Guest guest Posted April 21, 2002 Report Share Posted April 21, 2002 Hi everyone, I have a few questions: I've seen TVP and brewer's yeast on " foods to avoid " lists for celiacs. Does anyone know what it is about these items that make them unsafe? Do they add wheat during the processing? I've eaten TVP without any ill effects, before reading that they are unsafe. Now I'm worried that I may have eaten gluten, though I didn't have any symptoms. What about nutritional yeast? Does this fall under the same category as brewer's yeast (which I don't eat anyway-can't stand the taste!). Any info would be much appreciated I am still very new at this, and I'm still finding out about things that I shouldn't eat. Thanks, Christine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2002 Report Share Posted April 21, 2002 On Sunday 21 April 2002 09:18 am, CATTZEYE77 wrote: > Hi everyone, > > I have a few questions: I've seen TVP and brewer's yeast on " foods to > avoid " lists for celiacs. Does anyone know what it is about these > items that make them unsafe? I never conclude a food is not safe to eat simply because some organization has said that celiacs should avoid it. Just like you, I want to know the facts and reach my own conclusions. It is unfortunately true that many people with celiac disease also react unfavorably to some foods that are gluten free. I think in many cases foods are added to lists to be avoided based only on anecdotal evidence, or on misunderstandings. In the case of TVP, it certainly can be a problem. The issue is that TVP stands for Textured Vegetable Protein, and for the purpose of this food item, wheat can be considered a vegetable. So it is possible that any randomly selected bit of TVP might be a highly concentrated version of exactly the part of wheat we must avoid - the gluten. Fortunately most TVP is not made from wheat. So, if you know the source of the TVP, and it is not made from Barley, Rye, Oats or Wheat, then it is OK. There are some sources of TVP which state explicitly that they are made from soy. One good example is the Dixie Diners Club. I buy their meat substitute products, for example ChickNOT, and eat it several times a week without any kind of a reaction. It is 100% soy, so it cannot possibly contain gluten. In the case of brewers yeast, I'm not sure why some folks say that it should be avoided. Just as a guess, maybe they are concerned that it has been grown on barley malt. If so, it would be very wise to avoid it. > Do they add wheat during the > processing? I've eaten TVP without any ill effects, before reading > that they are unsafe. Now I'm worried that I may have eaten gluten, > though I didn't have any symptoms. My working hypothesis is that if I do not react to a food that I have eaten, it was therefore gluten free. I tend to react very dramatically when I do accidentally get some gluten. > What about nutritional yeast? > Does this fall under the same category as brewer's yeast (which I > don't eat anyway-can't stand the taste!). Any info would be much > appreciated I am still very new at this, and I'm still finding > out about things that I shouldn't eat. My knowledge of yeast is very limited. I do eat gluten free breads that have been raised with bakers yeast and have no problems. Certainly yeast itself, in its pure state, can not possibly contain gluten. Any cause for concern would have to be related to the food source on which the yeast has been raised. When I am considering eating a manufactured food item I ask two questions: 1) Does it contain wheat, oats, rye or barley? 2) Does it contain anything likely to have been made from wheat, oats, rye or barley (example: malt flavoring)? If the answer to both of these questions is no, I consider the food item to be gluten free. I do not ever rely on lists of dangerous foods prepared by anyone other than myself. I have found too many foods that are inherently gluten free listed on these lists, so I no longer consider them credible. One last bit of advice for a new celiac, if I may: Rice is your friend! Best wishes Steve -- Steve Rider Author, Poet, Satirist, Queer http://www.fagnits.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2002 Report Share Posted April 21, 2002 Steve.. I could not have said it better.. Great Answer!!!!!! Amy Steve Rider wrote: > On Sunday 21 April 2002 09:18 am, CATTZEYE77 wrote: > > Hi everyone, > > > > I have a few questions: I've seen TVP and brewer's yeast on " foods to > > avoid " lists for celiacs. Does anyone know what it is about these > > items that make them unsafe? > > I never conclude a food is not safe to eat simply because some > organization has said that celiacs should avoid it. Just like you, I > want to know the facts and reach my own conclusions. > > It is unfortunately true that many people with celiac disease also > react unfavorably to some foods that are gluten free. I think