Guar Gum or no Guar Gum

Monday, February 4, 2013 | Adzele at 8:10 PM |

I go back and forth on whether or not to use Guar Gum in my gluten free baking. Ofcourse with every thing you use, there are positives and negatives. So why am I nervous about using it?

So what is Guar Gum: 
Guar gum is a fiber from a plant call yes, you guest it, Guar. It is used a lot in the medical field to combat, obesity, weight loss, diarrhea, constipation, high cholesterol  and other things including IBD.

Why do I want to use it: 
I can really use a leavening agent in my baking. I really want to make bread, and it is challenging when I can not use yeast. Baking powder and egg substitutes does not seem to do the job well. I need something else.

Why don't I want to use it:
Well you have to be careful of how much of Guar gum you use. A little goes a long way...in your body that is. In medicinal use, it is recommended that you drink a lot of water when you take 5 grams of it. If I am not mistaking 5 gram is a tea spoon. Some recipes calls for that much while granted,  others are just 1/4 tea spoon.

To be honest, I am just weary of anything entering my stomach right now.
When I eat yeast it feels like the yeast extend in my stomach after digestion, that is what I am afraid it will like with the guar gum. It makes you feel full, but it can cause obstruction in your stomach or throat.

I mean with everything, there are pluses and minuses...so what do you think? do you use it?do you recommend it? have you seen any side effects?

If you want to read more about Guar Gum check this link at WebMD or here at Alternative Medecine
and if you want to know how to use it in cooking, here is some information from Livestrong.