As I stated in my last post, an "intersection" diet (or if you prefer, an "and" diet) is one in which there is more than one overriding specification: low-fat and gluten-free; low-carb and vegetarian; low-carb and low-fat and low-sodium; Halal and peanut-free, and so on.
For millions of Jews around the world, Passover puts another "and" into our our dietary specifications. For nine days (the eight days of Passover plus most of the day before), our foods are required to be free of chometz (grains and grain products which are, or could become, leavened) and (in most traditions) kitnyot (legumes and legume products). The prohibition against chometz does not, however, include a prohibition against grains and gluten products -- one of the rituals of Passover is the consumption of matzoh made from wheat that is watched over to make sure that there is no possibility of it becoming inadvertently or accidentally leavened.
More stressful (in terms of dietary strictures) is the concept that chometz is used to derive a number of other food and non-food products, including rubbing alcohol, glucose tabs, and a number of tablet-format medications.
For the most part, dietary issues can be avoided by purchasing foods that are certified "Kosher for Passover". Other items do not normally come into contact with either chometz or kitnyot between harvest and table, and may not need such certification. Medications which are considered necessary for preserving one's life are excepted from this prohibition, with the possible proviso that there is no certified-kosher-for-Passover reformulation and/or that they are not taken in the same way as usual. (Different rabbis and traditions have different opinions, based on the same religious source material.) Some products, however, seem to defy logic.
One thing I was looking forward to this Passover was inexpensive potato starch. I don't usually use potato starch much during the year; however, it is a common ingredient in gluten-free baking, and since my usual "d-posse" is heavily-weighted towards Type 1s, I wanted to purchase extra. There's one problem though: none of the major brands of Kosher-for-Passover potato starch are labeled "gluten free", and at least one states explicitly that it is "manufactured in a facility that also processes wheat".
I suspect that this is not a Passover-only issue, so I must ask, "Why isn't this potato starch made in a way to certify it gluten-free?" This, of course, leads to a litany of follow-on questions: What would are the obstacles to verifying, if not certifying, that a product is gluten-free, peanut-free, lactose-free, or any of a number of other "and" dietary restrictions as well as Kosher and/or Halal? Why don't food manufacturers in general seem to be following those "good manufacturing practices" that would minimize cross-contamination and boost consumer confidence in products that do not carry a dozen certifications?
While we're on the subject, what about glucose tabs, shots, and gels?
On the surface, I'd speculate "since nobody takes these things unless he needs them medically to preserve his life at that moment", it should fall under "life-saving medication" and outside of the boundaries of religious dietary restrictions. But since glucose tabs are also sold as candy, one must consider them to be food. As food, glucose tabs, gels, and shots should require Kosher certification -- and because of the number of people with both diabetes and celiac disease, one would think they should also be gluten-free. That I'm not seeing either indicated on a random tube of Dex4... concerns me.
If you're not concerned about either gluten-free or "keeping Passover", you might think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill. I am, and I'm not. There are a number of competing organizations for each type of food certification (Kosher, gluten-free, organic, etc.), and serious differences of opinion concerning which one(s) are acceptable to an individual or community. Those who grow up "in the life" have generally internalized the arguments and responses by the time they're adults. For the rest of us... it's a process we learn anew each Passover.
Notes:
- The Jewish Diabetes Association provides specific suggestions for treating low blood glucose levels on Passover.
- Manischewitz does have a Web-based list of suitable products for a number of different dietary restrictions, as near as I can tell they are the only major brand of Kosher and Kosher-for-Passover foods that does.
- "Non-gebrokts" does not mean "gluten-free".
