Gluten Stuffed Turkey. Is It Ok To Eat?

[Guest Cari5393]

I am new to this gluten free diet. I had a positive biopsy almost a month ago. (Celiac) I will be at my mother-in-laws for Thanksgiving and I am wondering if I can eat the turkey meat if it has been stuffed with gluten bread? My husband and mother in law think it will be fine, "...just take the breast from the top it wont touch the bread." But the more I read about cc, the more I am doubting that I can. Any advice would be great.

Thanks

Cari

[psawyer]

I would not consider any part of the turkey to be safe. If, as is often the case, the juices from the cooking bird are used to baste it, then the gluten can make the trip to any part of the bird.

It is not difficult to make gluten-free stuffing by substituting corn or rice bread, and possibly adding a bit more liquid to the recipe. Search the board for stuffing and you will find several tried and proven recipes.

[Ursa Major]

No, you shouldn't eat turkey stuffed with gluten bread. Do you think your mother-in-law would be willing to make stuffing with gluten-free bread? We had a completely gluten-free meal for our Canadian Thanksgiving, including gluten-free stuffing, and it was delicious. Everybody loved it, and I hardly got any, it was that good!

[Jestgar]

I've stuffed turkeys and you get crumbs all over the bird. I'd be pretty nervous about eating meat from a stuffed turkey.

[Ridgewalker]

A couple days before Halloween, I did a little experiment.

I am self-diagnosed. Enough of my 1st degree family members are dr. dx'd Celiac or home diagnosed, that I thought I'd give it a try. And I am feeling much better on a gluten-free diet! many annoying symptoms have resolved or decreased. But I keep having doubts, and thinking it's all in my head. So....

After being gluten-free for a little more than two months, I was at a party at my best friend's house, and she is the cheesecake goddess. She makes the best cheesecakes in the world-- and I wanted some so badly I couldn't stand it. I thought, well, even if I have Celiac, I don't think I'm that sensitive. Ha.

So I cut a big wedge, and carefully scooped the filling onto a clean plate, carefully avoiding all crumbs. There was not a speck of visible crumb on this filling. But it had, of course, been BAKED on the gluteny crust.

I ate it, and it was delicious. And less than two hours later, I was in awful pain, RUNNING for the bathroom. Several of these sprints to the bathroom later, I was concerned that I wasn't going to be able to drive home. (It's an hour drive, rural area, late at night.) After a while I had nothing left in my stomach, so I risked the drive home, and BARELY made it.

Please don't even touch a turkey that's been roasted with regular stuffing in it. Bad idea.

[Darn210]

Would she be willing to keep the stuffing in a separate pan/dish?

[melmak5]

Not to get all Alton Brown on this, but there is nothing worse you can do than to stuff a bird.

It increases the cooking time and dries the meat out.

DOWN WITH STUFFING!

(Up with "dressing" on the side, gluten and non for all to enjoy!!)

[darlindeb25]

The nays have it Cari--absolutely not--never eat anything that has gluten on it, in it, under it, on the same plate, etc. I won't touch cheese on the same plate with crackers, who knows if someone dropped a crumb on the cheese when taking a cracker.

Cari, being new, you have not heard this old bread tale as of yet, I'm sure. If you take one piece of bread and you break it into 1000 pieces, one crumb, meaning 1/1000th of that piece of bread can make a celiac sick, so, no, you never really want to take the test that Ridgewalker was just telling us about, unless you want to have the same results!

CC is a very big issue for us and other's truly do not understand. At our support meeting the other night, there were 10 newbies there. At each meeting we ask the newbies to stand, tell their name, when they were diagnosed, and how they are feeling. This lady stood, told that she was diagnosed on her husband's birthday and that his birthday will never be the same again, then she stated how much she hates being celiac, that she has been type 1 diabetic for well over 20 yrs and that sugar is a breeze compared to getting rid of gluten. It gets easier with time, once you realize where it hides, then you get a better grip, then it isn't so tough anymore.

[kbtoyssni]

If your mother-in-law insists on putting stuffing in the turkey, you could make a small cornish game hen for yourself. It's like having your own mini-turkey! Or cook some turkey at home and bring it to heat up on the day. I agree with everyone else - I would absolutely not under any circumstances eat turkey that had been stuffed with gluten. You want to be able to enjoy the holiday and spend it with your family instead of in the bathroom or sick in bed. That's what the holiday should be about anyway - being thankful for what you have and the people you spend it with. The food is a secondary thing.

