Gluten can be hidden in the strangest places. Sennarey Garven found out gluten is actually hidden in the adhesive of envelopes. Photo by Eric Allan.

Each day we interact and come in contact with things which are not safe for some people. Did you lick the seal on the last envelope you sent out? This isn’t safe for someone who is gluten-free. Other things like soy sauce and some shampoos have the same ingredients that pose a health hazard to others. In an article from the Celiac Disease Foundation on Sources of Gluten, they show many foods which are not gluten-free, but also list some other surprising items such as some lipsticks, communion wafers and even Play-Doh. A very important thing the article states is to read labels of products before ingesting or coming in direct contact with. Some things may not be as safe as they seem.

In some cases, people live with gluten-intolerance for years without coming to the realization they are affected by it. Sennarey Garven, a criminal justice student at Lethbridge Polytechnic, recently found out her body didn’t process gluten properly. “Paper straws are gluten free. I didn’t know until I started getting sick when I would use them.” Garven finds when she ingests gluten it causes her to be sick for up to a few days. “I’m probably not celiac, just gluten intolerant. I usually can just sleep it off.” She also talks about things like non-stick pans and some beauty products like hairspray and makeup which are also not gluten-free.

As a paramedic one will most likely encounter some very strange interactions with medical conditions. Brooklyn Schweer, a primary care paramedic in Three-Hills, has had some of these such instances. She stated how strange she thought it was how soy sauce has gluten in it. Then she talks about an interesting way her friend found out she was gluten-free.

“I had a friend who had wicked loud hiccups which were very unnatural. It turns out it was a gluten issue. One day she relapsed and ate gluten in the form of a bunch of McDonald’s fries and the hiccups returned right after.” She finds the bread from Europe and other countries is better tolerated by people with gluten issues as well.

Gluten sensitivity has become a more common thing in the past 10 years, just through observation, which has made many products and companies start to emphasize gluten-free products. Also, GI Nutrition Foundation has created a list online to find hundreds of gluten-free recipes. You can find these at ginutritionfoundation.org/recipes-information. Whether you are celiac or just trying to see if some health issues are related to gluten, there are many ways to avoid gluten just through reading labels or articles online.