take pains to see that the tests are done as accurately as possible, you will find that virtually everything in the world, is contaminated with minuscule amounts of just about everything else in the world. Absolute purity, simply does not exist in the real world, due to, (among other things), the transfer of matter by the phenomena of vapor phase, and particulate matter. IOW, gases and dusts, allow the transfer of material in minuscule amounts, over great distances, due to their mobility.
Because of this, there is no such thing as absolutely pure matter, except under the most carefully controlled, (and prohibitively expensive), laboratory processes. As testing equipment progressively becomes more and more accurate, we are finding things that we didn't even know existed, in the past.
Consequently, if we held manufacturers to a true zero tolerance requirement for gluten, there probably wouldn't be any GF products on the market. At least, there wouldn't be any GF products sold by honest manufacturers, if they used the most sophisticated test equipment and procedures that are available.
Even those fresh vegetables and fruit in Matthew's garden, are almost surely contaminated by the prevailing winds, with minuscule amounts of gluten, from bakeries, flour mills, and other sources upwind of his garden, dozens, hundreds, and even thousands of miles away.
The word "pure" is a relative term - there are no absolutes in the real world. Fortunately, as any engineer can tell you, that fact is irrelevant in this situation, since GF products are pure enough, "for all practical purposes" for their intended uses.
Their intended uses, of course, are primarily as comestibles for gluten sensitive individuals. With that in mind, however, I would have to conclude that they are not necessarily safe for individuals who are allergic to wheat, or any other ingredient in them. At least that's how I see it.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Right Tex I understand that I have an "allergic reaction" when I eat coconut. I go into anaphaletic (sp?) shock where my thought swells to the point I cant breath, my eyes swell shut, and my nose clogs and even a bunch of benadryl will only keep me going for so long until I have the epinephrin (sp?).
Dag Tax why do you have to be so smart????????? I completey understand the whole idea behind everything has got a bit of everything else on it. But if that is the case then at least my coconut allergy doesnt react when I have some nuts that most likely have a bit of coconut in it. So I guess that would mean that the tiniest bit of gluten and dairy is okay???? Do celiac patients react to say 101 ppm of gluten in their food? Are we to use the same scale as they do?
And No I do not think I am allergic to dairy and gluten just a pain in the ass, literally and sometimes a sting, burn etc. Well thanks for the new knowledge guys... always fun!
Dr Fine test shows positive for gluten and casien but negative for soy, eggs, and yeast
Maybe its UC maybe its MC? Who knows at this point, but at least I know my intollerances now... so heres to the road to healing!
While I realize you are thrilled with the grain-free, unprocessed lifestyle you have chosen, I think you need to be aware your posts can come across as "preachy". When someone has a question about cross-contamination, this is not a response that addresses their concerns.
I think we are all aware that various dietary changes may or may not provide relief. Everyone has a different degree to which they are willing to go to feel better.
I'm just asking for some sensitivity to the fact that each of us choose our path with this disease. I saw some were offended by something you posted awhile back, so I don't think I am the only person who reacts in this way when someone claims to "have the solution"...
We have been down this path (@ the old board) and it is very divisive and causes HUGE problems...
