Tag: Celiac

Sanity Saver Series: “Potato Night” (Plus Ideas for Meals)

cut up potatoes graphic

When you are diagnosed with a food related condition your life changes and you are faced with a lot more cooking than you have ever done before. No longer can you have pizza or stir fry delivered to your door. No longer can you swing through your favorite fast food place on the way home. No longer can you just buy the frozen potato products in the freezer section because of all of the added ingredients, or even frozen dinners for that matter. No longer can you just go out to eat. It’s a bummer but…

You have to have a good attitude about this or you will go nuts.

Think of yourself as a chef and your kitchen as the world’s best restaurant.

Before long, the things you make at home will be far tastier and better than what you can get out to eat.

I know that cooking from scratch all the time really seems overwhelming, but I promise that it gets to be like old hat after a while. This is what chefs have to do to prepare for a busy night of serving clientele, so it’s not a new trick. You’ll get to a point where this becomes standard routine.

This is where a little prep can save your sanity and thus I begin an article series called “Sanity Savers.”

First, I’ll start with potatoes. These are NOT a quick weeknight sort of ingredient. Potatoes are one of the most time-consuming, prep-intensive ingredients ever. But they are one of the most delicious, satisfying and tolerable foods. French fries and mashed potatoes are wildly popular for a reason.

So, here’s the strategy. Pick one night to do your potato prep work. It is what I like to call:

“Potato Night”

When you do your grocery shopping, buy one, two or three 10-lb. bags of potatoes. Russet, baking, red… whatever kind of potatoes are your favorite.

Have gluten-free sandwiches or scrambled eggs for dinner on this prep night to reduce your stress.

Or, do this prep work in the middle of cooking dinner, or after cooking dinner, or just before…however you can fit in this prep work.

Then, cut up a whole bunch of potatoes, any size you want:

Cut some in french fry shape, dice some really small for hash, slice some for scalloped potatoes or casseroles. You can even grate some by hand or in a food processor to be used for hash browns or potato latkes or potato pancakes. However you want to do it and however you think you’ll like cooking the potatoes. Just remember that the smaller the size you cut them, the faster they will cook.

Put them in freezer bags and freeze.

That’s it.

Now you’re ready for having potatoes on your regular weeknight cooking.

Ideas for Meals using Prepped Potatoes

Crock Pot Roast or Stew: Add meat, potatoes, 1 diced onion and baby carrots to your crock pot. Fill with water to almost the top of ingredients. Add salt, pepper and a generous amount of garlic powder and onion powder (about 2 tablespoons each). Cook on low all day.

Casserole: Add potatoes to a casserole dish with beans or chicken, veggies, spices, and a little water. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees F for an hour.

Roasted Potatoes: While you’re grilling or sauteing your protein, roast the potatoes in the oven: toss 1-2 bags of frozen potatoes with olive oil, rosemary, sea salt and pepper (and/or add a little dijon mustard) and roast at 475 degrees F for 15 minutes, stir, 15 minutes more. (make sure you have enough oil or they will stick to the pan)

Mashed Potatoes. Boil water, add frozen potatoes and cook until fork tender. Drain most of the water. Mash with a little of the potato water and add salt and onion powder. For a cheesier flavor, add nutritional yeast flakes and a little olive oil or nondairy milk.  Perfect topping for a quick shepherd’s pie, too.

French Fries: Add oil to skillet, bring to medium high heat. Add a bag of fry-cut potatoes and cook for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and add salt and pepper.

German Potato Salad: Boil water, add 2 bags frozen potatoes and cook until *just* fork tender. Drain and set aside. In a separate skillet, cook 1 diced onion until tender, set aside. Cook 6 slices of bacon. Set aside. In a bowl, mix together 1 cup vegetable or olive oil with 1/4 cup dijon mustard and 1/4 cup of vinegar (you can use cider vinegar, red wine vinegar or white vinegar but DO NOT USE MALT VINEGAR because malt contains gluten). Mix all ingredients together and serve with sandwiches or scrambled eggs or as a side dish to your meal.

Soups: This is probably the easiest way to use these potatoes. Add to your pot of lentils or chicken broth. Or add the potatoes to water with the addition of non-dairy milk, leeks, salt, pepper, onions and garlic for a delicious and simple potato leek soup. Or use mushrooms instead of leeks. Or, if you have neither on hand, just have plain potato soup. Sometimes the most simple dishes are the best dishes.

If you have any more ideas for how to use these prepped potatoes, feel free to add them to the comments. I really hope this time-saver tip works for you!

What You Should Know About Wine if You Have Food Allergies

Wine Blog

Oftentimes, I see articles touting wine as a beverage that is safe for those with gluten intolerance and other food allergies, but you may want to read a little further, and if you are extra sensitive to gluten, milk, wheat, shellfish, possibly peanut/nut, and especially eggs, you may want to say nay to that offered glass if you are not aware of what exactly went into that particular wine.

As with everything you do, educate yourself and prepare yourself as much as possible to mitigate any events that will cause a bad night for you or those you love. Well armed with some facts, you will have a great New Year’s Eve.

