Reintroducing Guar Gum and Acesulfame Potassium

These were ingredients that were once reactive. I’ve recently tried foods and drinks with these ingredients and have noticed no ill effects from them. I’m very happy that these can now be a part of my diet again, even if only occasionally.

When I first went gluten-free, I also decided to begin reducing my dairy intake. At the time, I would drink a meal replacement shake in the car on the way to work. I had a really hard time finding a suitable replacement. I found a low-calorie powder at a vitamin shop and decided to mix it with coconut milk. Over time, I began developing symptoms like constipation and acne, and since that was a new thing I’d started doing daily, I decided to stop it to see what would happen. I felt better after stopping the mixture. What was strange is that I was still able to consume baked goods that contained the coconut milk without incident. Later, after experiencing similar symptoms when trying a certain brand of hummus, I was able to make the connection. The ingredient the coconut milk/protein powder mixture and the hummus had in common was guar gum. I continued eating baked goods with guar gum but ended up finally cutting it out altogether when I thought I noticed symptoms from those foods as well. I ended up avoiding guar gum completely for nearly three years.

Last year, when I realized I was deficient in vitamin E and before I realized its connection to iron, I was trying to find ways that would help me to get enough. Equate’s Weight Loss Shake had 100% of the RDA. The Propel vitamin waters and water enhancers also contained vitamin E. These products have acesulfame potassium as an ingredient. I also enjoyed drinking Coke Zero and other diet sodas with acesulfame potassium. When I started noticing symptoms similar to the ones I was having when I first began reacting to guar gum, I wondered if the acesulfame potassium might be the culprit. I was consuming it almost daily as I had the guar gum. One day when I went without artificially-sweetened beverages, I felt a lot better. I decided to eliminate acesulfame potassium as well to see if that was what was causing problems this time. Fortunately, there were diet sodas I could still consume that didn’t contain the ingredient like Zevia, Diet Coke, and Diet Dr. Pepper. I was happy that I could still indulge the occasional craving for soda. Boost shakes also don’t contain acesulfame potassium, at least the ones that I’ve found, and I could drink the Bai Cocofusion drinks for vitamin E when needed.

Both of these reactions happened at times when my body was in a state of flux. When I developed the reaction to guar gum, I had just begun the gluten-free diet, and my body was having to adjust to that major change. When I developed the reaction to acesulfame potassium, I’d just stopped my supplements and was trying to adjust to what ended up being a major diet change, balancing copper and zinc. I was also learning to figure out what I still needed to supplement, and I had just started a vitamin D supplement. My body, in both instances, was having to learn to cope with and adjust to some major changes. This and ingesting substances I’d only occasionally consumed before on practically a daily basis were probably the causes of these reactions developing.

I’d always wondered if these reactions could be temporary. They were nothing like my reactions to wheat and flaxseed, which are both allergic. None of the symptoms actually seemed dangerous. I actually had allergy testing to guar gum done, and the results were negative. When I went on the cruise, I was very careful concerning my allergens, but when I had ice cream with my dessert each night, I decided just to enjoy it and not worry about asking whether or not it contained guar gum. I had hot chocolate on multiple occasions, and I just decided not to worry about whether or not it contained acesulfame potassium. Later, we went to a restaurant for my, my sister’s, and my mother’s birthdays, and although I had requested ice cream on the side of my dessert for the friend who was with me, it was still served on top of the dessert. I decided just to go ahead and eat it anyway. I never noticed negative reactions to any of those actual food items. I was hopeful to try those things again deliberately, when I actually knew I was having something with those ingredients.

One day after lunch at my parents’, I wondered if I was having a reaction to something I’d eaten. I decided to take a Benadryl and Zantac just in case. While at the grocery store, I decided to buy a 20-oz bottle of Mountain Dew for the caffeine. It contained acesulfame potassium. I never noticed any negative reactions, but I decided I needed to try again when I wasn’t already having another reaction. I finally found a 20-oz Coke Zero with my name on it. It was the only variety of Coke with the names that I had not previously found with my name. I bought it and decided to try it a few evenings later. I had really missed it. It tasted wonderful! Even better, it never caused any noticeable issues.

To test guar gum, I found a small carton of Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia. I enjoyed it as well when I had it. I hadn’t eaten much ice cream at all after cutting out guar gum, especially not a unique variety like this one. It was really good, and I also never noticed any negative consequences from eating it. I also tried a gluten-free chicken pot pie that had guar gum in it and also seemed to handle it fine. Being able to have things with guar gum in them again opens up a lot of possibilities. I may be able to get ice cream or a milk shake at a restaurant if ingredients and handling of cross-contamination permit. I can use Cool Whip instead of having to make my own whipped cream. I can eat regular brands of ice cream as long as they don’t contain other ingredients I have to avoid. One variety of ice cream that I really love is Dippin’ Dots, and I just discovered at least a couple of flavors that should be safe to eat. I haven’t had Dippin’ Dots in a long time, and I’m looking forward to trying them again sometime soon. If I can’t get them where they’re actually served because of cross-contamination, then I hope to find them in the single-serving pouches and try them again that way.

I’m very excited to be able to reintroduce two ingredients that were formerly off-limits. I plan to have food items with these ingredients only occasionally so that I don’t develop new reactions to them. Being able to have these food ingredients again will give me more food options, maybe even at a fast food restaurant if cross-contamination can be avoided. This development is definitely a very bright light in the long, dark tunnel I feel like I’ve been traveling for the last several years.

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