It’s funny how when you figure out a food sensitivity and eliminate that food, other sensitivities have a tendency to reveal themselves. This is what happened to me over the holiday break. I had some time off and therefore did a lot of experimenting in the kitchen, mostly with gluten-free baked goods. Baked goods made with xanthan gum. Ah yes, xanthan gum, my new arch enemy.
You see, I was just starting to feel great after eliminating eggs from my diet. I thought I finally had it all figured out. But then I started using xanthan gum in my baking and all hell broke loose. Even my husband was noticing his stomach was upset. What was going on? I finally pinpointed it to the xanthan. It was the only thing different. I had been using guar gum for the past few months, but finally got some xanthan. I wanted to see if it worked better. Oh, it worked better all right. It worked better at making our stomachs upset!
I did a little research and it turns out I’m not alone. There are a lot of people who develop sensitivies to xanthan gum and guar gum. Especially those who already have other food sensitivities. I tried using guar gum again after that, but even that was bothering me. So no gums anymore. What am I going to do? No eggs? No gums? Back to the drawing board.
I think it can be done. I’ve been doing lots of research and experimenting already. I’m actually kind of excited about it. Since I’m not using eggs or gums, I’m going to have to use something. Luckily, chia seeds and flax seeds are great replacements for both and I seem to tolerate them. I’ve had some promising results so far. Stay tuned for some new recipes!
No eggs and no gums must make baking so tricky for you. That would drive me nuts. I know a few people who can't tolerate gums either, separately to FODMAPs. Hopefully the chia and flax seeds remain friends with your gut! Can't wait to see what you come up with!
I also have eliminated eggs as they just do not agree with me. Such as shame seeing as how they smell sooooooo good when my husband makes them. Instead I've been sticking to chia eggs in all baking pursuits.
Have you had any trouble with flax in terms of the fiber content? I haven't used it in a long time due to the fact I got sick after one recipe it was included in. There were other possible ingredients which could have caused it but I've been scared to try flax since…
Thanks! I hope so too.
I've been using chia eggs too, they work great, but I do miss my scrambled eggs! I think the trick with flax is to start out small. Add a teaspoon to your cereal or porridge and then gradually increase the amount. I had the same worries as you, but I've been increasingly adding it back into my diet and it's working so far.
Guar gum powder is also applied in bakeries, Mil product, and chocolate refreshments along with chocolate drinks.
Thank you for this blog and this post. I, too, found that I'm sensitive to gums AFTER beginning the low-FODMAP diet in June. I've been on it for half a year and feel tremendously better. Have not been able to reintroduce each category yet due to other health issues. However, just so happy to see another sensitive person out there who loves to cook and experiment to find a good solution. Going to try your bread and brownies this week! And, I noticed so far that your recipes do not call for soy – thank you so much.
Hi Katherine, I'm so glad you are feeling better! It's amazing how our diet can make us feel so much better, isn't it? Thanks for your comment and for reading my blog.