A Reaction From a Loreal Product & A Shout Out for Orgins

I have decided that I am going to sample some of the gluten free beauty products and share my results with all of you out there. Just because I can’t have gluten, doesn’t mean I don’t want to have volumous hair, wrinkle free skin, yummy smelling and smooth skin and white teeth. Recently while traveling back to Denver I was looking through a Glamour magazine and came across some coupons for Walgreens followed by ads for the productions featured in the coupons. Loreal had an add for new hair products that contained collagen. The woman in the picture had gorgeous, full hair that had been curled. That’s what I want….I thought to myself and I stopped on my way home from the airport and picked up the root lifter, moose and hairspray. I was so excited, I hadn’t used hairspray in months since going completely natural with my hair products. I had never been sensitive to hair products before so I thought I would be fine. I got up the next day and incorporated my new hair products into my “getting ready routine” and walked out the door with wonderful, volumous hair. I noticed on my drive in that my head kind of ached so I loosened the head band on my head and kept driving in to work. About halfway through my morning I noticed that my head felt worse and my eyes were burning. By 2:00 PM I felt nauseous and told my boss I was leaving to go to the doctor and then home to get some rest.  As I was driving to the doctor it hit me like a ton of bricks (or in this case hairspray)….I was having a reaction to my new collagen infested hair products.  I turned my car around and headed straight home to wash my hair. I couldn’t get undressed fast enough and thought I was going to throw up as I stood in the shower. I washed my hair twice with my burst bees shampoo and condition (if you choose this brand the green tea smells so good) and laid down in bed. About an hour later I felt fine and was able to join my family for Mexican night without any nausea. I guess going completely gluten free caused me to become more sensitive. So basically once you go GF there is no going back.

I have to share a few products I am currently using samples of. On a recent trip to Houston I ventured into an Orgins store trying to use up my last couple of minutes before I had to leave for the airport. I immediately learned that most of their products are all natural and gluten free. I worked with the sales associate to get samples of the products she thought would be best for my skin. That was one week ago and I have to say, I am very happy with the way my skin looks and I am running out of the samples. I have been using a Perfect World Serum and Eye Cream for during the day (under a regular moisturizer) and Dr. Andrew Weil Serum at night with the Perfect World Cream at night under my burst bees night cream with royal jelly. I was just visiting the Orgins website and you can get a free mini facial so I am going to do that tomorrow after work and get my products to try for awhile. I am running low on my bare minerals foundation (which is also gluten free) and I am thinking of grabbing samples or the orgins mineral make up and some lancome makeup (majority of their products are also gluten free) to see if I like either of them better. I am also trying out Garnier Nutritioniste conditioner, hair spray and face wash. I read about the face wash in a natural magazine. It comes with a face messager to use while putting the soap on your face and was voted one of the best new products. Here is a list of GF Garnier Hair products, I have been using mine for a few days and so far so good. All Shampoo & Conditioners, Smoothing Milk, Surf Hair Texture spray, Aerosol Hairspray Flexible Hold and their hair color.  I have read a few places that Pantene is no longer safe but it is my approved GF products book??? After
doing some research it is the color shampoos for brunettes, blondes and redheads that are not safe. The rest are just fine.

