Gluten Free Supermarket Bargains and Incentives
Supermarkets provide coupons, special discount, and other incentives to attract shoppers to their supermarkets. They also publish lists of ‘safe’ foods to encourage shoppers who live gluten free. I have already published a power page entitled “Gluten Free Supermarket Lists”.
I am now in the third week of an effort to go back through that same list of supermarkets and advise you on how to save money shopping there. Bear in mind that today’s suggestions apply to all foods, not just ‘safe’ items.
Fresh and Easy Markets (enter your ZIP code on this page)
Gelsons (click here to see their weekly ad)
Trader Joe’s (doesn’t list coupon or disount information on its site)
Restaurants Serving Gluten Free Pizza
About five years ago, I reported to you that it was impossible to find a gluten free restaurant pizza anywhere in Portland, Oregon. (I can’t tell you the exact date of that post — apparently I deleted it in a fit of depression.) This evening, I chose among four or five local establishments and had a tasty ‘safe’ pizza delivered to my home. Gluten free opportunity is epanding at an amazing rate.
This week I updated and expanded my power page “Gluten Free Pizza Restaurants” list. The information of these power pages is vital to every eliac’s success. I will continue updating information every Friday. Next week, I’ll deal with my “Ingredient Issues” power page which provides information for reading ingredient lists.
Weight Loss for People Living Gluten Free…Attitude is Everything
Last Thursday, I began a series of articles aimed at people living gluten free who need to shed a few pounds. Today, I’ll get specific about attitude — diet is not “all in your head” but that is a good place start. I need to stress a few essential facts:
→ There is no significant difference in losing weight on the gluten free diet and the conventional diet. The gluten free diet is becoming more ‘chic’ these days, but, for wheat eaters and every one else, a person loses weight when they eat fewer calories than they burn through exercise and other activities. Here’s a great article that clarifies that subject.
→ 39% of all celiacs are overweight or obese on the day they are diagnosed. We have this stereotype that celiacs are underweight which makes it seem almost embarassing for us to face the fact that we need to cut calories. I know that happened to me. I was underweight when diagnosed. I welcomed the first ten pounds, ignored the second ten pound gain, and should have started to watch my calories much sooner than I did.
→ Celiacs have many advantages when they are cutting calories and losing weight:
♦ Most junk food is gluten toxic and high in calories. If we are watching our weight, we have two reasons for avoid this type of food. One of our members commented “guess what happens when we cut out burgers, pizza, and beer”. I don’t cut those things out, but I certainly reduce my intake.
♦ If we are calorie conscious and gluten free, we can occasionally reward ourselves with a sugary (but gluten free) treat.
♦ Celiacs are already used to the idea that we are what we eat. We read ingredient labels. We are used to planning our meals.
→There are a few disadvantages. For example:
♦ The benefits of the gluten free diet are immediately obvious. I felt 100% better after a few days. A weight-loss diet takes much longer.
♦ We need to be careful about what The Savvy Celiac calls “gluten entitlement”. This is the understandable feeling that gluten free food is OK for us in any quantity. I can’t eat the cupcakes at work, so I come home and console myself by eating a full bag of gluten free doughnuts. Since I am the only person in my household who lives gluten free, I feel almost proud of myself when i “finish up the whole bag before they get stale”.
This leads me into the topic for next Friday — calories count, quantities count. We have enough to worry about staying gluten. How do we keep track of what is happening on both the calorie and the gluten ‘front”?
All the information I have about weight control for people who live gluten free is summarized on my power page “The Gluten Free Weight Loss Diet“. Click on the title to go to that page. Another option is to scroll down to the bottom of this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that says “lose weight gluten free”. You will be taken to a page that shows the first few sentences of each of my articles on the subject. Click to read the complete article.
Lemon Streusel Muffins from Udi’s
Udi’s gluten free products are the best celiac-safe news I’ve received in my eleven years on the gluten free diet. I’ve written about their bread twice (click here to read the second post) and now I would like to rave about their wonderful lemon streusel muffins. What a wonderful way to start the day!
Hopefully, I have shared my enthusiasm for these muffins and I wish I could provide more objective information. These muffins are in a class by themselves. I’m speechless. My sister was diagnosed with celiac disease six weeks ago. She “likes them” but can’t possibly feel the enthusiasm experienced by those of us who have waited patiently for decade(s) for Udi’s to ‘happen’.
In looking up information for this post, I realized that I had made a small error. I assumed that all Udi’s products were sold frozen simply because that is the only way I had ever seen them. Actually, the Udi’s website states that “…we do not always sell our products in the freezer. Our products can stay in ambient temperatures for seven days and in the refrigerator for 21 days.”
Convenience Meals from Dr. McDougall
I recently tried the gluten free vegan tamale soup ‘meal cup’ from Right Foods. It’s amazingly easy to fix. Take the lid off the top, open the flavorings pack inside, and fill the cup with boiling water, and let it set for eight minutes to let the boiling water cool off. The flavor is great if you keep in mind that the product is designed to be ultra-convenient rather than to taste like gourmet food.
This official name of the company is ‘Right Foods’, but if your looking for it on the shelf the first thing you will notice is the words “Dr. McDougall’s” and a picture of a man who is presumably the doctor. Everything is well-labeled, but everything is not gluten free, so be sure to check. The company produces the ‘meal cups’ and also makes boxed soup in 2-serving packages. The website has an impressive list of stores that sell these products.
I always feel a bit uncomfortable writing product reviews. Everything I eat these days tastes better than the cardboard I was forced to swallow ten years ago when I was first diagnosed. I welcome ‘guest reviewers’. I’d welcome the opportunity to publish your thoughts on gluten free products. My e-mail address is gfceliac@gmail.com.
