Millet

[julia mom]

What is millet and is it safe? I remember reading it was questionable. My gluten-free cereal lists it as an ingredient though.

[seeking-wholeness]

julia mom,

Have you seen this article on grains from here at celiac.com?

Millet is a relative of corn and SHOULD be safe for people with celiac disease. But as with all foods, DON'T trust bulk bins at the health food store! Someone may have used the scoop from the barley bin to scoop out their millet, or the store employees may have put the millet (or the black beans or pumpkin seeds, for that matter) in the bin that used to hold wheat berries. You get the picture! I know that Bob's Red Mill sells prepackaged millet, but I haven't bought any to try since I went gluten-free. I remember having some trouble with millet before then, but that doesn't mean anything--I had the same trouble with rice, too, because my cooking pot was contaminated with barley residue (which has got to be the stickiest stuff on the planet--I could SEE it, but I couldn't scrub it off!). Since I replaced my pot, I have had NO further trouble with rice.

I hope millet turns out to be OK, because I really like its flavor--sort of like a cross between rice and corn. It makes a nice polenta, too, if you grind it up in a coffee grinder first.

If you're looking for the culprit behind a reaction of some sort, I doubt the millet is to blame. Unfortunately, cross-contamination from one source or another seems practically inevitable among cold cereals.

I hope this information is helpful!

[Guest rogerskathl]

Has anyone else tried the millet special bread from the Deland bakery in Florida? I gave some to my son this week and he's down with an awful celiac episode.

Kathy