Gluten Free Cooking that Was Yummy

I have been experimenting lately with a lot of pre-made boxed gluten free mixes to see what I like but mostly to see if my father in law and husband will eat whatever it is I have attempted to bake. I have to share the latest item they have enjoyed, Cherrybrook Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies. I suspected they were going to be good just by tasting the batter but once they were cooked a sitting out to cool, they disappeared very quickly. I made it with my Ghee butter (caisen and gluten free), flaxseed oil, flaxseeds and added extra chocolate allergy friendly chips.  Even with all the healthy stuff those two guys couldn’t get enough of them and were even mad the next evening when they were gone because I had taken the last few to work with me.  Like Namaste, you save the proof of purchase and once you have some saved up, send them in for a free cook book.  Here is their website http://www.cherrybrookkitchen.com/products/gf_sugarcookie.php. Please be sure to read the contents of their products some are GF, Nut Free and Casein free and some are only Nut and casein free. I also wanted to let you know that the dairy free cheese I recently purchase is yummy and melts like regular cheese. I melted it in my husband’s eggs this morning and he couldn’t even tell the difference :0)  The brand again is Daiya.  I have only tried the mozerella but will get the cheddar next time I’m at the store to try.  I also purchased the Justin’s almond butter after my acupuncturist told me to eat almonds and walnuts for a snack. I was hesitant since I have never really liked almond butter but the Justin’s Honey Almond butter is delicious.  While making an experimentation breakfast this morning, I needed to find out if Rosarita beans are gluten free so naturally I googled on my cell phone and found a great site that lists gluten free products sold at Walmart. Yes, Rosarita refried beans are gluten free but so are the rest of the items on the list http://www.gluten-free-diet-help.com/gluten-free-products.html.

Meeting with Nutrionist & Fertiity Pointers for those with Celiacs

So for those of you who are in to free stuff (and I am) it is important that I mention once again that all vitamin cottages have in house fully trained nutrionists that you can make appointments with. I had my first appointment last Sunday and I have to say it was a very helpful and informative session so much that I made a follow up appointment for a few weeks from now. We went through a questionnaire, talked about my current lifestyle and eating habbits and discussed problems that Celiacs causes in the body. One of the issues Celiacs is behind is the big C…constipation. Yes I just said constipation. This happens because your intestine and your colon get damaged and can’t process foods. Also included in the discussion was that the colonics I had been getting were making the problem worse because my body wasn’t having to figure out how to do things on its own.  So I was spending money to get better but actually making things worse….now that is super frustrating…but so my luck these days.  The nutritionist went on to talk about how every meal needs to be balanced. It was fine that I juiced in the morning but I needed to add a little protein to my juice and make it a smoothie instead of just juice and ice.  If I had oatmeal, do not eat instant, make it from scratch on the stove and add one egg while cooking or eat an egg with your oatmeal.  For lunch and/or dinner, servings of veggies should be two fists, meat (protein) the size of your palm, whole grains the size of one fist and healthy fats such as oil the size of your thumb and that is all I can remember from portion sizes.  She handed me a meal wheal that explained portions and what is best to eat from each category and then we started discussing things she felt I needed to be taking to heal my body from the gluten damage.  I was already taking Glutenese and Digest Gold which were on her list, Vitamin D was also on her list. I had already been told by my doctor that I needed to take Vitamin D so this made it official. Coconut oil was also on her list. This is a good alternative oil to cook with and is also good for the hair and skin. Last on her list were magnesium (to help with stress and digestion) and probiotics.  She suggested trying the gluten free powder she mixed with water every night and although I was already on probiotics, she switched mine to one that restarts your digestive system (great….I was picturing myself having to run to the bathroom all day long) and then once you seem better, you can start taking regular probiotics.  Last but not least and my favorite part of the conversation….the nutritionist recommended choosing a time of day I would like to get my body to “go” at everyday and go and sit on the toilet for about 20 minutes. This would train my body to start going at the time and get things moving.  I guess I never thought about the fact that we can train our bodies to go at certain times but I find that fascinating, however I haven’t decided what would be a good time for me yet so I haven’t started the experiment. Great conversation I know but very interesting none the less. Admit it, even you are thinking about trying to train yourself to go at a different time..arent you???  I took this appointment as the perfect chance to ask about some products I could substitute dairy for. She recommened Ghee for butter. It is milk free but I have yet to hear back from the company if it is gluten free. As soon as I hear I will let you guys know. For a cheese substitute, Daiya was the recommendation. They make a sharp cheddar and mozerella. Being married to an Italian and forced to inhale yummy quinoa pasta dishes (gluten free) at least twice a week, I choose to try out the mozerella first. It is really good and it will melt without turning into what looks like a failed science project. This is the closest thing to real cheese without the dairy, I will however continue my quest to find a cheese you can’t even tell the difference with.  As my session with the nutritionist came to an end, she exused herself for a minute and reappeared with a Nature’s Plus basket of goodies I had won in a drawing at their gluten free food fair a weeks prior to this appointment. I was so excited, I never win anything and this basket was loaded with all sorts of nutritional, gluten free products. There was even a protein powder and vitamin D both were things I was going to have to buy that day.  All in all I am really glad I made the appointment and went and to me the fact that I won a basket is jut God telling me that I needed that appointment. I learned a lot of valuable information and am already seeing a different in my digestion and it has only been 6 days. Below is a list of products/diet changes the nutritionist recommended and a list of items that were in the basket. I will also post the nutrional wheel we went over at my appt. Written in pen on the wheel are ways to tell how big portions should be for each category. Also wanted to mention the website I found while trying to figure out if Heinz ketchup is gluten free. Turns out they have a website listing their gluten free products and from looking, it seems the easy squeeze it GF and the regular is not. Here is the website http://www.heinz.com/health--wellness/focus-foods/dietary-preferences/gluten-free.aspx It lists all Heinz products that are gluten free…not just ketchup. I also wanted to mention that for those of you who frequent the mexican restaraunt Rio Grande, I am about to rock your world. The marguarita mix has gluten in it.  It was a sad day when I found this out, but luckily the waiter was able to make me something else equally as strong without the gluten.

