Corn tortillas are a staple utilized in Mexican cooking for tacos, enchiladas, taquitos, and even corn tortilla chips. Their enjoyable tender, foldable form makes them the proper vessel for scrumptious fillings like pork, taco meat, grilled rooster or steak, and plenty of toppings. Usually, they’re made merely with three elements and may be discovered readily in most supermarkets.
Many typically surprise if they’re gluten free and I’ve researched all the small print to seek out out for you!
What’s Gluten?
Gluten is a protein present in wheat, rye, barley, and different grains. Gluten is significant in serving to meals keep its form. It’s a naturally occurring substance however will also be extracted and concentrated so as to add to different merchandise to advertise texture, taste, and protein content material.
Gluten can come from any of the grains listed above and different meals sources.
The human physique consists of assorted digestive enzymes that break down the meals you eat. A particular sort of enzyme, protease, aids in breaking down proteins within the physique however is ineffective in opposition to gluten. In consequence, the undigested gluten travels to the small gut, leading to many disagreeable signs or an autoimmune response (celiac illness).
Even when you don’t have celiac illness, you’ll be able to nonetheless really feel sick after consuming meals containing gluten when you’ve got a gluten intolerance. These signs embody bloating, complications, pores and skin rashes, and diarrhea.
In response to Hopkins Drugs, gluten isn’t unhealthy for you. Gluten is an effective supply of soluble fiber, vitamins, and protein. Except you might be recognized with celiac illness, you shouldn’t have any downside consuming gluten in your eating regimen.
Due to this fact, it’s best to seek the advice of your physician to find out when you’ve got celiac illness or gluten sensitivity. It’s true while you exhibit any of the signs talked about above. Your physician will carry out a collection of exams to find out your gluten sensitivity.
If you wish to begin on a gluten-free eating regimen, listed below are a few of the meals that you will need to keep away from:
- Beer or ale
- Bread
- Muffins
- Pies
- Cereals
- Wafers or crackers
- French fries
- Malt (together with malt flavoring)
- Pastas
- Salad dressings
- Sauces (containing wheat)
- Snack meals like potato and tortilla chips
You could find a extra complete record of meals containing gluten on the Celiac Illness Basis web site. It is necessary to focus on the “hidden” gluten in your meals. Make sure that to pay further consideration to the label.
Listed here are ingredient names that you simply have to be cautious of since they might imply there may be gluten in your meals:
- Wheat
- Barley
- Rye
- Flour
- Bran
- Spelt
- Modified meals starch
- Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
- Glucose
- Semolina
- Durum
- Farina, and so on.
Does Corn Have Gluten?
Sure, corn is gluten-free in its pure kind. It doesn’t comprise gluten, in contrast to different sorts of grains.
Plain corn when eaten straight from the cob is gluten-free. Nonetheless, it is advisable to be further cautious when consuming processed corn merchandise. All the time test the product’s full ingredient record earlier than you devour it to make sure it doesn’t comprise any traces of gluten.
Corn is fit for human consumption on a gluten-free eating regimen when it isn’t consumed with different processed meals, resembling sauces or seasonings. As well as, you will need to concentrate on the potential cross-contamination of corn merchandise that would expose them to gluten sources.
In case you have celiac illness or gluten sensitivity, you will need to know in regards to the widespread variations of corn and corn merchandise you’ll be able to safely eat. These embody corn flour (and different meals merchandise made with corn flour), cornstarch, cornmeal, and hominy.
Except for being gluten-free, corn can be a wealthy supply of important vitamins, resembling nutritional vitamins A, B, C, and E. There are a number of methods to devour corn, resembling grinding it to make corn flour to create tortillas or gluten-free bread. You’ll be able to add it to your salad for pure sweetness, shade, and texture.
How Are Corn Tortillas Made
The commonest elements utilized in corn tortilla recipes embody:
- Masa harina (corn flour)
- Salt
- Sizzling water
Historically, corn tortillas are made by curing maize in limewater. The method peels off the pores and skin of the kernel. After that, the maize goes by a grinding course of earlier than it’s kneaded right into a dough. The dough is rolled out into circles after which cooked over a sizzling griddle.
These days, you should buy ready-made corn flour from the grocery. You should use that flour with the elements listed above to kind a dough after which prepare dinner your home made tortillas over a grill. You too can purchase ready-made corn tortillas you could merely warmth on the grill.
Are Corn Tortillas More healthy than Wheat Tortillas?
There are two foremost sorts of tortillas: flour and corn. For this goal, we’ll take a better take a look at corn tortillas since it’s a extra common alternative being a more healthy choice. It’s constructed from entire grains, which suggests it has extra vitamins, fewer energy, and a better fiber depend than flour tortillas.
Corn tortillas are additionally sometimes smaller in measurement than flour tortillas. Therefore, it’s a good choice for many who need to portion management their eating regimen.
By no means assume that each one corn tortillas are gluten-free. Some mass-produced corn tortillas might comprise gluten. Due to this fact, it pays to learn the ingredient record before you purchase (seek advice from the record of “hidden names” of gluten above).
Do Corn Tortillas Have Gluten?
Do-it-yourself corn tortillas are good to have to make sure freshness and high quality. Nonetheless, you could find many gluten-free corn tortillas to avoid wasting effort and time. You’ll be able to go for these alternate options if you wish to make a fast breakfast or lunch with out worrying about whether or not or not it’s a gluten-free meal.
Mission
Mission is on a “mission” to supply gluten free corn tortillas, they usually have one of the best assortment of conventional gluten free flavors on the market.
- Road Tacos White Corn Tortillas
- Low-Calorie Yellow Corn Tortillas
- Further Skinny White Corn Tortillas
- Estilo Casero White Corn Tortillas
- Road Tacos Yellow Corn Tortillas
- Pink Corn Tortillas
- Tremendous Measurement Yellow Corn Tortillas
- Yellow Corn Tortillas
- White Corn Tortillas
La Burrita
Guerrero
- 25 Energy White Corn Tortillas
- White Corn Tortilla
- King Measurement White Corn Tortilla
- Taqueria Model Mini White Corn Tortilla
- King Measurement Yellow Corn Tortilla
- Yellow Corn Tortilla
- Caseras White Corn Tortilla
- Taqueria Model Mini Yellow Corn Tortilla
Mi Rancho
- Natural Corn Tortillas
- Natural Corn THINcredible
- Natural Corn Taco Sliders
- Non-GMO White Corn Tortillas
Vista Hermosa
Ula
Masienda
Siete
These should not made with corn however may very well be used as an alternative to corn tortillas and provides the same taste.
- Almond Flour Tortillas
- Chickpea Flour Tortillas
Previous El Paso
They don’t make any tender corn tortillas however do have a choice of corn taco shells which are gluten free.
- Tostada Shells
- Crunchy Taco Shells
- Crunchy White Corn Shells
Del Campo
Whether or not you make your corn tortilla at residence or purchase the pre-made ones, use the knowledge supplied right here to learn about your meals selections. Whereas it might sound daunting at first, it ought to make it simple to keep up a gluten-free eating regimen when you recognize what goes into making your meals.
