“A friend is trying to convince me that sprouted grains are gluten-free. I am thinking “not so”, if the grains include wheat, oats, rye or barley.” I was recently asked this question in an e-mail from a member of our gluten free community.

Since I could find no trustworthy answer to this question, I invite you to e-mail your thoughts to me at gfceliac@gmail.com. I’ll publish your ideas. In the meantime, I suggest an attitude of “when in doubt, leave it out”.

Published 8/26/10

Molasses is almost certainly gluten free. When I was diagnosed ten years ago, molasses was considered off-limits (or at least suspect) because of the food coloring it might contain.

Today, molasses is OK according to the Celiac Sprue Association’s Gluten Free Product Guide and does not appear on either the safe or the unsafe food lists published by Celiac.com. Reputable websites like About.com and Celiac Chics publish recipes that include molasses without any special notes about possible problems.

Please check out this recipe for “Roasted Molasses Sweet Potatoes”, produced by The Gluten Solutionand presented on You Tube.

Published 8/24/10

Preparing family-favorite gluten free granola can generate a recipe that everyone — regardless of age or feelings about gluten free food — can share. Helping with the cooking is a great way to give kids “ownership” of their own diet and produce a product less expensive than one that is purchased. The recipes given below can easily be modified to fit individual tastes. Just be sure that your creative touches do not result in a gluten toxic product.

Check out this article called “How to Make Gluten Free Cereal” and read what “The Gluten Free Mommy” and “Gluten Free Gobsmacked” (two of the best gluten free bloggers) have to say on the subject. Enjoy these three videos and then reach a decision about the best components for your family’s special granola.

Published 8/23/10

I member of our gluten free community recently asked this thoughtful question: “Do you use a different microwave than your [non-celiac] wife? Do you know if you have to be careful of using the same microwave?”

I answered that we both use the same microwave simply because it never occurred to us that this might be problem. I’ve never read anything about this topic or heard anyone talk about it. It is certainly food-for-thought.

Please send me your ideas either by leaving a comment at the end of this or any article or by e-mailing me at gfceliac@gmail.com. As you may have noticed, this is my second article responding  to a question asked by one of our members. I think that this is a great way for us to keep in touch and a way for me to focus on the questions that really matter.

Published 8/22/10

“I was recently in a store where they were giving out samples of a GF certified product and it was made of oatmeal….what is the scoop on oats being gluten free or not?” In theory, oats are gluten free. The problem occurs that most oats are contaminated because they have been grown on farms that also grow and process wheat, barley, or rye. Some farms use special procedures that result in oats that are safe for us.

When a products is certified “gluten free” by a laboratory, the food is tested in a laboratory and found to contain less that XX parts-per-million of gluten. I use the X’s because some labs certify products containing 20 parts-per-million, others require 10 parts-per-million, and the strictest laboratories require less than 5 parts-per-million. For more information, click here to read my recent article about oats.

This article was a response to a question sent to me by a member of America’a gluten free community. I’d be happy to address your questions. E-mail me at gfceliac@gmail.com.

Published 8/21/10