Also, I have been reading “Making Babies” which is a great book for those of you who are trying to conceive. There is a section that discusses Immune System Issues and gives women recommendations on how to improve their fertility with immune system issues some of them are:

• Accupucture to clear heat and move Qi
• Adopt stress management routin
• Avoid alcohol and smoking
• Load up on antioxidants
• Consider taking Zinc or PABA supplements
• Make sure you are getting enough folic acid

Thought this might be helpful to some of you lovely women out there after all, Celiacs is an autoimmune disease. Also don’t forget the powerful of Vitamin D which for all of us who live in cold weather states we are typically deficient in this anyway. I recently received a post on my other blog regarding infertility and celiacs. The book "The Gluten Effect" discusses this link in great detail. I will have to check it out and share with you  :0)

Products in the Nature Plus Basket: Havent tried all of them but I like the vitamin, calcium and D3 because they are chewables and they taste yummy and are gluten free.

UltraZyme Digestive Enzyme

Vitamin E Soap

Burst of Energy liquid

Sprutien High Protein

Hyperzine RX - Brain

Red yeast Rice supplement

Calcium

Exotic red Super fruits multi vitamin

Childrens vitamin

D3

Vitamin holder

Products I purchased after nutritionist recommened it:

Natural Vitality Organic Raspberry Lemon Flavor Relaxing Magnesium Supplement

Natural Factors D3 drops

Nutritionist wanted me to take protein in my smoothies in the morning so I am using the vanilla flavored one I won in the basket.

