Udi's Gluten Free frozen pizza reaction

[rockstarkate]

I was wondering if anyone else has had a reaction to Udi's gluten-free Pizza or other Udi's products.

I tried their pizza twice, this one:

http://www.glutenfreemall.com/catalog/udis-glutenfree-three-cheese-pizza-frozen-unit-p-2489.html

And I've had a particular reaction I have to gluten- racing heart/heart beating too hard/general feelings of anxiety- right after eating it that lasts for about two hours. I don't see anything else on the ingredient list I've had a problem with so I am wondering if the <20 ppm testing simply doesn't cut it for me? I'm a relatively new diagnosed person, about 6 months. I do cook most of my food from scratch and haven't had much trouble. Have avoided eating out for the most part. And this is the only food I have had a reaction to lately. Kind of stinks because it tasted great! 

Just curious if anyone else noticed anything after eating this pizza. Oh, and I cooked it in my oven, which I use for cooking all my food so I don't think it's that. I use a cookie sheet and parchment paper just to be on the safe side.

[cyclinglady]

I have garlic and xantham gum intolerances.  So, Udi's pizza is out and bread.......  I have had them, but they do not agree with me -- it is not a gluten thing.    My gluten-free hubby is never bothered by them.   i keep a few in the freezer for special treats!  The Udi lasagne is pretty good and great when we are on the road.  I eat it when I am willing to feel icky for a few hours or a day.  

[kareng]

I have had it with no issues except I don't really like it.  I had to add cheese!  But I would get them in a pinch - like travelling.

[Not fussy just celiac]

I have had symptoms. The bloated, heaviness, indigestion and fatigue and with the other issues. It could be the other ingredients too. If every ingredient is not obtained from a completely trust worthy source it could be anything. I find there is so much contamination it is shocking. It's in artificial coloring and so on. Oils can come from factories that also create oils from wheat germ. It is a difficult thing to assure in today's food industry. 

[cyclinglady]

3 hours ago, Not fussy just celiac said:

I have had symptoms. The bloated, heaviness, indigestion and fatigue and with the other issues. It could be the other ingredients too. If every ingredient is not obtained from a completely trust worthy source it could be anything. I find there is so much contamination it is shocking. It's in artificial coloring and so on. Oils can come from factories that also create oils from wheat germ. It is a difficult thing to assure in today's food industry. 

I am not inferring that you did not have symptoms.  I am letting you know, that when I was a newbie, I thought I was getting glutened.  It turned out that my symptoms were from Xanthan Gum and not gluten.   I never consumed gluten free products before my diagnosis.    Xanthan  gum still bothers me.  Never bothers my hubby who has been gluten-free for 14 years.   I switched to guar gum when I bake (rarely now since I am diabetic).  

I can tell you that I had chili last night.  Green chilis, like garlic, get me every time, but I added them anyway.  Made my own beans from scratch and the spices were certified gluten-free.   But my family loves my chili.  So, today I have acid reflux, did not sleep well,. Ab pain, gurgling, fatigue .......and my body is trying to get rid of those chilis (need I say more?).  The rest of the family are fine as usual.  I plan on avoiding my chili for a while.   At least I can recover fast compared to a glutening.  That has set me back three months based on follow-antibodies tests.  All my recovered intolerances came back during those three months.  I dropped 10 pounds fast and it hurt to eat anything -- even stewed foods.  

I do think that many celiacs eat just as much junk food as non-celiacs and in a perfect world we should all work towards consuming whole foods.  Problem is processed food is cheap and convenient.  Not everyone has the luxury of coking three squares a day!  

I hope you can figure it out.  

[Not fussy just celiac]

I am not a newby. The food industry plays fast and loose with the regs. I know this because my friend ran this Dept of the FDA until a short time ago. When he first got there he was the one who caused, for a period of time, the canned food to mostly say for example; corn salt and water. He got all the additives and contaminants out. George had Celiac, he knew the consequences.  He eventually lost the fight with corporate food.  Now it says whatever the food is and 10 chemicals again. The FDA just changed the content requirements for Gluten free labeled foods to 20ppm. That would be for each component. FYI the FDA does not get involved in enforcement procedures until 6 people die. That is die, not complain. It takes years for us to die from contamination. Now the food industry has apparently decided it's worth the extra cost of making new packaging to try to grab a chunk of this market.  

