Gluten in Solaray products

[Guest guest]

You might all have been aware of this already; if so, sorry for the

rant. I decided today to start carefully checking all the many

supplements I take for gluten content, since I haven't been feeling

well lately despite going GF in 2001 when I was diagnosed with

celiac disease. I specifically look for " no gluten " on the label,

but I've been using a few Solaray products, trusting that their

label assurance: " Solaray guarantees that NO ingredients other than

those listed on this label have been added to this product. " For

some reason, it didn't dawn on me that this could mean they're using

ingredients from sources that might contain gluten somewhere back

along the line.

 

So today I called both Solaray's education and incident report lines

to see if they could tell me whether the particular products I take

contain gluten. The upshot is, after both reps talked around and

around in circles obviously not wanting to give me a straight

answer, is that they don't test their products for gluten. They said

they don't add gluten, and they don't buy gluten ingredients to make

their products, but since they choose not to test the ingredients

for gluten (although they do other ingredient testing), they can't

guarantee any of their products to be GF.

 

I tried to explain how their label assurance can be misleading, and

that many of their consumers probably have gluten sensitivity,

allergy, or celiac disease, so testing for gluten would not only be

a great service, but could also boost their sales as we usually seek

products that are labeled GF. I got one of those bland " I'll pass

your comments along; thanks for calling " replies. She also suggested

I write to the company's officers to express my concerns. Don't

know about you, but I buy lots of supplements, as do many celiacs,

since we often have trouble absorbing enough nutrients. I thought

Solaray, as a large, reputable company, would be more careful and

concerned than this. If anyone else is interested in writing to the

company, the website is nutraceutical.com, the address is on

the " contact us " page, and the officers' names and titles can be

seen by clicking on " investor relations " and then " management

profiles. "

 

I guess it's nothing new, but I'm so tired of these companies making

it hard for us to take care of ourselves (not to mention buy from

them) safely. Needless to say, I will not make the mistake of

purchasing their products again unless and until they are accurately

labeled.

 

Barrie

[Guest guest]

Sadly, a lot of times when you call a company to get answers, the people

answering the phones are clueless about gluten, what it is and what it means

to us! I've even been in stores where the people in charge don't even know

what gluten is or what products they carry! And don't even get me started on

the incompetence of restaurants! It is very frustrating when looking for

answers. With supplements as well, you have to watch out for gelatin

capsules.

Also, if if a food or supplement is gluten free and has been for years, you

still need to check the ingredients every time you buy it because companies

change ingredients for various reasons. It's very upsetting to when you

don't realize it until after you've opened it and taken a bite! I can

usually tell with the first bite of food if it has wheat/gluten in it. With

supplements it doesn't really occur to you until your up vomiting all night

long and trying to think of what's making you sick. It took me 3 months to

figure out it was the supplements making me sick! If it doesn't specifically

say gluten free on the label I avoid it. Juice for Live is a good supplement

because it has all the vitamins and minerals plus probiotics. If your

looking for individual herbs I would recommend checking at a whole foods or

other health store, as they tend to carry products that are GF.

Another thing to look out for when buying anything GF is the processing.

Many products are labeled GF but are produced in factories that also process

wheat. Many have dedicated machines/kitchens, but some do not, meaning that

even though no gluten products are in the ingredients, there's a good change

of gluten residue being in it. I've had a few products like this that I did

get sick on. Depending on how sensitive you are, just being in the vicinity

of a wheat/gluten product being cooked can make you sick. This is common

when first going on the GF diet because there is a period of

hypersensitivity while the body tries to balance itself out and rid itself

of toxins. For months my boyfriend couldn't even make toast in the house

because I'd vomit from the fumes. A lot of people I know with CF experienced

the same thing, and a few never overcame this hypersensitivity.

You brought up a good point about the supplements though. In and of

themselves, they may not contain any gluten, but they could be processed on

the same equipment, so you can try to find that out from the company. My

rule of thumb is that if in doubt, don't buy it!

Good luck finding what you need in GF!

 

Jae

 

On Fri, Jun 6, 2008 at 5:30 PM, b_animalwise <ahimsa4life

wrote:

 

> You might all have been aware of this already; if so, sorry for the

> rant. I decided today to start carefully checking all the many

> supplements I take for gluten content, since I haven't been feeling

> well lately despite going GF in 2001 when I was diagnosed with

> celiac disease. I specifically look for " no gluten " on the label,

> but I've been using a few Solaray products, trusting that their

> label assurance: " Solaray guarantees that NO ingredients other than

> those listed on this label have been added to this product. " For

> some reason, it didn't dawn on me that this could mean they're using

> ingredients from sources that might contain gluten somewhere back

> along the line.

