There's Barley In My Dry Lentils

[lotusgem]

O.K. people. Maybe someone can advise me on this one. I sure hope so, because we love lentils in our family. Somewhere I read that buying bulk is not a good idea when you have Celiac disease because you can't be certain that there won't be other things mixed in with what you are getting. So I threw out all my bulk lentils from the health store in favor of the little packages sold at Wal-Mart. After I had dumped all four of the bags I had bought into my Tupperware container, I noticed a few grains of what appear to be barley before it is pearled. When we lived in northern Idaho where most of the lentils in the world are grown, it wasn't unusual to see a field of barley growing right next to a field of lentils, so I suppose that they could have gotten thrown together even at that phase of production. At any rate, would it be safe if I spread out what I plan to cook on, say, the counter, to pick out any kernels and then rinse the lentils in water?

[Guest gillian502]

I wouldn't touch any food that had been very obviously tainted with someting like barley. Think of it like this: would you eat something that had just been accidentally dipped in, say, Drano? No way. I wouldn't take the chance, just buy another bag of lentils instead.

[darlindeb25]

me too---if they are touching, there is cross contamination going on--i know, not fair, but taking a chance is taking a chance--i have found that barley doesnt cause a reaction with me, but--just because i do not get physically ill does not mean they arent inside causing damage anyways--i was accidentally eating gluten in butter toffee flavored quaker cracker jack corn cakes----its not fair that we have to give up favorites, but we do----maybe you could grow your own lentils do you have a green thumb deb

[lotusgem]

Thank you, ladies, for your input. I think that I already knew that it was a no go situation, but was feeling like, "Tell me it ain't so!" Maybe the thing to do is try another brand in the hope that they've got better quality control. I am undaunted though, and if I must give up lentils, I will. (sigh...)

[darlindeb25]

we all know the feeling---sighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh----deb

[ianm]

Bad news. After reading about the lentils I checked the bag that I bought from Kroger and found some kernels of grain in it. I went to Trader Joe

[lotusgem]

Oh, bummer, Ianm!! I was afraid of that. Well thanks for sharing all that practical research. I'm guessing that maybe I'm one of the more sensitive people. Early on, I had mistakenly thought that Tabasco sauce was o.k. based on the label on a tiny lunch-size bottle. It said "vinegar", among the other ingredients. One drop on my forkfull of food caused me to cramp up almost before I had stopped chewing. I looked at the bottle (I had later purchased a large one) and it said "distilled vinegar." They must not have had enough space to write the whole thing on the miniature bottles, and it sure messed me up...three days in bed with a stomach ache from just one drop. Would you say that that is sensitive? Goodbye, my beloved lentils.

[ianm]

More bad news. I bought a 16oz bag of lentils at Whole Foods and found 8 barley kernels in it. Looks like there is no escape when it comes to lentils. I ate a 1/2 cup and am not feeling any ill effects. But if you're extra sensitive it is probably not worth the risk.

Ianm

[timabihanmom]

Oh!!! I am so glad to have found this site and this discussion.

Our son had a violent reaction to lentil soup last night and we have been beating our heads on the wall trying to figure it out.

Thanks for the word on lentils! It was a clear soup and so I figured that they hadn't thickened it with anything and so we should be go to go. WRONG! He hasn't been able to hold much of anything down since then. He's 11 and he does really well and he wasn't running a temp at all.

[lpellegr]

I also found barley in Whole Foods lentils - they said they were processed on the same equipment as barley. I wonder if we could find safe lentils in an Indian grocery store? They eat so many kinds of lentils and I don't know if there is less chance of them being mixed with other grains. Any thoughts?

[missy'smom]

I know someone with celiac disease who is a vegetarian and eats alot of lentils. Was getting sick and figured out why as explained in the many posts above. She spreads them out on a wire screen and carefully picks out the stray grains. I don't buy pre-made lentil soups, curries in the store or restaurant.

[celiac-mommy]

I've been buying lentils at Fred Meyer (store brand), I look at them when I rinse and have never noticed any other grains. My kids eat them like they're candy and have never had a reaction (dd is SUPER sensitive), but I will be paying more more more attention from now on!

[Jess]

Does anyone have any other brand or store suggestions for gluten free lentils? I noticed that the packages we have at home and all the ones we saw at the store had a note saying that the product may contain other grains (or something along those lines). Even the red Bob's Red Mill lentils appear to be processed in the same facility as other grains. I'd really appreciate if any of you knew any safe brands.