I think you are right on the money Lola.

I never thought about glutamate (as in, MSG) being related to gluten (as in, wheat).   If Rob was here I'd ask him the difference/similarities in chemical structure.....I could just call him, couldn't I?

....Hmm, hmm, dialing...hmmmmmm....

Okay:

Gluten is just a sticky protein.

Glutamate is glutamic acid, which is amino acid.

He said he can't see any link between the two, though he admittedly doesn't know the etymology (oh, funny.  I would have spelled it etimology, but I'm informed by trusty Spellcheck that I'm wrong) of the words.  He said there's no reason he can see from a chemical standpoint to have a gluten-like reaction to MSG.

lola-

does it matter if the rice cake is the puffed ones or should it be the lundberg kind?

those have more fiber.....made of whole brown rice and not as void as the plain ones....
or look around for the best option

msg is a black dot in my swami

on the other hand, wheat is a real toxin, even sprouted wheat

Quoted from Ribbit

He said there's no reason he can see from a chemical standpoint to have a gluten-like reaction to MSG.

No, I wouldn't think there would be.  Glutamate is quite a simple compound compared to gluten.  I think it was just another kind of reaction.  I'd have to find out just what is in that "natural flavoring" to know!

Free glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter, so it could explain the headache...

Have you had a blood test or biopsy for Celiac disease that came out negative?
You may still have gluten intolerance!

Those tests are looking specifically for Celiac disease. So they miss other
types of gluten sensitivity.
Intolerance to gluten (from wheat and other grains) is common - some
specialists estimate up to 15% of all people are affected. The much
rarer Celiac Disease only affects ~0.3%.
However most doctors testing for gluten intolerance still use a blood
test (developed in the 1950s) designed to pick up Celiac disease. . .
and of course it misses all those other Gluten-sensitive people who
are Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitive (NCGS).

I've never been tested for Celiac.  It's good enough for me to know what I've learned from experience.  I would like to investigate NCGS though.  I'd like to know how it's different from Celiac disease.  I suspect it is the same thing, but they call it NCGS when the tests come out negative!

My ND suggested that I may have Celiac but I do not have any symptoms other than wheat and yeast sensitivity. She believes my chronic sinus/allergy/asthma could be caused by this. I have been wheat and yeast free for almost 3 months now and STILL have the same symptoms, so I believe its environmental. I can say, however, it may have lessened the severity of the mucous and coughing. Maybe I am in that NCGS group.

I noticed a difference between "a little gluten" and "no gluten".  Maybe you have something else going on in conjunction.

When I first came off wheat and felt sooo much better,  I had a lovely vegetable soup but also made on barley.  My reaction was so bad it sent me to bed for a few days....have eaten like  a Celiac ever since.  

It is very hard with this lifestyle but your health is worth it