Rice And Bacon Question

[samhodges]

Hi all newbie here. I have been reading some forums and some say rice contains gluten although it doesnt affect people and others say it does so avoid it? I have avoided all gluten/wheat to the best of my knowledge for the past 3 months or so but im starting to think the bacon i have been eating every morning has something in it? Some people are saying bacon is a processed meat and so contains wheat/gluten? Any thoughts on this?

Thanks.

Sam.

[psawyer]

Hi, Sam,

The word "gluten" has two senses.

To a biologist or chemist, it refers to the prolamine storage protein of a grain--any grain. That includes rice and corn.

To a dietitian, and as used here, it refers to a subset comprising the gluten in wheat, rye and barley. These are the ones that trigger the celiac disease reaction. Oats are generally included because some celiacs react to oat gluten, but also because commercially produced oats are invariably contaminated with wheat.

So, rice and corn contain gluten in the first sense of the word, but are safe for celiacs.

I have never in all my time seen bacon which contained gluten. I'm not saying it is impossible, but it certainly isn't common.

[kareng]

Rice is safe for Celiacs. Most bacon is gluten-free - read the ingredients.

Not to confuse you but gluten is really a word that we use incorrectly. All grains have different types of "gluten". The types of gluten Celiacs need to avoid are the kind found in wheat, rye, barley & oats for some people. Rather than naming each type of gluten, the world had taken to calling the "bad" gluten types "gluten".

Some people go grain free, at least for awile, but it is not necessary for most Celiacs and is not because of "gluten".

Clear as mud?

Looks like Peter and I were posting at the same time.

[samhodges]

Ok thanks a lot.

[CeliacAndCfsCrusader]

As a newbie, I encourage you to read EVERY label. It's the best way to not only get educated, but also to help you learn the "suspect ingredients" much faster.

I know when I was first diagnosed, some trips to the grocery store were over an hour, as I was reading every label.

Good luck. It gets easier!

[bartfull]

When we first start the gluten-free diet, many of us have quite a bit of damage that heeds to be healed. LOTS of foods can be hard on a damaged gut so it is best to stick to simple whole foods (meat, fruit, and vegetables) and stay away from processed foods. You may be reacting to some of the chemicals in the bacon right now. Give yourself time to heal and try it again.

But when you DO get back to bacon, try white rice with crispy bacon crumbled in it, and some mushrooms sauteed in LOTS of butter. Mix it all together and you've got a side dish that will taste better than the main course.