Gluten-heavy products to avoid?
Could someone direct me to a good site that will give details of what to avoid for gluten-free cooking. Someone said soy sauce can be bad. I checked Mayo Clinic but was hoping for more detailed product line-up. Not a health problem, just want to know for my recipe designation.
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I ate 90% soba at Gonpachi (famous for Pre. Bush visiting). I was surprised to find that most soba noodles are only 30% soba flour. Guess I better check that too.
RICE FLOUR breads, etc. are really gaining in popularity here. Can you buy in States? Thanks.
I searched "gluten free food list" and found http://www.celiac.com/articles/181/1/Safe-Gluten-Free-Food-List-Safe-Ingredients/Page1.html. This site will give you the parameters, since you will only be using common ingredients for home cooking (on a different page). Basically, wheat, rye, barley and related grains (spelt, kamut, farro, emmer...) are the natural sources of gluten, to be avoided. Oats may be contaminated by wheat, but tested gluten free oats are available. Individual sensitivity varies, but it is best to go with the worst case scenario. (Other lists are on the search page, too.)
Some food products, like soy sauce/shoyu, are commonly made with wheat but have wheatless forms too. In the US we have to be cautious about what is called tamari, since the term was misused by the Japanese who introduced macrobiotics to the West, and product labeling can be confusing. In recipes, I think it is helpful to note that the gluten free form of the ingredient must be used in order to be suitable for a gluten free diet.
I checked my refrigerator. I have 5 misos, all of them made in US or Canada, none of them with barley or wheat -- the ingredients that would have gluten. As far as I know, koji is grown on rice. You are allowed to be amused at some of the 'new' variations that are being made here!
There is quite a lot on the web that could give you reliable information. www.gluten.net is one, and the link above, is another, with an email address at the bottom of the page.. (look at the middle column -- would pertain if you want to use soba; have you ever tried 100% buckwheat soba? It's heavy and quickly becomes mushy)
for the soy sauce issue. look for Tamari style soy sauces, they tend to be gluten free, but always check the package. Shoyu style of soy sauce is traditionally fermented with wheat.