A Hard Time Eating Out

Life without gluten is starting to be a pain in my side!! I recently went out to lunch with a couple of coworkers for a farewell celebration since one of them was leaving our company.  We went out for sushi which I assumed would be farely easy to eat on my gluten free diet….well like most of the time…I was wrong.  I couldn’t have any of the sauces or dressings except for the gluten free soy sauce, had to have special rice and could only order a few things that were not marinated.  I was already feeling frustrated about my meal choices when one of the women in the group started asking me questions about my diet and nutrition. As I was explaining how I preferred not to load up on supplements and was therefore eating foods that would give me the same vitamins…she just looked at me and said “you are weird.”  A little embarrassed I asked why I was weird and she replied “why wouldn’t you just take a pill and not go through the hassle and just eat whatever you want?” As she finished talking she shoved in a deep fried tempura role into her mouth and followed it with a swig of sake and I thought …spoken like a true junk food queen.  It is just sad that people who try to be healthy, avoid harmful chemicals, processed foods and practice things like yoga and acupuncture are considered weird. When did it become weird to take care of yourself and supplement your body with things that it may be running low on? When did popping pills to cure you ailments become the accepted method of healing our bodies instead of resting, eating properly and fighting things off with proper vitamins?  I just get so annoyed with people like this woman at my recent lunch, open your eyes. By eating a deep friend sushi roll, you are taking what could be a very nutritious snack and turning it into nothing but something that will ultimately be stored as sugar/fat in your body. If it makes me weird that I prefer to not eat trans fat and don’t eat gluten then I guess I am….just call me the gluten free freak :0)  After this lunch I really wanted to give sushi another try since it is one of my favorite meals so a few days later I treated my mom to a lunch at our favorite sushi place. This was our first time to eat at this place since going on a strict gluten free diet but again I assumed we would be able to eat most of what was on the menu. We walked in and sat down at the sushi bar and the waitress brought over a seafood salad. As we started to stick in our chopsticks and go to town on the salad I asked the waitress if there was gluten in it expecting her to say that it was fine. She didn’t though, she immediately took the bowls away and said she would return with a salad without the sauce. My mom and I just looked at each other, then at our empty chopsticks we just started to laugh.  It turns out that not only could we not have the seafood salad sauce but we also couldn’t have the ginger house dressing which by the way we were told we could eat during the last visit!! We were still able to eat a lot on the menu but it is funny how little people really know about gluten. In the past two months, I have gone to over a handful of restaurants and have been told that something is gluten free only to return a few weeks later and be told that it isn’t gluten free. I think that the gluten allergic/intolerance is getting to be pretty common and that restaurants should start informing their servers on gluten. I am not saying they need to be able to list all the items in the restaurant that has it (even though that would be nice), I am saying just knowing what it is and that food can’t be cross contaminated. Knowledge is power right???  I have to say I have noticed a lot of restaurants are chiming in to the gluten free lifestyle. I have eaten off the Outback, The Keg and Rialto Café gluten free menu in the past couple of weeks. All choices looked very yummy and my selections were so good you couldn’t even tell they were gluten free.

I was recently walking around downtown Denver on my way to a baseball game when a guy carrying a large box asked if I wanted to try a nutrition bar. Now usually I wouldn’t accept food from a strange person on the street but as I started to hesitate he said the words “they are gluten free” and then he had my interest. I grabbed two of them and kept walking.  The bars were made my Bora Bora and were Native Acai Walnut bars and the slogan on the front says “the feel great superfood.” Not bad for good I accepted from a stranger on the street. My husband wasn’t happy with me for not only accepting food from the man but then eating it. I have to admit not a very smart move usually but this guy was just promoting his product and I needed a snack. Here is their website http://www.boraborafoods.com/homepage.aspx.  I also recently tried Enjoy Life Cinnamon Crunch Granola from a sample I got at vitamin cottage. This was also very tasty and would be great with some gluten free oatmeal. It is allergy friendly and contains no wheat, dairy, peanuts, treat nuts, egg, soy, fish or shellfish. It is also made in a dedicated bakery and contains flaxseed among other healthy ingredients.  The sample had a coupon on the back so I plan on buying some for my oatmeal mornings next time I go to the store. Here is the site for Enjoy Life, they have all kinds of allergy friendly products this is just the only one I have tried so far http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/. They even have a cookbook you can get from their site.

Gluten Free Food Fair - So Many Good Products

Gluten Free Food Fair – August 29th Jefferson County Fairgrounds

I recentaly went to an excellend gluten free food fair and shared this on my other blog but wanted to post it here as well. Hope this is helpful.This is a list of all the companies that were there.