I am saying you and I are a bottom line. I was excited about so many more choices on the market but it is a certainty that safety is now being compromised. 

Your intestinal distress is likely related to several items in your chili. Depending on the level of damage to your villi and or your level of compliance it is likely the high fiber content and chemical nature of beans(legumes) that cause the to be hard to digest caused the initial challenge. Then Many celiacs find spiced food a challenge if they have a lot of preexisting damage. Tamotoes also have high levels if acid. Chili presents a challenge on so many levels. Gluten cross contaminates so much of the food industry.  It is easy to be exposed to small amounts of gluten that you are unaware of. Then you eat challenging food and the symptoms of indigestion appear with challenging food. The inflammation makes many things a challenge there after.   This is an area of medicine that is relatively new. It been around awhile but off the radar. It takes so long for us to die and the complications are usually labeled something else. I was diagnosed with a half a dozen different things though in the end I think it was obvious. I had all the most severe diseases and complications related to Celiac except Addisson's. 

In the end if you have a severe complication the medical profession will say you were non-compliant, not that you trusted the FDA and food corporations.

Don't trust Gluten free labeling in general.  It's a business. Also,  There has been a backlash as well because people think we are food fadders. I rarely go to restaurants.

It's not a food fad when you are losing organs and miscarrying babies and dealing with lifelong rashes. I cut out gluten and it all stopped. But most of the damage was done by then. The diagnoses was a formality. 

I am not a big consumer on baked bread type items. It represents a risk. Even rice should be washed because it can be carted to the packaging and processing plants in the same trucks that carry wheat or wheat products. Foreign supply sources for ingredients included represent a huge risk.  The reason the FDA raised the allowable levels is that so much is coming from outside the US. But again no one is really checking. It is self monitoring until there is an issue.  

The Udi's pizza crust is the only Udi's product I have had a issue with. So I question the source of an ingredient. It could be incidental. A one or two off thing. For me the consequences are so severe I take note. 

 

[kareng]

2 hours ago, Not fussy just celiac said:

I am not a newby. The food industry plays fast and loose with the regs. I know this because my friend ran this Dept of the FDA until a short time ago. When he first got there he was the one who caused, for a period of time, the canned food to mostly say for example; corn salt and water. He got all the additives and contaminants out. George had Celiac, he knew the consequences.  He eventually lost the fight with corporate food.  Now it says whatever the food is and 10 chemicals again. The FDA just changed the content requirements for Gluten free labeled foods to 20ppm. That would be for each component. FYI the FDA does not get involved in enforcement procedures until 6 people die. That is die, not complain. It takes years for us to die from contamination. Now the food industry has apparently decided it's worth the extra cost of making new packaging to try to grab a chunk of this market.  

I am saying you and I are a bottom line. I was excited about so many more choices on the market but it is a certainty that safety is now being compromised. 

Your intestinal distress is likely related to several items in your chili. Depending on the level of damage to your villi and or your level of compliance it is likely the high fiber content and chemical nature of beans(legumes) that cause the to be hard to digest caused the initial challenge. Then Many celiacs find spiced food a challenge if they have a lot of preexisting damage. Tamotoes also have high levels if acid. Chili presents a challenge on so many levels. Gluten cross contaminates so much of the food industry.  It is easy to be exposed to small amounts of gluten that you are unaware of. Then you eat challenging food and the symptoms of indigestion appear with challenging food. The inflammation makes many things a challenge there after.   This is an area of medicine that is relatively new. It been around awhile but off the radar. It takes so long for us to die and the complications are usually labeled something else. I was diagnosed with a half a dozen different things though in the end I think it was obvious. I had all the most severe diseases and complications related to Celiac except Addisson's. 

In the end if you have a severe complication the medical profession will say you were non-compliant, not that you trusted the FDA and food corporations.

Don't trust Gluten free labeling in general.  It's a business. Also,  There has been a backlash as well because people think we are food fadders. I rarely go to restaurants.