But first, a little background about your conventional wineries. In America and many other countries, wineries are not held to the same labeling standards as some countries in the European Union (4) as well as food manufacturers to disclose allergenic ingredients used to make or refine their product. Almost all of the top 8 food allergens may be used during the making and refinement of the wine process. Also consider that the various pesticides used on grape crops typically do not get washed off. The pesticide-coated grapes go straight to crushing and processing (5) and thereby make every glass of conventional wine a potential equivalent of glass of wine plus pesticide cocktail. (I find it interesting that moderate wine-drinking is often lauded as a way to decrease cancer risk while this pesticide issue is rarely mentioned).

So, given this information, there is a potential for those with severe food allergies or sensitivities to harsh chemicals to suffer after having a glass of wine and not even know why.

So First, the Bad News  – Reasons That You May Have a Reaction to Wine

1. Wheat flour is often used to seal barrels and a little can get into wine. Also, hydrolyzed wheat gluten isolate may be used as a fining agent. (3) If you have Celiac disease or are extremely sensitive to gluten, you many want to pass on conventional wines and opt for a gluten-free beer (or gluten-free specific wine as mentioned below). Although vintners claim that whatever gluten is left should not be enough to be bothersome, there are no guarantees that the flour is completely removed from the final product. How much is left is not known to the consumer.

If you have your heart set on wine, don’t despair, there are some suggestions below. In the meantime, if you also like beer, here are some recommended gluten-free beers: Red Bridge, New Planet, and NGB brands indicate that they are also vegan. Omission uses traditional ingredients such as malted barley while indicating that they have removed the gluten (PLEASE DON’T CONSUME OMISSION IF YOU ARE VERY SENSITIVE as Barley contains gluten.)

IF YOU CAN TOLERATE 5-20 PPM of GLUTEN: We Insist that you try Omission. It is absolutely amazing!!!

We need more information on Bard’s and Estrella before we can make a recommendation.

glutenfree beers

2. People with migraine triggers, asthma and strong seasonal allergies (especially to mold) may want to stick with the white wines if no other allergies are present. The reason to avoid is that red wines are heavy in sulfites, tannins and histamines (same is true for dark beers) (2). All of these things can trigger a very bad headache, a full migraine episode, and (in some people) flushing, runny nose, swollen mucous membranes and – if allergic to sulfites or extra histamines – a life-threatening anaphylaxis reaction.

3. Conventional wine is not recommended for those with egg allergies. Those with egg allergies should be aware that egg whites (in the form of albumin or pulverized egg shells) are often stirred into the wine so that they will attach to the unpleasant-tasting tannins. This process helps the tannins drop to the bottom of the barrel and makes it easier for the distiller to remove as much of the tannins as possible from the final product. (1) How much of the egg powder that is left in the wine is not known to the consumer.

Also, egg allergy sufferers should be aware that Lysozyme, a substance derived from egg whites, may be used to inhibit lactic acid and bacteria during several stages of the wine-making process. It is typically not removed and remains in the final wine product. (3)

Lastly, egg allergy sufferers may become very sick, particularly from red wine if their allergy is specific to the sulfur in egg yolks. Red wines are very high in sulfites. Most who are allergic to sulfur will also react very negatively to the sulfites in red wine (and also to the sulfites and nitrites in cured meats and dried fruits).

4.  Those with milk allergy may find it important to note that casein is used to remove discoloration in white wines. (1)

5. Those with fish allergy should be aware that isinglass, a compound derived from the bellies of sturgeon fish, is used to refine both beer and wine. (2)

6. Shellfish allergy sufferers: chitin (pronounced “Kite-in”), a substance derived from crustaceans, may be used during the fining process of wine. (2)

7. Gelatin is also used during the fining process of wines. For those who are sensitive to animal proteins, this could pose a problem when consuming conventional wine. (2)

8. Those with peanut allergies that have cross-reaction to pea protein should known that pea protein isolate is sometimes used in the production of wine. But not always. Investigation is needed. (6)

9. Soy protein is sometimes used in the fining process. Ask your vintner if they use plant-derived proteins in fining and which ones. (6)

As with anything in life, risk lies in the unknown.  

We are still a long way from having the information we need at our disposal to make informed choices. Until you know exactly how your wine is made and processed, you take a risk. So, please be careful and do your homework. Hopefully, we’ve done some of the homework for you so that you don’t have to. There is some good news about wine. 

The Good News – Organic, Vegan and Gluten-Free Wines Exist (And So Does Labeling)

Disclaimer: After reading the information below, we recommend that you be extra safe and sure by contacting wine/beer manufacturers to ask about ingredients used during the making and “fining” process. 

1. Explore vegan and gluten-free biodynamic wines (usually in the organic wine section). There are some vintners that have established wine-making practices that are not only better for the earth, but also better for our bodies. They are called biodynamic wines. The grapes for these wines are grown according to organic farming standards that eliminate the use of pesticides and keep the soil and grapes healthy and disease-free using natural methods. Soil is fertilized with compost and manure instead of synthetic chemicals. Crop rotation is also used. Ultimately, with biodynamic wines, the production of wine is equivalent to the old-world wine-production standards we have established in our minds every time we take a sip of the pretty stuff.

