Are Marshmallows Gluten-Free? Experts Safety tips and recommendation

Certain individuals avoid gluten in their marshmallows and other meals because of their gluten-intolerant nature; they suffer from celiac disease or because of the usual individual preference. They worry and ask questions to know if marshmallows are gluten-free; But whatever the case may be, the answer to your question is NO! marshmallows are not gluten-free in most cases. They contain gluten enough to harm a person who is gluten intolerant and those with cilia disease. But some companies produce marshmallows with less than 20% gluten which is within the practical range approved by the FDA.

What is Gluten?

Gluten is a type of protein contained in barley, wheat, rye, and triticale (a combination of rye and wheat). This protein is responsible for the firm shape of these grains. When baking, people put in gluten to give the bread the solid form, unlike bread, some marshmallows are gluten-free. Still, they can not be 100% accounted for because of the possible chance of gluten getting into the marshmallow through cross-contamination. Cross-contamination can occur in marshmallows produced by companies that also have foods that contain gluten. The whole processing may give a chance to a little amount of gluten.

Due to the presence of gluten in the body of someone suffering from celiac disease, the proteins in the lining of their small intestine are destroyed by their own body’s antibody or defence system. This act is known as Autoimmunity, and the presence of gluten in the body of a person with celiac disease will instigate the antibodies to react to the body’s detriment. Attack by the antibodies causes inflammation in the small intestine; it also causes a deficiency in the absorption of nutrients by the body.

In some cases, people who are gluten intolerant do not suffer inflammation in their intestine. Still, they experience other physical discomforts due to the presence of gluten in the meal they take.

Symptoms of Gluten for intolerant persons

Gluten intolerance may seem like depression. If you experience reoccurring diarrhea, constant constipation, belly bloat, abdominal pain, fatigue, and some other health conditions like brain fog or um-permitted forgetfulness when you take marshmallows, or other gluten contained foods. It is not a mere coincidence; the chances are that you are gluten intolerant, and you should book an appointment with your personal doctor immediately for proper medical advice and support.

Read also: Symptoms and possible causes of black specks in stool

Gluten-free Brands and companies

In the spirit of holiday camping, we don’t want an allergy display to spoil your day or even the whole of your camping experience. Let’s recommend some companies and brands that have stated that their marshmallows are 100% gluten-free, although, it is still advised you check the label for double assurance. Foods containing below 20% gluten are considered gluten-free as recommended by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They can be consumed by people who are gluten intolerant, but this does not apply to persons suffering from celiac disease as their level of gluten sensitivity is 100%.

Here are the Top 31 lists of brands whose marshmallows and other foods are gluten-free:

Where to buy gluten-free marshmallows

You can buy gluten-free marshmallows online or from the nearest shopping mall or store near to you. Just search for these brands we have listed on Amazon, Walmart, Whole foods market, Sprout farmers market, Kroger, Food lion, Publix, Wegmans, etc. and proceed to make your purchase.

How do I know that my marshmallows contain gluten?

There is no better way of checking for gluten in marshmallows other than keeping to these 4 best practices below:

1. Make sure to always check the label and food content table for wheat flour or starch, Secale cereal, glucose syrup, fructose corn syrup, and many others.

2. When you are so engrossed in the luxury of those fancy restaurants, don’t forget to enquire about their gluten-free dishes and those with possible gluten content.

3. When eating out, indicate alleges like gluten intolerance and celiac disease to prevent a health complication that you could stop.

4. Make your gluten-free marshmallows by yourself. The confidence you get will be second to none.

How to make gluten-free marshmallows at home (Recipe)

There are no trusted gluten free marshmallows like the one you made by yourself in the comfort of your home. Marshmallows are relatively easy to make and very economical, so you don’t have to depend on these marshmallows that you cannot account for. Nevertheless, there are some commercial marshmallow producing companies that go a long way to make sure that their marshmallows are gluten-free just like these companies we have listed above – there are still many!

Let us work you down the process of making gluten free marshmallows right in the comfort of your room.