[NewGFMom]

Also a lot of name brand turkeys (butterball for one) have gluten in them to begin with. Any "self basting" turkey will likely contain gluten before it's even stuffed.

I suggest getting an all natural turkey breast, filling it with gluten-free stuffing and having a separate main course for you if they don't get it.

[Guest Cari5393]

Sigh Thanks for the advice. I kind of knew, but now I know. I think I may bring a little game hen in my crockpot. That way it wont be in the oven or anything. I dont think my mother in law will alter her menu. She called last night to let me know I could "bring whatever I need".

Ridgewalker- I will definilty learn from your experiment. I havent had to RUN to the bathroom in 2 weeks and I feel like a new person! Not worth the risk at all.

I suppose I am not being nurotic at all now, when I am sitting at the dinner table and (I have 3 little boys) I guard my plate from their food like it has the plauge. I felt a little silly at first, but it is for a good reason!

Thanks guys, I will get this eventually!

Cari

[kbtoyssni]

Sigh Thanks for the advice. I kind of knew, but now I know. I think I may bring a little game hen in my crockpot. That way it wont be in the oven or anything. I dont think my mother in law will alter her menu. She called last night to let me know I could "bring whatever I need".

Ridgewalker- I will definilty learn from your experiment. I havent had to RUN to the bathroom in 2 weeks and I feel like a new person! Not worth the risk at all.

I suppose I am not being nurotic at all now, when I am sitting at the dinner table and (I have 3 little boys) I guard my plate from their food like it has the plauge. I felt a little silly at first, but it is for a good reason!

Thanks guys, I will get this eventually!

Cari

Eventually you can start cooking more naturally gluten-free meals for the while family so you don't have to worry about contamination.

[nmw]

Thanks guys, I will get this eventually!

Cari

Yes you will

[Generic]

The FDA requires that it is listed whether or not any meat has had anything added to it. Not all self basting turkeys have gluten in them, that is an old myth. You need to check with each company on a case by case purpose.

You may also want to buy a turkey breast and cook it sepperatly.

[debmidge]

Here's another basting issue that needs to be addressed: even if the cook uses gluten-free stuffing, I hope she/he isn't using the old rubber/plastic baster that she/he used when they made birds with gluteny bread stuffing.

After having to go gluten-free, I found that it was silly to clean out my 10+ years old baster and buy a new one that I know has no hidden gluten in it.

...just another facet of this gluten free stuffing issue....

[Crystalkd]

You are not crazy at all. I've been on the diet for 5 months now and the thought of the holidays comming has me feeling a bit scared. I've gotten to be so careful that I requested the my mom but gluten-free food in her house before I watch my nephews and that they eat what I cook because I always end up with some sort of problem.

[gfp]

The nays have it Cari--absolutely not--never eat anything that has gluten on it, in it, under it, on the same plate, etc. I won't touch cheese on the same plate with crackers, who knows if someone dropped a crumb on the cheese when taking a cracker.

Cari, being new, you have not heard this old bread tale as of yet, I'm sure. If you take one piece of bread and you break it into 1000 pieces, one crumb, meaning 1/1000th of that piece of bread can make a celiac sick, so, no, you never really want to take the test that Ridgewalker was just telling us about, unless you want to have the same results!

CC is a very big issue for us and other's truly do not understand. At our support meeting the other night, there were 10 newbies there. At each meeting we ask the newbies to stand, tell their name, when they were diagnosed, and how they are feeling. This lady stood, told that she was diagnosed on her husband's birthday and that his birthday will never be the same again, then she stated how much she hates being celiac, that she has been type 1 diabetic for well over 20 yrs and that sugar is a breeze compared to getting rid of gluten. It gets easier with time, once you realize where it hides, then you get a better grip, then it isn't so tough anymore.

Deb is so right...

From what you said I don't think you will be able to eat safely at all.

Read up on CC on this forum and you will start to see. Even if she makes a seperate bird unless she thorough washes hands and makes sure no crumbs get anywhere you will have a huge chance of CC. Exactly like Deb say's 1/1000th of a slice of bread is more than enough.