>

> So today I called both Solaray's education and incident report lines

> to see if they could tell me whether the particular products I take

> contain gluten. The upshot is, after both reps talked around and

> around in circles obviously not wanting to give me a straight

> answer, is that they don't test their products for gluten. They said

> they don't add gluten, and they don't buy gluten ingredients to make

> their products, but since they choose not to test the ingredients

> for gluten (although they do other ingredient testing), they can't

> guarantee any of their products to be GF.

>

> I tried to explain how their label assurance can be misleading, and

> that many of their consumers probably have gluten sensitivity,

> allergy, or celiac disease, so testing for gluten would not only be

> a great service, but could also boost their sales as we usually seek

> products that are labeled GF. I got one of those bland " I'll pass

> your comments along; thanks for calling " replies. She also suggested

> I write to the company's officers to express my concerns. Don't

> know about you, but I buy lots of supplements, as do many celiacs,

> since we often have trouble absorbing enough nutrients. I thought

> Solaray, as a large, reputable company, would be more careful and

> concerned than this. If anyone else is interested in writing to the

> company, the website is nutraceutical.com, the address is on

> the " contact us " page, and the officers' names and titles can be

> seen by clicking on " investor relations " and then " management

> profiles. "

>

> I guess it's nothing new, but I'm so tired of these companies making

> it hard for us to take care of ourselves (not to mention buy from

> them) safely. Needless to say, I will not make the mistake of

> purchasing their products again unless and until they are accurately

> labeled.

>

> Barrie

>

>

>

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Barrie, you might have other sensitivies, in addition to gluten. I certainly

do, and I understand it's relatively common for people to be sensitive to more

than one thing.

 

Deborah

 

 

 

You might all have been aware of this already; if so, sorry for the

rant. I decided today to start carefully checking all the many

supplements I take for gluten content, since I haven't been feeling

well lately despite going GF in 2001 when I was diagnosed with

celiac disease.

.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Deborah, you are SO right. A list of all the foods I'm sensitive to

would be a very long one! For starters, every kind of tropical

fruit,

nuts, spices, dairy, tomatoes, chocolate, sugar, salt, vinegar,

citrus,

etc. Sometimes when I see GF recipes on this and other GF lists, I

can't believe other people can eat all that stuff without getting

sick

(although I'm happy for you)! I don't know that Solaray supplements

are

responsible for me feeling unwell lately, but since they don't test

for

gluten, I'm not buying them anymore, just to be on the safe side.

Actually, in the past few days since I've stopped taking them, I

feel

better. I just need to find a calcium citrate in capsule form (can't

digest the tablets) that is GF, in case anyone knows of one.

 

>

> Barrie, you might have other sensitivies, in addition to gluten.

I

certainly do, and I understand it's relatively common for people to

be

sensitive to more than one thing.

>

> Deborah

>

[Guest guest]

Do you or has anyone had success with a 4 day (or more) rotation diet?

 

--- On Tue, 10/6/08, b_animalwise & lt;ahimsa4life & gt; wrote:

b_animalwise & lt;ahimsa4life & gt;

Re: Gluten in Solaray products

 

Tuesday, 10 June, 2008, 8:33 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deborah, you are SO right. A list of all the foods I'm sensitive to

 

would be a very long one! For starters, every kind of tropical

 

fruit,

 

nuts, spices, dairy, tomatoes, chocolate, sugar, salt, vinegar,

 

citrus,

 

etc. Sometimes when I see GF recipes on this and other GF lists, I

 

can't believe other people can eat all that stuff without getting

 

sick

 

(although I'm happy for you)! I don't know that Solaray supplements

 

are

 

responsible for me feeling unwell lately, but since they don't test

 

for

 

gluten, I'm not buying them anymore, just to be on the safe side.

 

Actually, in the past few days since I've stopped taking them, I

 

feel

 

better. I just need to find a calcium citrate in capsule form (can't

 

digest the tablets) that is GF, in case anyone knows of one.

 

 

 

& gt;

 

& gt; Barrie, you might have other sensitivies, in addition to gluten.

 

I

 

certainly do, and I understand it's relatively common for people to

 

be

 

sensitive to more than one thing.

 

& gt;

 

& gt; Deborah

 

& gt;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

________

Sent from Mail.

A Smarter Email http://uk.docs./nowyoucan.html

 

 

[Guest guest]

I mostly do a rotation diet.

 

On Mon, Jun 9, 2008 at 8:18 PM, Jessie Hume <vegan_taste_test

wrote:

 

> Do you or has anyone had success with a 4 day (or more) rotation diet?