• Bobs Red Mill GF Products – have separate milling & packaging department. Gave out coupons and packet of mighty tasty GF hot cereal. www.bobsredmill.com
o Have a pizza crust, brownie mix
o Pamphlet with huge list of GF products (70)
o Catalog lists books that are continually sought after and use by their customer base. I thought they all looked interesting but here are a few I will definitely be reading
 The Amazing Flax Cookbook – Jane Reinhardt-Martin
 Art of Cooking with Quinoa – Maria Baez Kijac
 The China Study – Most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted – T. Colin Campbell
 Cooking with Coconut flour – Bruce Fife
 The Joy of Veagan baking – Collen Patrick – Gourea
 125 Best Gluten Free Recipes – Donna Washburn & Heather Butt
 Babycakes – vegan, gluten free and sugar free recipes from New York’s most talked about bakery – Erin Mckenna (some recipes call for spelt flour which is not gluten free)
 Cooking Free – 200 flavorful recipes for people with food allergies and multiple food sensitivities – Carol Fenster

• Chipotle was there handing out chips and guacamole – their meats are not marinated in gluten and their chips are safe!

• Carinos Italian was there advertising their gluten free menu and handing out a sample of cooked potatoes

• General mills had a booth that had pamphlets explaining how to read labels. They have hundred of gluten free products and are listed at liveglutenfreely.com
o Some brands listed are Larabar, fruit by the foot, chex, Yoplait, progresso and betty crocker

• Cecelias Market Place guid had a booth – website will give you product of the day emails and product alerts – www.CeceliasMarketplace.com

• Bakery on Main – Granola products. Gave out packet of Cinnamon Raison Granola and a peanut butter chocolate granola bar. Have a 34,000 square foot manufacturing facility with in house gluten testing on every batch of products.

• Bard’s beer – founded by celiacs, made it their mission to give beer back to those who are intolerant to gluten. America’s first gluten free sorghum beer and the only beer brewed with 100% malted sorghum. To find the beer visit www.bardbeer.com or call 1-877-440-2337

• On the border was there handing out a copy of their gluten free menu and a coupon for queso. I especially love they list the alcoholic beverage that don’t have gluten :0)

• Local Denver bakery, Delicious, was there. Gluten free baking www.delicious-gluten-free.com

• Diamond Baking Co. – www.diamondbakingco.com – Boulder and Denver Metro – gluten free dessert catering

• Another booth of locals who are about to launch and had an amazing booth full of truly amazing yummy products was toosies. They will be selling products in all local natural food stores. Toosiesglutenfree.com
o Will be selling all purpose flout, bread mix, brownie mix, muffin mix and pancake/waffle mix

• Schar- company that makes gluten free products was handing out free samples or chocolate covered wafers and a food pyramid for celiac patients. To remind us what we need to be eating to stay healthy.

• Barlean’s Organic Oils had a booth advertising their Omega Swirl. Tasted and looks like a smoothie yet provides optimal levels of vital and essential Omega 3 EPA/DHA. I tried the strawberry/banana and is was really good. They are sold at vitamin cottage. Can be taken straight, mixed with yogurt and blended with smoothies or protein drinks.
o Voted best product of the year by Vitamin Retailer Magazine
o Gold metal winner of American Masters of Taste Awards

• Rudis had a booth and was giving out complete loafs of bread to everyone. I had already purchased the cinnamon swirl a few weeks ago and love it. You cant even tell its gluten free. Today I got a loaf of the multi-grain and will have to let you know what I think.
o There slogan is “gluten free doesn’t mean bread free”
o Have original sandwhich, multi-grain and cinnamon swirl bread
o www.rudisbakery.com

• The Organic Dish – pre-made gluten free and other special diet food
o www.theorganicdish.com/menu
o Can shop at their kitchen in boulder or order online for pick up, delivery or shipping nation wide.
o Food comes ready to cook with instructions

