Guar Gum

[BRCoats]

Can anyone tell me if they're sensitive to guar gum?? Anytime I eat something with it, my stomach just feels like it's lining has been ripped out, and it takes me at least four days to recover from it. It also has a laxative affect, but that's not as bad as the tummy. Maybe the tummy sensitivity is because of my gastroparesis (a serious stomach condition).....but I was just curious if anyone else had experienced something similar.

Thanks for any insight you might offer.

Brenda

[tarnalberry]

Guar gum is known to generally have a laxative effect - with some people being more sensitive to it than others. While I haven't heard of a specific sensitivity, outside of annecdotal evidence on this and other boards, to it that causes stomach irritation, it's certainly not the strangest of things to be sensitive to. :-)

[BRCoats]

Thank you, Tiffany.....glad I'm not a weirdo.

Brenda

[Guest Lindam]

Hi Brenda, In my cookbook by Roben Roberg, she states that guar gum gives many people gas and can have that bloating effect. It states in the book, that you can use almost the same amout of xanthan gum to get the same effect. If you want me to quote her, let me know, and I'll email it tomorrow.

Linda

[BRCoats]

That's ok. I will take your word for it. I have gone to the xantham gum anyway, and am finding much better results. Thanks!!

Brenda

[Guest gfinnebraska]

The Celiac Assoc. informed me that guar gum has trace amounts of gluten and will cause a reaction in very sensitive celiacs -> i.e. ME!! Bummer, huh?? I just try to avoid all items made with it. You can find just as many without it as with. Good luck!!

[lovegrov]

If this is CSA telling you this then they're wrong again. No gluten in guar gum at all. It comes from the seeds of the guar plant. I'm not doubting you react to it in some way, but it's not because of gluten.

richard

[BRCoats]

Well, I know guar gum has fiber, and I can't have a lot of that. So I am guessing that's what I'm reacting to. So many of the products that are labeled gluten-free have guar gum in it - I'm referring to things like cake mixes and such that you find at the health food store. I wonder if guar gum makes things stick together better than the xantham and that's why so many manufacturers make it. ??

[tarnalberry]

Guar and Xantham serve essentially the same purpose, for the most part, but guar is much cheaper. I've think we've heard some anecdotal evidence of other people on the board who've noted they don't do well with it. (Maybe it was another message forum...)