in many > cases foods are added to lists to be avoided based only on anecdotal > evidence, or on misunderstandings. > > In the case of TVP, it certainly can be a problem. The issue is > that TVP stands for Textured Vegetable Protein, and for the purpose of > this food item, wheat can be considered a vegetable. So it is possible > that any randomly selected bit of TVP might be a highly concentrated > version of exactly the part of wheat we must avoid - the gluten. > > Fortunately most TVP is not made from wheat. So, if you know the > source of the TVP, and it is not made from Barley, Rye, Oats or Wheat, > then it is OK. > > There are some sources of TVP which state explicitly that they are made > from soy. One good example is the Dixie Diners Club. I buy their meat > substitute products, for example ChickNOT, and eat it several times > a week without any kind of a reaction. It is 100% soy, so it cannot > possibly contain gluten. > > In the case of brewers yeast, I'm not sure why some folks say that it > should be avoided. Just as a guess, maybe they are concerned that it > has been grown on barley malt. If so, it would be very wise to avoid > it. > > > Do they add wheat during the > > processing? I've eaten TVP without any ill effects, before reading > > that they are unsafe. Now I'm worried that I may have eaten gluten, > > though I didn't have any symptoms. > > My working hypothesis is that if I do not react to a food that I have > eaten, it was therefore gluten free. I tend to react very dramatically > when I do accidentally get some gluten. > > > What about nutritional yeast? > > Does this fall under the same category as brewer's yeast (which I > > don't eat anyway-can't stand the taste!). Any info would be much > > appreciated I am still very new at this, and I'm still finding > > out about things that I shouldn't eat. > > My knowledge of yeast is very limited. I do eat gluten free breads > that have been raised with bakers yeast and have no problems. > Certainly yeast itself, in its pure state, can not possibly contain > gluten. Any cause for concern would have to be related to the > food source on which the yeast has been raised. > > When I am considering eating a manufactured food item I ask > two questions: > > 1) Does it contain wheat, oats, rye or barley? > 2) Does it contain anything likely to have been made from > wheat, oats, rye or barley (example: malt flavoring)? > > If the answer to both of these questions is no, I consider the > food item to be gluten free. > > I do not ever rely on lists of dangerous foods prepared by anyone other > than myself. I have found too many foods that are inherently gluten > free listed on these lists, so I no longer consider them credible. > > One last bit of advice for a new celiac, if I may: Rice is your friend! > > Best wishes > Steve > -- > Steve Rider > Author, Poet, Satirist, Queer > http://www.fagnits.com > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted April 21, 2002 Report Share Posted April 21, 2002 > Hi Steve, > > Thank you so much for your post. I have found, in the short time I've been > GF, that I react pretty strongly to foods with gluten, and after eating a > few foods with TVP this weekend, I feel fine. So I guess the TVP in the > items I ate was GF. But I think I will do some research into which > manufacturers use GF TVP, just to be safe. I always just assumed that TVP > was made only from soy. > > > In the case of the brewer's yeast, I don't eat it, but I do eat nutritional > yeast, which has an entirely different taste. I think I will contact the > manufacturer of the brand I buy, and ask what medium they grow their yeast > on. I've been eating it occasionally since going GF, and haven't had a > reaction, so hopefully it's OK. > > > And yes, I have found that rice is definitely my friend! It's a good thing > I've always loved rice, because I've been using it quite a bit in my meals > lately. I usually use brown rice, and occasionally jasmine or basmati white > rice, but I really want to try some of the more exotic rices, such as the > Chinese Forbidden Black rice, or wehani, or the Bhutanese red. I'm going > to check at Whole Foods to see if they carry these, because they don't at > my regular HFS. Has anyone tried any of these rices? Did you like them? > > One more question I forgot to ask earlier: what's the story on brown rice > syrup? This is another one I've seen on those lists. I have a jar of it in > my kitchen, and I was curious as to why it specifically states on the jar > that it is GF. Is it because of possible cross-contamination? So I know > that the rice syrup I use at home is OK, but what about rice syrup used in > manufactured food products, like soy ice cream? > > Thanks, and have a great week everyone! > > Christine > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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