Gluten traps

[ScottD]

SeekinTruth,

If you have a Whole Foods nearby check out Applegate Farms stuff. It's some of the best tasting meat I've had and they limit their ingredients. It's the only "deli" meat that I'll trust. Yes, it's expensive but definitely worth it.

 

[Alada]

Some sausages have wheat in them, others use potato flour.

Yes, here most sausages have wheat in them so you always have to read the label. Even with those labelled 'gluten free' still have to read as instead of being 100% meat they can be bulked out with rice for example.

 

[Phill4]

hi everyone. in trying to look for food that were safer ti eat in a regular bases, i look for those foods containing gluten as a first step, and found this very useful list which i dont know if its been posted before.
this list contain foods and products that you wouldnt imagine has gluten in it.

somehow it occurred to me to tell the deli guy who was cutting it up for me that i am gluten intolerant. He turned around and said, with apologetic eyes, that all their cold cuts contain gluten. I was glad i asked. Now i ask about everything, just in case ;)

yeah i just tell people im alergic to gluten (although im not, but in a sence we all are) so they can give me options. and yeah, i didn't know that "natural flavor" which is found in juices had gluten, and that if someone that had certain lipstick on and kisses somebody who s allegies to gluten, he/she will have an allergic reaction.

 

[Sinapi]

Well, I found another gluten trap in the form of "Made in a facility that processes..." in my spices, of all things! Both the rainbow peppercorns and Himalayan salt from Trader Joe's have wheat and soy from cross-contamination. The cumin from Whole Foods is also processed in another wheat facility, although it supposedly has "good manufacturing practices". It makes me wonder if any other ones have gluten in them, especially the ones that have no nutrition data at all.

Thanks for bringing this up. :)

 

[SeekinTruth]

Hmmm! What about bacon? Now I'm worried! I'm even thinking about the slicer being contaminated with wheat/gluten from other cold cuts especially imported hams, salami etc. Well I may be able to live with the slight contamination of the slicer blade but if the bacon itself contains wheat/gluten?

Does anyone know if bacon ever contains wheat/gluten? The one I'm buying is very fresh (soft and pink - not very aged and dark colored) and has LOTS of fat.

Thanks for the replies, but I just wanted to clear up something that I hadn't made clear in my post. The bacon I'm getting is a large piece that I've seen being delivered to the store I buy it from that has no packaging (thus no ingredient list) and weighs about 2.5 to 3 kilos. I usually buy about 2 kilos which the woman at the store ends up slicing on the cold cut slicer.

SeekinTruth,

If you have a Whole Foods nearby check out Applegate Farms stuff. It's some of the best tasting meat I've had and they limit their ingredients. It's the only "deli" meat that I'll trust. Yes, it's expensive but definitely worth it.

I'm in Armenia, so as far as I know, we don't have Whole Foods here. I think I remember seeing a few when I lived in New York City and in Boston when I visited there.

Well, I found another gluten trap in the form of "Made in a facility that processes..." in my spices, of all things! Both the rainbow peppercorns and Himalayan salt from Trader Joe's have wheat and soy from cross-contamination. The cumin from Whole Foods is also processed in another wheat facility, although it supposedly has "good manufacturing practices". It makes me wonder if any other ones have gluten in them, especially the ones that have no nutrition data at all.

Thanks for bringing this up. :)

Another thing you brought up has me thinking and worried. I get my Himalayan salt from Swanson Vitamins ordered online and they claim it is 100% pure (doesn't mean it is, but still). However, what about spices! I hadn't thought about that. It seems to me that it's very likely many spices are processed in facilities that process gluten grains, mainly wheat. Although I don't use spices much anymore other than black pepper, I've made the sausage recipe from Laura's cooking video recently and that has quite a bit of spices.

Non of them mention anything on the packaging, but why would they? It certainly doesn't mean it's not contaminated.

 

[mcb]

Hmmm! What about bacon? Now I'm worried! I'm even thinking about the slicer being contaminated with wheat/gluten from other cold cuts especially imported hams, salami etc. Well I may be able to live with the slight contamination of the slicer blade but if the bacon itself contains wheat/gluten?

Does anyone know if bacon ever contains wheat/gluten? The one I'm buying is very fresh (soft and pink - not very aged and dark colored) and has LOTS of fat.

