what is gluten-free? Gluten is a protein found in these grains – wheat, barley, rye, spelt and some others. If you study packaged food labels, it seems like wheat or gluten is added to everything - wheat starch in salad dressings, wheat in soy sauce! Some food-thickeners, modified starches and most hydrolyzed anything are all mystery ingredients that could spell trouble for people who avoid gluten. Gluten is important to baking and anyone who’s ever eaten a crumbly dry piece of “old school” gluten-free rice bread knows that elasticity as well as the familiar texture and chewiness of wheat flour is missing! Zen Cat Bakery uses alternative flours that are gluten-free, and made out of grains, legumes and even edible grasses that bring protein and nutrition to gluten-free products – there’s even some chewiness and texture that mimic those foods that you’ve left behind. The flours and other ingredients are certified gluten-free. We must disclose (and not that we would keep a secret like this) that the facility in which we currently bake is not a gluten-free facility. We have gone to extreme measures to ensure that no cross-contamination of ingredients occurs. Zen Cat has its own baking pans, bowls, spoons and mixing equipment, and hands that are gluten-free! Even the times that the bakers spend in the kitchen are times when no gluten products are used! She knows what it’s like to have to lay the food back down if there is any suspicion of gluten or wheat contamination. Consider this: there is an estimated 1% of the population of the United States that has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease (that’s approximately 1 out of every 133 people) and an unknown number of people that go undiagnosed. A popular health blog quotes a doctor on this: for every 1 person diagnosed, there are 30 people that haven’t been diagnosed. These figures do not take into account people who have a gluten allergy or wheat sensitivity. For celiacs, there are a range of symptoms and diseases that can occur if left undiagnosed or untreated. The good news for the celiac is that the disease is managed by simply avoiding gluten! We are not diagnosing you, and we are not replacing your doctor’s advice – ask your doctor about your specific health concerns. Zen Cat is offering an alternative and delicious product that most people can safely enjoy!