Gluten-Free Bread Causing Reaction?

[Jasmina]

Hello! I've been gluten-free since a diagnosis about a month ago, and I'm starting to notice that eating gluten-free breads at lunch is making my mouth burn. I don't really see anything getting puffy or red, but my gums and throat start feeling a hot sensation when I specifically eat the bread. Unless I'm missing something, Google hasn't been much help. Does anyone know why this could be?

[trents]

Welcome to the forum, Jasmina!

It sounds like to me you are having an allergic reaction to some ingredient in the gluten-free bread. Can you post back with the ingredient list?

[Jasmina]

12 minutes ago, trents said:

Welcome to the forum, Jasmina!

It sounds like to me you are having an allergic reaction to some ingredient in the gluten-free bread. Can you post back with the ingredient list?

Thank you! I've tried three different ones so far, and have had a reaction to all 3. Here are the ingredients for each of them:

• Water, Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Tapioca Syrup, Whole Grain Sorghum Flour, Xanthan Gum, Contains 2% or less of Each of The Following: Whole Eggs, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt, Cultured Rice Flour, Calcium Propionate (Mold Inhibitor), Fully Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Monoglycerides, Yeast, Enzymes

 

• Water, Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Tapioca Syrup, Whole Grain Sorghum Flour, Xanthan Gum, Whole Grain Millet Seeds, Contains 2% or less of Each of The Following: Whole Eggs, Whole Grain Millet Flour, Whole Grain Amaranth Seeds, Whole Grain Teff Seeds, Red Quinoa Seeds, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Molasses, Salt, Cultured Rice Flour, Calcium Propionate (Mold Inhibitor), Fully Hydrogenated Palm Oil, Monoglycerides, Yeast, Enzymes

 

• Water, Brown Rice Flour, Tapioca Flour, Whole Grain Sorghum Flour, Organic Agave Syrup, Cane Sugar, Whole Grain Millet, Cultured Brown Rice Flour, Eggs, Xanthan Gum, Contains 2% or Less of Each of the Following: Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Whole Grain Tiff, Yeast, Egg Whites, Whole Grain Quinoa, Molasses, Whole Grain Amaranth, Sea Salt, Organic Cane Sugar Vinegar, Whole Grain Buckwheat Flour, Enzymes

[trents]

Many of the same ingredients are in all three. If I were you I would compile a list of all the ingredients that all of them have in common.

Having said that, my best guess would be that xanthan gum is the problem. Many celiacs do not tolerate this well but usually it generates GI issues. I also wonder what those "enzymes" are.

[Jasmina]

19 minutes ago, trents said:

Many of the same ingredients are in all three. If I were you I would compile a list of all the ingredients that all of them have in common.

Having said that, my best guess would be that xanthan gum is the problem. Many celiacs do not tolerate this well but usually it generates GI issues. I also wonder what those "enzymes" are.

Okay, I'll do that! It's a bit confusing because I feel like I haven't had reactions to other foods I've been eating, but maybe I just haven't been noticing from eating smaller amounts or something. I'll keep the xanthan gum in mind too. Thank you so much!

[trents]

In my own experience, I find there are some foods that I can eat occasionally and in smaller amounts without issues but if I eat them every day they cause me issues such as sinus/nasal congestion and migraines/headaches. Peanuts and some tree nuts are like that for me. Walnuts and pecans can make my throat scratchy right away sometimes but not others. What I am saying is that some food allergens have a threshold in amount or frequency of consumption that if you cross you will get a reaction but if you stay short of the threshold you may be fine. I note that the symptoms you described manifested themselves only after you had been consuming these bread products for days in a row.

[knitty kitty]

@Jasmina,

Welcome to the forum!

Sorry you seem to be having problems with gluten free breads.

Your symptoms seem to indicate an allergic like reaction.  

Tapioca starch is made from cassava.  Some people have a latex food allergy.  They react to banana, avocado and cassava among other foods because of the similarity to latex (rubber).  

Sulfite sensitivity is another possibility.  Tapioca flour and starch are processed with sulfite to keep the flour from discoloration.  Other flours made from gluten free alternative grains are processed using sulfite, too.  Molybdenum, a trace mineral, is needed to process sulfites in our bodies.  

Yeasts can cause problems in some people.  

And, be aware that gluten free facsimile foods are NOT required by law to be enriched with vitamins and minerals lost in processing like gluten containing grains.  

