Xanthan Gum?

[Katsby]

I've been getting mildly sick and I don't know why. For a bit I thought maybe it was dairy so I switched to non dairy substitutes. I still got sick. The few times I've felt really sick was when I used Xanthan Gum. I really don't know if that could be it. Not to be gross, but I've been getting some bad issues, and this is distressing. It's the only thing I can think of since most of the recipes were fairly simple (a muffin recipe and cookie recipe).

I feel like I'm never going to be able to have good baked goods again Is anyone else sensitive to this?

The only other baked good I've tried (store bought) is Kinnikinnick Rice Tapioca bread and I never get a reaction. I looked at the ingredients and Xanthan Gum is not in it.

[ohsotired]

Hey Katsby,

I just wanted to bump this up, as I'm also having issues after eating some things that I've baked myself, and yes - they contain xanthan gum.

So I thought I'd bump this and see if maybe we can get some input from others.

[rainbow-chaser]

Yes, xanthan gum bothers me and my mother too, as well as other gums...cellulose gum and others. They make me lose my appetite almost completely and not feel well at all. I once asked a nutritionalist about them, and she said that people often use them for weight loss, because they take away your appetite...only thing is they make you not feel well too. Not fun.

Other things I've heard about xanthan gum and the like is that they can irritate the stomach lining and for people with allergies to corn, xanthan gum is a problem, because it has corn.

Instead of using gums in baked goods, I use tapioca flour, or potato flour to help hold things together, and/or 1 tbsp flaxseed powder mixed in 3 tbsp hot water(let it sit for about 10 mins. before mixing it in with the wet ingredients). It seems to help bind things together, as well as getting the health benefits of flax! As far as store-bought baked goods, it's really hard to find them without gum....lots of label reading. Although, I guess we celiacs should be used to lots of label reading.

Anyway, hope this is of some help.

[emcmaster]

Xanthan Gum absolutely kills me. I have corn problems, but even supposedly corn-free Xanthan Gum is a death sentence.

I do fine with Guar Gum, though, and find it works just as well in baked goods as Xanthan Gum.

[rainbow-chaser]

I was just looking up xanthan gum on Wikipedia and thought I'd share this note from there:

"Some people are allergic to xanthan gum, with symptoms of intestinal gripes, diarrhea, temporary high blood pressure, and migraine headaches. Workers exposed to xanthan gum dust exhibit nose and throat irritation as well as work-related illness, with symptoms becoming more prevalent with increasing exposure.[2]

Also, since xanthan gum is produced by a bacterium that is fed corn to grow, some people allergic to corn will also react to it. Yellow Phrygian Husk is a common source of bacterium in which xanthan gum is created."

[RiceGuy]

I haven't had any trouble from xanthan, but as was stated, guar gum can be used instead. It is a fiber which comes from the bean of the guar tree. However, I find it works better for cake textures than for bread textures. The good news is that guar is about half the cost of xanthan.

But, before deciding that xanthan is the culprit, take a look at the rest of the ingredients. There's also the possibility of CC, particularly if the flour is produced in a shared facility or even more so on shared equipment.

If you try the same recipe with guar or flax, that should help you be more certain.

[ShayFL]

I find ground chia seeds work the same as Xanthum Gum. Which I can never spell.....LOL