More Gluten-Free Information

I'm starting this week's blog out with the recipes of the week.  Then I'll get into the "More Gluten-Free Information" of this week's blog.  The recipes this week are for two salad dishes and are, of course, gluten-free.  Tomorrow's "Heart of Palm Salad (GF)" has a main ingredient that is probably not too familiar to you.  But it is an easy and tasty food worth your trying.  "Chopped Mexican Salad (GF)" is Thursday post.  This recipe combines Mexican flavors with the style of a chopped or cobb styled salad.  So it looks great as well as tastes great.  Please enjoy both of them.

I'm continuing with the labels on products you buy from a lot of different sources.  The other day I went in to a grocery store to buy some bone-in turkey breasts.  I have a smoker and enjoy both the smoking of food as well as the eating of smoked food.  To my surprise, the frozen bone-in turkey breast that this store had on sale contained gluten

Folks, it's meat!  There's no gluten in meat.  Well, there is in this day and age.  The turkey is injected with a liquid to help make it tender and moist.  That liquid contains gluten because they use wheat as an ingredient for some reason.

There is NO gluten in meats as long as they are just that, the meat.  But there are so many different turkey, chicken, pork and beef products being offered to consumers today.  Many of these products have injected, marinated or sauced ingredients in them that now contain gluten.

You have to be so careful today when buying groceries.  Hot dogs are another product to have their label read.  There are brands out there that are gluten-free and just as many that contain gluten.

Meats are not unique to this fact.  I have found the same with frozen hash brown potatoes.  Some brands are gluten-free and some are not.

Now when reading labels, you'll find many that you're not sure which way they go - gluten or no gluten because the company doesn't test the product.  So a label may not mention it contains gluten.  Manufacturers are not sure of the ingredients they buy through outsourcing to make their finished product.  So they can't say one way or the other on their product.

The labeling laws in the USA are changing and getting better about identifying gluten in the product.  But products produced outside the USA, each county is different as to what they require of manufacturers.  So read labels all the time.

I'll have more gluten-free information in 4 weeks as I continue my series.  Until then please continue to read my food blog each week.  I am trying to mark recipes that are gluten-free with this sign (GF) after the recipe name.  So be sure to look for it.  "Happy Cooking" until next week and continue to spread the word of my food blog to family and friends.  Thanks.