Gluten Free Updates
Visitors to this site continue to write rave comments about about Udi’s wonderful gluten free bread and bread products. I agree, Udi’s is the best thing that has happened to us since I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1999.
They are also saluting Snyders of Hanover for its new gluten free pretzels and praising Subway for testing new gluten free products and striving to enter the gluten free market. But these comments seem to ask an important question — these firms can certainly prepare and sell ‘safe’ products, but can they handle the cross-contamination issues? I hope so!
Gluten Free Supermarket Coupons and Bargains
These supermarkets serve the gluten free community by publishing lists of the ‘safe foods’ they have provided tor us. They also provide coupons and other incentives to shop at their stores. The coupon pages that you will visit are not totally gluten free (after all, the managers are trying to lure customers of all types) but it is relatively easy to find the ones that you need.)
I began this list last Saturday, and will add to it each week as long as I have enough information. Most of these supermarket names also appear on my power page “Gluten Free Supermarket Lists“. Visit this page for a list of gluten free foods available. Eventually, I will consolidate all this information.
To make this list more useful, I have repeated the supermarkets that I featured last week and added four additional supermarket chains.
Meijer(new this week)
Raley’s and Bel Air Markets (new this week)
Trader Joe’s (doesn’t list coupon information on its site)
More Gluten Free Bakeries
Today I added four chains of gluten free bakeries to my power page “Gluten Free Bakeries”. (You may be able to reach this list by clicking on one of the tabs at the top of the page.) This page now has listings in 24 states and that number will grow.
My purpose in developing these power pages is to consolidate all the information I have on a given topic and make it easily accessible. My plan is to upgrade one power page each week and publish information every Friday. I’ve scheduled my “Gluten Free Pizza Restaurants” page next Friday, February 18.
Weight Loss for People Living Gluten Free
Celiacs and other people living gluten free must agree with wheat-eating experts that “Despite the way it feels, losing weight is not a mysterious process. To lose one pound of fat, you must burn 3500 calories over and above what you already burn…”
I recommend this slide show as an introduction to the weight-loss process. Then try these articles that discuss “tricks” that we can use to reduce the amount of food we consume. In these article, there is no distinction between the gluten free and the wheat eater. We are talking about ‘how’ we eat rather than ‘what’ we eat. The titles are so similar that they are humorous: consider “Ten Simple Tips…”, , Nine Diet Tips…“, “Five Ways to Trick Yourself…”, and finally “A Dose of Tips…”. Since there are twelve tips in the last article, you will be considering a total of 36 ideas. There is much repetition here, but that may help you grasp these essential ideas.
Next Thursday, I’ll write about our attitudes and how they affect our weight gain. Attitudes toward food are essential, and our feelings about foodhave been profoundly influtenced by our gluten free diets.
The final article in the series is scheduled for February 24 will deal with issues of calorie counting. Yes, despite what you may have heard, calories do count.
All the information I have about weight control for people who live gluten free is summarized on my power page “The Gluten Free Weight Loss Diet“. Click on the title to go to that page. Another option is to scroll down to the bottom of this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that says “lose weight gluten free”. You will be taken to a page that shows the first few sentences of each of my articles on the subject. Click to read the complete article.
Soft-Baked Gluten Free Cookies by Enjoy Life Foods
Enjoy Life’s soft baked gluten free cookies add pleasant variety to my gluten free snacking. Most gluten free cookies have a crisp and crunchy taste and texture and that’s OK, of course, but there are times when a soft and chewy taste is a welcome change. The taste is also great — I tried the double chocolate brownie cookies, the snickerdoodles, and (my personal favorite) the lively lemon cookies.
Enjoy Life’s products are produced in a gluten free facility and contain none of the eight major allergies. They are gluten and casein free. They are certified by the Gluten Free Certification Organization and tested to make sure that they contain less than 10 parts per million of gluten. (The FDA’s standard allows 20 parts parts per million).
The website has a great deal of reliable information that is easy-to-read but carefully written. The site also provides the opportunity to print out a 55 cents off coupon that is an incentive to try these products.
Gluten Free Updates
I’ve added your comments to four of my gluten free posts this week. Three members of America’s gluten free community shared my joy by reminding everyone that Udi’s Gluten Free Breads is the best news the gluten free world has ever received. I agree completely!!!!!!!
I also received and posted two comments about the tests currently being conducted by Subway restaurants. The second comment is attach to my followup article about Subway’s tests. Both comments dealt with the general problems (calories, etc.) of eating at fast food restaurants. I agree completely but I think I’ll stay on the sidelines of this discussion. My goal is to alert you to the availablility of gluten free food. There are obviously other criteria involved in chosing a place to eat. One of the writers also alerted us to a possible source of cross contamination at Subway.
l also enriched my posts “Gluten Free Pretzels from Snyders of Hanover” and “Seniors With Celiac“.
I’ll be publishing “Gluten Free Updates” every Monday. My update articles will include your comments as well as information that I have added to posts and pages.
Gluten Free Supermarket Coupons
These six supermarket chains offer coupons and/or other incentives to shop at their stores. You’ll find one or more gluten free items on each page as well as non-food items and wheat-based foods. I’ll leave it to you to sort through the offerings, perhaps using some of them to meet the needs of the wheat-eaters in your household.
I’ll publish a new coupons/bargains list until I have covered all the super-markets listed on my power page “Gluten Free Supermarket Lists“. Eventually, I’ll consolidate all the information I have about locations, food offerings, and bargains in one location.