Our bodies need certain vitamins and minerals to digest carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.  Consuming a diet high in carbohydrates without sufficient vitamins to turn them into usable energy for the body can be problematic.  Discuss with your doctor the benefits of supplementing with the eight essential B vitamins, Vitamin C, D, and minerals like magnesium while you are healing.

Here's an informative article...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8533683/

Hope this helps!

[Lorraine Russo]

10 hours ago, Jasmina said:

Hello! I've been gluten-free since a diagnosis about a month ago, and I'm starting to notice that eating gluten-free breads at lunch is making my mouth burn. I don't really see anything getting puffy or red, but my gums and throat start feeling a hot sensation when I specifically eat the bread. Unless I'm missing something, Google hasn't been much help. Does anyone know why this could be?

I’m wondering if your issue is with the sorghum flour because it’s in all three of the bread ingredient lists. I know it is a problem for me. The only bread I use (and I swear by it) are Joan’s English muffins. They are truly tasty but they are expensive. They can be purchased at Whole Foods or online at healthysensationsgf.com. The ingredients for the MULTIGRAIN muffins are: water, rice flour, corn starch, tapioca starch, amaranth, canola oil, sugar, baking powder, ground flax, buckwheat flour, salt, yeast (yeast, sorbitol monostearate, ascorbic acid), xanthan gum. I’d love to know if these actually work for you.

[Anikke]

On 9/11/2022 at 3:41 AM, trents said:

my best guess would be that xanthan gum is the problem. 

I have a problem with xanthan and other gums. If you do think it is this, then you should be aware that xanthan gum is in a lot of things, even toothpastes. i also watch out for gellan gum, guar gum, Gum arabica and another which I have forgotten at the moment. 

 

[Scott Adams]

Good point, we did an article on this a long time ago:

 

[DebJ14]

On 9/10/2022 at 9:16 PM, trents said:

Welcome to the forum, Jasmina!

It sounds like to me you are having an allergic reaction to some ingredient in the gluten-free bread. Can you post back with the ingredient list?

It could be the yeast.  My allergy testing came back off the charts positive for both brewers and bakers yeast.  Once I went to a yeast free gluten-free bread, my problems stopped.  I think yeast, like dairy, is another thing that lots of those who cannot eat gluten have issues with.

[SadFace]

I can’t eat any gluten free bread without getting stomach pain the next day. Canyon House especially, I reacted to gluten free Oreos I’m not sure if these “gluten free” foods are truly safe for us Celiac and are more geared towards people with a slight intolerance? I never had a burning mouth from it-it sounds like an allergy my mouth really hurts when I eat tree nuts and my lip swells. 

[trents]

Probably some other ingredient besides gluten common to the bread and the gluten-free Oreos. Xanthan gum is a common tummy upsetter found in many gluten-free processed foods. But it could be anything.

Edited November 25, 2022 by trents

[Xela]

I had same problem and had to exclude xanthan gum. It is in nearly everything from gluten free, tinned goods, toothpaste etc. You will have to check every label. I won't have any gums now, because it hurts and takes a couple of days to settle down. 

[gurgi]

I have an issue with some gluten free bread. When I eat bread that has a lot of powder on the top of it (warburtons wraps and m and s soft rolls), my lips immediately become inflamed and sore, then they become red and cracked and sore. Can anyone help me. I am struggling to work out what it is that is causing this.

[plumbago]

@gurgi I would look at the ingredients and go through that list to see if an allergic reaction is possible.

Regarding m and s soft rolls: I did a search on the ingredients of the gluten free version. It has added B vitamins (b2, b5, and b6). I also see that niacin (b3) was added. Sometimes when people take b3 or, really, too much of it, they get a flush.

Again, go through the ingredients, try to figure out what constitutes that powder on the tops of the breads, and see if it could be causing a reaction.

[gurgi]

My lips actually have an allergic reaction.  Apparently it's rice flour ontop of the bread, but I don't have a problem with rice. I can't have gluten

[plumbago]

Could it be something (some additive or other) they added to the rice flour to make it easier to work with or cook?

[gurgi]

I did wonder this, but can't find very much about it. I can just avoid gluten free bread that looks like it has powder on the top, but if it does that to my lips I am just worried if it's upsetting my tummy too.

[Wheatwacked]

There might be an anticlumping agent added to the rice flour.  I can't eat Snyders Gluten free pretzels at bedtime.  I wake two hours later and have to take an Alka-Seltzer.  By the way salicylic acid was vitamin B11 until some beaurocraft decided it isn't essential.

Wheat has an opiod effect that numbs the effect of other irritants.  On a gluten free diet you may be reacting to stuff you used to blame on gluten.