Gluten Free Choice Consulting

Gluten Free Choice
Serving the Portland Metro area

ph: 503-977-2342
alt: 503-413-9369
choosehealth@glutenfreechoice.com

Gluten-Free Baking

Gluten Free Meal Planning, Cooking, Baking and Individual Instruction Services

I will plan and prepare delicious gluten-free meals that fit your lifestyle and taste preferences, bake specialty items for the holidays, or teach you to make delicious gluten-free bread, muffins, pizza crust, foccacia, bagels and more. Reasonable rates, negotiable depending on the service requested. To simplify your life, please contact me for more information. These services are offered in the Portland area only. Wendy Cohan, RN; 503-413-9369/503-977-2342.

Xanthan Sensitivity - Could it be Complicating Your Celiac Disease Recovery?

Xanthan Gum is a polysaccharide used as a binder in many gluten-free products. In the production of xanthan gum, sucrose or glucose is fermented by a bacterium, Xanthomonas campestris. After a four-day fermentation period, the polysaccharide is precipitated from a corn-based growth medium with isopropyl alcohol, dried, and ground into a fine powder. When added to a liquid medium, a slippery, sticky gum is formed, and this substance works well in holding baked goods together, or keeping separate liquid ingredients in suspension in salad dressings and sauces.

While the above description doesn't make it sound very appetizing, what's the problem with Xanthan? Some people develop an allergy to xanthan, with gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, gas, and diarrhea. Even consumption of a very minor amount can lead to days and days of recovery and many trips to the bathroom. Hmm. Sound like anything we've heard before? And that's the problem. Experiencing a xanthan reaction can make you question your gluten-free diet, make you think you were accidentally exposed to gluten, or mystify you completely.

A xanthan reaction can also precipitate migraine headaches, skin itchiness, and for those exposed to large amounts, such as bakery workers, nose and throat irritation. Symptoms of xanthan sensitivity become more prevalent with increasing exposure, so that can be one important clue. If you've suddenly started baking alot, or become addicted to a new brand of g.f. cookies, and you start to have increased gastrointestinal symptoms, you may want to consider ruling out an adverse reaction to xanthan gum.

What's a body to do? Guar gum makes a good substitute, and it is also less expensive.

How did I become aware of this? Well, actually I have known about this for quite awhile, but since xanthan gum is in so many g.f. products, I thought that sensitivity to xanthan must be a rare and isolated occurrence. Then two things happened to change my mind. I began baking a lot of g.f. products for a business venture, and suddenly started having some gastro-intestinal problems, after being healthy for so long. I didn't have the severe pain of a gluten reaction, but otherwise my symptoms were eerily similar, particularly the bloating. I had already decided to lay off the baking (and tasting) as much as I could, and had narrowed the possibilities down to either tapioca starch or xanthan gum. Then, a student in one of my cooking classes let me know that she had a severe allergy to xanthan, and described her symptoms. They were identical, except in severity.

I reformulated my recipes using only guar gum for my next stretch of gluten-free baking, and I had no problem at all. I certainly hope that I do not develop a reaction to Guar gum, which is the ground carbo-hydrate storage portion of the guar bean. I have not seen reports of allergy or sensitivity to guar gum, but will do a little more research for my own knowledge, which I will share in the future.

By no means am I advocating that all people following a gluten-free diet give up products made with Xanthan gum. But, if you do not feel that the diet is helping you, and are still symptomatic, a sensitivity to Xanthan gum is one possibility that needs to be ruled out.