Finally, here the links that I promised you. Expect more links to more stores next Saturday. Be sure to check these links periodically. These offers change frequently.
- → Albertson’s
- → Earth Fare
- → Publix Supermarkets
- →Trader Joe’s (doesn’t list this information on its site)
- → Walmart
- → Whole Foods
Gluten Free, Gluten Free Restaurants
More About Gluten Free Testing by Subway
As I announced earlier this month, Subway is testing gluten free products at some of its fast food restaurants in Texas. I’ve found out a bit more about the situation.
Celiac dot com has posted an article with more information including the fact the tests are being conducted in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and the Tyler-Longview area. (I wonder if this has anything to do with Subway’s desire to sell their products to Super Bowl visitors.)
A trade journal for the fast food restaurant industry talked about Subway’s plans for controling cross-contamination. The rolls and brownies (the only products being tested) will come pre-wrapped as will a one-use-only knife. “…to further avoid cross-contamination, the same Sandwich Wizard will prepare the order from beginning to end, ensuring a 100% gluten free meal.” That’s a great start. but more needs to be done to ‘ensure’ a gluten free meal.
Several of you have sent me e-mails and comments about Subway’s testing. I hope that you are also sharing your thoughts with the customer service people at Subway. They are the people who need to read it.
Seniors with Celiac
Yes, it happens. I was diagnosed ten years ago at age 61 and my sister Lynda was diagnosed recently when she was 67. I first heard the term ‘celiac disease’ during the office visit in which I had the disease so I was blissfully unaware that it was generally classified as a ‘childrens’ disease. Actually, about 30% of newly defined celiacs are at least sixty years old.
Both the Gluten Intolerance Group and the Celiac Disease Organization of Canada have published brochures for celiacs over sixty and the people who are for them. These publications are sketchy and incomplete but are good supplements to other resources for newly-diagnosed celiacs.
Gluten Free Pretzels from Snyders of Hanover
I recently sampled gluten free pretzels from Snyders of Hanover. Great. I totally agree with reviewers who have rated them ‘salty’, ‘crispy’, ‘crunchy’, and ‘airy’. Their most unique feature may be that they sell for about $3 for an eight ounce bag. I always feel a bit self-conscious when I review gluten free food — I last tasted wheat-based food during the last century and have no idea how gluten free items compare to their wheat-based cousins.
I discovered that I was in good company. The first three blogs I read praised these gluten free pretzels and made no negative or even luke-warm comments. Gluten Free Philly dot com compared these pretzels to the ones produced by Glutano and decided that the pretzels from Snyders were superior in every respect. Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom dot com, Gluten Free Works dot com and Ms Celiac Says dot com all praise this product.
Of course, everyone is pleased when a major company like Snyder’s of Hanover takes an interest in serving America’s gluten free community. Click on the company name to learn more about this company and its large selection of gluten free products.
More Cheers for Udi’s Gluten Free
I had my first taste of Udi’s gluten free bread ten days ago and it has radically changed my gluten free lifestyle. Even my non-celiac wife loves it, or at least the smell of it toasting (I seldom share it). Since then, I have tried the whole grain bread, two types of bagels (the first bagels I have enjoyed during this century) and the heavenly lemon strusel muffins.
I also began to wonder about Udi himself. I found out that he was born in Israel and opened his first shop “Udi the Sandwich Man” in Denver in 1994. Since then, his family businesses have grown to include a catering company, an artisan bakery, and five restaurants in the Denver area. He ventured into the gluten free world in 2009 after a gentleman named Chad White shared his secret recipe. Mr. White is now holds the title ‘Director of Product Development’. He’s certainly earned it!
I wish I knew more about him. I couldn’t even ascertain whether or not he lives gluten free. In my research, I saw his last name listed as Bar-On and Baron. Take your pick. Here are three links to information about him. Since the titles are so similar, I’ll just refer to them as this one, that one, and the other one.
Is Chocolate Gluten Free?
Chocolate is naturally gluten free. That’s the short answer. The problem is that we seldom eat chocolate that is not mixed with something else. For example, if we are trying to decide whether a chocolate chip cookie is ‘safe’, we are concerned about the flour and other ingredients used in making the cookie. I am not aware of any candy bars that are 100% chocolate. Please let me know if you find a bar that has no ingredients other than chocolate.
I could find no website that spells things out that simply. You’ll notice that there are no links in this post. But I can offer you this evidence:
♦ Neither The Gluten Free Pantry nor The Gluten Free Mall sells gluten free chocolate chips.
♦ Enjoy Life Foods markets chocolate chips labeled ‘gluten free’. However, keep in mind that they operate a gluten free facility and their products are free of all the officially-recognized allergens. I suspect that adding the ‘gluten free’ label was an afterthought.
♦ Chocolate is not listed on either the ‘safe’ or ‘unsafe’ foods list published by Celiac dot com.
♦ The Celiac Sprue Association lists chocolate as questionable because of possible additives. They OK the use of chocolate chips.
♦ I looked at dozens of recipes for chocolate chip cookies. Most of them remind us to use gluten free flour but said nothing about the said nothing about the chocolate chips. Let me know if you find any exception to that ‘rule’.
Savings at Gluten Free Restaurants
Our gluten free lifestyle makes many restaurants off-limits to us and makes us strongly loyal to others. We can save money by taking advantage of the of the ‘loyalty rewards’ offered by these gluten friendly restaurants.
Here are links to gluten friendly restaurants that offer discount cards and coupons or other incentives to drum up business and encourage customers to return regularly. These programs change so frequently and have so much ‘fine print’ involved that I will not try to summarize them. I’ll just give you the name of the restaurant and the name of their ‘loyalty’ program.
