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Hello Everyone,

MANY MANY THANKS! To those of you who responded....I feel much better about
how I am managing  this diet and my GREAT NEWS is my biopsy turned out "Most
Improved"

Now to summarize, (the way I thought would work best):

Like you I too do not have reactions to traces of gluten.  I do sometimes
ignore "natural flavorings" or other questionable ingredients in foods I
occasionally eat.  But, I'm sure a lot of people will tell you that traces
of gluten are still doing damage.  I notice it mostly in my blood levels of
calcium, magnesium and iron.  Iron is absorbed in the upper part of the
small intestine, the part first destroyed by gluten.  I have my levels
checked once a year or so, and I take daily supplements, but last time I
was low in iron.  I'm sure it is the traces of gluten that are keeping me
from absorbing iron. That keeps me a little more motivated to stay on a
strict diet.  Do you have your vitamin and mineral levels checked?  If not,
you should do it yearly.
If I eat a food regularly, I make sure and check it's GF status


        I've been diagnosed since '96 and do eat out a lot.  I'm not a
fanatic, but careful.  One thing which is a no-no for me in most
restaurants is French fries.  Ninety nine percent of the time (my estimate)
they are fried in the same oil as breaded zucchini and other breaded items,
hence cross contamination. Before I stopped eating fries out, I was doing
OK and not having a reaction to them. Just the same, my concern has always
been the possible subtle damage going on in my intestines due to minute
amounts of hidden glutens.  I guess everyone makes up their own mind on
fries.


my 5 year old son is our celiac and we avoid the obvious, but we eat out
alot too and rarely have a gluten reaction. we do avoid french fries in
places that have onion rings and such, because that much contamination
will give him loose stools.


I have the same problem with not getting a reaction from eating. We dont go
out to eat to often because of that but I do try to watch what I eat.I never
really had the symptoms that some people get but even if you dont have them
and eat the wrong foods you are still doing damage.


I know from the celiac in our family that eating french fries in a
restaurant is a really risky business.  Most restaurants don't have
dedicated fries, so the oil has bits of breading from the coated chicken
and/or fish and/or onion rings floating in it.  These get on the french
fries and contaminate them.  Whether you are sensitive enough to get sick
doesn't matter in the long run.  Cells are being damaged regardless.

We don't worry about the distilled vinegars and flavorings anymore because
the celiac in our family, who tends to be very sensitive to gluten, has no
reaction to vinegars and vanilla flavoring.  We DO watch mono and
diglycerides and emulsifiers though, which means we check carefully before
ordering ice cream, for instance, in a restaurant.  Also we skip
margerines, sour cream, stuff like that that can be contaminated by the
manufacturer.


I feel pretty much as you do.

Yes, that sounds like me and I've known about my CD for almost 20 years.  I
do, however, have gluten reactions now and then (pains in my intestines).


I feel the same way you do, and I've been on this diet 10 years.
Some folks on the list are parents of celiac children, and are
understandably much more cautious.


My daughter (13) and I have the same attitude as you.  We stay away from the
obvious and the hidden gluten we are aware of, but we don't take it to
extreme.     The doctor says we are doing well.  But we, like you, don't
worry about the natural flavorings, malt flavoring, etc.


I have never had a gastric reaction to WROB/G.
I went GF in late Spring '98.  I am fairly rigorous in my diet, but
sometimes 1 am not too careful when eating out or about miracle whip,
pickles, vinegars, cheeses (but no blues), candies, grilled meats, French
fries, etc.  Sometimes I have Rice Crispies (possible cross
contamination).  I will eat icing off a "regular" cake if I cannot see
any crumbs attached to the icing.
Some knowledgeable in CD/CS lore will tell us that we are doing ourselves
potentially great harm by not worrying about such things as the miracle
whip, pickles, vinegars, cheeses, candies, grilled meats, french fries,
cross contamination, etc.  The risk, as I understand it, is the possible
resulting intestinal cancer and/or starving ourselves to death.


I as you, am not as careful as I should, and again as you, I am not one of the
most sensitive, I have had four reactions , only one was due to restaurant
food and it was my fault, I was "testing" myself and ordered toast! 0ther then
that I do mention to them that I am alergic to wheat and gluten, and am
usually fine after eating out. I was recently tested again, and the doctor
informed me that my villi had improved tremendously. Now , I am not
reccomending that you do the same as I, b ecause we all react diffetently, I
would go have the tests done and judge for yourself.


My experience is pretty much the same as yours. Pizza and hamburger places
are the only kinds of restaurants I avoid.

