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Sat, 3 Apr 2004 16:19:22 +0000
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<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Thank you to all who responded.  Your responses were very helpful and I enjoyed your kind comments.  It’s Saturday now in upstate NY and I still feel sore, but I am much better.  I tried to organize the responses in relation to what appeared to have happened here.  Tamari sauce appears to be a new intolerance, and this incident a possible explanation of similar but much minor and unexplained stomach pains in the past.  There was a space of at least a couple of months since I last used this sauce.  This time, my gut’s immune system was primed and ready to respond quickly.  Gluten reactions are quick also, but much different.  My reactions traditionally start with headache(s), progress to include stomach pains, and conclude with skin eruptions.  This time the only symptom was severe “hard lump” stomach pain and decrease in appetite.

Finally, and most importantly, if you do not have an intolerance to soy, then you must consider carefully San-J’s possible cross-contamination issues.  Either way, this particular item is off my list.

Again, thank you.  Your collective insight has been very enlightening.

Sincerely, Roz
Responses:
1.      You probably have a soy allergy/intolerance.  The under-reported/recognized dynamic of celiac is that after going gf, very, very often many "new" intolerances pop up.  Soy is one of the biggie intolerances in there....dairy and corn, too.  You will notice more than a few list members chasing their tails, look for "where's the gluten" in foods that they eat frequently and were previously determined to be safe.  There probably isn't any gluten.....just new intolerances.
http://www.yorkallergyusa.com is a great place to check to see what is going on with you and how pervasive it is.
2.      After reading your post, I went to the fridge to check the label on the tamari my son has been using. Sure enough, it it the same one you're wondering about! I'd be most interested to learn what you find out, as it might go some way to explain why he's also been having such a bad week. I just posted a ? about delayed reaction, but if this sauce is also problematic, it means he has plenty of reason to be feeling severely lousy, as he had a big dose of that product on Monday night. [It must taste wonderful!!] It may have been what tipped the scales on him.
3.      Hi, While I was recovering, I also experienced stomach burning and pain with San-J.  I contacted the company who said that the Elisa testing only detects to .016%? ppm and that the wheat soy sauce is made near by the wheat-free product such that cross-contamination may result.  At the same time, I was told by the company that a corn alcohol is used in this WF Tamari.  I realized that I was reacting also to gluten-free vinegars and the least bit of GF alcohol.  I did research like you and consulted with my husband who is a PhD immunologist.  We came to the conclusion that it can be both cross-contamination and/or the exacerbation of the gastritis, stomach inflammation, that I was diagnosed with -  We found that the lymphocytes involved in causing damage to the small bowel epithelium can also produce what are called inflammatory cytokines - proteins which cause inflammation.  (Of course, some cytokines function are to reduce inflammation)  I then approached my GI, specialist in CD, and he agreed that it might just be the chronic inflammation still present in my intestines caused by gluten having been so long in the diet, that it will take some time to resolve.  I have found that everyone is different and some may resolve all their symptoms in months and some in years.  It took me 1.5 years and more to resolve my stomach sensitivities to GF alcohols and vinegars.  But I do not consume San-J.  I use Bragg's aminos regularly, an unfermented soy liquid sauce made only with soybeans, distilled water, and salt.  At the time I contacted the company, no products with gluten were made in the same facility.  I also use La Choy soy sauce but only once in awhile because I've been told that chow mein noodles are made in the same facility but on a different line.
4.      My celiac daughter used to do OK with San-J Wheat Free Tamari sauce and then one day anything with it in it made her sick.  We figured it out after a while and dumped all our bottles.
5.      I had a problem with it too.  I don't know why.  I switched to Bragg's liquid aminos.  I tastes like tamari sauce.  It is gluten free and it is not fermented (I have no idea if that makes a difference but I do tend to avoid fermented foods).
6.      I haven't found a soy sauce that works ... I don't know why. Could be the soy or some other ingredient.  Anyway, I have been using Thai "fish sauce" which adds that "yummy" taste like soy sauce does.
7.      I am unable to eat the SanJ but I always felt it was because I don't tolerate soy well....when I was first diagnosed 15 years ago I tried baking with soy flour and always felt ill and had mild GI symptoms.   I usually just avoid it.
My celiac daughter and grandchild use San J frequently and have no complaints, so I always felt it was my individual problem rather than possible gluten content.
8.      My family can't use it at all either.  It makes my husband terribly sick, almost as if he just sat down and ate a piece of bread.
9.      I have had slight reactions to that soy sauce. Now I just use sea salt!
10.     For whatever reason (not gluten free or a sensitivity to soy) wheat free San J Tamari does NOT agree with me either! :-(
11.     I called the company and looked at their website.  The website indicates that they only manufacture a couple of foods that are "wheat Free."  The customer service rep said that although they label their tamari sauce as wheat free because they don't specifically add wheat but they don't think it is gluten free because of potential for cross contamination-- they use the same equipment for wheat containing soy sauce as for the wheat free tamari sauce and it is made in a plant where other wheat products are made.  They clean their lines between runs, but apparently not good enough.
Remember that a recent study found that 20% of the foods labeled as wheat free contained wheat proteins?  Well, San-J Wheat Free Tamari Sauce is doubtlessly one of them.
Others rely on their "wheat free" tamari sauce -- I am told it is used at PF Changs and also Wizard wheat free worcestershire sauce uses it.  I think it is luck of the draw -- if you get tamari sauce that is bottled right after the soy sauce run, it is probably contaminated...if you get the 10,000th bottle, you are probably safe.
There are safer alternatives:  Eden Tamari sauce and Angostura.  I have contacted both manufacturers.  Neither labels their product gluten free.  But Eden clearly goes to great length to take precautions and Angostura (which is in the Bahamas somewhere) does not make any products containing wheat.  They thought their soy sauce contained gluten because it contains corn.  I set them straight.
12.     The last 3 times I have eaten Lemon Chicken at PF Changs I have had a reaction and I did use Tamari.  I haven't been sure if it was the Tamari or the sweetness of the lemon sauce.  I have decided the next time I eat there I will order a non-sweet dish and leave off the Tamari to see if that makes any difference.
13.     I would suggest you to ask your questions at this other excellent site:  http://forums.delphiforums.com/celiac/messages
There are very kind & knowledgeable people there, among them doctors, to answer your questions.
There also is a GF product list, updated regularly.
14.     I have questioned this product, however, I have had no reactions to it. I am extremely sensitive to any gluten and even a crumb of anything can set me off. I recently took a vitamin that had gluten(thought it was GF) and I was so very ill.  It is strange that this does not affect me.
15.     I'm sorry to hear of your discomfort. I did not know of any problems with San-J Wheat Free Tamari, but I'll keep a closer eye on symptoms now. As far as I know, neither my brother or I (both celiacs) have had any reaction to this product and we use a lot of it. However, I'll let him know of the groups concerns (and yours), and we'll both keep a closer eye on it.
16.     When I researched Ohsawa wheat-free tamari--  I found out they were throwing barley flour on the fermenting koji--you might check with San-J and see if they use barley flour in the process --  they won't list it on the label.
17.     I've never had a problem with the San J, but LaChoy and Kroger brands are cheaper so I use them.
18.     I eat it frequently with incident.

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