→ The Outback Steakhouse calls its program “My Outback Awards”.
→ P.F. Chang’s “Warrior Card” offers a 10% discount on all meals.
→ Red Robin’s “Royalty Card” offers significant discounts.
→ Austin Grill, with restaurants in and around the District of Columbia, operates a ‘loyalty program’.
→ Elephant Walk offers ‘loyalty rewards’ to patrons of their restaurants in the Boston area. The restaurants offer French and Cambodian cuisine.
Three Cheers for Udi’s Gluten Free Bread
Like many Americans, I have fallen in love with Udi’s gluten free bread. Why did I wait so long to try it? For the first time in twelve years, I enjoyed a sandwich that was gluten free, had slices that were approximately the same size as the sandwich meat, did not crumble, and did not have to be toasted to be palatable, Simple pleasures!!! Udi’s provides cinnamon-raisin bread as well as the sandwich bread I have been talking about. They also make muffins, granola, and whole grain bagels.
Even their website is fantastic. They will e-mail a $1 off coupon to encourage you to try their products. (In self-defense, they have set things up so that you can’t print more than two copies.) In a rare display of good customer relations, they have a button on the site that allows you to opt-out of any mailings other than your coupons. They have an extensive “store locater” list and you can order on-line. There is an excellent “party planning” section that includes menu and recipes.
Gluten Free Valentine’s Day
♦Valentine’s Day — like every holiday — revolves around people and food, thus presenting one more challenge to people who live gluten free.
♦ When I wrote about Valentine’s Day last year, I provided links to two articles giving specific suggestions for gluten free Valentine’s parties. I also provided a link to an article on Christmas parties, but the issues concerning school parties are exactly the same on any holiday.
♦ You may wish to check out this article called “Recession Romance” which accomplishes too very goals by suggesting ways to observe this day on a very limited budget. It includes menus and recipes for a romantic evening at home that could be done gluten free with only a few very obvious substitutions.
♦ There are many lists of ‘safe’ and ‘unsafe’ Valentine candies. I particularly like this list because the maker personally examined the ingredient labels of all the products listed. On her ‘unsafe list’ she gave she gave the specific reason for her decision. Thus, almost anyone with almost any definition of ‘safe’ and ‘unsafe’ can use the list.
♦ This party idea could be adapted to meet anyone’s needs, but it is obviously simpler if all the pizza crusts and tops are gluten free. Using the gluten free pizza mix of your choice, make pizza crusts and shape in the the traditional Valentine heart shape. During the party, the participants add their own toppings and bake their creations.
♦ The Betty Crocker website “Live Gluten Freely” provides 250 ‘safe’ recipes. I was particularly attracted to the recipes for snack mixes made from gluten free Chex cereal.
holiday celebrations, Living Gluten Free
Gluten Free Super Bowl
Super Bowl Sunday is a great day for food and parties and therefore a challenge for people living gluten free. I’ve written about Super Bowl Sunday each year since I began this site. My posts for the last two years are worth revisiting.
My post just prior to last year’s Super Bowl included video demonstrations of foods you might want to share as well as some suggestions for avoiding cross contamination.
My 2009 article emphasized the essential topics of gluten free pizza and gluten free beer.
Later this week, I will publish an article about gluten free opportunities in the Dallas area. For the rest of us, here is a video demonstration of cooking Garlic and Butter Clams Casino, a wonderful addition to any party. Be sure to use gluten free bread crumbs and make sure that your Worcester sauce is OK.
Subway Testing Gluten Free Products
I was delighted to learn that Subway is testing gluten free food at seven hundred restaurants in Texas. I got this information from CNN Health, a source that I consider very reliable. Subway’s website does not mention these tests so I can’t even tell you exactly which Subway outlets are ‘safe’ for us.
Subway does publish a nutrition chart which tells you which ingredients are gluten free. I know from personal experience that they will prepare any sandwich you request in the form of a salad thus rendering it at least relatively ‘safe’.
As soon as I finish this post, I will send a comment to Subway encouraging them in this test, thanking them for considering the gluten free community, and urging them to put information about their tests on their website in order to reach a nationwide audience. I hope that many of you will do the same.
Keep in mind that Subway is testing whether people will buy their gluten free products. This gives those of us who are currently in Texas the opportunity (or is it an obligation) to purchase their products thus helping them “pass the test”.
UPDATE: Click here to read more information about Subway and its current experiment.
Gluten Free…the Definition Part 2
Yesterday, I wrote about the problems involved in writing an ‘official’ legally enforceable definition of the term ‘gluten free’. I talked about problems with the terms ‘gluten free’ and ‘cross contamination’. Today I will write about the fact that people live gluten free can be divided into at least three groups:
♦ People diagnosed with celiac disease who must follow a strict gluten free diet for the rest of their lives even if they are not currently showing any symptoms.
♦ People with ‘gluten intolerance’ or ‘gluten sensitivity’. These folks need to follow the diet only enough to alleviate their symptoms.
♦ People who follow the diet because they feel that it is a healthy diet, helps them lose weight, or for a variety of other reasons. Many experts argue that the gluten free diet should not be used for this purpose, but that is not the point of this article. These folks need to know the definition of gluten free.
There are also economic considerations. A severe definition of ‘gluten free’ increases the cost of producing gluten free food and that cost will ultimately be paid by the consumer. It also decreases the number of gluten products that will be available.
Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free Food
Gluten Free…the Definition
“The Food and Drug Association (FDA) is in the process of developing standards for foods labeled ‘gluten free’.” This sentence was copied from a post published in 2007. Most of the people reading this article literally can’t wait for them to finish that process.
