When you're diagnosed with celiac disease, your culinary options instantly dwindle to a world without wheat and all its related grains. Eventually, your options expand again as you learn about alternative grains, and you become confident at the grocery store -- until you start reacting to meat. Celiac disease is caused by a reaction to gluten, which is a protein only found in grains -- meat protein is different. But underlining the importance of label-reading, just because a food isn't made with gluten doesn't mean it's gluten-free and safe for your insides.
Additives
Additives are a big problem for celiac sufferers. Foods you would normally think are safe, such as condiments, salad dressings and sauces can contain fillers, preservatives and other ingredients that come from wheat. If you've been eating deli meats or prepackaged flavored meats, chances are that additives are causing your problem. These processed meats are frequently injected with broth that adds flavor and weight but may also contain gluten. Only buy processed meats that are labeled "gluten-free." When eating out, ask the chef if the meat is cut fresh or could possibly contain gluten.
Contamination
Even if a food doesn't contain gluten, it may still be contaminated if it's processed in a facility that also handles products that contain gluten. That contamination may be enough to trigger a reaction in people with symptomatic celiac disease. Read packages carefully -- allergen information is printed in bold type under the nutritional information panel -- and discard any meat product that says it was processed in a facility that processes wheat or any other gluten-containing grain. Buy meat fresh at your grocery store's meat counter instead of choosing prepackaged varieties. Fresh meat is cut on the premises, and the meat department is separate from the bakery, so the chance of gluten contamination is minimal, although sausage-type meats such as salami may have gluten ingredients in the filling.
Animal Feed
Gluten-free Internet forums are awash with people who claim to have had a reaction after eating grain-fed meat. According to consultant gastroenterologist Dr. Jason Tye-Din of the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia, this is impossible. When an animal digests its feed, the gluten is split into its constituent amino acids. These amino acids are later assembled into different proteins as needed by the animal's body. The animal's body has no reason to reassemble amino acids into gluten when other proteins are more suited for the work to be done, so even if the animal eats gluten, its muscles won't contain it. The reactions these people are experiencing is more likely the results of contamination or additives.
Meat Allergy
There is always a possibility that your reaction may have less to do with celiac disease and more to do with the meat itself. Although meat allergies generally develop during childhood, a certain form can also develop later in life. People have suffered anaphylactic shock after consuming meat, even if no previous allergy existed. University of Virginia professor of medicine Scott Cummins explained in a 2010 issue of the AARP bulletin that a tick bite can cause your body to produce antibodies that react to a certain sugar that's present on meat tissue, causing an allergic reaction. Reactions increase in severity with the serving size and can occur hours after ingestion and weeks or months after the initial tick bite. To add to the confusion, you may not experience a reaction every time you eat meat. If you have been exposed to ticks or are experiencing respiratory rather than digestive reactions to meat, consult your doctor about a possible allergy. You may be advised to carry an epi-pen.
Posted in: Diseases and Conditions