For more on gluten-free baking see the Gluten Free Baking Page

WLC, 12/2/08

NUTRITIONAL CONTENT OF GRAINS
Whole grains are good sources of B-Vitamins and minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium, and selenium, but one of their most important nutritional benefits is the fiber they bring to our diets. Whole grains such as wheat, brown rice, and oats include both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber is easy to remember – it is water soluble, and as such can be assimilated into the body, where it plays an important role in blood sugar regulation and cholesterol balance. Soluble fiber also helps provide a sense of fullness or satiety. Insoluble fiber is - you guessed it - insoluble in water, and is not assimilated into the body, but passes through the digestive tract and is eliminated. That does not mean insoluble fiber has a less important nutritional role to play. Insoluble fiber is very important in keeping our digestive and elimination systems regular. In doing so, fiber aids the transit of toxic substances out of the body, and in doing so, helps to reduce the incidence of colon and rectal cancers.
In eliminating gluten grains from your diet, have you wondered what you are missing nutritionally? Are you able to get adequate replacements for the nutrients in wheat, barley, rye, and oats, from the other nutritional components of your diet? The answer is a qualified yes. We know this on several levels. For tens of thousands of years, entire cultures have thrived without growing or consuming any of the gluten grains. We also know, from looking at what nutrients gluten grains provide, that there are more than adequate sources of these same nutrients in alternative grains, and from vegetable sources. Fiber is something we do need to be aware of, though. Studies have shown that standard gluten-free diets are low in fiber, especially when baking with the “white” alternative products like white or sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch. We can remedy this by eating alternative grains in whole, unprocessed states, and by including nuts, seeds, and other sources of fiber such as dried coconut and legumes in our diets. Whole wheat is an excellent source of Vitamin E, so those on gluten-free diets might want to supplement with a good brand of Vitamin E.
Some commercial gluten-free flour blends seek to duplicate white flour, and are made primarily of white rice flour, tapioca starch, and potato starch - ingredients that are nearly devoid of nutrition and contain almost no fiber. Using these types of products results in baked goods that are the nutritional equivalent of wonder-bread. If you didn’t eat wonder-bread before going gluten-free, why should you attempt to duplicate it now? When making your flour blends, coming up with new recipes, and altering traditional wheat-flour recipes, try to include alternative grain products (and sometimes nut flours) that contain substantial amounts of fiber, protein, calcium, and iron, all nutrients found in whole grains, but in much smaller amounts in highly processed grains. Quinoa, sorghum, teff, amaranth, brown rice and millett flour are all good products to try. These grains are available from Bob's Red Mill and other sources. Do use caution when purchasing from bulk bins. Check to see that there is no possibility of contamination from gluten-containing grains and flours located above.

"What I liked best about the baking class was actual recipes and hands-on experience, and tasting the results - it was satisfying and confidence-boosting"

Basic Gluten-Free Baking Class student, August, 2008

"The cameraderie with other gluten-free folks was an unexpected bonus. Mmm...chocolate chip cookies..."

Basic Gluten-Free Baking Class student, August, 2008

Apple-Cranberry Crostata

Teff Pita Pockets

Apple-Cranberry Tartlets with Pecan-Caramel Topping

Gluten-Free Baking Tip:
4/28/09

Most gluten-free baking recipes will produce wetter, looser batter than traditional wheat-based recipes. If you pop those batters and doughs right into the oven you may end up with baked products that are heavier than you'd like. Why? Because wetter batters are heavier and they rise more slowly. But, if you keep adding more g.f flours to thicken the batters and doughs to approximate what you're used to, then the finished product will be too dry. What's the solution? Time.

Simply set aside your batter or dough in the bowl you made it in, or the cake or muffin tins you're using, cover with a loose towel, and set the timer for 15-20 minutes. You can use these minutes to clean up and get started on the dishes. This resting period allows ample time for the batter or dough to take up all the excess moisture and thicken considerably. Bread dough, for example, will go from the consistency of chocolate chip cookie dough, to a soft pizza dough, and is usually able to be worked gently with oiled hands. This will allow you to braid your bread dough to make challah, for example, or to fashion hamburger buns without the need for rings. And this step is crucial for forming the bagels shown at the top of this page. On the non-yeasted side, your cakes and muffins may rise to greater heights, and still be just as moist.

Many g.f. cookbooks advise doing just what I've suggested, but sometimes an explanation helps people understand the importance of this not-to-be-forgotten step.

Speaking of challah, New Cascadia now makes gluten-free challah bread on Fridays for those of you who thought you might never get to eat this delicious, moist egg bread again.

Browse the site for information on gluten intolerance and celiac disease, cooking classes, individualized health coaching, baking tips, the latest articles, and my "Gluten-Free PORTLAND Resource Guide".

Gluten Free Choice
Serving the Portland Metro area

ph: 503-977-2342
alt: 503-413-9369
choosehealth@glutenfreechoice.com

Gluten Free Choice Consulting

Gluten-Free Baking

Gluten Free Meal Planning, Cooking, Baking and Individual Instruction Services

NUTRITIONAL CONTENT OF GRAINS

Browse the site for information on gluten intolerance and celiac disease, cooking classes, individualized health coaching, baking tips, the latest articles, and my "Gluten-Free PORTLAND Resource Guide".