Some wineries even go so far as to be certified by a standards organization called Demeter Association, Inc. More information about Demeter can be found by clicking here. (Note that the use of legumes are used to help with crop rotation. I am not sure if that poses a risk to peanut allergy sufferers). Their processing standards are available in pdf format and provide extremely detailed descriptions on what is allowed and what isn’t. The section that is specific to wine begins on page 38 (as of Jan 2014).

Biodynamic does not mean safe from food allergies, but it’s a start. Contact specific vintner for specific substances used. For example: Demeter Association encourages the use of bentonite (a vegan clay substance for binding during the fining process) but will allow organic egg products, some sulfites and some yeast products in the processing of their certified biodynamic wines. So, it depends on the individual producer what specific substances are used. Please call your specific vintner to ask.

As of January 2014, wine that is certified by Demeter may be safe for those with milk, fish and shellfish allergy (Always double check!), as Demeter prohibits the use of enzymes, tannin, casein, silica dioxide, isinglass, blood, gelatin, gum arabic, carbon, or copper sulfate. 

2. If possible, find wine that is biodynamic AND vegan AND gluten-free if you want to avoid all of the top 8 food allergens.

This may be a challenge, but take a close look at some wines from these vintners:

– Frey Winery meets all three criteria. It is biodynamic (organic), vegan and gluten-free.

– Our Daily Red also meets all three criteria. Organic, vegan and gluten-free. Let this wine breathe for 30 minutes before drinking for optimal taste (we loved it!).

– Four Chimneys  A producer of organic wines that do not use animal products in the fining process. It is unknown if these wines are gluten-free. Please call to check.

– Siduri indicates that their Sonoma County Pinot Noir 2012 is vegan and gluten-free. Not organic, biodynamic or sulfite-free, however.

3. The natural wine “experts” will laugh at you if you ask for gluten-free wine. Stump them with the questions below (for which they *should* know the answer!):

If you go into or call a wine store and ask them if they have gluten-free wines, they might laugh in your face and tell you that all wines are gluten-free. Hopefully your wine expert won’t be mean to you like the guy was to me. But I did experience this interaction – so fair warning to you. Just so you know though, if they tell you that all wines are gluten-free, kindly inform that person that they are incorrect. Use it as a teaching opportunity to let them know that some wines are still processed using hydrolyzed wheat gluten isolate during finishing and that some barrels are still sealed with a flour paste that ends up in the wine. While it may not be enough to cause a reaction in many who avoid gluten, this does not mean those who are extremely sensitive won’t have a reaction.

Remember, the medical treatment for Celiac disease is to completely eliminate gluten out of the diet. Even without a strong reaction, consuming gluten can still damage villi in the intestines and block nutrient absorption. Wouldn’t it would be best, especially if one has Celiac disease, to avoid wine where flour and gluten was used in the processing and/or fining? As of right now, acquiring information about whether wine is made without gluten remains the biggest challenge.

Or, if you don’t want to go into all of that, you may get a better response if you ask the over-confidant wine expert these questions:

Question 1: “I’m looking for wine aged in stainless steel casks, can you tell me which ones?”

Question 2: “Which wines were aged in barrels sealed with a flour paste and which ones were aged in barrels sealed with wax?”

Question 3: “Do you know which of your wines were finished with hydrolyzed wheat gluten isolate?”

There now, if they can’t answer you, at least they have some homework to do where they can be more of an expert than they already are (because I guarantee you that it bugs them not to be able to answer specifics). If they ask you why, tell them that you are curious about how gluten finishing substances might affect the flavor of the wine and that you want to make a comparison at a dinner party with friends. They can’t argue with that!

4. Look for European wines that have begun labeling for food allergens. Last bit of good news: Some countries, beginning with 2012 wines, are required to label food allergens. These include Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Canada. Start looking for 2012 wines with these labels to help you decide which wines would be safe for you. (4)

All that said, please be safe, responsible, designate drivers and have a very happy new year!!!

Resources:

1. Multi-allergen quantification of fining-related milk and egg proteins in white wines by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, Volume 27, Issue 17, 29 JUL 2013

2. Hidden allergens and additives in beer and wine by Drea Knufken, Living Without, Issue July/July 2008

3. Proteomics in Foods, Food Microbiology and Food Safety, Volume 2, 2013, pp 285-304

4. Allergen labeling in wine: compulsory regulations imminent in the European Union – will the U.S. be next? by Bruce E. Copeland, Alison B. Torbitt, Beverage Alcohol Brief, June 26, 2012

5. Influence of the matrix in bioavailability of flufenoxuron, lufenuron, pyriproxyfen and fenoxycard residues in grapes and wine, Food and Chemical Toxicology, Volume 60, October 2013, Pages 419-423

6. Fining white wine with plant proteins: effects of fining on proanthocyanidins and aroma components, European Food and Research Technology, October 2013