Friday, April 19, 2013

Gluten Free Getting Easier?

Is gluten free getting easier or are more companies becoming more sensitive to the needs?

Chick-fil-A certified their grilled nuggets. Moe's Southwest Grill, Chipolte Mexican Grill already use mostly gluten free ingredients. Chuck E. Cheese has joined the ranks. Jason's Deli.

Even in the grocery stores. Post Pebbles, Most Chex cereals. Kellogg's Rice Krispies. Van's has even introduced gluten free cereals and granola bars alongside their gluten free waffle line up. Perdue Simply Smart with chicken tenders (approved!). Gorton's grilled fish. I read Tyson now has gluten free crispy chicken nuggets (haven't seen them yet). And Garden Lites is releasing muffins and other meals alongside their soufflés (again I haven't seen them yet).

But I'm not sure if gluten free is getting easier? Mueller's now makes gluten free pasta at a fraction of the cost ($1.79 as compared to Ancient Harvest Quinoa pasta at $3.59/79). But they are manufactured in the same facility as their wheat pasta.

I have seen more juice and now even Silk Almond Milk touting to be gluten free. I was almost excited yesterday when I saw McCormick had some new flavored rices. Seemingly gluten free until on one of the boxes I read "natural flavors (..., ..., WHEAT) (caps added)." Oops! No thank you.

Mellow Mushroom has a great gluten free, vegan pizza though. And even goes to great lengths to reduce cross-contamination.

But is gluten free getting any easier? It's still expensive. And some states won't let you do tax deductions and still have tax on groceries. Not to mention the rules for IRS leave out anyone who is not fully diagnosed as celiac. The treatment for gluten intolerance is the same.

I'm torn. More products are available (although my local stores are weird about carrying them, apparently if even just one item doesn't seem to sell well, they stop carrying it and if you want it, you have to be willing to buy a WHOLE case). Alas, I miss my Rudi's Gluten Free Spinach Tortillas!

On a side note, gluten free has eliminated most of the harmful additives that apparently triggered most of my ADHD symptoms. I am now off of medication (a long vacation from it anyway). And being off of it has helped my ASD stims and tics not be as bad. However, I will not condone going gluten free for anyone other than those who become physically ill from exposure (headaches, joint problems, gut issues, fertility issues, skin issues, breathing issues, fatigue). It is not a cure all diet. And it is not a lose weight diet.

Now, if only the casein free would be as easy, although I was glad to see a new store carrying Daiya yesterday which is promising since Daiya is releasing some new products (including a gluten free pizza) this year!

So, please, let me know what you think about this? Have you found gluten free to be getting easier?



No comments:

Post a Comment