Celiac Disease and the Problems of Food Storage

While I was in Utah last week, I spent some time talking to a friend who is suffering from celiac disease and as such, they are allergic to gluten.  For some reason this is a condition that seems to be becoming more common.  I have heard many different people speculate on the cause of celiac disease, but there seems to be no proven reason for this increase.

Her big question was now that she has been diagnosed as having celiac disease, how does this affects her food storage?  In the past she has stored the typical items that include wheat and other foods that contain gluten

As I told her, she still has lots of options.  There are many other grains that she can store and she can still eat part of her existing food storage.  The list of grains and legumes that people with celiac disease can eat includes the following and they can all be made in to flour for baking.

• Beans of all types including soy

• Rice, white

• Brown rice, only stores for 6 months

• Quinoa

• Amaranth

• Millet

• Buckwheat

• Corn

• Oats, because there are often processed in the same plants as wheat, you may need to get oats that are certified gluten free.

The best option for long-term storage is to store the products whole and grind them, as you need them.  They should be stored in oxygen free environments.  I like five gallon plastic buckets, Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers.

Eggs are used in gluten free baking to bind the ingredients together.  Therefore you should store extra powdered eggs. Many gluten free recipes call for whole eggs and additional egg whites, so having both on hand is important.

Tapioca can help to combat the heavy, dry texture of many gluten free products. Vinegar: is an economical version of store-bought gluten free dough enhancers.

Other foods that store will for people with celiac disease include.

• Dehydrated fruits and vegetables

• Freeze-dried meats

• Dehydrated potatoes

• Powdered eggs

• Powdered milk

• Powdered butter

• Canned vegetables

• Spam

• Canned Fish

• Gluten free bouillon cubes

• Salts, peppers and herbs

If you are canning or dehydrating these yourselves, you know what goes into them.  If you are using store bought read the label so that you are sure of what you are purchasing.  You should not buy products containing any of the following ingredients. ale, barley, beer, bleached flour, bran, bread flour, brewer’s yeast, brown flour, brown rice syrup, bulgur, couscous, dextrin (unless source gluten-free), durum, farina, farro, hydrolyzed vegetable (wheat) protein, gluten flour, graham flour, granary flour, groats, harina, kumut, malt, malt extract, malt syrup, malt vinegar, matzo, modified starch (unless source gluten-free), rye, orzo, semolina, self–rising flour, spelt, smoke flavoring, soy sauce, wheat germ, wheat and white flour, whole meal flour, and vegetable gum.

The bottom line is that you need to check everything yourself and relearn how to cook with the new ingredients. Get a good gluten free cookbook. Don’t let it overwhelm you. You can do it.

There are some long-term storage foods on the market that claim to be gluten free and I assume that they are.  However, I have noticed that they are quite expensive.

Howard

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