<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> Hi Everyone, Thank you for reponding to my question about apricots causing gluten type reactions. As it turns out, the reasons for such reactions are varied: ******************** I don't know, but I wonder if they might add citric acid? I read on the list that citric acid sometimes has gluten in it, seomthing to do with the manufacturing process. When my son was little, he couldn't tolerate the baby food that had citric acid added. (His brother is the celiac in the family, although I am having them all tested.) He loved those baby fruits in the jar, especially apricots and plums. But, whenever he had any with citric acid, his stool was loose and burned his bottom almost to blisters, no matter how quickly I cleaned him up. It took days for his skin to recover. So, perhaps he has allergies, but perhaps they also add citric acid to apricots to preserve color, and the citric acid might have guten. It's a long answer, but sometimes background helps in weighing the merits of the bit of info. ******************** Eating a decent quantity of any dried fruit produces the reactions you got (as my partner ruefully found out one day!). Once the stuff gets into your stomach it re-constitutes. Remember how many fresh apricots it takes to produce a bag of dried ones. So, this is not a celiac reaction, just a normal reaction to too much dried fruit. ******************** How much did you eat? Could be it was just too much fruit! Also, dried fruits are higher in sugar and maybe you were reacting to that. Happens to me sometimes, and I am not celiac! ******************** Apricots are dried with the peels intact; your gut probably reacted to the peel, which is hard for an already sensitive gut to break down. I get the same reaction to all peels. I now peel all my fruits and veggies (and I avoid dried fruits and nuts) and the celiac-like reactions go away. Diverticulosis is part of the problem in my case. ********************* If the apricots were dried, they were probably treated with sulfur. It keeps them from turning dark. You may be sensitive to it. ********************* The apricots could have been dusted with wheat flour somewhere along the way; or they could have had sulfites on them. Or you might be intolerant of apricots and not have known it before.... ********************* it may be that there was added sulfites. Its in alot of dried fruit products. -Laurie ********************* How many did you eat? If I eat too many (over 6) I get that sort of reaction too because they are full of fibre! I'm not the celiac, by the way, it is my dh. My daughter Kathryn used to get diarrhea after eating them as well. You might just be sensitive to them. ********************** I don't know what it is about dried apricots but by non GF mother sister and aunt all have severe reactions to them. My aunt has constipation problems and uses them to help her go. ********************** Nearly all dried fruits are preserved with sulphur or sulfites -- even the ones in health food stores -- unless they're specifically labeled "unsulphured." I am an undiagnosed celiac with dramatic sensitivities to a few other things, the worst of which is sulfites. Also watch out for canned coconut milk, lettuce that comes pre-shredded in bags (used by some restaurants) and, of course, wines. I also react to MSG, but the effects are only mildly unpleasant. ********************** I've been trying for about 2 months now to be GF. Except for occasional mistakes, I think I've accomplished it. However, I've discovered a host of GF foods that give me symptoms (primarily unformed stools). Figs and dried apricots are among the foods that still cause problems. Early on I was lactose-intolerant. Pineapple also had a terrible effect, all the symptoms you mentioned. However, my stomach seems to have healed somewhat. I consume diary sparingly without problems and pineapple now has the same effect as dried fruit (i.e. no gas or bloating). So I am assuming that as things heal more, problems with supposedly GF foods will gradually disappear. Since these foods should be GF, I've continued to eat them since I have to have some variety in my diet. ******************* The problem may not necessarily be with the apricots but rather with molds that grow on the fruit. I am mold sensitive and seem to have problems with foods more likely to harbor mold growth. ******************** I do not eat apricots, but I have reactions to raisins ... I get very similar symptoms that you describe in this email. ******************** You can buy dried fruit in one of two forms; treated with nitrates or without...even at a health food store. If the apricots are bright in colour (orange rather than brown/orange) then they have been treated with nitrates. I have a severe reaction to this "preservative" and this could be what caused your problem. ********************* I have had a lot of trouble with contamination from things purchased from bins in the health food store. I only buy unpackaged things that I can wash before eating them: nuts,dates, etc. Sounds nuts, but its not nuts! :) ******************** The sulfite in apricots are always a killer for me. Even the ones at the health food store usually have sulfites. If they have a very pretty color to them they probably have sulfite. ********************* I had a reaction to some dried products. I found the were 'dusted' with wheat or oats to keep them from sticking. ********************* Possibly the apricots were processed with wheat flour on the conveyer belts prior to packaging. The manufacturer is not required to reveal this as an ingredient. ******************** I once had a reaction to dried apricots similar to your experience. My question would be . . . how many did you eat? Dried fruits will cause gas and discomfort if you eat a quantity of them. As I recall, I ate between 8 and 10 halves to cause this reaction. I now am more prudent in my consumption of the delicacy. :-D BTW, I can eat four or five fresh apricots (eqivelent to above) and have no reaction whatever. Perhaps it is the sulpher in the drying process??? Also, check with the store and/or the manufacture to be assured that the product has no chemicals. Our biggest natural foods/health foods store in our area does sell sulphured and unsulphered dried fruits. Perhaps yours does too? ******************** I am not a celiac and the smae thing has happened to me before, I believe it was because I ate too many apricots in one sitting, but it was a liberating experience. ******************** I have been eating dried apricots fairly regularly for the last month or so, purchased in a health food store, and have not had a problem. Could it be either an actual allergy to apricots, aside from your gluten intolerance? Or could there have been some kind of cross-contamination? ********************* I have had the same reation to dried apricots.. I assume that someone is coating them to keep them from sticking... Of course I made about 6 loaves of apricot bread when this happened... ********************* I have a friend who runs a Health Food shop and have often seen how various item are repackaged from bulk to smaller units. Although this is done in a clean way (ie low bug risk) the potential for cross contamination with non-GF is very high, as the operation may be done under high pressure while leaping in and out of the shop to serve (and weigh out!) the very varied stock which he sells. My first suspicion would be contamination during repackaging. I would be surprised if health food dried apricots were contaminated at original packaging (only big companies seem to believe that people are incapable of eating stuck together dried fruit). We tend to buy in bulk and have had no CS problems (they do give you the runs if you pig too many as I - the non-coeliac of the team can testify - oink! :-) ******************** I think just about everyone on the planet gets the same reaction from too many dried apricots, I certainly do. But I don't think that it's a reaction to gluten. I just avoid dried fruit for that very reason ******************** Thank you all again! Susan