gluten-free chicken

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Wed May 09, 2012 8:22 pm

I'm very upset because I just realized the packaging has changed on the frozen chicken breasts I usually buy, and they now list chicken broth and "natural flavorings". So maybe all this time I've been reacting to something in the chicken and not what I've been cooking it in, or eating it with. So, is there a brand of frozen chicken breasts that is gluten-free? If you have a favorite, please share! I'm sure I'm not the only one here who depends heavily on frozen chicken for quick meals when everyone else is eating something I can't!

desertrat · Post by **desertrat** » Wed May 09, 2012 8:27 pm

I'd be very interested in that, too. I buy only organic air-cooled chicken at Whole Foods and it costs a pretty penny! Frozen GF chicken, hopefully organic, would be great to have in a pinch!

Mandy

Post by **tex** » Wed May 09, 2012 9:48 pm

If I recall correctly, all of Sanderson Farms chicken products are not injected.

Tex

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Wed May 09, 2012 10:29 pm

Whole Foods has excellent chicken breasts in packages containing multiple pieces. They are so tasty, though expensive. I gave away a lot when I got my enterolab results.
I also bought chicken breasts and froze them separately.
I miss chicken so much.

raemckee · Post by **raemckee** » Thu May 10, 2012 4:53 am

From what I've read it seems like intolerance is a finicky thing. You may continue to become reactive to new foods right? And you may some day be able to reintroduce foods and not react to them?

wonderwoman · Post by **wonderwoman** » Thu May 10, 2012 8:33 am

From Tyson's web site regarding their chicken

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Tyson® 100% All Natural Chicken Breasts are a great option for those looking for a tasty yet healthy meal because they are minimally processed and contain no artificial ingredients

.

coryhub · Post by **coryhub** » Thu May 10, 2012 9:47 am

I found this article on Demystifying chicken labels: From Organic to All Natural very informative:

http://www.wellsphere.com/healthy-eatin ... ural/32689

Post by **tex** » Thu May 10, 2012 10:06 am

Charlotte wrote:From Tyson's web site regarding their chicken

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
Tyson® 100% All Natural Chicken Breasts are a great option for those looking for a tasty yet healthy meal because they are minimally processed and contain no artificial ingredients
.

The problem is that the phosphates, gluten, soy, dairy, etc., that they may inject into chicken are all "natural" ingredients (they're just not naturally found in chicken flesh).

I'm not implying that Tyson's chicken is injected with anything -- I'm just saying that the quoted phrase from their website certainly wouldn't prevent them from injecting those ingredients, if they chose to do so. According to USDA regulations, those are all natural ingredients. We still have to scrutinize the label carefully.

Tex

humbird753 · Post by **humbird753** » Thu May 10, 2012 11:16 am

I never realized we had to watch out for meats "being injected." I have been focused on eating foods in their natural state - all meats, potatoes, rice, vegetables and fruits - that I never imagined all of this was being done to meats and poultry. I would guess I have not been gluten-free after all. I've just been cooking from home, but I may as well have been eating bread and sweet rolls!

Thank you for "educating" me again.

Paula

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Thu May 10, 2012 12:04 pm

Okay, since my chicken eye-opener last night, I've been researching a bit. I called the chicken company, and even with the bar code, "best by" date and batch number, they can't tell me if it's GF. They took my number and will get me an answer "in a few business days." I'm taking it back to the store. Honestly, they expect me to go through this every time I buy a bag of chicken?? Also pulled out the pork loin I'd planned to fix for dinner, which is apparently injected with a solution of salt, water, and sodium phosphates. Sodium phosphate, as in the stuff they used to use for colonoscopy prep?! Seems to me that could be a problem.

I find this very discouraging--like Paula, I thought I was being pretty darn careful. Back to the proverbial drawing board!

Thanks for all the suggestions--I will be looking into what's available locally.

Rae--yes, sometimes we can't tolerate certain foods in the beginning, but after getting things under control, we can reintroduce them (one at a time, very slowly) and see what happens. However, from what I understand, gluten, casein, eggs and soy are probably forever.

Post by **tex** » Thu May 10, 2012 12:32 pm

Cynthia wrote:I called the chicken company, and even with the bar code, "best by" date and batch number, they can't tell me if it's GF.

Incredible! Since that was plenty of information for them to identify the batch, they obviously don't have the foggiest idea what's actually in their products in general. No wonder so many of us have "unexplained" reactions and flares even though we're eating "safe" foods. That really sucks. I have less faith in processed foods (actually, less faith in the integrity of the processors) with each passing day.

Tex

Zizzle · Post by **Zizzle** » Thu May 10, 2012 12:58 pm

BTW, I just discovered Trader Joe's canned tuna fish does not have soy from the added broth. Just tuna, salt and water. Yay!

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Thu May 10, 2012 2:04 pm

I know it's not the case, but I have let myself believe that basic foods, like meat, poultry, produce, etc. are not "processed" because they don't come in a box or a can. This is just a reminder that we have to be constantly vigilant, even with foods that should be safe. I will be much more careful in the future with all my foods (not just the ones on the center aisles of the grocery store). And yes, it's alarming that the distributor has no idea what's in their products.

draperygoddess · Post by **draperygoddess** » Thu May 10, 2012 2:05 pm

Oh, BTW, Tex, I just confirmed that there are no stores within a couple of hours of me that carry Sanderson Farms. Bummer.

Lesley · Post by **Lesley** » Thu May 10, 2012 7:16 pm

Cynthia,

These are the reasons I have been buying/ordering grass fed meats, even if they are significantly more expensive. I had a long discussion with the butcher at Costco just today. They have US prime beef at competitive prices, though still expensive, and bison on which it is written "no hormones, no antibiotics, minimally processed, always vegetarian fed".

The butcher said the animals are grass fed for 85% of their lives, and then "vegetarian fed "(?) for the remainder 20% to fatten them. That is the part that makes them unhealthy for us. We don't need the fat created by the "vegetarian" food they give them to fatten them up. US prime beef does not claim to have no antibiotics nor hormones added in that final "finishing" 20%.
And pork definitely DOES have those additives, unless you buy grass fed.

So my food bill has increased by a lot, but it really is important that I know what goes into the meat I eat.