I understand the government’s problem here. They are working under several constraints:
♦ The terms themselves.
→ ‘Gluten free’ should mean the total absence of gluten. The experts agree that everyone can tolerate minute quantities of gluten. The finest instruments can’t detect the total absence of gluten. To complicate matters, we’re only talking about the gluten in wheat, barley, and rye. The glutens in corn, rice, and other grains are absolutely OK.
→ The terms ‘gluten free’ and ‘wheat free’ don’t mean the same thing. For example: wheat free beer is readily available. Barley is the culprit here. Many cereals are wheat free but are contain malt flavoring which is made from barley.
→ The term ‘cross contamination’ is unfortunate. ‘Contamination” implies that something is unclean or unsanitary. In the gluten free world, it simply means that otherwise gluten free food has come into contact with food that we can’t handle. For example: potatoes are a vegetables and therefore naturally gluten free. They are unacceptable if they cooked in a deep fat fryer that has also been used for cooking breaded onion rings.
We are stuck with these terms. They are part of our vocabulary. They are the words that people will use as when we are searching the internet.
I will continue this article tomorrow. There are still more hassles involved in making our personal decisions about gluten free living and in writing an official and legally enforceable definition. I will also include my personal definition in my weekly newsletter. If you’re interested in my newsletter, check out the first box in the sidebar at the right.
Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Restaurants
Gluten Free Take-and Bake Pizza
Take-and-Bake pizza is available for people living gluten free in many parts of the nation:
→ All Godfather’s Pizza restaurants that serve gluten free pizza also provide a gluten free version of that wonderful product.
→ Sally’s Bakery, a dedicated facility in Atlanta, Georgia, provies six varieties of “safe” gluten free take-and-bake pizza.
→ Mama Mia’s sells gluen free take-and-bake pizza at their seven locations in the Columbus, Ohio, area. Their site enables you to print out a coupon that entitles you to a $1 discount.
→ The Pizza Kitchen in Knoxville, Tennessee has a take-and-bake pizza that has a gluten free crust. They stop short of promising that the entire pizza is gluten free.
→ The Bittersweet Bakery in Eagan, Minnesota, also provides “safe” take-an-bake pizza.
I have added all the information in this article to my “Gluten Free Pizza Restaurants“ power page.
Gluten Free Pizza Restaurants
Today I upgraded my power page “Gluten Free Pizza Restaurants by adding pizzerias in Nevada City CA, Cleveland OH, Albuquerque NM, and Smithtown NY. This power page now lists eight “safe” nationwide pizza chains as well as 42 individual restaurants.
This site’s power pages are designed to summarize (in list form) information that people living gluten free need to have constantly at the fingertips. In addition to the power page mentioned above Currently, there are three other power pages on this site. All we be expanded this year and new ones will be created. You may wish to visit “Gluten Free Restaurant Meals”. “Gluten Free Bakeries“, and “Gluten Free Supermarket Lists“.
Chelsea Clinton..a Gluten Free Success Story
Does Chelsea Clinton qualify for my series of “gluten free success stories”? I believe that she does, and so do all the people involved in planning her wedding. She certainly made it easier for other families who must consider food sensitivities in their wedding plans. The Clinton family had the power to keep almost anything secret, and they chose to be very public in this regard. The demonstrated their belief that gluten free food can be delicious. They demonstrated that people who live gluten free can eat from the same table.
You might be interested in rereading my article on the Clinton wedding. By the way, I googled the terms “clinton” “gluten”. All the articles I found either dealt with Chelsea’s wedding or with different people named Clinton.
Weight Loss Tips for People Living Gluten Free
“…you’ll only lose weight if your gluten free diet includes portion control and healthy foods to keep your calorie intake below your calorie burn rate” My thanks to Live Strong dot com for summarizing the situation so beautifully. Be sure to read the entire article and the other articles it recommends.
I emphasized the words “portion control” and “healthy foods” because I need to write about both these topics. Today’s topic is “portion control”. For example: You’re reading a diet guide and come across the phrase “medium potato”. How large is that? Click here to find out. You can also find this information at Web-MD. This site has better graphics and also allows you to download refrigerator-sized and wallet-sized charts that will answer your questions.
Forgive me for not answering the question I posed in the last paragraph. I wanted to make sure that you visited one of sites that I mentioned. They are essential for any person who is committed to following America’s most popular New Year’s resolution which is to lose weight in the new year. I’ll write about healthy foods in the next few days. “Portion control” and “healthy foods”. These are the keys to losing weight for wheat eaters and for people who live gluten free.
Everything I know about losing weight while living gluten free is summarized on my power page “Gluten Free Weight Loss Diet“. Click on the title to go to that page. Another option is to scroll down to the bottom of this article (past the ads) and click on the red tag that says “lose weight gluten free”. You will be taken to a page that shows the first few sentences of each of my articles on the subject. Click to read the complete article.
Gluten Free Sandwich Cookies by Mi-DEL
I enjoyed the chocolate sandwich cookies that I sampled this week. I have no idea if they are an adequate substitute for the Oreo cookies that they were obviously designed to imitate — I was diagnosed ten years ago so I don’t really really remember what wheat-based food tastes like. I do know that I enjoyed the crisp fresh taste — sweet but not too sweet — a great chocolate taste but not the “over-chocolaty” taste that some gluten free cookies inflict on us. (Is “over-chocolaty a word? It should be. We experience it altogether too frequently.)
Not all Mi-Del products are gluten free and wheat products are processed in the same family. However, Mi-Del seems to be very careful about quality control. Their Frequently Asked Questions section states that “Mi-Del gluten-free products consistently test below 20 parts-per-million…product samples are tested at the beginning, middle, and end of each production run. Every batch of gluten-free flour blend is also tested prior to mixing.”