I am a little unclear about what people are concerned about, although I am sure that different people have different concerns. If a person is acutely allergic to a certain food then trace contamination is a real concern. If you are sensitive to a food, or if you just avoid it because you know it isn't a good choice for human consumption, trace amounts shouldn't matter so much, especially considering all the other toxics to which we can be exposed.

Most bodies have considerable capacity to deal with contamination. It's hard enough to find any kind of decent food to eat without ruling out all sources that might contain trace anti-nutrients. Personally, I will focus on the major issues (generally, and with regard to my personal food sensitivities) first and foremost.

 

[Sinapi]

Hi Megan,

If I understand it correctly, and please correct me if I'm wrong, trace amounts of gluten can still be of concern to those who have trouble detoxing, such as those with leaky gut. Trace amounts that get into the blood stream could still cause an immune response and thus various symptoms associated with gluten sensitivity, including acne, fatigue, etc. If these trace amounts were to accumulate, then I think that the symptoms may become increasingly worse over time, as with many of the other nasty toxins we are constantly being exposed to.

Although the high fat, low carb diet, along with supplements to detox, help to hinder the effects of these toxins, I still think that these small amounts could be a problem, especially when considering that we don't know the exact amount of gluten contamination within our food most of the time. As I recall Laura once saying, even a taste of evil foods can set the detox process back to square one.

Of course, I still likely end up getting these trace amounts within me, mainly through supplements (modified starch, rice powder, soy, etc.). At this point, I'm not sure how well I'm detoxing, as I probably am loaded with heavy metals and Candida, but I think that it would help me to avoid contamination as much as possible, even if it means not using some peppercorns.

That's why I'm concerned about it, anyways. Again, if I'm totally off-base, do not hesitate to let me know, as I'm really missing my spices now.

 

[Omega]

I use grapeseed oil when baking my sweet potato fries because of this. :)

Have you tried to ccok them with duck fat. Totally delicious.

That's actually a great idea.

Their is a great concept in my region. All the local producers (farmers and Cie) gather every week for a small local market where they offer a wide variety of products. You can inquire on their feeding technics for their crops and their livestock. I found its a great way to find quality, fresh food that you know where it comes from, especially for the meat. I actually think that concept is a very good way to go around the problems created by the local grocery stores that only offer mass produced, un-healthy products.

Duck fat will be easy to find there, I'll be on the lookout.

Thank for the idea Gandalf.

 

[mcb]

That's why I'm concerned about it, anyways. Again, if I'm totally off-base, do not hesitate to let me know, as I'm really missing my spices now.

I don't know. Whatever way you choose, at least you chose it yourself, consciously.

I tested and found things I was sensitive to, but no food that I was acutely allergic to. Apart from substances like heavy metals that are known to accumulate over time, I expect that my system will successfully deal with junk that makes its way into my system in small quantities, just as it deals with cosmic rays smashing into my DNA.

Cumulative effects could be of much more concern if you are younger, since there is so much more now that you could be accumulating. I am 60 and just trying to keep this body running for a while longer; quite a while if possible (and necessary). I got off to a bad start even before I was born and I didn't expect to live this long. Fortunately, I started improving my diet 15 years ago. Unfortunately I became a vegan. Oh well, live and learn. Choose based on what you know, and keep choosing as you learn.

 

[Gaby]

The major gluten trap is the gluten-free industry. Most of them don't even consider that gluten is in all cereals, but all their stuff is also loaded in carbohydrates. This article gives some perspective in the subject:

Gluten-free carbohydrate mania

http://www.trackyourplaque.com/blog/2011/06/gluten-free-carbohydrate-mania.html

Here’s a typical gluten-free product, a whole grain bread mix. “Whole grain,” of course, suggests high-fiber, high nutrient composition, and health.

What’s it made of? Here’s the ingredient list:

Cornstarch, Tapioca Starch, Whole Grain Sorghum Flour, Whole Grain Teff Flour, Whole Grain Amaranth Flour, Soy Fiber, Xanthan Gum, Soy Protein, Natural Cocoa and Ascorbic Acid

In other words, carbohydrate, carbohydrate, carbohydrate, carbohydrate and some other stuff. It means that a sandwich with two slices of bread provides around 42 grams net carbohydrates, enough to send your blood sugar skyward, not to mention trigger visceral fat formation, glycation, small LDL particles and triglycerides.

