Please Tell Me It Isn't Rice!

[emcmaster]

I started the elimination diet last monday night and had a rough few days and then felt great. Yesterday, I had two small bowls of steamed white rice and felt great when I went to bed. This morning I woke up feeling like I'd been glutened, which I'm 99% sure I wasn't.

I *also* had 4 little Hormel turkey pepperoni slices yesterday, which say gluten-free on the label, but I've never had them before. Probably a bad idea to try something I'd never eaten before on the day I introduce rice.

I guess my question is whether those of you that have multiple intolerances have the same type of reaction to all of them or if they're different. How can you tell what it is you're reacting to?

[Ursa Major]

I find that rice gives me pretty much the same reaction as gluten. When I tested rice in January, I got a stomach ache that night, nothing dramatic. So, I thought I could eat it again. But the next morning I had all the symptoms of being glutened (joint pains, stomach and bowel cramps, diarrhea, gas, bloating, acid reflux, tearing eyes, rashes, fatigue................the list goes on).

So, I am afraid I won't be able to tell you it isn't rice, as it very much looks like it was the culprit.

In order to find out if the pepperoni slices were a problem, just eat some a few days from now, after you feel fine again. If you don't get a reaction to them, it will definitely have been the rice.

[emcmaster]

Thanks for the quick reply, Ursula.

I never noticed a problem with rice before. I ate it maybe 3 times a week and never had any of the symptoms I am having now. Do you think it was because I was eating it so frequently?

Thanks!

[eleep]

Thanks for the quick reply, Ursula.

I never noticed a problem with rice before. I ate it maybe 3 times a week and never had any of the symptoms I am having now. Do you think it was because I was eating it so frequently?

Thanks!

I actually think I may be reacting to rice as well -- hadn't really realized how often I was eating it because I "forgot" that my sandwich bread is rice-based. My reactions aren't too severe at all, but I have same "oh no, not rice" feeling that you do. So, it's sweet potatoes for dinner-starch tonight and lentils tomorrow night. Quinoa after that and I may finally get around to cooking some amaranth......

eleep

[jerseyangel]

Speaking of rice...

I've been off it for a couple months now. I had a bowl of Tinkayda Pasta w/ sauce tonight for dinner. I'm testing myself to see if I can maybe tolerate it once a week or so.

In the past, I've had a tendency to eat something, be ok with it, and then proceed to eat it every day.

If there's one thing I've learned about myself this year, it's I need to rotate my foods as much as possible--and to practice moderation!

I ate about 1 1/2 hours ago and feel fine so far--I'll post again tomorrow as to if I get any reaction.

It was so nice to have something other than meat and potatoes for dinner

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I'd actually be far more suspicious of the turkey pepperoni. I've noticed that turkey ham and turkey bacon contain quite a lot of artificial ingredients, as well as sodium nitrite (which always gave me skin reactions, several decades before I ever reacted to gluten!) and other preservatives. Also, pepperoni is usually quite spicy, which, if your tummy has been dealing with gluten reactions, is probably not a good idea, as spicy foods can irritate the lining of the stomach.

Are you washing the starch off your rice before you cook it? (Usually a good idea, even if you are not celiac!)

[Rachel--24]

I started the elimination diet last monday night and had a rough few days and then felt great. Yesterday, I had two small bowls of steamed white rice and felt great when I went to bed. This morning I woke up feeling like I'd been glutened, which I'm 99% sure I wasn't.

I *also* had 4 little Hormel turkey pepperoni slices yesterday, which say gluten-free on the label, but I've never had them before. Probably a bad idea to try something I'd never eaten before on the day I introduce rice.

I guess my question is whether those of you that have multiple intolerances have the same type of reaction to all of them or if they're different. How can you tell what it is you're reacting to?

My guess is that your reaction came from the pepperoni slices rather than the rice. I'm only saying this because the pepperoni slices would have alot of natural and added chemicals in them and the rice is just rice. As far as multiple intolerances go I'm kind of a believer in that alot of these cases its chemicals we react to and not so much the actual food we're eating.

The best way to figure it out is wait till you feel better and then eat the rice by itself...with nothing else new added into your diet. If nothing happens after a day or two try the pepperoni slices and see what happens.

If you react to the pepperoni slices I wouldnt think its an intolerance to turkey or to pepperoni....more likely it would be something *in* the pepperoni slices that is the culprit.

This is just what I've learned from my own experience and of course everyone is different but just wanted to share some of what I've learned.

Also....if you're not already doing this...keep a food diary. Very important and it will come in handy later on.

To answer your question...its very hard to tell what you're reacting to...especially since most of the time reactions are delayed. This is why a food diary is important. My reactions arent the same every time....it probably depends on alot of different factors but my tolerance for certain foods goes up and down. Are there any foods that you know for sure are causing problems?

[emcmaster]

Thanks for all the replies!!!

Rachel, I know for sure that I have a dairy intolerance and a fat intolerance (I have to be careful how much I have).

I started keeping a food diary last weekend and from what I can tell, the pepperoni and rice were the only "new" things added to my diet on Monday. I can't believe I didn't think about it being a problem to try the pepperoni!

I haven't been washing the starch off my rice - I didn't realize that was something you were supposed to do?

[Rachel--24]

I haven't been washing the starch off my rice - I didn't realize that was something you were supposed to do?

If you're sensitive to cornstarch you should rinse the rice well to get the coating off.

[Natlay]

If you're sensitive to cornstarch you should rinse the rice well to get the coating off.

There's cornstarch on rice!? Do most brands have that? That would explain a few things