Well Xanthan Gum Is Out

[sandsurfgirl]

I haven't had too many gluten free things because I'm trying to keep it simple, but the ones I've tried made me feel sick and my nose would get stuffy. I suspected xanthan gum, so I made my own pancakes out of sorghum, potato starch, brown rice flour with no xanthan gum.

Sure enough the pancakes without xanthan gum were totally fine. Then I made some mix that had the gum in it and my nose swelled up again and my stomache felt bad.

I am SOOOOO bummed because all the premade mixes and boxed cakes that can make my life easier have xanthan gum in them.

Did anybody have trouble with it in the beginning but be able to tolerate it later? (Give me some hope?!)

I know for my own baking I can use guar gum, and there are things that you can make like pancakes and cookies without any gum, but I don't want to ALWAYS have to do every single thing from scratch. This diet is hard enough as it is.

[AKcollegestudent]

Just grabbed the mixes I've got and sure enough, the Cravings Place mixes I keep, as well as Gluten-Free Pantry's brownie mix all have xanthan gum in them.

However, Gluten-Free Pantry's French Bread and Pizza mix? Has guar gum and not xanthan gum in it. So that might be something?

[sandsurfgirl]

  On 2/8/2010 at 12:47 AM, AKcollegestudent said:

Just grabbed the mixes I've got and sure enough, the Cravings Place mixes I keep, as well as Gluten-Free Pantry's brownie mix all have xanthan gum in them.

However, Gluten-Free Pantry's French Bread and Pizza mix? Has guar gum and not xanthan gum in it. So that might be something?

That's good to know! Guar gum doesn't seem to bother me. I hope that this issue goes away as I heal.

[Wolicki]

  On 2/8/2010 at 2:19 AM, sandsurfgirl said:

That's good to know! Guar gum doesn't seem to bother me. I hope that this issue goes away as I heal.

This is one of the many reasons why it's best to stick witj whole natural foods while healing. It's most likely temporary

[sandsurfgirl]

  On 2/8/2010 at 4:33 AM, Wolicki said:

This is one of the many reasons why it's best to stick witj whole natural foods while healing. It's most likely temporary

I knew you would find out my bad behavior! I'm trying. I swear I am!!! I need a kick in the behind.

[RiceGuy]

Interesting. I'd always get a sinus/stuffy nose symptom from GMO corn. And, considering that xanthan gum is made by feeding microbes on corn, I suppose there may be a connection there. But thankfully I've not noticed any problem with xanthan.

However, if the mix you tried with xanthan had some other ingredient that you react to (maybe corn starch?), then you might be avoiding xanthan unnecessarily.

What I'd suggest, is to make those pancakes from scratch again, in two separate batches. One with guar gum, and the other with xanthan gum. That way, the only difference would be the gum. You could even start with one bowl of the flour blend, minus any gums, separate it into two portions, then add one gum to each. That way you can be sure that even if one of the flours has been contaminated by something, both batches will sill be identical except for the gums.

[Wolicki]

  On 2/8/2010 at 4:42 AM, sandsurfgirl said:

I knew you would find out my bad behavior! I'm trying. I swear I am!!! I need a kick in the behind.

Consider yourself kicked

[sandsurfgirl]

  On 2/8/2010 at 2:18 PM, RiceGuy said:

Interesting. I'd always get a sinus/stuffy nose symptom from GMO corn. And, considering that xanthan gum is made by feeding microbes on corn, I suppose there may be a connection there. But thankfully I've not noticed any problem with xanthan.

However, if the mix you tried with xanthan had some other ingredient that you react to (maybe corn starch?), then you might be avoiding xanthan unnecessarily.

What I'd suggest, is to make those pancakes from scratch again, in two separate batches. One with guar gum, and the other with xanthan gum. That way, the only difference would be the gum. You could even start with one bowl of the flour blend, minus any gums, separate it into two portions, then add one gum to each. That way you can be sure that even if one of the flours has been contaminated by something, both batches will sill be identical except for the gums.

I thought it might be tapioca, but the bread I made had none in it. I think I will try your suggestion later. I definitely need to explore this so I don't torture myself unnecessarily.

[sandsurfgirl]

  On 2/8/2010 at 3:27 PM, Wolicki said:

Consider yourself kicked

Breakfast today is cantaloupe, an egg and hot rice cereal made only of rice. Lunch will be ham with lettuce wraps and some different fruits. And hopefully I last all day like this. Simple diets and I are not friends. I'm a foodie!

[RiceGuy]

  On 2/8/2010 at 5:35 PM, sandsurfgirl said:

I thought it might be tapioca, but the bread I made had none in it. I think I will try your suggestion later. I definitely need to explore this so I don't torture myself unnecessarily.

Now that I think of it, since pancakes require little to no gums at all, it might be better to test with something else. In fact you could skip the flour and just use the gums in something simple. They work great as thickeners for smoothies and creamy soups. I usually add some to pea soup. You could add some cinnamon and a gum to applesauce for a quick version of apple butter, in which case about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp per cup would probably be about right. Unlike starches, they don't require heat to thicken, so there's no need to cook anything for the tests. But, depending on the granularity, you might find that they tend to lump up quickly. So unless you're adding it to something in the blender where you can get it mixed in immediately, you might find it easier to mix the gum with a tsp of oil first, then add that to whatever you're making. They thicken in water, but not oil.

[Wolicki]

  On 2/8/2010 at 5:37 PM, sandsurfgirl said:

Breakfast today is cantaloupe, an egg and hot rice cereal made only of rice. Lunch will be ham with lettuce wraps and some different fruits. And hopefully I last all day like this. Simple diets and I are not friends. I'm a foodie!

Good girl There are few people on this earth that are as big Foodies as I used to be. I own over 400 cookbooks and used to read them as a hobby! I come from a family where life revolves around food. IT does get better. Once you realize how good normal feels, it makes it all worth while! You'll get there, keep up the good work!