I purchased these cookies at my local Albertson’s supermarket and have seen them at other mainstream stores.
Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Shopping
Gluten Free Post Cereal
Apparently, Post Cereals intends to enter the gluten free breakfast cereal market, following the wonderful example set by General Mills and their gluten free Chex cereals. I chose the word “apparently” because the gluten free sites “Gluten Free Optimist” and “Gluten Freeville” report this as a fact and even link the reader to a press release from Post Cereals indicating that Cocoa Pebbles and Fruity Pebbles will soon are (or will soon be) certified gluten free. The press release does not state what organization is doing the certifying and when the certification process will be complete and the products will actually be available. When I visited the Post Cereal website, I saw pictures of several cereal boxes clearly marked gluten free and roughly the same number of boxes without the marking I had hoped to see.
My suggestion: The press release contained an e-mail address Jennifer.Mennes@postfoods.com. Do what I intend to do immediately after I finish this post — E-mail Ms. Mennes and encourage her to encourage her company to provide America’s gluten free community with the service it needs, deserves, and is quite willing to pay for. Then, don’t hold your breath waiting for action. Action will come.
Gluten Free Diet, Living Gluten Free
New Years Resolutions for People Living Gluten Free
Today, people who live gluten free and wheat eaters have at least one thing in common: most of us are thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Most of us know that 40-45% of Americans make New Years resolutions. We also know that approximately one fourth of those resolutions do not survive the first week and only about half of those resolutions are “dead” before the middle of the year. Click here for more information on this topic.
On the other hand, we learn from the same article that people who make a firm and specific commitment (in other words, a resolution) have considerably more success that people (non-resolvers) who simply decide that something is a good idea. Half the resolutions that are made fail to last the year, but this means that 50% of them are successful.
There is nothing magic about making resolutions on January 1. On the other hand, why not? This may be a great day for you. There are many examples of gluten related resolutions on the internet. Since the titles are all basically, I’ll simply suggest that you click here, and then finish your research by clicking here.
Good luck. Happy New Year!
Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Shopping
Gluten Free Instant Oatmeal
I’ve been starting my day with gluten free instant oatmeal. I like the taste, the texture, the fact that it is a good source of fiber, and the equally important fact that I can prepare it in three minutes even before I am fully awake. One packet makes a great breakfast — with most instant cereals, I need two packets to keep me going through until lunch time.
I was rather reluctant to try this product. After all, when I was diagnosed oats were an absolute taboo. Recently, scientists have learned that most celiacs tolerate oats well. unless those oats are cross-contaminated by being raised or processed in close proximity to wheat, rye, or barley. Click here for more information about this issue.
I had no unpleasant reactions to this oatmeal. I’m glad that I was dealing with a reputable company like GlutenFreeda and very pleased that the phrase “made with certified gluten free oats” appeared in bold letters on the front of the package. I recommend this product and am looking forward to using all four versions of the product as well as the “variety pack” that is available. If you can’t find these cereal packets locally, click here to order them from The Gluten Free Pantry.
Gluten Free New Years Eve
Just don’t cheat!!!! Everyone who successfully lives gluten free has a set of strategies. Alcohol may be flowing freely at your party and the function of alcoholic beverages is to lower inhibitions. Don’t 2011 with a hangover and a gluten reaction. Here are some suggestions:
♦ Use the buddy system. My son and his wife will be our hosts on New Year’s Eve.They were there when I fell apart from celiac disease. They’ll keep me honest. My wife will be there too.
♦ Remember, this is not a dinner party. Eat before you come. Focus on the people rather than on the food.
♦ Bring food. Thousands of recipes on the internet are tagged “new years eve” and “gluten free”. I didn’t think this a time to try a new recipe. Use one that you already love to prepare and to eat. Is this the time to experiment? Originally I said NO but then I discovered a wonderful site called Taste Spotting dot com. This site has great photographs of food whose recipes are featured on various sites, Fifty four of them are tagged “gluten free”. Click on a recipe that excites you and share your creation at the party.
♦ Review the rules for drinking gluten free. Click here to read my post on that subject.
Merry Gluten Free Christmas
Merry Christmas. You’ll be pleased to know that my elves (my son and I actually) have corrected the problem that resulted in some of you receiving this site in a font that was so small that it was barely readable, By the way, if the font is still too small let me know at gfceliac@gmail.com and I’ll do what I can.
Yesterday, I watched an interview with the author of a newly-released gluten free cookbook. I’m glad whenever I see gluten free cooking receiving nation-wide attention and I love this author’s concept. Her mission is to take run-in-the-mill cake mixes and add other ingredients to transform them into taste treats. Her newest book is called “The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten Free”. It was released last week so you may not find it today, but you can order it from Amazon by using the icon below.
Elisabeth Hasselbeck…a Gluten Free Success Story
Ms. Hasselbeck’s as-yet-undiagnosed celiac disease did not keep here from surviving on the TV series “Survival”, writing a book about the gluten free lifestyle, being the mother of three children, and starring daily on a highly rated network television show. She coined the term “g-free” as the title for her prize winning book.
She is acontroversial character who is criticized both for her political persuasion and her point-of-view on gluten free living. That’s not the point. Living gluten free is not a death sentence. Celiacs can accomplish anything that is humanly possible. That’s my goal for this series of “Gluten Free Success Stories”. Yesterday, I wrote about Isaiah Mustafa — you may not know his name but you’ve probably seen his television commercial for “Old Spice” and/or watched him being interviewed by Jay Leno or Ellen Degeneres.