It's not a food fad when you are losing organs and miscarrying babies and dealing with lifelong rashes. I cut out gluten and it all stopped. But most of the damage was done by then. The diagnoses was a formality. 

I am not a big consumer on baked bread type items. It represents a risk. Even rice should be washed because it can be carted to the packaging and processing plants in the same trucks that carry wheat or wheat products. Foreign supply sources for ingredients included represent a huge risk.  The reason the FDA raised the allowable levels is that so much is coming from outside the US. But again no one is really checking. It is self monitoring until there is an issue.  

The Udi's pizza crust is the only Udi's product I have had a issue with. So I question the source of an ingredient. It could be incidental. A one or two off thing. For me the consequences are so severe I take note. 

 

Wow...I don't even know where to start....  I guess I will just say that - for those of you reading this comment, don't let one angry person be your source of info.

 

 

The understanding of the gluten-free law is a bit off.  First, it wasn't "changed" -  we never had one before. The FDA has been investigating complaints on gluten-free foods.  However, the gluten-free law, in the US, doesn't give them the power or the funding to test every item labelled "gluten-free".

 

I don't understand the comment about canned food.  I believe the labelling laws require them to label chemicals they add to the food.  So, if they were to add chemicals, they should label them.  I still see ingredients like "corn, salt"  sometimes an acid to help preserve color. 

 

Looks like the head of the FDA, for 6 years, ending in 2015, was Dr. Margaret Hamburg.

 

Edited March 12, 2016 by kareng

[rockstarkate]

I hardly eat any junk... leaning toward none soon! Luckily I don't care for any of the gluten-free breads I've tried, but I did like the idea of being able to have a frozen pizza, since I can never get delivery like everyone else.

I do think there is gluten in that "gluten free" pizza. That's my "gut feeling" HA! It is such a specific feeling for me. I've been sensitive to other things, but that's different. I do have problems with spicy foods now- hurts my stomach. But it's not the same as how I feel when I eat gluten, with the "panic attack" feeling. 

I also posted this question on FB and a couple of other people said they had the same reaction to the same product. 

No more Udi's for me.

[rockstarkate]

I don't trust any of the labeling, honestly. Was just hoping to be able to not cook every single thing! I don't eat out except one restaurant I found where it's completely gluten-free environment.

Well, I guess one upside is I've lost 20 lb (I needed to lose) since I was diagnosed! LOL

[Gemini]

On 3/11/2016 at 8:13 AM, kareng said:

Wow...I don't even know where to start....  I guess I will just say that - for those of you reading this comment, don't let one angry person be your source of info.

 

 

The understanding of the gluten-free law is a bit off.  First, it wasn't "changed" -  we never had one before. The FDA has been investigating complaints on gluten-free foods.  However, the gluten-free law, in the US, doesn't give them the power or the funding to test every item labelled "gluten-free".

 

I don't understand the comment about canned food.  I believe the labelling laws require them to label chemicals they add to the food.  So, if they were to add chemicals, they should label them.  I still see ingredients like "corn, salt"  sometimes an acid to help preserve color. 

 

Looks like the head of the FDA, for 6 years, ending in 2015, was Dr. Margaret Hamburg.

 

You took the words right out of my mouth, kareng!  Geezaloo........why do some people become so food afraid?  Sometimes the internet isn't such a good thing because there are too many people with fear who post untrue statements about food suppliers and think there is gluten in everything.  There isn't.

If you learn how to correctly read labels, and this does have a learning curve depending on how much food knowledge you have, you can trust food labeling to keep you gluten free and healthy. Most people, including those without Celiac, should eat more whole foods but it doesn't hurt to pass some junk food through your system if you have a craving.  There is no need to completely avoid processed foods, unless you have multiple food intolerances......which may make eating them difficult.  Many Celiac's will be additionally sensitive to certain additives or food ingredients, which you will learn over time.  You may get that back or maybe not....only time will tell.  I still have to eat dairy lite, after 11 years gluten free.  I went my whole adult life with severe symptoms, until I figured it out and requested testing.  That was at age 46 so there was a lot of damage. However, I am fine and live a completely gluten free and healthy life.....without fear.

