FitSugar

The Skinny on Xanthan Gum

FitSugar — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 01:48:07 PDT

If you read labels to steer clear from any sketchy sounding ingredients, you've probably come across xanthan gum in random items from ice cream to salad dressings, from toothpaste to gluten-free desserts. Xanthan gum sounds artificial, but what is it really, and why is it in so many products?

Without getting too scientific, xanthan gum is a carbohydrate created through fermentation. The process begins with a sugar from a soy, wheat, dairy, or corn source. A strain of bacteria, called Xanthomonas campetris, is added to the sugar to create a gum, or a slimy substance, which works as a colorless and tasteless thickener, stabilizer, and emulsifier.

With the ever popularized gluten-free dessert craze, many famous bakeries, like Babycakes NYC, depend on xanthan gum to give wheat-free cakes and cookies that gummy, "gluten-y" quality. Erin McKenna, founder of Babycakes, diligently chooses all of her ingredients because her bakery is devoted to offering sweets free of wheat, gluten, dairy, casein, and eggs. She recommends Bob's Red Mill Xanthan Gum, which is certified gluten- and dairy-free and made from a combination of non-GMO corn and soy sugars. If you're attempting some gluten-free baking of your own, it is recommended that when converting a flour-based recipe to gluten-free, add one to two teaspoons of xanthan gum for cakes and up to one teaspoon of xanthan gum for cookies.

If you have any sensitivities or allergies to soy, wheat, dairy, or corn, be sure to play detective and figure out the original source of the xanthan gum before ingesting it. Some gluten-free folks claim that xanthan gum causes intestinal distress. And according to Web MD, xanthan gum can work as a laxative; it swells in the intestinal tract and activates digestion. If you experience uncomfortable bloating after eating products that contain xanthan gum, try substituting guar gum, which is made from powdered guar beans and produces a comparable gummy texture - hopefully without any side effects.

What's your favorite gluten-free product or recipe?

Label Able: Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate

FitSugar — Fri, 28 May 2010 09:22:23 PDT

Label reading is an obsession of mine, and there are a few ingredients I just won't eat. Enriched flour, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, and mono- and diglycerides are on the to-be-avoided list. Add to that the ingredients whose names I just cannot pronounce.

I recently came across the ingredient disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate on a package of Alexia Roasted Red Potatoes & Harvest Vegetables. I trust this company's all-natural products, but since you should never assume anything is healthy, I decided to do a little research to see what this incredibly lengthy ingredient is made of. Curious to know what I discovered? Then

On the package, it says that disodium dihydrogen pyrophosphate is used to "retain natural color," but it doesn't say where it comes from. When searching the Internet, it was actually difficult to find information on the ingredient at first, which made me even more wary. After a few clicks, I learned that it's an odorless chemical food additive in the form of a white crystalline powder. You may also see it listed as disodium diphosphate on labels such as canned seafood. Aside from retaining color, it's also used to prevent oxidation (browning) of potatoes, and as a leavening agent in breads.

It's characterized as GRAS (generally recognized as safe), but there are warnings that excessive use can lead to imbalanced levels of minerals in the body and bone loss.

Label Able: Erythritol

FitSugar — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 08:00:59 PST

While researching light foods recently, I came upon an interesting ingredient I'd never heard of: erythritol. Sounds like some kind of chemically-derived alcohol that shouldn't be anywhere near wholesome and natual apple juice.

The nutrition label for this light juice reads "certified organic erythritol is a 100 percent natural low calorie organic sweetener derived from GMO free organic cane juice." Approved for use in foods in Japan in 1990, in the US it has been characterized as being Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) since 1997. I also found that it's classified as a sugar alcohol, and comes in granulated and powder forms, but it also occurs naturally in grapes, melons, mushrooms, and fermented foods such as wine, beer, cheese, and soy sauce. This sugar alcohol is about 70 percent as sweet as regular sugar, but has almost no calories. Another plus is that it doesn't cause digestive issues such as diarrhea like other sugar alcohols can, including sorbitol and xylitol. What's more? It doesn't contribute to tooth decay. Seems like this ingredient gets the green light, but I'll still stick to sugar and other all natural sweeteners such as honey and agave nectar and just watch my portions of sweets.

Label Able: Vegetable Glycerin

FitSugar — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:30:50 PDT

I was going on a trip and picked up some Kashi TLC Trail Mix bars. I trust their products completely so don't feel it's necessary to read labels before buying them. While in the car, I happened to check out the list of ingredients and saw vegetable glycerin.