I’ll continue this series as long as I can find “gluten free heros” to write about. If you have a nominee, e-mail me at gfceliac@gmail.com. In the meantime, click here to enjoy this interview with Elisabeth Hasselbeck conducted by Robin Roberts.
Gluten Free Celiac Success Stories
Living gluten free is not easy. But it is “doable” in every sense of the words. Celiacs and others living gluten free can deal with their diet issues, live happy and productive lives, and achieve fame and success.
Reading these stories enriches our lives and brightens this or any holiday season. Isaiah Mustafa is my gluten free hero for today. He came out of “nowhere” to star in one of the most talked-about commercial in America today. Celebrities like Jay Leno and Ellen Generes have interviewed on television. Watch these two video clips and then I will offer some more thoughts. (The commercial ‘m talking about is at the beginning of the Ellen Degeneres video,
This gluten free “hunk” is a vegan who uses no alcohol, caffeine, or processed sugar. He mention during the interviews that living gluten free was the only “really hard one”. We can all agree with that comment.
Have a Gluten Free Christmas Holiday
I just posted my newest update of my power page “Gluten Free Christmas“. Christmas is a week from today and my time will be filled with buying and wrapping presents, writing some last-minute holiday cards, planning and attending parties, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
Will I write more about the holiday this week? Who knows. I’ve got a million things on my holiday To-Do list. I imagine you do too.
Have a great week. Have a happy holiday.
Gluten Free Alcoholic Beverages
What alcoholic beverages are OK for people living gluten free? It’s probably prudent to review the rules during the holiday season. The basic rule is that any beverage that is distilled is OK unless something inappropriate has been added to it after the distillation. Since this statement differs from what many of us were taught, I should mention that this is idea is spelled out in The Gluten Intolerance Group’s “Quick Start Diet” guide for newly-diagnosed celiacs. For a technical but readable explanation of why distilled spirits are OK, click here.
Wine coolers have so many additives that most celiacs consider them off-limits. Read the ingredients list carefully when deciding which drink mies are appropriate.
Beer is a significant issue during the holidays. There are several brands of wheat free beer available, but it is barley that presents the problem. Redbridge beer is distributed nationally and is brewed with sorghum rather than barley. New Grist and Bard’s beer are available nationally at Whole Foods.
Alcoholic beverages are only one of many issues that people living gluten free during this wonderful but hectic Christmas season. For a summary of information about all aspects of this holiday, have a look at my power page “Gluten Free Christmas“.
Update to Gluten Free Christmas page
My power page “Gluten Free Christmas” continues to grow in size and become more and more useful each day. I added an uplifting story about a gentleman whose “Christmas fun” has resulted in more than $50,000 being donated to celiac research. I added two high-tech gift suggestions that will help the gift-recipient keep up with the rapidly changing gluten free world.
Please check the power page daily, You’ll always need more suggestions. So will I.
Gluten Free Shopping, Living Gluten Free
A Gluten Free Santa Claus
This celiac Santa Claus has brought Christmas joy to the Boulder, Colorado community. He has been responsible for at least $50,000 in donations to the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland.
He displays 21000 Christmas lights in his yard along with numerous inflatable toys. What makes his display unique is that it is connected to three web cams plus other technology that allows his viewers to turn lights on and off and to inflate or deflate his inflatable displays. He invites his viewers to donate to the Center for Celiac Research at The University of Maryland. The donations are entirely voluntary.
Click here to view and to “play with” his displays. This link will take you to a an article describing this unique project and including excellent pictures. I say thank you and Merry Christmas to Alek Komarnitsky, the genius behind this project and the father of two children with celiac disease.
Be sure to have a look at my power page “Gluten Free Christmas” which summarizes everything I have written on the subject.
Gluten Free Shopping, Living Gluten Free
Gift Baskets as Christmas or Holiday Gifts
Gift baskets are always welcome gifts. Gluten free baskets are available from Amazon.com. I’ve displayed nineteen of my favorites on the three “carousels” you see below.
→ The first carousel features gift baskets that has “Christmas” or “Holidays” in the title.
→ Since cookies and snacks are my favorite foods, I displayed displayed baskets that have these goodies on the middle carousel.
→ The gift baskets on the bottom carousel are gluten free, but they also address other needs. Some are casein free, some are free of all the major allergens.
Christmas is Coming…Be Jolly and Gluten Free
Gluten free issues obviously affect our stress levels during the Christmas season. My articles this month have offered practical tips for lowering that frustration level, but today is a day to lighten up. I need a “break”, and I suspect that some of you do too.
I started my morning by reading my favorite piece of celiac humor. It has nothing to do with Christmas, but it does allow us to laugh at ourselves. Enjoy “The Successful Celiac Check List”.
I also listened to The Celiac Christmas carol This video is the last item on my power page “Gluten Free Christmas“. Hopefully, there will be other items on that page that will be useful to you.
I found two websites that uplifted me simply by reading their titles. The first one was www dot gluten free foods rock dot com. Yes they do (rocking is apparently a good thing). When I was first diagnosed ten years ago, gluten free foods did not rock.
The other interesting title was www dot celiac bites dot com. This title sounds sarcastic and bitter. But the blogger has an upbeat and practical approach “get over it — one bite at a time”.
I’ve enjoyed writing this article. I actually have the will to spend the rest of my day writing my Christmas letter and putting up the lights outside the house. I hope that it has energized you.
Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Shopping, Living Gluten Free
Gluten Free Christmas Power Page
My power page “Gluten Free Christmas” is now ready for your use. It’s not finished in any useful sense of that word; I’ll probably be adding things to it right up until Christmas Eve.