Luckily for me, I am a fairly experienced cook and so can make good guesses
about where gluten may lurk in otherwise safe foods like say, grilled
Portobellos. (I know restaurants that use a marinade that contains soy
sauce.) I do worry about the grill in breakfast places and sandwich shops
because so much of what they do is bread, pancakes, etc.

Like many celiacs, I became more sensitive as my gut healed and the
antibodies disappeared from my body. But I do not worry about vanilla and
etc. because the amount is so small in a custard flavored with a quarter
teaspoon of it (which would be alot, wouldn't it?). As for mustards and
vinegars -- I'm with the scientists who say the gluten molecules do not get
through the distillation process.


 I have been on the diet for over 2 years and agree with you.  I ask the wait
staff whether there is flour in the food and, so far, they have checked with
the chefs and I have been directed to safe foods.  I do not worry about
distilled vinegar nor the powdered cellulose used for shredded cheeses after
seeing discussion about this on the list.  I think I am fairly but not
extremely sensitive to gluten.  If I were responsible for a child following
this diet, I would probably be much more particular about how the french fries
were prepared than I am for myself.


I'm real happy to hear from another person who doesn't find eating out a
nightmare.  It's not easy but my husband and I still enjoy our favorite
neighborhood places.  I have found at least one menu item I can eat in each
of these restaurants.
I was diagnosed 2 1/2 years ago and am delighted to report that I feel
great.  I am not terribly sensitive.  The only real problem I've had after
eating in a restaurant was probably from the margaritas.  Not too many, but
the mix.


I do the same, I ask about flour, pasta, and breading, and when I'm told
that there is none, I'll eat the dish.


I have been diagnossed for 15 years and I agree with you.
I have had several biopsies in the past several years and they have all showed
no gluten damage.


I was diagnosed in 1992 and share your philosopy.  I eat out all the
time, trying to be very careful about not eating anything that I
shouldn't, but I can't get completely worked up about what kind of
vanilla they put into a flan, etc.


I, too, am not worried about certain types of cross-contamination,
especially when eating out.  I do not worry about the grill nor the frying
oil nor vanilla flavoring, since I believe I'm safe enough with the diet in
general to not limit myself so severely.  I also consume vinegars and
alcohol derived from the "forbidden" grains, and I have never had any
problems.  That said, I'm very careful with my diet and steer clear of
things I know I can't have -- breads, crackers, croutons, breading, pastas,
cookies and cakes, etc.


I do agree, but you still have to be careful.  Even when I don't worry about
trace amounts of gluten in items, I don't do it all the time.  I feel like I
need to make sure my intestines have a chance to heal and go 100%, no
question, GF - just in case I might be doing some damage and not feel or
realize it.  Then I eat my salad dressings, cheese, whatever and don't worry
about it because I am not a very sensitive Celiac.  But Celiacs who are not as
sensitive must be careful because damage might be going on and we don't know
it.  There just hasn't been enough research on this.  No one knows for sure
how it all works.  There's a balance in it all.


I think the thing to remember is that most Celiacs can tolerate a small amount
of gluten without a reaction so small amts in vanilla or natural flavorings
probably aren't a problem if they are eaten occasionally.  I would recommend
if it's something that is eaten very frequently, then it should be checked
more carefully.


I too, do not seem to be extremely sensitive, and perhaps for the same reason.
I went back to vinegar 6 mos. after diagnosis because eliminating that was
worse than wheat!
I believe there may be something to the theory that total elimination leads to
increased sensitivity.


If I accidently ingest traces of gluten, I do not show any symptoms.
However, I have been told by many people that the long term effect should
permanently damage your intestines to the point that a gluten free diet
will not help.  I was told this by the doctor that diagnosed me a few years
ago, by the dietician who helped me get aquainted to the gluten free diet,
and by several people who also have Celiac Disease.  Also, this is noted on
the web page of the Canadian Celiac Association.  If I were you I would not
take the risk, not with your child. I have been diagnoised for over 15
years and and been on a gluten free diet.    I still, after all that time,
do not react strongly if I accidently ingest a trace.


I am like you. I was declared celiac sprue about 5 yrs ago, once I went on a
GF diet, I immediatly became better and put on weight. I too eat out and just
watch what I eat without worry of the hidden glutens. Meaning--I don't eat
bread, breaded foods etc...


I don't seem to be all that sensitive, either.  I eat fish and extra
vegetables or potatoes and extra vegetables.  I rarely eat dessert unless
you count flavored espresso and I guess that's pretty rich, even made with
soy milk!