<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Joanne <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

J> I received Kraft's list of gluten-free products and was dismayed to
J> see that Miracle Whip was not listed as being GF. I called and was
J> told that quite often they will list a product as non-GF because it
J> contains cornstarch and that some people are sensitive to it!  I
J> attempted to explain that a cornstarch sensitivity was a different
J> issue and that should not cause the product to be listed as non-GF.

Actually, Kraft may be technically correct in calling corn starch
non-GF, though that is no help to celiacs.  The basic problem is that
the expression "gluten-free" does not correctly describe the celiac
diet.  The following remarks come from the Dec. 1997 issue of _The
Sprue-nik Press_ and are summarized from talks by Dr. Martin Kagnoff:

K> "Gluten" is somewhat of a misnomer, because corn and other "safe"
K> grains also contain a kind of gluten.  However the term gluten-free
K> (GF) has come to mean "free of grains toxic to celiacs".  The actual
K> proteins that are the problem for celiacs are gliadins (wheat),
K> secalins (rye), hordeins (barley), and avenins (oats).

So if "gluten-free" is not correct, what is the correct description of
a celiac's diet?  In some circles the expression "gluten-restricted,
gliadin-free" has come into favor, but that really isn't correct
either.  For one thing, if you eat a lot of corn then your diet is not
"gluten-restricted".  The other problem with this expression is that
"gliadin" refers specifically to wheat, and does not refer to barley,
rye, and oats.

So a more descriptive expression for our diet would be "gliadin-,
hordein-, secalin-, and avenin-free".  This doesn't have a magical
ring to it, does it?  I suppose we could make an acronym out of the
four proteins, and call our diet SHAG-Free or GASH-Free, but these
expressions are unlikely to become popular.  (I'll keep the day job.)

I recommend that when you speak or write to companies, you list the
main grains to avoid (wheat, spelt, triticale, barley, rye, and oats)
as a way of explaining what you mean by gluten-free, and that you
specifically state that corn and rice are not a problem.

--
-- Jim Lyles ................... Home: [log in to unmask]
-- Holly, Michigan, USA ........ Work: [log in to unmask]
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