Take a look at the ingredients and nutrition facts on the label of any number of gluten-free products and you will see the same thing. Many also have proud low-fat claims.

This is how far wrong the gluten-free world has drifted: Trade the lack of gluten for a host of unhealthy effects.

 

[Gimpy]

The major gluten trap is the gluten-free industry. Most of them don't even consider that gluten is in all cereals, but all their stuff is also loaded in carbohydrates. This article gives some perspective in the subject:

Gluten-free carbohydrate mania

http://www.trackyourplaque.com/blog/2011/06/gluten-free-carbohydrate-mania.html

Here’s a typical gluten-free product, a whole grain bread mix. “Whole grain,” of course, suggests high-fiber, high nutrient composition, and health.

What’s it made of? Here’s the ingredient list:

Cornstarch, Tapioca Starch, Whole Grain Sorghum Flour, Whole Grain Teff Flour, Whole Grain Amaranth Flour, Soy Fiber, Xanthan Gum, Soy Protein, Natural Cocoa and Ascorbic Acid

In other words, carbohydrate, carbohydrate, carbohydrate, carbohydrate and some other stuff. It means that a sandwich with two slices of bread provides around 42 grams net carbohydrates, enough to send your blood sugar skyward, not to mention trigger visceral fat formation, glycation, small LDL particles and triglycerides.

Take a look at the ingredients and nutrition facts on the label of any number of gluten-free products and you will see the same thing. Many also have proud low-fat claims.

This is how far wrong the gluten-free world has drifted: Trade the lack of gluten for a host of unhealthy effects.

Yep. Teff is NOT a gluten free grain, either. And most people allergic to gluten tend to also be allergic to soy and corn, which means you cannot trust anything labeled gluten free. I've found other problems with 'gluten free' mixes containing tree nut flours, of which I'm very allergic.

Earlier this week I ran across a very nice cookbook on gluten free baking that was soy, tree nut, dairy, and gluten free...containing recipes for cakes, cookies, and the all elusive no bake pie crust: and everything was loaded with sugar in every form, from brown to rice bran etc. The price was too high ( 22.95 USD), and I just decided that it was un needed temptation to fall off the low carb diet, no matter how much the rest of my body screamed "Yummy!"

 

[Oxajil]

The major gluten trap is the gluten-free industry. Most of them don't even consider that gluten is in all cereals, but all their stuff is also loaded in carbohydrates.

Yep... and it really saddens me to see how many people buy (into) that stuff, and get it into their systems thinking it's good. Another reason to always research any source that claims something, and reading every label before getting anything.

I also notice that products that can have traces of gluten, corn, soy etc. trigger a reaction in me as well...

 

[Sirius]

Read the ingredient labels on EVERYTHING.

Otherwise it's like playing Russian roulette.

I also notice that products that can have traces of gluten, corn, soy etc. trigger a reaction in me as well...

It's sad, but it seems that almost everything may contain traces of gluten, simply because it could be contaminated during processing, transport, etc. somehow. This applies also for buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, etc. I have already seen labels on seemingly gluten-free products stating this.

 

[HifromGrace]

Just to echo what people are saying above, you just can't trust ANYTHING that comes out of a box.

I've learned that the hard way.

For me, it's not just the traces of crud from cheap processing systems that don't show up on the labels. It's the additives, preservatives, non-caking ingredients, fake chemical "vitamins," or even the pesticides that they're spraying the processing plants with, or even the roach parts (there is a legal limit allowed, by the way, YUCK!) that cause reactions.

I have to say, I still marvel at the things I react to.
Maybe marvel isn't the right word, I just don't know why I get surprised anymore. But I do have to say, I really do appreciate that i can read my body well now - the cleaner the diet, the clearer your perception (yeah, I know, I'm pointing out the obvious). But I used to spend my days lost in a haze, and believing that was ME, not just chemical reactions, sigh....

Take care & good luck to all with our eating adventures!
Grace

 

[D Rusak]

The only thing I can think of now that works is almond flour, either blanched or home processed after soaking (usually cheaper). And that's IF your body is ok with nuts. Luckily for me I have been doing ok on this, I have been making almond pancakes now instead of buckwheat to include (by virtue of "fatty" nuts) and soak up fat (sausage drippings, butter, animal cooking fat, and maybe a dollop of coconut cream from the top of the coconut milk container if I'm feeling it )