• Bready had a booth. An automatic gluten free baking system. Very large and bulky and is $299.99. You can check it out at www.mybready.com

• Simply Boulder culinary sauces – sold at whole foods and vitamin cottage. Very good dipping sauces. Gluten free,agave nectar, dairy free, vegetarian, 100% natural. www.simplyboulder.com

• Gluten Free Oats – www.glutenfreeoats.com – tested at Univ of Nebraska Food Allergy Research a

• Kinnikinnick Foods was giving out packets of information – have bread products, doughnuts, personal size pizza crust, waffles, smores, bread crumbs and oreos.
o www.kinnikinnick.com or goglutenfee.com
o Gluten free never tasted so good
o To provide Celiacs, people with Autism and other people with special requirements with uncontimated, risk free source of food products.

• Glutenfreeda – gluten free burritos, granola and oatmeal.
o All products produced in our own 100% gluten free facility

• Gluten free passport had a booth. You can download an app on your phone will give you a list of restaurants and menus that you can eat from. www.GlutenFreePassport.com

• Jules Gluten Fee – www.JulesGlutenFree.com.
o Had some amazing desserts
o Author and creator of the flour was there
o The flour looks like it would be really great to use has tapioca starch, potato starch, corn starch, white rice flour, corn flour and Xanthum gum. I am thinking of ordering some, then I wouldn’t have to mix all of these together while cooking.
o The author signed by book that I bought
o Can go to her website for some great GF recipes.

• Minnie Beasley’s Handmade Almond Lace Gourmet Cookies – first let me say that the creator of this cookie is a little intense but they are very good. He said that if you google “best damn cookie ever” his will pop up. Very good and they will ship pretty much anywhere.

• Arbonne cosmetics – all products including make-up, moisturizer and shampoo are gluten free. I asked for a catalog but they were out. I am going to email the consultant I met today and have her mail me one.

• Themissingmenu.com – “where the missing allergy-free menu can be found”
o Search local and national restaurants and bakeries
o Search by allergy, cuisine and neighborhoods
o View allergy free highlighted items and menus
o Stay current with allergy conscious community by using our twitter and facebook feeds

• Happy Bellies – the only organic baby cereal with DHA plus probiotic protection.
o Have formula that is allergy friendly
o Fresh, frozen organic baby meals
o Organic puffs

• Beaujo’s pizza – have gluten and dairy free pizza. I got a preferred discount card for 15% off every purchase. I have never tried this pizza but will make a note to do it soon and let you know what I think.

• The Gluten Free Gal Baking Company
o Gluten free, Soy Free,Dairy Free, Nut Free, Yeast Free, Corn Free, Sesame Free and Refined Sugar Free
o www.theglutenfreegal.com

• Namaste foods – contain zero gluten, wheat, soy, potato, corn, tree nuts, peanuts, casein or dairy
o Dedicated allergen free facility
o 15 baking mixes, 3 pasta dishes and all natural
o Also listed on a card I picked up is Bread, cookies, pizza crust, vanilla cake, sugar free muffins, perfect flour blend, biscuits pie crust and more, Chocolate and Vanilla frosting, muffins, brownies, spice cake, waffles/pancakes and chocolate cake
o I have tried the spice cake and I believe this is my favorite GF spice cake mix. I recently made the brownies, I thought it was really good but I added some things to it (organic justin’s peanut butter, walnuts, flaxseed and a bit of soy milk.

• Funky Monkey – fruit snacks
o 100% natural, real fruit, delicious,
o Nothing added
o Gluten Free & veagan
o Raw food
o Kosher
o I received a free bag which I will try and get back to you. They also gave out funky monkey temporary tattoos. I am sad to say I can’t find mine but if I could, would proudly be wearing it right now

• Udis Gluten Free Foods
o Made in a 100% dedicated gluten free facility
o Also dairy free, soy free and nut free
o Shown in the brochure is bagels, granola, pizza crust, sandwich bread, cinnamon rolls and muffins
o I haven’t tried their stuff but I got a coupon which means I will try it soon.

