Frequently-asked Questions About Our Goodies and How They Are Made
Q: What is gluten?
A: Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. If you take a pinch of regular wheat flour, wet it slightly, and then roll it between your finger and your thumb, it would be sticky. That stickiness is gluten. Gluten binds baked goods together and makes them chewy. This feature has led to gluten’s widespread use in the production of many processed and packaged foods – including products you might not expect to find it, such as certain chocolates, lunch meats, frozen meats, and many more.
Q: How does gluten affect people?
A: Approximately 1 in every 133 North Americans is affected by Celiac disease, which prevents the body from processing gluten. In addition, gluten may negatively affect people with wheat sensitivity, autism, and ADHD.
Gluten binds itself to the walls of the small intestine and prevents proper absorption of nutrients from food. Symptoms of Celiac disease, for example, include osteoporosis, bloating, anemia, weight loss, fatigue, and depression.
Q: What is gluten-free baking?
A: Gluten-free baking is a carefully-controlled process in which all ingredients are gluten-free. We at Gluten-Free Goodies use ingredients only if they are certified by their respective manufacturers to be free of gluten. And we bake everything with dedicated equipment to eliminate any chance of cross-contamination.
Q: What brand-name ingredients do you use in your products?
A: We use only these high-quality ingredients: Magic Baking Powder; Arm & Hammer Baking Soda; Lantic Brown Sugar; Lantic White Sugar; Lantic Icing Sugar; Club Pack Cinnamon; Premium Cocoa; Club Pack Vanilla Extract; PC Decadent Chocolate; No Name Canola Oil; Fleischmann’s Corn Starch; Windsor Salt; Mazola Cooking Spray; No Name Pure White Vinegar; Skippy Crunchy Peanut Butter; Kraft Smooth Peanut Butter; El Peto White Rice Flour; El Peto Brown Rice Flour; El Peto Tapioca Flour; El Peto Potato Starch; El Peto Xanthan Gum; Kinnikinnick Cookie Crumbs; No Name Coconut; Scotsburn Butter; Our Compliments Butter; Chipits Skor Bits; Bob Mill’s Almond Meal; Scotsburn Butter Milk; Farmers or Scotsburn Milk; PC Blueberries; PC Mixed Berries; PC Condensed Milk; PC Cream Cheese; Kinnikinnick Graham Crumbs.
Q: What grains should I avoid as part of a gluten-free diet?
A: You should avoid wheat, rye, barley, commercial oats (due to likely cross-contamination), malt, couscous, durum, spelt, kamut, bulgar, farina, semolina, einkorn, and faro.
Q: What grains are acceptable in a gluten-free diet?
A: You may consume
rice, potato, corn, uncontaminated oats, quinoa, tapioca, buckwheat, yam, teff,
amaranth, arrowroot flour, gelatin, xantham gum, guar gum, and sorghum. Be certain to select products specifically
labeled gluten-free.