Food Intolerance and Food Sensitivities

The terms food intolerances and food sensitivities can be confusing as some sources use them interchangeably. While some claim that food intolerance allow some people to eat small amount of the food without having a reaction. Food intolerance symptoms can very problematic for those affected, thus making it important to speak with your doctor if you suspect your might have an intolerance.

Food Intolerance-defined

A food intolerance is related to the digestive system, therefore is the inability to digest or absorb foods or components of certain food. Food intolerance symptoms usually begin within a few hours of eating the food that you are intolerant. Common symptoms include:

• Diarrhea
• Bloating
• Rashes
• Headaches
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Abdominal pain
• Runny nose
• Reflux
• Flushing of the skin

For example, dairy products are one of the most common food intolerances. Known as lactose intolerance, it occurs in people who lack an enzyme called lactase that is needed to digest lactose (a sugar in milk.) Symptoms of lactose intolerance may include:

• Abdominal pain
• Bloating
• Diarrhea

Food Sensitivity-defined

Food sensitivities are adverse reactions to foods that involve the immune system. This includes allergies and chemical sensitivities, where the system over reacts to a very small amount of food. Chemicals can occur naturally in foods or they can be added.

Some examples of chemical sensitivities are reactions to caffeine in coffee, tyramine in aged cheese and flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate. Allergies can trigger anaphylactic reactions in which the immune system strongly reacts to a particular protein or irritant. These are life-threatening reactions and require immediate medical attention.

People, who are sensitive to certain foods, can also have reactions to food additives, such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavor enhancer. Many food additives claim to make food more palatable, safer, longer lasting, flavorful, and better tasting, as well as enhance its nutritional value. Consumers who have food sensitivities, food intolerances, or food allergies need to be extra vigilant when purchasing processed or semi-processed food products because many food additives or flavors are exempt from labelling.

Wheat-free – Gluten-free

Gluten is found in wheat, such as whole wheat, kamut, rye, triticale, barley, oats, and other non-stream grains. Many food products may contain gluten, such as deli meats, salad dressings, soup mixes, and many processed and premade meals. Some teas may contain malt, which is made from barley. Other food products and candies may contain gluten. For example, unexpected sources of wheat include Werther’s Original Hard Candies (and other Werther candies), coffee substitutes, soy sauce, and pasta sauces. A number of chocolate bars may also contain wheat (gluten). Glucose is widely used in gluten-free baking, but bakers must pay attention to its origin as it can be made from wheat or corn.

Gluten-free or non-gluten grains include rice, corn, millet, and pseudo grains such as amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa. Recent studies suggest that people with celiac disease may have some tolerance to eating oats.

Anecdotal information from bakers based on their practical experiences, coupled with findings of some research, suggest long fermentation processes in sourdough breads can “cut gluten”; in other words, long fermentation decreases the concentration/intensity of gluten. More studies that are scientific need to examine gluten in depth to determine whether gluten concentration reduced to the point, where people with celiac disease, could consume gluten-containing breads safely. Until such time, gluten-free products are the best choice for those suffering from celiac disease.

Gluten-Free Flours

There are a number of specially formulated gluten-free flours. To become efficient and successful at gluten-free baking, it is advisable that the baker make flour blends easily mixed into a product. It is common for bakers to have flour blends for yeast dough products, biscuits, or fillings. Premixed flour blends and premade bases that include sugar, salt, or fats formulated and standardized by bakers can improve efficiency and mitigate scaling errors. The blending of the various flours is subject to the type of product desired as well as to the personal taste and preferences of the consumer. Successful gluten-free baking requires commitment, adaptations, and improvements to baking formulas and methods. The baker must be patient and willing to perform many trials, and face those fraught with errors, in order to perfect and standardize gluten-free recipes.

Commercial Flour Blends

For bakers who want a quick start in making gluten-free products but cannot invest the time to develop their own formulas and recipes. There are gluten-free flour blends available from various suppliers. Many flour blends include garbanzo bean flour, potato starch, tapioca flour, sorghum flour, and fava bean flour. Pre-blended commercial flour combinations may not be cost-efficient and have other disadvantages because they may not lend themselves well to a variety of products.

Common Gums and Starches

Binding and emulsifying agents are widely used in gluten-free baking to give structure and stability to food products. These binding and emulsifying agents often referenced as hydrocolloids and some resources include starches. In gluten-free baking, hydrocolloids are used for binding or gelling purposes. They bind with free waters in products that are high in water activity. It is best to calculate the weight of hydrocolloids in relation to the liquid used in a product. The following are a few used hydrocolloids in gluten-free baking.

Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide made from various carbohydrates, most commonly from corn, by introducing a plant microbe called Xanthomonas campestris. It is used as a thickener, stabilizer, emulsifier, and as an ice crystal retarder and foaming agent. As well as in many gluten-free baking formulas because of its versatility.

Other hydrocolloids or binding agents used are guar gum and methylcellulose. All of them increase stretch- ability and used in doughs, mixes, or batters where extensibility is desired. Methylcellulose is used in egg-free baking, which replaces egg whites. Locust bean gum extracted from the kernels of the carob tree and the gum is similar to guar gum but has a lower viscosity and is thermo-irreversible. It is used in ice creams, various dairy products such as yogurt, and in cream cheese to aid the spreadability. It is suitable in various gluten-free baking products.

Many other gelling or binding agents can be used, including pectin (vegetarian) and gelatin (animal derivative), which is available in powder or leaf form. Both pectin and gelatin are used in yeast doughs and mousses for stability. Agar is used to replace xanthan gum and guar gum. Starches including tapioca, corn, and potato are used as a thickener to provide formation of structure.

Liquids

Liquid ingredients can vary from tap, distilled, or carbonated water to dairy milks, fruit juices, nut milks, and many non-dairy milks. Non-dairy milks include soy, rice, coconut, and others used in non-dairy and nut-free diets.

Liquids are used to combine ingredients, soften doughs and batters, or assist gums and hydrocolloids in their gelling functions. Many of these liquids contain thickeners, gums, and emulsifiers are not acceptable to celiac, diabetes, or lactose-intolerant diets. Depending on the liquids used, a baker would have to anticipate their effect on other ingredients in a product. For example, when using buttermilk, chemical leaveners would need to be adapted because buttermilk is acidic.

Leaveners in Gluten-Free Baking

Some leaveners contain gluten as a part of the production process. For instance, baking powder, which contains a starch. For gluten-free baking, it is important to know if the starch in the baking powder is made from non-gluten grains.

Yeast, an organic leavener, needs sugar to ferment and leaven and salt to control fermentation. For gluten-free yeast dough, xanthan gum or gelatin are commonly used to hold the structure so that carbon dioxide produced by the yeast is not lost during the fermentation and baking processes.