Kicking things off with a kitchen disaster
So my celiac buddy Sam came over last week wanting to try my famous mac n cheese. Dumbass me grabbed that yellow powder labeled “sodium citrate” from the pantry without thinking. Halfway through dinner he started sweating and looking pale. Total lightbulb moment – I’d completely forgotten to check if this stuff had gluten!
Going detective mode on my pantry
After Sam rushed home sick, I pulled out the jar staring at the ingredients list. Nothing but chemical names – sodium citrate, citric acid, zero mention of wheat or gluten. But hell, I’ve been burned by hidden gluten before. Time to investigate properly.
The research rabbit hole
Started googling like crazy while eating cold mac n cheese leftovers. Found conflicting info everywhere:
- Some hippie blogs said “ALL chemicals are poison!”
- Fancy gluten-free sites said it’s fine but didn’t explain why
- Random forum dudes argued about manufacturing processes
Pissed me off – everyone had opinions but no actual sources.
Getting hard evidence
Finally struck gold when I called the powder company’s customer service. Karen from quality control actually knew her stuff:
- Sodium citrate starts from corn or tapioca, never wheat
- Their factory runs dedicated gluten-free equipment
- Every batch gets tested for gluten traces
She even emailed me the damn lab reports. Actual proof!
What celiacs should actually worry about
Turns out gluten contamination usually happens with additives during processing, not with pure sodium citrate. Important takeaways:
- Pure sodium citrate = totally gluten free
- Always ask manufacturers about shared equipment
- Watch out for pre-made sauces using it with thickeners
Feeling like an idiot for not checking sooner, but also relieved Sam’s okay now. Lesson learned – never skip label checks!