• Celiac Spruce Association – www.csaceliacs.org
o Handed out a bunch of information
o Flyer on “the gluten free diet and celiacs disease” class being offered taught by a registered dietician with over 20 yrs experience working in the field. Diagnosed herself with celiacs and multiple food allergies.
o Class is $45.00 and includes a copy of a list I bought today. A small bound book listing all safe GF products. Designed to take to the store with you and help decifer which products are safe.
o http://www.denverceliacs.org/

General Mills GF Products & Yummy Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

A few weeks ago, I went to a gluten free food fair at some fair grounds in Colorado. I came out of that place with more then a full belly, there was so much helpful information I collected I didn’t know where to start going through it all. One of the things I discovered at this fair is that General Mills has a website for Glute Free Customers which means that I can now shop at Walmart again for some of my grocery needs. The website is http://www.liveglutenfreely.com/products/default.aspx. New to the list of products: Bisquick Gluten Free, Larabar Chocolate Chip, Progresso Soup Traditional Split Pea and Yoplait Whips-Key Lime Pie.  I picked up a flyer at the fair but was almost jumping up and down when I went on the site to check it out. They have organized all of their Gluten Free products and made a print friendly brochure you can take with you to the store.  I haven’t been grocery shopping yet, but I plan on taking it with me. Very cool!

I have been testing out Gluten Free Oatmeal and I have found two brands that I really like they are Gluten Freeda Instant and Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Oatmeal (very good with soy, flax, blueberries and a little bit of stevia). Here is a recipe for Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free Cookies straight from their website.

Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

3 cups Gluten Free Rolled Oats

1 cup Butter (softened)

1 cup Brown Sugar

1/2 cup Granulated Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Sea Salt

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 large Eggs*

1 tsp Xanthan Gum

1 cup Raisins (Unsulfured)

Directions 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat butter and sugars together until smooth. Add vanilla and eggs; beat well. In a separate bowl, blend flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and Xanthan Gum. Stir flour blend into wet ingredients. Add oats and raisins and mix well. Drop rounded tablespoons of dough onto un-greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool one minutes then transfer to wire rack. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

*Eggless Option: Mix together 2 Tb. Flaxseed Meal with 6 Tb. of water and let sit for a minute. Add to recipe as you would the eggs.

*I like they provide egg subsituation option. I didn’t know you could use flaxseed that way :0).

Gluten Free Food Fair

So, this is my first posting to my new addition to my so called blog life.  I figured that some of my readers who were interested in the nutrtion and/or celiacs information probably dont want to hear about my fertility problems (even though I think everyone does).  This is what made me decide to start this second blog. I figure as I continue to venture into the wonderful world of gluten free living and cooking I might want to share it all....so without further adoo......

