Cross-Contamination

Cross-contamination has been a recent topic of discussion on my cousin Sally's facebook page. She was officially diagnosed last week and has lots of questions about her new journey so when I saw this I thought I'd share. The following was taken from the Vitacost.com website under the heading of Celiac Disease Info.

Avoiding Cross-Contamination in Packaged Foods

By Rachel Begun, MS, RD

It happens to the best of us. We purchase a seemingly safe product only to find out later that it was contaminated with gluten.

The bad news is that we feel awful for days on end (except for those lucky few who are asymptomatic). The good news – yes, there’s a silver lining – is that feeling awful usually leads to a renewed dedication and sharpened awareness of the prevalence of gluten in certain foods.

For those of you who want to stay alert without first suffering, here are some tips for avoiding gluten in packaged foods:

Know the Signs

By signs I really mean symbols, the three third-party certification symbols.   The Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG), Celiac Sprue Association (CSA) and National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, in partnership with Quality Assurance International (NFCA/QAI), have all created gluten-free labeling certification programs that enforce the strictest gluten-free manufacturing standards on food companies seeking to feature their certification seal on gluten-free food packages.   Click on each link above to learn more about each program’s certification standards, become familiar with their seal, and see which food brands you can trust.

Get to Know the Reliable Manufacturers

Just because a food company doesn’t use a third-party certification seal doesn’t mean their products aren’t safe.   As the gluten-free market matures, more manufacturers are working with experts to implement their own validation and testing protocols.   You’re probably wondering how you can learn about these products without spending countless hours searching their websites, talking to their customer service departments and reviewing labels in the supermarket.   While you may have to do some of the above, here are a few tips to save you time:

• Become a member of a celiac support group so you can get reliable information from people who have already done the research.

• Get to know a manager or registered dietitian at your local supermarket.   Food companies educate these people about their gluten-free manufacturing practices knowing they will share this information with customers.

• Go to the gluten–free bloggers page of NFCA’s website. Companies typically share product information with the gluten-free blogging community knowing they will in turn share the information online.

Be a Smart Shopper

Packaged foods can be contaminated in the store. Be a smart shopper and avoid the following items:

• All bulk bin foods

• Foods that sit on shelves below gluten-containing flours, baking mixes and other products with crumbs or small particles that can leak through the packaging

• All bakery items made on site in the supermarket – unless they have a dedicated gluten-free baking facility

• Seemingly gluten-free prepared foods in the deli case or salad bar that can become contaminated from neighboring options that contain gluten
• 
  

However, the best advice for avoiding gluten contamination in packaged foods is to focus the diet on naturally gluten-free foods, including fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, poultry and fish, low-fat dairy, legumes, nuts and seeds.   This is not only good advice for eating safely, but also for eating healthfully.

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness offers Vitacost.com website visitors weekly recipes and blogs about living the gluten-free lifestyle. For more updates from NFCA about celiac disease and gluten-free living, go to www.CeliacCentral.org/subscribe.

TAGS: CELIAC DISEASE, CROSS CONTAMINATION, GLUTEN, GLUTEN FREE, GLUTEN FREE FOOD, PACKAGED FOODS

Aug 17, 2012 2 comments

May is Celiac Awareness Month!

Pass this on to everyone you know!  May is Celiac Awareness Month!  Today, as I was walking out of my kids' school after my weekly volunteer, I was stopped by another parent.  The conversation lead to her not feeling good and she started listing all her symptoms.  As I'm listening I am checking off a list in my head..."yep, that's related to gluten!"  I don't know why but I guess I'm afraid to continuously be telling people maybe they should try going gluten free.  More times than not I skip it and don't say anything at all, I guess that's why I have this blog.  First I worry they'll think I'm just crazy, and then I worry that even if they believe me, they won't take it seriously.  I know I've said this before, but I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say "but I'm mostly gluten free."  Those people don't realize that it's in EVERYTHING (unless you killed it or picked it of course!)  It's great that you've cut back and you're not snacking on a loaf of bread everyday, however, your symptoms won't clear up until you have completely eliminated it from your diet!

But really, should I be more concerned about what people might think of me?  Or should I be happy that maybe one out of 10 people that I actually do bring it up with will take me seriously and be able to help themselves?  More people have issues with gluten than know it.  Most of those people that I don't bring it up with, probably have at least a sensitivity to it, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to check off so many of those symptoms on the list in my head!

I didn't realize it was Celiac Awareness Month until I got home from school and no, I didn't say anything to the other parent today.  For the rest of this month though, every time I start checking that list off in my head when people are talking I'm going to make a conscious effort to tell them about gluten!

Vitacost.com is celebrating Celiac Awareness Month with an extra 15% off select gluten-free favorites until May 29, 2015.  Check it out!

Gluten Free Orange Chicken

My cousin-in-law gave me this recipe a few years ago when she heard I was diagnosed with Celiac.  Ironically she called me up last week with her own, almost diagnosis of Celiac!  She had a high positive blood test result and is now waiting for her endoscopy result, although the doctors are already pretty sure she has it.  So this is for you Sally!

Before my diagnosis orange chicken was our go-to treat for a quick yummy meal.  As with many other things, I thought I'd never get to enjoy orange chicken again.  The first time I made this recipe however, we had to force it down, I used way too much orange zest (finely grated orange peel) so be careful of that.  When you measure it, don't pack it!  This is still my family's favorite treat, but it is no longer our quick go-to because it's not out of a box...from start to finish it takes me about 4 hours to make it right (this includes defrosting the chicken and marinating it, I'm not working on it the whole time so don't freak out).  On the other hand...it's not out of a box so it's all fresh ingredients and tastes SO much better!!

Ingredients:  (I usually double this for my family of 5...my boys eat a lot!)

• Sticky white rice (start this cooking first!  Actually if you soak it for a few hours before you cook it, it will be even better!)

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• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 Tbsp orange juice (freshly squeezed is yummy but adds more time)
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 1/2 Tbsp Tamari (gluten free soy sauce)

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• 1 Tbsp grated orange zest (don't pack the tablespoon)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar (I use 3/4 cup)
• 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger root (or 1/4 tsp ginger powder)
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 2 Tbsp chopped green onion
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (I use 1/8 tsp so it's not too hot for the kids)

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• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup cold water

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• 8 lbs Chicken Thighs cut into bite size pieces...more or less, just depends how much your family will eat.  The sauce will go a long way. I usually trim all the fat which is why it takes me longer but it tastes so much better.

• 3/4 cup gluten free flour (Mama's coconut blend is my favorite, but Namaste is good too)
• 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

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• 3 Tbsp Olive Oil (or more depending on how much chicken you cook, just don't let it dry out in the pan)

Directions:

1. Pour the water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat.  
2. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, chopped onion and cayenne.  
3. Bring to a boil. Then remove from heat and cool 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Place the chicken pieces into a gallon size Ziploc bag.  When the sauce has cooled enough to not melt the bag, pour about a cup of sauce into the bag (keep the remaining sauce for later).  Seal the bag and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
5. In another gallon Ziploc mix the flour, xanthan gum, salt and pepper.  
6. Drain the marinated chicken in a colander and then add it to the flour mixture and shake to coat.  (If you double the recipe, reserve some of the flour mixture on the side and repeat this process 2 or 3 times, if you put all the chicken into the bag at once it's too much)
7. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Fry chicken making sure to brown both sides.  Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
8. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat.  Mix together the cornstarch and cold water well, then stir into the sauce.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Once thickened to your liking remove from heat.
9. Transfer chicken to a large serving bowl and pour the sauce over it. 
10. Serve with rice and enjoy!