When I first started on the Gluten and Dairy Free path, I avoided Xanthan Gum like the plague!! No researching or anything, just avoided it. By that name it HAD to be a chemical or other additive that was going to do more damage to my kids' body's than any allergen would cause. So it definitely should not be used. Besides, with that price tag on it, it could not possibly be worth it! Well now as I write up my recipes on this blog you probably have noticed that I am an avid user of it. AND it is well worth it!
SOO you are probably asking what changed my mind. Well, honestly, a few things.
First, in our family we do lots of Naturopathic holistic medicinal approaches to many illnesses that most people would take an antibiotic for. We don't give our kids antibiotics and rarely over the counter syrups for pink eye, cough, colds, flus, stomach bugs, ear infections, etc. We do our own remedies. I don't remember the last time we gave one of our kids a prescription drug and our kids do not get sick near as often as others around us. In Laredo, Texas, where we once lived, there is a Chiropractor/naturopath we attended church with. He had a family of about 6 kids and they treated their illnesses naturally too. We bought supplements from him and sought his advice, and usually make a trip to see him each time we go down to Mexico. The brand he labeled as top quality was Now Foods. AND they had a supplement called XANTHAN GUM. Double Take. Double Take!! . . But I thought it was a bad thing, what is a chemical doing in a NOW Foods bottle! What is its use in Naturopathic medicine?? SOO, I started the research. Polysaccharide. . .Soluble Fiber. . . Complex Carbohydrate. . . Fermented Sugar. . . Since when have any of those been bad??
First, in our family we do lots of Naturopathic holistic medicinal approaches to many illnesses that most people would take an antibiotic for. We don't give our kids antibiotics and rarely over the counter syrups for pink eye, cough, colds, flus, stomach bugs, ear infections, etc. We do our own remedies. I don't remember the last time we gave one of our kids a prescription drug and our kids do not get sick near as often as others around us. In Laredo, Texas, where we once lived, there is a Chiropractor/naturopath we attended church with. He had a family of about 6 kids and they treated their illnesses naturally too. We bought supplements from him and sought his advice, and usually make a trip to see him each time we go down to Mexico. The brand he labeled as top quality was Now Foods. AND they had a supplement called XANTHAN GUM. Double Take. Double Take!! . . But I thought it was a bad thing, what is a chemical doing in a NOW Foods bottle! What is its use in Naturopathic medicine?? SOO, I started the research. Polysaccharide. . .Soluble Fiber. . . Complex Carbohydrate. . . Fermented Sugar. . . Since when have any of those been bad??
You can read more about it:
SO then I sought out how it was made. I learned that it was truly a "Fermented Sugar" named for the bacteria used to ferment it Xanthomonas campestris. Take some bacteria off of the cabbage leaves and add it to a grain based sugar & water mixture and let it sit for a while. Then they dry it and make it in to powder. That is just like how they make yeast, except that yeast uses the whole grain. That is how starter is made too and starter is healthy for you, restoring healthy yeast, bacteria, probiotics, and enriching your body with enzymes too. Sugar and bacteria are going to be in my baked goods anyway, so what is the difference if a teaspoon or two of this "sugar-complex carbohydrate-soluble fiber" that sat out and got some air for a while is in my bread with it?? If I was going to be opposed to the methods of making Xanthan Gum, or worried about an additional sensitivity to it, then I could not use yeast or starter in my baking either. . .
SO then I bought a sample. I paid $2 dollars to try it out (about 10 tsp used in various recipes of mine). OOOOOOOH!! Non-Crumblyish bread! AND I could make a loaf rather than the little bun style bread I was making! AND there was no change in flavor! Then I made the plunge and bought a bag. Originally I was set on buying NOW FOODS brand, because I knew that I would never have to worry about their product causing allergic reactions, because they make their products free of all the major grain allergens. But then the penny pincher in me started coming out and dominating my desires and I ended up buying a cheaper Xanthan Gum which likely came from corn and now as we are allergic to corn, I will use up what we have of it and move on to the wonderful first choice Now Foods Xanthan Gum which has no dairy, soy, wheat, corn, oats, peanuts. . .or anything else that we are or can become allergic too. The corn allergy, I am not surprised, what would I expect? We use lots of corn based cereals, our noodles are corn based, corn tortillas, we LOVE popcorn. . . After 6 years of living on allergy free diets I believe that anything 'over-used' or not used in moderation, can cause a big allergy problem. Moderation is the key, but THAT is another post. . .
If after all of this you are still not so comfortable using Xanthan Gum, you can use Guar Gum in your recipes by substituting 1 1/2 tsp Guar Gum for every 1 tsp of Xanthan Gum -- I use both with about the same frequency (you know, moderation :o).
No comments:
Post a Comment