I have officially reintroduced red meat and grains back into my diet and guess what?? My metabolism has picked up. With only fruits and veggies, I was starving my body of vital nutrients and now that I am eating grains and red meat, I am also not getting cravings for all things sweet anymore.  Now I admit that maybe three dinners in a row eating steak might have been over the top but that is what my body wanted so I did it…and it was so yummy! I have been finding that there are a lot more restaurants that have gluten free menus then I thought and I have been able to stay on my diet and before coming down with a sinus infection had been feeling pretty good.  I have cut down to only taking one of the six pills for my daily vitamin and am adding maca and royal jelly to my morning smoothies each day. That reminds me, during a recent trip to vitamin cottage, I learned that it is best to take probiotics first thing in the morning (45 minutes before you eat your first meal) or at night before you go to bed. The package says to take them directly before a meal…..but I have started taking my probiotics in the morning while making my juice and I have started taking a liquid iron supplement (recommended for gluten intolerant people because most of the time the women are anemic). The iron supplement is Floradix. They make a gluten free blend and this is the best iron supplement on the market.  Before yesterday, the above mentioned supplements were all I was taking. I attended another Gluten Free Food Seminar and Fair and a local vitamin cottage yesterday and found it to be very helpful.  The woman who gave the lecture is an in house nutritionist and man did she know her stuff.  First I am going to share my favorite find from this lecture. A company by the name of Enzymedica, has two products that are great for people who can’t break down gluten, GlutenEase and Digest Gold. They are currently doing a study with Celiacs patients using both of these products to see if they help the body heal quicker from the damage created when eating gluten. I will be curious to see the results.  GlutenEase “assists in digestion and assimilation of the offending proteins. Is able to break down the proteins believed to be a factor in the intolerance. Proactively supports the gut, allowing proteins to be properly absorbed in their digested state. Also good for those who wish to remain on a Gluten Free Diet to ensure complete breakdown of proteins safe and effectively. Also addresses a related issue that also stems from gluten intolerance, problems digesting the carbohydrates of offending foods. The nutritionist suggested that people trying to heal their bodies should take GlutenEase and DigestGold so that is what I am going to do.  You take one of each before each meal.  If you would like to check this product out you can go to a vitamin cottage or go to http://www.enzymedica.com/.

Namaste Foods was there and they had some samples of some amazing coconut cookies.  They had a bunch of recipe cards and a flyer explaining that if you send in four proofs of purchase, they will send you a free allergy friendly cookbook to use with their products.  They even gave me two proofs of purchase :0)   They also have recipes on their website http://www.namastefoods.com/. I think their spice cake is so yummy and the cookie mix makes cookies that are so fluffy and actually rise just like regular cookies. All of their products are made in a dedicated facility.

A company called Organique was there handing out samples. I grabbed samples or hand & body lotion and exfoliating walnut & apple face scrub.  Their products are natural head to heel body care made with organic essential oils and herbs. I will use them and let you know what I think.

Maverick Ranch also had a booth. They specialize in organic meats. I got a coupon for steak and one for chicken which I purchased both of. I thought the hamburger meat was pretty good and the chicken was also very yummy. It can be purchased at vitamin cottage.

They also passed out a list of all the gluten free products that vitamin cottage carries along with some recipes for the holidays and suggestions on how to substitute in recipes for allergy friendly items.

I purchased gluten free toothpaste from vitamin cottage. It does not feel like my mouth is clean after brushing with the stuff.  Feeling frustrated, I decided to do some research on toothpaste, here is what I found..

According to http://www.withoutthewheat.com/Dental_Products.html

Oral-B"No Gluten: Phophy Paste Stages Tooth and Gum Care --All the other product we cannot be excluded as a processing aid in the manufacture of raw materials. We DO NOT guarantee are gluten-free. If a consumer has a sensitivity or other concern about gluten, we suggest they do not use the product."

Colgate "All Colgate products are gluten free." 4/25/07
Colgate Palmolive "We do not intentionally add gluten to the following Colgate Palmolive products. However, we cannot guarantee that the ingredients used are not exposed to any glutens. Sorbitol is an ingredient which can be grain derived and may be found in toothpastes. Our sorbitol is corn-derived." 4/25/07
Crest (Procter & Gamble) "There is no gluten in any of our Crest Whitestrips products, the Crest Night Effects, Crest toothpaste varieties or Gleem toothpaste. None of our current Crest toothpaste versions, Crest Whitestrips versions, or Crest Night Effects contains gluten. In addition, none of the ingredients used in Glide dental floss contains gluten. Although we do not directly add ingredients that contain gluten to Crest Pro-Health Rinse or to Crest Whitening Rinse, it's possible these products could contain trace amounts. We recommend you contact your doctor before using these rinse products if you have questions or concerns about gluten. "

This site has a gluten free dental section and has other great information like blistex products that are gluten free.