If you're curious to know what it is or why it's used keep reading

Label Able: Sorbitol

FitSugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:03:14 PDT

I'm a very picky label reader, and I won't buy anything at the grocery store unless I scan the label first. If you're the same way, you may have come across the ingredient sorbitol. It's a sugar substitute you'll often find in diet or "light" foods, in sugar-free gum, candy, and mints, and in diet drinks. You'll also find it in mouthwashes, toothpaste, and cough syrups. Sorbitol is made from glucose, and is 60 percent as sweet as sucrose but has one-third of the calories. This sweetener has been safely used for over 50 years, and the only requirement of the FDA is that companies write on the label, "Excess consumption may have a laxative effect." Yes, it's true. If you eat too much of this sweetener, you can end up with extreme abdominal cramping and regular trips to the ladies room. Proving once again that moderation is key - even with low-cal sweeteners. Sorbitol is OK for diabetics and has been found to be non-carcinogenic. I'm not big into diet foods, but at least I know this ingredient is safe.

Label Able: Palm Stearin

FitSugar — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 12:00:57 PDT

At the grocery store to pick up some soy nut butter for a batch of Soy Nut Butter Muddy Buddies I was planning on making, I saw a new kind made by Simple Food. Checking out the label I noticed an ingredient I've never heard of - organic palm stearin.

If you're curious to know whether it's healthy or not

When palm oil is extracted from the fruit of the palm tree and then refined, it can be further refined into two forms - palm olein (liquid) and palm stearin (solid). This ingredient has a neutral taste, and contains a balance of polyunsaturated, monounsaturated, and saturated fatty acids. Palm stearin also contains linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid our bodies don't produce, and tocopherols, which are natural antioxidants. This fat is cholesterol free, and may even lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Palm stearin shouldn't be confused with palm kernel oil, which is made from the seeds of the palm fruit and is high in saturated (unhealthy) fats.

Since palm stearin is solid at room temperature, it's often used instead of butter in breads and cakes, and can be found in nonhydrogenated margarine. It's also used to prevent nut butters from separating, as in this soy nut butter. Well that's a relief. Now I can enjoy my Muddy Buddies even more!

Label Able: Nigari

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:00:00 PDT

I just reread the label of my favorite mac-n-cheese alternative, the Country Cheddar Bowl by Amy's Kitchen, and happened to catch something on the list of ingredients that I didn't recognize - nigari. In parentheses it says "magnesium chloride, a natural firming agent," but that use of the word "natural" didn't make me feel any better.

I trust food from Amy's Kitchen because it's made with such wholesome ingredients, so nigari can't be bad for me, right? I decided to do a little research. To find out what I discovered,

Magnesium chloride is a salt that's highly soluble in water. In Japan, it's known as nigari, derived from the Japanese word for "bitter." It's a white powder made from seawater after the sodium chloride has been removed and the water evaporated. It's an important coagulant used when making tofu or soy milk and is also found in baby formula. Well, that's a relief. I knew Amy wouldn't steer me wrong.

Are You Label Able?

FitSugar — Tue, 12 May 2009 05:50:00 PDT

I'm a religious label reader, and when I come across something I've never heard of (or can't pronounce), I investigate to find out whether or not it's healthy. If you're curious about ingredients such as maltodextrin and xanthan gum, then keep reading.

Source

Deconstructing the Twinkie

FitSugar — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 03:00:00 PDT

Happy Birthday to the Twinkie, which turns 77 this year. I'll admit that growing up, I was a huge fan of this cream-filled spongy yellow cake, but I know now that it's made with a whole bunch of junk.

Steve Ettlinger saw the list of 39 ingredients and didn't think much of it until his daughter asked, "Daddy, what's Polysorbate 60?" So he set out to discover the answer and also figure out what all the other strangely named ingredients were, such as calcium sulfate and cellulose gum. On his journey, he found out some surprising news about the ingredients in tons of other processed foods, where they come from, how they're made, and why they're used. Ettlinger learned the number of ingredients in Twinkies that are more closely related to rocks and petroleum than to any major food groups! Gross. If you're curious to find out more details about the Twinkie and the weird ingredients in the foods you eat, he shares his findings in the book, Twinkie, Deconstructed ($19).

To see a video about Steve and what's in a Twinkie

Label Able: Carnauba Wax

FitSugar — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 03:00:00 PDT

A couple weeks ago, I reviewed Annie's Bunny Fruit Snacks. As much as I liked them, I was a little weirded out by one item on the list of ingredients - carnauba wax.

As unappetizing as it sounds, I know in my heart that a company like Annie's would never put anything unhealthy in their foods, right? If you're curious to know what this ingredient truly is, then

Carnauba wax comes from the leaves of the carnauba palm, a plant that grows in northeastern Brazil. In hot, dry weather, the palm secretes wax to protect its leaves from damage. To collect the wax, the leaves are dried and then beaten to dislodge the yellowish to brown waxy coating, which usually flakes off. The wax is refined and bleached before it's used.

I didn't know this, but carnauba wax is often called the "queen of waxes." It's a hard substance, so it's used to make durable coatings for floors and cars. It's also used in polishes, varnishes, and beauty products like mascara, deodorant, and lipstick. In foods, it's used as a coating or anti-caking agent, and can be found in frosting, candies (such as Altoids and Tic Tacs), gum, gravies, and sauces. Although I'm not too psyched that the same substance used to add a glossy finish to my shoes is also in something I eat, at least I now know that carnauba wax is plant-derived.