>

> --- On Tue, 10/6/08, b_animalwise

& lt;ahimsa4life<ahimsa4life%40bellsouth.net> & gt;

> wrote:

> b_animalwise & lt;ahimsa4life<ahimsa4life%40bellsouth.net>

> & gt;

> Re: Gluten in Solaray products

> To:

<%40>

> Tuesday, 10 June, 2008, 8:33 AM

>

>

> Deborah, you are SO right. A list of all the foods I'm sensitive to

>

> would be a very long one! For starters, every kind of tropical

>

> fruit,

>

> nuts, spices, dairy, tomatoes, chocolate, sugar, salt, vinegar,

>

> citrus,

>

> etc. Sometimes when I see GF recipes on this and other GF lists, I

>

> can't believe other people can eat all that stuff without getting

>

> sick

>

> (although I'm happy for you)! I don't know that Solaray supplements

>

> are

>

> responsible for me feeling unwell lately, but since they don't test

>

> for

>

> gluten, I'm not buying them anymore, just to be on the safe side.

>

> Actually, in the past few days since I've stopped taking them, I

>

> feel

>

> better. I just need to find a calcium citrate in capsule form (can't

>

> digest the tablets) that is GF, in case anyone knows of one.

>

> & gt;

>

> & gt; Barrie, you might have other sensitivies, in addition to gluten.

>

> I

>

> certainly do, and I understand it's relatively common for people to

>

> be

>

> sensitive to more than one thing.

>

> & gt;

>

> & gt; Deborah

>

> & gt;

>

>

>

>

>

________

> Sent from Mail.

> A Smarter Email http://uk.docs./nowyoucan.html

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hello, first post here.

 

I work for a supplement company (NOT Solaray) that is currently

examining our practices regarding allergen warnings on our products,

specifically with regard to gluten.

 

With permission, I'd very much like to present any comments or

experiences you've had with nutritional supplements to our company

president. If you have anything to say that you do not want to post

in this public forum, you may write to me directly at the address below.

 

Until I have explicit permission from the author of the comment, I

will treat everything here as completely confidential.

 

Thank you kindly.

 

- Kevin

elizium

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

, " Jae Jones "

<recyclednew wrote:

>

> Sadly, a lot of times when you call a company to get answers, the people

> answering the phones are clueless about gluten, what it is and what

it means

> to us! I've even been in stores where the people in charge don't

even know

> what gluten is or what products they carry! And don't even get me

started on

> the incompetence of restaurants! It is very frustrating when looking for

> answers. With supplements as well, you have to watch out for gelatin

> capsules.

> Also, if if a food or supplement is gluten free and has been for

years, you

> still need to check the ingredients every time you buy it because

companies

> change ingredients for various reasons. It's very upsetting to when you

> don't realize it until after you've opened it and taken a bite! I can

> usually tell with the first bite of food if it has wheat/gluten in

it. With

> supplements it doesn't really occur to you until your up vomiting

all night

> long and trying to think of what's making you sick. It took me 3

months to

> figure out it was the supplements making me sick! If it doesn't

specifically

> say gluten free on the label I avoid it. Juice for Live is a good

supplement

> because it has all the vitamins and minerals plus probiotics. If your

> looking for individual herbs I would recommend checking at a whole

foods or

> other health store, as they tend to carry products that are GF.

> Another thing to look out for when buying anything GF is the processing.

> Many products are labeled GF but are produced in factories that also

process

> wheat. Many have dedicated machines/kitchens, but some do not,

meaning that

> even though no gluten products are in the ingredients, there's a

good change

> of gluten residue being in it. I've had a few products like this

that I did

> get sick on. Depending on how sensitive you are, just being in the

vicinity

> of a wheat/gluten product being cooked can make you sick. This is common

> when first going on the GF diet because there is a period of

> hypersensitivity while the body tries to balance itself out and rid

itself

> of toxins. For months my boyfriend couldn't even make toast in the house

> because I'd vomit from the fumes. A lot of people I know with CF

experienced

> the same thing, and a few never overcame this hypersensitivity.

> You brought up a good point about the supplements though. In and of

> themselves, they may not contain any gluten, but they could be

processed on

> the same equipment, so you can try to find that out from the company. My

> rule of thumb is that if in doubt, don't buy it!

> Good luck finding what you need in GF!

>

> Jae

>

> On Fri, Jun 6, 2008 at 5:30 PM, b_animalwise <ahimsa4life

> wrote:

>

> > You might all have been aware of this already; if so, sorry for the

> > rant. I decided today to start carefully checking all the many

> > supplements I take for gluten content, since I haven't been feeling

> > well lately despite going GF in 2001 when I was diagnosed with

> > celiac disease. I specifically look for " no gluten " on the label,

> > but I've been using a few Solaray products, trusting that their

> > label assurance: " Solaray guarantees that NO ingredients other than

> > those listed on this label have been added to this product. " For

> > some reason, it didn't dawn on me that this could mean they're using

> > ingredients from sources that might contain gluten somewhere back

> > along the line.

