Gluten Free Resources

Going Gluten Free? Congratulations! You're probably on the way to feeling lighter and healthier. About one percent of us have celiac disease – a genetic autoimmune disease that causes damage to the small intestine when gluten is ingested. About 6% of us have some degree of gluten sensitivity, meaning that eating gluten can cause inflammation, bloating, diarrhea, asthma, ADHD, arthritis, "foggy mind" and/or headaches.

RESOURCES:

Visit these excellent resources to learn more about transitioning to a gluten free diet, gluten free kids or celiac disease:

HAVE A GF KID?

Help Celiac Kids Eat Away Healthfully:
Send Gluten-Free "Kits" with your kiddo to the classroom and at play dates. This could include a couple GF granola bars, GF cookies, GF crackers, GF pretzels, etc in a plastic container. I include a note that describes what your child can and cannot eat. Click here for a sample note. I make sure that my child's school has gluten-free birthday cupcakes in the teacher's lounge freezer. They're easily on-hand for last minute celebrations. My son loved to strut into the teachers lounge to get himself a treat when needed.

At school, my kiddo had "emergency lunches" in the school cafeteria shelf if the GF school lunch on the menu that day is changed, or if a lunchbox is forgotten. I made ours out of several shelf-stable items -- peanut butter to-go containers, snack-sized corn chips, applesauce containers, pickle containers, and cut fruit containers.

Gluten-free pizza can be sent to pizza parties. Amy's had several good GF and GF/DF frozen pizzas, you could send a few slices your own (Udi's is a fabulous GF frozen crust, and Bob's Red Mill makes a wonderful Pizza Crust Mix), or many pizza restaurants have GF crusts.

MY FAVORITE GF PRODUCTS:

Fortunately, there’s an abundance of gluten-free products!
Here is a list of the favorites that stock our pantry:

Pastas and Noodles:
Tinkyada Pasta Joy Brown Rice Pasta (all shapes cook well and taste good)
Quinoa corn pasta in your natural food store's bulk bin.
Annie's Homegrown Gluten-Free Rice Pasta & Cheddar Mac & Cheese

Pizzas:
Kinnikinnick Pizza Crust (the BEST thick crust -- soft inside with crispy exterior)
Udi's Frozen Pizza Crust (the best thin GF pizza crust)
Bob's Red Mill Pizza Crust Mix -- bake several and freeze for later
(Many local pizzerias have gluten free crusts now -- inquire in your area)

Granola Bars:
KIND Granola Bars
Larabars
Bakery On Main Gluten-Free Granola Bars
Glutino GF Chocolate Banana Bars

Breads:
Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-Free Breads
     (the BEST sandwich bread -- it's even good without toasting)
Against the Grain Baguettes
     (these will change your life -- AMAZING! These do contain dairy)
La Tortilla All-Natural Gluten Free Teff Tortilla 
Corn Tortillas (Mission corn production lines are dedicated to corn products only)
Bob's Red Mill Homemade Wonderful Bread Mix
Udi's Bagels
Nature's Path Buckwheat Wildberry Frozen Waffles
Van's Gluten-Free Waffles (these take 10 minutes to bake, but are worth it!)
Canyon Bakehouse Gluten-Free Hamburger Buns (the BEST buns!!)

Cake, Brownie and Dessert Mixes:
BEST: Pamela's Chocolate or Vanilla Cake Mix
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cake Mix (chocolate or vanilla)
Namaste Chocolate Brownie Mix
Namaste Spice Cake Mix
Betty Crocker Chocolate Brownie Mix
Chebe Gluten-Free Cinnamon Rollups Mix

Cookies and Treats:
Pamela's Chunky Chocolate Chip Cookies (all other varieties are delicious, too)
Gluten Free Oreos
Kinnikinnick Foods KinniKritters Animal Cookies
Midel Ginger Snaps -- Gluten Free
Kinnikinnick Doughnuts -- chocolate and maple are our favorite

Pre-mixed Flours and Baking Mixes:
Pamela's Baking & Pancake Mix (this contains dairy)
Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Baking Flour
Bob's Red Mill Pancake Mix

Cereal:
Bakery on Main Granola
Nature's Path Organic Mesa Sunrise Cereal
Nature's Path EnviroKids Amazon Frosted Flakes, Gorilla Munch, Panda Puffs
Health Valley Organic Rice Crunch-Ems (good for "Rice Krispy" treats)
Honey Nut Chex, Cinnamon Chex, Rice Chex, Corn Chex
Glutenfreeda's Instant Oatmeal

Crackers and Pretzels:
Glutino Pretzels
Kinnikinnick S'moreables Graham Style Crackers
     (good for s'mores and graham pie crusts)
Glutino Gluten Free Crackers 

Frozen Meals:
Amy's gluten-free frozen meals are a lifesaver
   (I love the Black Bean Vegetable Enchilada, GF/DF Mac & Soy Cheeze)
Glutino has many good frozen options as well.

Dairy-Free Favorites:
So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt
So Delicious Coconut Milk Ice Cream
Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread
Almond Breeze Unsweetened Almond Milk
Daiya Cheddar and Mozzarella Style Shreds
Cindy's Cashew Cheese
Dairy-Free Ranch Dressing


Be well!
Cindy