Udi's is a safe company...one of the best.  I am extremely sensitive and eat their breads without issue at all but I am healed.  I eat a lot of bread now because I need to gain some weight.  Lots of protein and more bread. I feel great. If you walk around with fear about everything you eat, that creates stress and that directly affects your gut. And yes, then it becomes a problem for you.  Live with the expectation you will heal well, over time, and stop worrying about it.  If food were that contaminated, we would never heal and probably would have the expectation that we are going to die.  I choose not to be so negative and no, I am far from dying! BTW...I am also challenged with 4 AI diseases in total and I refuse to let that get in my way. It can be a struggle once in a while but not all the time! 

[rockstarkate]

Ok, but I had an obvious reaction to it! So how does that mean "food afraid"?? I liked it and it was delicious and I'm sad I'm not going to eat it again.  
Why so dismissive? This forum isn't turning out to be as helpful as I thought it might be. Kind of disappointed at the bickering.

ETA: Of all the places, I thought for sure nobody here would be dismissive of reactions to various foods. "Stop worrying about it" isn't really very helpful advice if eating gluten makes me feel bad for days. I thought you all would understand. 

[Newly Diagnosed]

I am new to the forum and using it to learn about what to avoid and what is okay.  It is very overwhelming and I do think that I can be "food afraid" which is probably a good thing especially since I am not clear on what my symptoms even are if I have had gluten because I didn't feel bad before diagnosis.  I know that I was glutened a few days ago and have been suffering from heartburn ever since so that may be it for me.  It does seem that there is a wide range of reactions to gluten and tolerances and the labeling is very confusing to me.  I have not had any Udi pizza but I would rather be food afraid and avoid it if it is giving you symptoms.  There is so much conflicting information out there and it can be so frustrating! 

[rockstarkate]

Yeah, I feel pretty frustrated because the few times I have definitely reacted it has been to things that should be gluten free. On the other hand, there are some brands that seem to be fine for me. Amy's is a godsend
I don't think I'm afraid, I just want to do the best I can to avoid gluten because I don't want to suffer the short or long term consequences. Before getting diagnosed and going gluten free, I could not figure out why I was just so exhausted all the time. My doctor thought I was depressed, but I couldn't understand it because I felt happy! Just so much fatigue. I don't want to go back to feeling the way I did. And my reaction is honestly pretty scary- the heart racing feeling. I do not like it! It is not worth a pizza. If that means I'm "afraid" okay fine.

[Gemini]

I am not being dismissive and I never said that I did not believe you had a reaction. You are so new to the diet and when it's early in the healing process, this will happen.  It happened to me in the early days but I did not assume I was glutened every time a food did not agree with me.  Sometimes you never figure it out. What you do is pick up and move on and then try again down the road, when you are further into the healing process.  Many times people can tolerate things well down the road.  And yes....do not dwell on it.  As I said once, this is very normal in the life of a Celiac when first diagnosed and as time moves on, it happens less and less. I think you may be overly sensitive but that also can be a sign that you need way more healing time.  It affects your nervous system also.

I also did not specifically name you as being afraid.....it was more of a general statement regarding the post from the person who clearly has anger and fear because they stated they do not trust any food labeling and went on to say that baked bread items are not safe and that rice is not safe so you should wash it.  The post was full of inaccurate statements and fear. I have seen this a lot over the past 11 years and it does not help people to learn how to eat safely...it instills fear. That is the last thing people need.  I would suggest to the newly diagnosed that you really need to buy a book on Celiac to learn how the disease process works and how to live safely and well as a Celiac.  Some suggestions.......

https://www.harpercollins.com/9780061728167/celiac-disease-revised-and-updated-edition   This one is excellent and really teaches people how the disease process works....which is crucial to understanding how to eat.

http://www.deletethewheat.com/BookTraining.html  This one teaches you how to live well with Celiac Disease.

Whatever books you pick, make sure they are written by Celiac experts and not celebrities.