[CarolRM]

I am new to this gluten free diet. I had a positive biopsy almost a month ago. (Celiac) I will be at my mother-in-laws for Thanksgiving and I am wondering if I can eat the turkey meat if it has been stuffed with gluten bread? My husband and mother in law think it will be fine, "...just take the breast from the top it wont touch the bread." But the more I read about cc, the more I am doubting that I can. Any advice would be great.

Thanks

Cari

My first posting, just recently diagnosed.

In October, for Canadian Thanksgiving, I had 1 slice of turkey breast off of a stuffed turkey. I only had veggies with it and by the time I got home, I had real problems ... I sure wouldn't do it again. For Christmas, I have decided to cook 2 small turkeys, one stuffed and one not.

Good luck to you.

Carol

[babygirl1234]

well i had turkey without the stuffing in it which is the top of the turkey, but the basing of it i think they use the water from it but im not sure, as far as anything eles goes they dont go out of there way to do what i can have so i just end up with the turky with nothing eles, its like that with my whole family. And they wonder why i dont like to go to family gatherings because they dont do dittle swat for me and my needs, i end up looking at whatever they have after dinner and wishing i could have it, and if i do i pay for it the rest of the night, i had celiac disease since i was 16 years old and yes it does get eazyer but only to a point, its one thing to know you cant have it and its another to see it, you either skip it or if you eat it you end up feeling like crap after you eat it,

[gfp]

well i had turkey without the stuffing in it which is the top of the turkey, but the basing of it i think they use the water from it but im not sure, as far as anything eles goes they dont go out of there way to do what i can have so i just end up with the turky with nothing eles, its like that with my whole family. And they wonder why i dont like to go to family gatherings because they dont do dittle swat for me and my needs, i end up looking at whatever they have after dinner and wishing i could have it, and if i do i pay for it the rest of the night, i had celiac disease since i was 16 years old and yes it does get eazyer but only to a point, its one thing to know you cant have it and its another to see it, you either skip it or if you eat it you end up feeling like crap after you eat it,

Its a funny thing but often its family and close friends who have the hardest time adjusting to our diet.

I think in many ways they saw us eating gluten for years and being relatively OK... especially we have a lot of things we didn't mention (toilet habits) and they just find it hard to accept we need to be THAT strict. Sometimes they even seem to think they are protecting us from ourselves and we are obsessed.

It can be hard, especially for those we love to seem to not care but in many ways they just don't really get it.

[nmw]

Bring your own food. No matter how much educating or others and monitoring of food prep you do you are taking a risk. I was glutened during last year's holidays (my first year gluten-free) and it's just not worth it, and creates stress for all, unless the non-gluten-free are practiced at non-CC gluten-free food prep and fully supportive of your needs.

[TB-136]

Has anyone been tested for parasites?  Symptomss of intestinal parasites are the same.  

On 11/9/2007 at 10:24 AM, Guest Cari5393 said:

I am new to this gluten free diet. I had a positive biopsy almost a month ago. (Celiac) I will be at my mother-in-laws for Thanksgiving and I am wondering if I can eat the turkey meat if it has been stuffed with gluten bread? My husband and mother in law think it will be fine, "...just take the breast from the top it wont touch the bread." But the more I read about cc, the more I am doubting that I can. Any advice would be great.

Thanks

Cari

 

[kareng]

12 minutes ago, TB_136 said:

Has anyone been tested for parasites?  Symptomss of intestinal parasites are the same.  

 

That has nothing to do with the topic of gluten stuffing.  And these people haven't posted in 9 years.  If you would like to discuss parasites,  you could start a new topic in the " related disorder" section.  You would get more answers that way

[deb-rn]

Since people may find this old post....

I wouldn't eat the turkey, personally.  If I haven't specifically instructed the person cooking what I need, then I just bring my own food.  After all, it's about the gathering of family and friends, right?  Plus... you would need to know what brand the turkey was anyway, some are injected with gluten containing ingredients.  You wouldn't have thought that probably... it's a steep learning curve.  Never assume that what appears to be "plain meat"... actually IS!  Ham is another food that needs to be checked on the label for being gluten free.  Most of what is made in that house is contaminated... by the cook's hands as they move from task to task.... bread crumbs all over them!  It's just not worth it!  It can take a while for that to become your motto, but it's about your health... not about making someone else feel good.  Just explain very simply that you are on a medical diet to heal. 

Good Luck!

Debbie