Hidden Gluten in Foods

Last week, I had company, celiac company. I did my best to prepare a meal that was safe for the two of them to eat. The meal was a whole-grain rice-noodle chicken casserole. All the ingredients were gluten free or so I thought. Here are some of the mistakes I made as I prepared this supposedly gluten-free dish for my company.

Gluten Mistake #1: At the health food store, I paid dearly for a package of gluten-free rice noodles. Then at the supermarket, I purchased a can of chicken stock. I knew that cream soups were usually thickened with wheat flour. So I made my own soup base and thickened it with cornstarch. Since then, I've learned that cornstarch may be contaminated with gluten.

Gluten Mistake #2: My next blunder came when I added spices and a bit of this and that. Spices sometimes have gluten anti-caking ingredients added to the spice to bulk them. And the small amount of soy sauce that I added included wheat in the ingredient list--the list I failed to read until later. Who would have guessed soy sauce was made from anything but soy?

Gluten Mistake #3: Then I really made a slip-up. I thought powdered cheese would be a safe addition to the casserole. I opened a pack of macaroni noodles, took out the cheese packet, and sprinkled it on the casserole. Wrong! Macaroni noodles are made of wheat and that cheese packet had been nestled-up against the wheat noodles in the box.

Plus, when I looked at the ingredients listed on the box--after the cheese was already on the casserole--it listed wheat in the cheese mix. So I tried to collect all the powdered cheese clinging to the top of my gluten-free dish, by scraping up the top cooked noodles and rinsing them in the colander.

Gluten Mistake #4: Then I added sour cream to the casserole to recoup some flavor, and I grated real cheddar cheese on top of the casserole. Into the oven it went. I've since learned that sour cream and cheese sometimes have gluten introduced into them.

Gluten Truth Revealed

When my company arrived, I told them my errors and hoped they would still be able to eat the dinner I prepared. I apologized for my ignorance. Thankfully, they were willing to take on my dinner--especially since they had cheated somewhat already on their vacation. They informed me that it only takes a molecule to cause a problem. I'm sure more than a molecule of gluten ended up in that casserole.

My whole casserole was a failure in terms of being gluten-free. It had more wrong with it than right. But the casserole did look and taste good, and they enjoyed eating their type of whole-grain rice-noodles in a new way. In fact, I was asked for the recipe--minus the gluten.

Where Gluten Hides

Celiacs have to walk through a minefield when it comes to eating gluten-free. Not only do celiacs have to search out every label, but they also have to know where gluten hides in foods. Many ingredients on labels conceal the fact that they may be wheat derived. Some of the gluten dangers are in ingredients such as: plant protein, starch, stabilizer, flavoring, emulsifier, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, bouillon cubes, baking powder, gum base, maltodextrin, monoglycerides, diglycerides, preservatives, and alcohol-based extracts. Even toothpaste, lipstick, vitamins, and pharmaceuticals may not be gluten-free.

Safe Gluten-Free Foods

Celiacs--and those who prepare foods for them--must be ever-so-cautious and informed or gluten will end up in the food. Reading for the presence of wheat, rye, and barley on labels is very important. However, the labels don't always communicate clearly. For safe gluten-free foods, buying foods with gluten-free on the label is still the best bet.