Requirements

When making marshmallows at home, you would need the following:

1. 3 kilos of castor sugar
2. 2.5 kilos of powdered gelatin
3. Any flavor of your choice can be used, but we would be using strawberry for this recipe
4. 150 mols of strawberry
5. kitchen oil
6. Boiled water
7. A wide tray and a bowl (it may be stainless still or plastic)
8. A mixer (or you do the manual method)

Procedures (for Gluten free marshmallows)

STEP 1: Get a wide tray, you can use stainless steel or plastic, depending on your preference.

STEP 2: Foil the tray pan completely and spray kitchen oil on it to prevent sticking

STEP 3: Dissolve your sugar in a mixing bowl with three cups of water and stir till it dissolves completely; it would be time-saving and better if you have a mixer at your disposal, but if you don’t, you can still make use of the manual mixing process. The mixing should take about six to seven minutes.

STEP 4: In another mixing bowl, pour in the powdered gelatin and three cups of boiled water and mix till it dissolves.

STEP 5: When the gelatin mixture dissolves, add in the dissolved sugar mixture and mix them for another 2 minutes, while it mixes, progressively add the flavor and mix well.

Tip: When this is ready, the mixture would look like a smoothie and feel sticky

STEP 6: Spread the mixture evenly on your foiled tray pan that has been oiled.

STEP 7: Allow the mixture to sit for about four to five hours. You can use this time to clean up any mess you made while preparing your marshmallow.

STEP 8: After about four to five hours when the marshmallow must have solidified to an extent, turn your tray pan over and remove the foil you attached to the tray earlier.

STEP 9: Slice your marshmallow into any desired shape but make sure your slice it equally or close to equal

STEP 10: After slicing it, add grated sugar to stop the marshmallow from sticking to each other, you can also use coconut toppings in place of sugar. Make sure to mix well so that the marshmallow is completely covered in sugar or coconut toppings.

Now your yummy yummy marshmallow is ready!

How to preserve gluten-free Marshmallows

So you are done making your Marshmallow, the next is to preserve it to avoid early damage. Here are the procedures to preserve your gluten-free marshmallows:

1. Pour your marshmallow into a freezer purpose plastic bag
2. Close it properly and make sure it is airtight, then store the marshmallow in the freezer till you want to make use of it.
3. When you want to make use of your stored marshmallow, bring it out of the freezer and allow it to defrost. Once it defrosted, it is as good as new.
   
   This method can help you store your marshmallows for about three to four months. Keeping the marshmallow in the freezer will prevent it from getting hard.
   
   Tip: When keeping your leftover marshmallow, do not forget that once a marshmallow is kept for a while, it becomes sticky again, all you have to do is to add grated sugar, coconut toppings, or corn flow when the marshmallow defrost. In cases whereby your marshmallows are hard already, just put the marshmallow in a plastic bag and deep it into hot water to make it soft once more.

TAKE AWAY

Many persons are gluten intolerant without knowing, even though they are not suffering from celiac disease. Most of them are not mindful of the kind of foods they take especially the lovers of marshmallows’ until they start reacting to the symptoms of gluten.

Although, most foods in the United states, canada, Uk, Austrilia and many other countries are gluten-free as law guides it, few are not and thus you won’t see “Gluten FREE” labeled at the back of the container.

When taking foods made out of millet, rice, amaranth, oath, and quinoa be rest assured that they are gluten-free and safe for consumption by gluten-intolerant persons and persons suffering from celia disease.

When abstaining from gluten contained food like marshmallows, it is vital to note that you would miss out on some nutrients contained in gluten like A, B, D, K Vitamins, fibres, iron, and folic acid. So do well to eat up other foods that contain these nutrients and have no traces of gluten. Some of the foods that can replace these vitamins lost in gluten are spinach, salmon, broccoli, egg yolk, milk, orange juice, lentils, oysters.

When to see the doctor

If you noticed persistent symptoms like diarrhea, constant constipation, belly bloat, abdominal pain, and several other worrisome complications, please see your doctor for urgent counseling.