Celebrating Christmas gives us opportunity to practice all the gluten free living. We’re interacting with our fellow celiacs, wheat eaters who understand our diet and are willing and able to accommodate our needs, as well as wheat eaters who are not incline or competent to support us. It seems totally inappropriate to argue about menu choices during this season of good cheer. This season is not the right time to be sidelined for a few hour or days to deal with a gluten accident.
I plan to enjoy the holiday season to the fullest. Hopefully the information I have shared will help you do the same. Merry Christmas!
Gluten Free Fruitcake
People living gluten free can enjoy fruitcake during the holidays or at any other time of year. In researching this post, I read one blog stating that one of the good things about celiac disease is that it gives you an excuse to avoid fruitcake. Opinions differ on this question.
♦ If you are pro-fruitcake, try this recipe published by Whole Foods.
♦ This article from Celiac dot com includes an excellent recipe.
♦ This recipe comes from a blogger who believes that “cooking’s not rocket science”.
Gluten Free Holidays…Thanksgiving and Christmas
Gluten free Christmas and Thanksgiving are very much alike. Both involve festive meals served to a mixture of wheat-eaters and people who live gluten free. Both involve hosts who need to know how to deal with gluten free guests, and celiacs who are uncomfortable at a party or other social situation where they may (or may not) be the only guest who lives gluten free.
Much of what I have written about other holidays may be useful during the Christmas and other holiday seasons. Unfortunately, the computers at google and the other search engines are not able to direct you toward those articles.
I’m using “tags” to deal with that problem. To use the tags, scroll down this article (past the ads) and you will see a set of red tags. Click on a tag that interests you. You will be taken to a page that will include the first few sentences of all the article to which I have assigned this tag. Click on a fragment that interest you to read the entire article.
Gift Cards for a Gluten Free Christmas
Gift certificates are part of everyone’s Christmas and are particularly appropriate for people who live gluten free. The most versatile card is one from Amazon.com. The recipient may use to his or her gift for gluten free food or for literally thousands of other items. Click the icon at the top of this post to order and/or get more information.
Olive Nation is a great place for wonderful gourmet food and interesting gifts. The term “Olive Nation” refers to Italy, and this site features products from Dr. Schar, producer of some of the best gluten free pasta in the world. Click here for information about their gift cards.
My favorite restaurant gift card comes from The Outback Steakhouse. For other suggestions, check out this outstanding list from About Celiac Disease dot Com.
Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Shopping
The Gift of a Celiac Friendly Breadmaker
Home baked gluten free bread!!!!! What a wonderful holiday gift for people who live gluten free. Since baking gluten free is significantly different from baking wheat based bread, it is important to have the right kind of of machine — one optimized for gluten free bread but capable of doing “regular” baking.
The Gluten Free Pantry recommends the Zojirushi Model 959067. Click here for more information and/or to order the machine from them.
Books on gluten free baking are a welcome “accent” for this gift. Click on the icons below to see some of what Amazon.com has to offer. The first two books give specifics about the use of bread machines for gluten free baking and the third is a more general book by Betty Hagman, one of the principle “inventors” of gluten free cooking.
{{This is one of dozens (maybe hundreds) of articles designed to assist you with your Christmas plans. For a complete summary, visit my power page“Gluten Free Christmas}}
A Gluten Free Kindle
This year, I am asking Santa Claus for a gluten free Kindle. As you probably know, the Kindle is a wonderful gadget that you allows you to download books at less-than-half the normal cost and carry them with you at all times, and read them from a tool about the size of a 5×8 index card.
A Kindle becomes gluten free when it is packed with gluten free books, at least 65 of which are available for the Kindle. Consumer Reports has rated the Kindle the best e-book reader available. It weighs about eight ounces, and fits easily into the typical purse or carry-on bag.
The Kindle is available in two forms which are identical accept that the $139 only record books when the Kindle is connected to a wi-fi network. Use the green icon below. If you need to be able to download any book almost anywhere in the world, pay an extra $50 and use the yellow icon.
UPDATE: I was delighted to find out that Amazon makes it possible to read kindle books on your windows computer. Click here to download the free software. After installing and using this “app” I have decided to defer my request for a Kindle until I have tried many of the books and decided that I need to spend money for a “real” Kindle.
Ten of my favorite Kindle books are displayed in the carousel below. Use the arrows to see different books. Click on a specific book for more information.
To see the complete list of 65 items, click on any of the books in the carousel. (Don’t worry, it will not start to download.) Scroll up to the top of the page, you’ll see the words KINDLE STORE followed by an empty box. Type the words “gluten free books” into that box to move to the complete list.
What to do with Thanksgiving Leftovers?
Planning a gluten friendly Thanksgiving dinner was last week’s problem. Now, we must deal with the leftovers. Try this recipe for turkey stew with gluten free dumplings; it will provide with a good dinner and help clear the clutter in the refrigerator.
If leftovers are still an issue, browse through this article from Recipe Gold Mine.
I have written several articles about handling gluten free holiday leftovers. To browse through them, scroll down to the bottom of this page and find the tag that says “gluten free leftovers”. Your computer will create a special page including excepts from each of the articles that have a similar tag. Click on the excerpt to read the entire article.
Gluten Free Cooking, Gluten Free Food
Gluten Free Cornbread
Cornbread may or may not be gluten free. The word “corn” only indicates that corn is the main ingredient. My favorite cornbread comes from a mix that is produced by Bob’s Red Mill and available at many “mainstream” stores. If you wish to purchase it on-line, click on the graphic at the top of the article. Note that the price quoted is for four bags.
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