Corn starch? Celiac connection?

[my3girlsjde]

So we have another similar food reaction. Gas, refluxing, diarrhea and burned bum. We've removed it and her bum is clearing up nicely and everything else seems to have sorted out. So at least I know the culprit.

It seemed to accumulate over the time she was eating some homemade coconut chocolate pudding.

Coconut milk (she's been fine with)
Cocoa (she's been fine with)
Vanilla ( I think maybe fine with, then looked and there is caramel colour in it and I know that can be derived from dairy, not much in it though so I'm not quite sure if this would have been the culprit)
Sugar (she's more than fine with)
Corn starch (she's never had more than small amounts of and I remember reading somewhere that corn starch can be an issue for celiacs - we still don't know if she has celiac but if it is and there is a connection then we could be going down that road)

Anyone with a wheat/gluten intolerant lo also deal with corn starch issues? Or could it be the vanilla? I'm making some chocolate avacado fudge for her today so will know quickly if she has a problem with the cocoa. I really don't think so because she's had it on a few occasions with little issue but who knows with this kid.

TIA

Vicki

[RachelC]

Bumping for you Vicki 

[Peek-a-boo]

Maybe double check to see if the vanilla is gluten free.  I feel like I remember reading something saying that some vanillas are not. 

[my3girlsjde]

Thanks Rachel

And very interesting Bethany. It's the artificial stuff so who knows what's in it. We go back to the paed on Wednesday so will make a note of it.

Thanks!

[marensmama]

I was going to suggest the vanilla as well.  I've read that the caramel colouring is not necessarily GF.  I know a lot of the GF recipes I have have corn starch in them, it is gluten-free.  That said, it's not impossible to have a corn allergy/sensitivity.  My coworker has wheat intolerance (but fine with gluten in other forms, she's not celiac and doesn't follow a GF diet) and a corn intolerance (to the point that she has to watch ingredients in medications and foods like yogurts that have corn starch as a filler). 

Also some cocoas are not GF.  Maybe check your brand.

[my3girlsjde]

Thanks Nicole

The cocoa is apparently just cocoa and sodium bicarbonate. Wait, is that gf?

Vanilla would definitely be the easiest.

[marensmama]

The other possibility is cross contamination, either with any of the ingredients you used or with something else she had during the day.
Sodium bicarbonate is just baking soda, and doesn't contain gluten unless it's been cross-contaminated.  As I'm sure you know, lots of foods have no gluten in them but just aren't labelled GF.  And if they're labelled GF then they've been tested and can't be cross-contaminated.  It all just depends on the facility that the foods are processed in.  Lots of celiac websites list specific products that the people have confirmed with the manufacturer that the product is gluten free or that the facility is 'clean'.  It's so not easy.  Thank goodness it's not an anaphylactic allergy or I'd be crazy by now.

[Buntybear]

I wonder if corn is similar to oats in that the protein can effect some coeliacs and not others? Guess the only way is try trial it?

[koe2moe]

It could very well be that combination of it all, whereas individual items are fine.  You can of course, try making the same pudding minus the vanilla to check or minus cocoa to for a vanilla pudding.  Some people can react to corn and/or the starch.  or combination with sugar is a common problem.  hugs x

[deb]

Did a quick Google for ya and found that the primary concerns about corn starch with celiac are cross-contamination and whether it was "modified" corn starch; apparently it can be "modified" with wheat, although I didn't find out how it's "modified." Not sure if that's different in Canada from the states, though.

Corn apparently does contain its own kind of gluten, but it's different from wheat gluten, sort of like how goats' milk protein is different from cows' milk protein, so celiacs don't generally have a problem with it.

Looking up cocoa, it seems that cross-contamination can be a problem there as well, though.

ETA: if there's a yeast/candida thing going on in the gut, the starch might be enough (in addition to the sugar) to push her over the edge and feed intestinal yeast, which would cause the symptoms, especially the burned bum.

Maybe try the chia chocolate pudding and use the chia as the thickener?