Let's discuss hidden gluten in every day products. I've been eating gluten free since January 13, 2014. Other than a few minor slip ups where I ingested gluten accidentally, I've done really well being vigilant with eating gluten free. The more I learned throughout the year about celiac the more foods I've been open to. Knowledge is power!
The frustration is the hidden gluten. One example from early in 2014 - I was hungry between work and home. We have a half hour commute and stopped to pick up some groceries on the way home. I bought a couple of meat sticks thinking that, surely they wouldn't have gluten, right?! In the car I ate a bite of the meat stick before deciding I really should look at the ingredients. I should mention that this was before I was in the habit of reading ALL ingredient labels on all products that I purchase. Sure enough - there was one of the dreaded phrases, "contains wheat". In a meat stick? Really?! I ended up with a few hives for two days afterward!
Another place I hadn't thought to check was my laundry soap and dryer sheets. One day this past Spring while doing laundry I noticed there were a few Bounce™ Dryer Sheets left in the box. I had thought they were causing me to break out in hives awhile back, before I found out about having celiac so I had discontinued using them. That weekend, feeling confident that I was doing so much better I decided to use them again. I didn't check the box for ingredients, but everything that I wore that was put through the dryer that weekend seemed to be making me break out in hives again. More than just the few that I'd had before when ingesting small amounts of gluten. I went to the website to see if there is gluten of any kind in their products, but had difficulty finding any information as to if it does or not. Meanwhile, I just have to adapt to what my body is telling me and stop using products that cause me to break out.
At times it feels so overwhelming because there is constantly something to be watching for, not just in what I eat or drink. There is just so much to learn. I've learned that even a tiny crumb of something with gluten can make my stomach feel like it's going to explode. That feeling on top of feeling bloated and making many not fun trips to the bathroom can last for many hours or even days! That is exhausting, too.
Make up and face moisturizers had to be thrown out because of gluten. I have been able to find gluten free make up and moisturizers, cleansers, etc. through various gluten free sites online. Amazon is the easiest place for me to find these products because they include a great many different brands of gluten free products!
So, the learning process continues as I removed things from my home that make me sick or gave me hives. It has been a challenge, but it has been a growing experience for both me and my husband as we've learned to live within the confines of my disease. Actually, once you've learned to live with it, it doesn't feel as constricting as it had in the beginning. In fact, the more I learn about Celiac Disease and living gluten free, the more freedom I have and the more control I have back over my life and health.
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