Ask the Experts: Expeller-Pressed Oil Benefits; Naturally Gluten-Free Foods
Q: Is expeller-pressed oil better for you?
A: Oil from nuts, seeds and beans are commonly extracted using mechanical processes like centrifuges or screw presses, also called expellers. Expeller oil from a press can create high temperatures due to friction, but no external heat is added. “Cold pressed,” while not a regulated term, assumes that temperatures are carefully controlled during the oil extraction process, specifically for oils with delicate flavor profiles like walnut, olive and peanut oil, and also for common oils, like canola. The gentler process helps retain natural antioxidants in the oil, extending shelf life.
Food companies often use both mechanical and chemical solvent methods to extract the oil out of the food. In the chemical extraction of oil, the hull of the nut, seed, or bean is cracked and pressed into smooth flakes. Oil is further extracted using the solvent hexane, a known neurotoxin, and steam. According to the Centers for Disease Control, very small amounts of hexane may be present in cooking oils due to processing, but the amounts are too low to have any effect. Environmentally, however, hexane can enter the air, water, and soil during its manufacture, use, and disposal, or via accidental spills. Hexane also can be rapidly transported to the atmosphere, where it can contribute to smog.
—Ashley Colpaart, MS RD
Should I worry about naturally gluten-free foods if I follow a gluten-free diet?
If you have a medical condition, such as celiac disease, which requires you to avoid gluten—a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale—even trace amounts of gluten in a food may have devastating consequences. So it’s important to ensure that the foods you choose contain no gluten whatsoever. It’s important to note that some cross contamination—in the field or processing plant—may occur between a gluten-containing food and a non-gluten containing food. Thus, even foods that are naturally gluten-free, like oats and millet, may become contaminated with gluten if processed in a facility that also handles gluten-containing products.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has defined “gluten-free” to mean that a food labeled as such contains no more than 20 parts per million gluten per serving. Even someone with celiac disease should be able to tolerate a food with that trace amount of gluten without adverse effects. Foods bearing a gluten-free label must be tested to ensure that they meet these standards. This can help guarantee that even foods that are naturally gluten-free have been prepared under conditions that reduce contamination. As of August 2014, any restaurant or food industry establishment that labels a food gluten-free must comply with that FDA definition.
—Sharon Salomon, MS, RD
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