> >

> > So today I called both Solaray's education and incident report lines

> > to see if they could tell me whether the particular products I take

> > contain gluten. The upshot is, after both reps talked around and

> > around in circles obviously not wanting to give me a straight

> > answer, is that they don't test their products for gluten. They said

> > they don't add gluten, and they don't buy gluten ingredients to make

> > their products, but since they choose not to test the ingredients

> > for gluten (although they do other ingredient testing), they can't

> > guarantee any of their products to be GF.

> >

> > I tried to explain how their label assurance can be misleading, and

> > that many of their consumers probably have gluten sensitivity,

> > allergy, or celiac disease, so testing for gluten would not only be

> > a great service, but could also boost their sales as we usually seek

> > products that are labeled GF. I got one of those bland " I'll pass

> > your comments along; thanks for calling " replies. She also suggested

> > I write to the company's officers to express my concerns. Don't

> > know about you, but I buy lots of supplements, as do many celiacs,

> > since we often have trouble absorbing enough nutrients. I thought

> > Solaray, as a large, reputable company, would be more careful and

> > concerned than this. If anyone else is interested in writing to the

> > company, the website is nutraceutical.com, the address is on

> > the " contact us " page, and the officers' names and titles can be

> > seen by clicking on " investor relations " and then " management

> > profiles. "

> >

> > I guess it's nothing new, but I'm so tired of these companies making

> > it hard for us to take care of ourselves (not to mention buy from

> > them) safely. Needless to say, I will not make the mistake of

> > purchasing their products again unless and until they are accurately

> > labeled.

> >

> > Barrie

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Related to this topic in general, there was a recent

recall of Liquimax multivitamins for undeclared allergens:

 

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/leiner06_08.html

 

 

-Erin

http://www.zenpawn.com/vegblog

 

 

[Guest guest]

Jessie,

 

What exactly IS a 4-day rotation diet? Anyway, I know I haven't

tried it. The foods I listed are ones I need to avoid all the time

due to allergic/sensitivity reactions.

 

Barrie

 

>

> Do you or has anyone had success with a 4 day (or more) rotation

diet?

>

> --- On Tue, 10/6/08, b_animalwise ahimsa4life wrote:

> b_animalwise ahimsa4life

> Re: Gluten in Solaray products

>

> Tuesday, 10 June, 2008, 8:33 AM

>

>

Deborah, you are SO right. A list of all the foods I'm

sensitive to

>

> would be a very long one! For starters, every kind of tropical

>

> fruit,

>

> nuts, spices, dairy, tomatoes, chocolate, sugar, salt, vinegar,

>

> citrus,

>

> etc.

[Guest guest]

A 4-day rotation diet is where you eat foods in a 4-day rotation to avoid

developing new allergies/sensitivities. As I understand it, there is some

evidence that eating foods only once every 4 days prevents the immune system

from attacking the consumed foods. Some people believe that foods have to

fall into fairly broad groups with those groups being consumed only once

every four days, and other people just don't eat very particular foods

except for once every four days. I generally follow it because it makes

sense to me that if you pile a food into your body frequently, you are more

likely to develop a new allergy to that food from the body's repeated

attacks on that food (or food type).

 

On Tue, Jun 10, 2008 at 7:40 PM, b_animalwise <ahimsa4life

wrote:

 

> Jessie,

>

> What exactly IS a 4-day rotation diet? Anyway, I know I haven't

> tried it. The foods I listed are ones I need to avoid all the time

> due to allergic/sensitivity reactions.

>

> Barrie

>

>

> >

> > Do you or has anyone had success with a 4 day (or more) rotation

> diet?

> >

> > --- On Tue, 10/6/08, b_animalwise ahimsa4life wrote:

> > b_animalwise ahimsa4life

> > Re: Gluten in Solaray products

> > To:

<%40>

> > Tuesday, 10 June, 2008, 8:33 AM

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> > Deborah, you are SO right. A list of all the foods I'm

> sensitive to

> >

> > would be a very long one! For starters, every kind of tropical

> >

> > fruit,

> >

> > nuts, spices, dairy, tomatoes, chocolate, sugar, salt, vinegar,

> >

> > citrus,

> >

> > etc.

>

>

>

 

 

 

--

" they say goldfish have no memory

i guess their lives are much like mine

the little plastic castle

is a surprise every time

it's hard to say if they are happy

but they don't seem much to mind "

--ani difranco