[notme]

14 minutes ago, rockstarkate said:

Yeah, I feel pretty frustrated because the few times I have definitely reacted it has been to things that should be gluten free. On the other hand, there are some brands that seem to be fine for me. Amy's is a godsend
I don't think I'm afraid, I just want to do the best I can to avoid gluten because I don't want to suffer the short or long term consequences. Before getting diagnosed and going gluten free, I could not figure out why I was just so exhausted all the time. My doctor thought I was depressed, but I couldn't understand it because I felt happy! Just so much fatigue. I don't want to go back to feeling the way I did. And my reaction is honestly pretty scary- the heart racing feeling. I do not like it! It is not worth a pizza. If that means I'm "afraid" okay fine.

most packaged frozen pizzas don't 'like' me - i ate the freschetta brand (gluten-free) and it felt like i was digesting broken glass - not fun!  the against the grain brand is one i can manage.  idk why.  i still have a little residual sensitivity to soy (but not all the time?  lolz stupid body) and i try to stick with the brands that have the least amounts of ingredients (why would you put xanthan gum in sour cream....?!!)   i expect that because i went so long being undiagnosed/misdiagnosed, i may still be healing, even at almost 6 years strictly gluten free.   so, who knows the reason some things don't agree with my finicky guts, but i can say with a certain amount of certainty that it isn't from gluten in products labelled as gluten free.  so, there's going to be a little bit of a shove back to somebody who tells me all packaged foods are labelled to fool the general public.   someone anonymously spreading fear among people who are already overtly cautious about what we eat (and rightfully so! ) isn't something that we would like to leave up here unchallenged.  for the future newbies

when i was first diagnosed, i thought there was gluten in *everything* - i was so paranoid (my poor husband "GET YOUR BEER AWAY FROM MY CELL PHONE!!!!"  <as if i go around licking my phone lolz)  but everybody finds their 'groove' - takes a little time, but everybody gets there.   a healthy fear in the beginning, until you get your 'gluten-free legs' isn't necessarily a bad thing   i had the hardest time quitting licking my fingers that i had to start wearing food prep gloves when handling gluteny foods until i could break myself of the habit    

it's also funny that you can eat amy's stuff - that's my paranoid company because it says it's manufactured in a shared facility lolz, so, it just goes to show ya, to each their own!   

[rockstarkate]

Well, I won't be eating this particular product again, that's for sure. So I guess it really doesn't matter what anyone else thinks about it. I was really just curious if anyone else had a reaction to it.

[cyclinglady]

It is a steep learning curve when it comes to healing from celiac disease.   Not only must we worry about gluten, but we each may have different intolerances or other illnesses.  

May I recommend the Gluten Free Watch Dog?   I pay $5 per month to get product information (gluten-free) on various products.  It is like being a member of Consumer Reports (I do) which, like the Gluten Free Watch Dog, is run independently from manufacturers and tests products.    Trisha takes requests all the time.  She does not have the resources to test everything, but it helps!  

The Udi certified gluten free products she has tested have been gluten free.   Even the Girl Scout gluten-free cookies have been tested to be gluten free!  (I support Girl Scouts.). 

Edited March 16, 2016 by cyclinglady

[Irene Joanne]

7 hours ago, notme! said:

most packaged frozen pizzas don't 'like' me - i ate the freschetta brand (gluten-free) and it felt like i was digesting broken glass - not fun!  the against the grain brand is one i can manage.  idk why.  i still have a little residual sensitivity to soy (but not all the time?  lolz stupid body) and i try to stick with the brands that have the least amounts of ingredients (why would you put xanthan gum in sour cream....?!!)   i expect that because i went so long being undiagnosed/misdiagnosed, i may still be healing, even at almost 6 years strictly gluten free.   so, who knows the reason some things don't agree with my finicky guts, but i can say with a certain amount of certainty that it isn't from gluten in products labelled as gluten free.  so, there's going to be a little bit of a shove back to somebody who tells me all packaged foods are labelled to fool the general public.   someone anonymously spreading fear among people who are already overtly cautious about what we eat (and rightfully so! ) isn't something that we would like to leave up here unchallenged.  for the future newbies

when i was first diagnosed, i thought there was gluten in *everything* - i was so paranoid (my poor husband "GET YOUR BEER AWAY FROM MY CELL PHONE!!!!"  <as if i go around licking my phone lolz)  but everybody finds their 'groove' - takes a little time, but everybody gets there.   a healthy fear in the beginning, until you get your 'gluten-free legs' isn't necessarily a bad thing   i had the hardest time quitting licking my fingers that i had to start wearing food prep gloves when handling gluteny foods until i could break myself of the habit    

it's also funny that you can eat amy's stuff - that's my paranoid company because it says it's manufactured in a shared facility lolz, so, it just goes to show ya, to each their own!   

