Thoughts on Xanthum Gum

AllanMisner

Was looking at some hot sauce and all of the ingredients looked good, except I was unsure about xanthum gum. I didn't buy it since I didn't know enough. Thoughts?

MikeFlyMike

it isn't paleo, but isn't a grain or highly irritative for most. Personally I'll have some XG now and again when it is in a "treat" but I treat it as such. For me, not worth sweating over. I bet you don't put a ton of hot sauce on your food If I found one that didn't have it, I'd lean that way - but hot sauce is so good

AllanMisner

Yeah, I am a big fan of hot sauce (so I'd likely use a lot). I'll keep looking for some without or make my own.

MikeFlyMike

I actually found hot sauce a good diet plan. cover your plate with it. Slows me way down.

AllanMisner

And if its hot enough, you turn bathroom time into cardio. ;-)

AshleyPaleo

Franks Red hot doesn't have Xanthum gum in it!!! I could drink that stuff =P

Mrs_Duh

Franks Red hot doesn't have Xanthum gum in it!!! I could drink that stuff =P

I'm with you on that! Nom nom nom!!

monkeydharma

Xanthum gum is one of those "don't sweat the small stuff" issues. According to the Free Dictionary xanthum is "a natural gum of high molecular weight produced by culture fermentation of glucose and used as a stabilizer in commercial food preparation."

When you consider that:
- the vast majority of our eating is NOT 'commercial foods', and
- that (by virtue of its placement low down on an ingredient list) there's very little of it in any food we DO use, and
- most people only use a teaspoon to tablespoon of hot sauce at a time,

it's not an issue.

jalara

Xanthum gum is usually what's used in place of gluten as a binding agent. It's in a lot of GF foods.

Dragonwolf

Xanthum gum is one of those "don't sweat the small stuff" issues. According to the Free Dictionary xanthum is "a natural gum of high molecular weight produced by culture fermentation of glucose and used as a stabilizer in commercial food preparation."

When you consider that:
- the vast majority of our eating is NOT 'commercial foods', and
- that (by virtue of its placement low down on an ingredient list) there's very little of it in any food we DO use, and
- most people only use a teaspoon to tablespoon of hot sauce at a time,

it's not an issue.

This. And to give an idea - when you cook with it, you generally add it to a full recipe (such as a loaf of bread or a cake or gravy or whatever, which usually has 8-12+ servings) by the quarter teaspoon. I think the food usually ends up with more salt than Xanthan Gum, and that's for the really doughy or thick stuff. Runnier stuff, like sauces or drinks, probably have even less.

Xanthan Gum is a thickening agent, not unlike corn starch in what it does. Like corn starch (and in my experience, more extreme than corn starch), a little goes a looooooong way.