I did that today- freaked out a little because my husband was drinking beer while we were eating supper. It makes me feel a bit panicky when people eat gluten around me. The gloves is a great idea- I might try that too. 

[Gemini]

13 hours ago, Irene Joanne said:

I did that today- freaked out a little because my husband was drinking beer while we were eating supper. It makes me feel a bit panicky when people eat gluten around me. The gloves is a great idea- I might try that too. 

The only time I have ever come across a time when I had to do a teaching moment to those eating gluten at the same table with me is when rolls are being served, or crusty bread, and they do that thing where they TEAR it apart, as you do, and the crumbs go flying everywhere.  That is cause for concern because you know the crumbs will land on the Celiac's plate..........

[notme]

or the time i amazed everyone with my ability to leap across the kitchen, screaming:  "NOT THAT SPOON!!  NOOOOOO!!"  like i'm taking a bullet for a loved one LOLOLZ

[Irene Joanne]

6 hours ago, Gemini said:

The only time I have ever come across a time when I had to do a teaching moment to those eating gluten at the same table with me is when rolls are being served, or crusty bread, and they do that thing where they TEAR it apart, as you do, and the crumbs go flying everywhere.  That is cause for concern because you know the crumbs will land on the Celiac's plate..........

Good point!

[Irene Joanne]

7 minutes ago, notme! said:

or the time i amazed everyone with my ability to leap across the kitchen, screaming:  "NOT THAT SPOON!!  NOOOOOO!!"  like i'm taking a bullet for a loved one LOLOLZ

Oh funny! Since going gluten free- my moods have gotten much better- I am finding a sense of humour very valuable! 

[Gemini]

On March 17, 2016 at 6:03 PM, Irene Joanne said:

Oh funny! Since going gluten free- my moods have gotten much better- I am finding a sense of humour very valuable! 

Notme has the best sense of humor ever!  You have to with this disease or you'll go crazy.  I can just picture her doing that too.  Ha, Ha!

[chocominties]

Personally, I just don't like the Udi's frozen pizzas.  Every time I've bought them, they end up burned on the edges and raw in the middle.  I was never able to find the magic combination of temperature and cooking time, so I gave up.

But they've never given me a reaction.  (Gluten makes my intestines bleed, so you can bet that I would never touch a gluten-free frozen pizza again if it gave me any hint of a reaction.)  

And I will say that no gluten free frozen pizza, including Amy's, Freschetta, CPK, Against the Grain, Sonoma, and whatever that brand is that I ate yesterday, has ever made me sick beyond heartburn from the tomato sauce and eating too much pizza.  

[JoyVale]

On 3/11/2016 at 1:27 PM, rockstarkate said:

I was wondering if anyone else has had a reaction to Udi's gluten-free Pizza or other Udi's products.

I tried their pizza twice, this one:

http://www.glutenfreemall.com/catalog/udis-glutenfree-three-cheese-pizza-frozen-unit-p-2489.html

And I've had a particular reaction I have to gluten- racing heart/heart beating too hard/general feelings of anxiety- right after eating it that lasts for about two hours. I don't see anything else on the ingredient list I've had a problem with so I am wondering if the <20 ppm testing simply doesn't cut it for me? I'm a relatively new diagnosed person, about 6 months. I do cook most of my food from scratch and haven't had much trouble. Have avoided eating out for the most part. And this is the only food I have had a reaction to lately. Kind of stinks because it tasted great! 

Just curious if anyone else noticed anything after eating this pizza. Oh, and I cooked it in my oven, which I use for cooking all my food so I don't think it's that. I use a cookie sheet and parchment paper just to be on the safe side.

I'm so glad to see this. It made me sick for three days. Every time I ate it. Come to think of it, so did Udi's gluten-free pizza. Hmmm...