Gluten Is Everywhere Including Probiotics

More than half of the top-selling probiotic supplements analyzed in a study contained gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye that is harmful to people with Celiac Disease.Credit Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times

I have to say that I'm not surprised, were you? Trusting in the free world has gone way out the door.  Vitamins and supplements are not regulated by the FDA and probiotic supplements, albeit are vital to your gut health, are just not being watched enough. Gluten can be used as fillers, coating, and simply all over the tools and machinery in a  manufacturing facility. Therefore,  foods of all sorts are being contaminated even with some form of "gluten-free" claim. Small and large companies are likely, all culprits according to the NY TIMES article via Many Probiotics Taken For Celiac Disease Contain Gluten from Wed, May 19th. 

Sweet Note Bagels Gluten Free Product Review

All gluten-free bagels were not created equal. Texture, aroma, taste, and healthy ingredients should be the recipe for every food and beverage you eat. Recently, at a food expo in California, I met Michelle and Brittany from Sweet Note Bakery, lucky me! Michelle is a Philadelphia baker with the dream of bringing NY style gluten-free safe bagels to the free world everywhere. She reminded me that I should raise my expectations and consider a tastier NY style gluten free, fantastic bagel that I never had before (Made in a dedicated GF facility) ... All while being gluten free, soy free, dairy free, egg free, peanut and tree nut free and NON GMO. I was happily intrigued. 

Gluten & Allergen Free Marketplace

Finally, a trusted gluten free marketplace!

I've been searching high and low for a place to easily find gluten-free trusted and credible products. Sure, there are websites out there that sell gluten free products, but many of them lack transparency behind the gluten free claims, lack detailed information about the products, also these sites may even sell gluten containing products or are just confusing to navigate and that's frustrating to actually buy effectively. If I can't find a product online, understand the price and shipping information then I leave. Or I'll simply drive to Whole Foods, Sprouts, or local healthy natural market where I can speak to educated staff to find, learn and buy. The problem is that driving is a waste of time to go wait in lines and search forever in a store that carries limited gluten-free products when a lot of the good gluten-free products are available online at Strictly Gluten Free. 

Vegetables Belong In Majority of Meals

Look at your meal and ask yourself if there is enough organic vegetables in them. Yes/No?  Add more.

This is a question you should have during every meal; breakfast, lunch and dinner. In my humble opinion, your meals should have at least 50-75% of vegetables in every serving. These vegetables should be both raw and/or cooked, and you should be focussing on primarily organic foods as too many vegetables are being made with GMOs. Never eat a GMO as there is too little research done on long term testing for humans common sense says a food genetically made in a laboratory with chemicals unnatural to resist pesticides is unfathomably irrational.

Why Flush Your Toilet? Product Review

It's a question and a product name. Why Flush? 

This is a serious question for the world as we waste a lot of water in the bathroom, my friends. You may be curious what is it actually doing and it's purpose being in the toilet?  I'll answer those mystifying questions and help you realize that you should have Why Flush? in your home, so should your family and friends. We all should own Why Flush (available on Amazon) as part of our everyday life because we all need a place to relieve ourselves in our society yet we all should care more about water conservation. Together, we can accomplish a mental change in toilet behavior with just 2-3 flushes in the middle of the toilet after each #1 pee. This results in neutralized toilet water with a citrus, fresh scented bathroom via Why Flush.

EZ Gluten Test Kit Product Review

How Can I Know For Sure 

If Food & Beverages Are Gluten-Free?

If you haven't used the EZ Gluten Test Kit before then it's time  pick up a few kits for the holidays for you or someone you truly care about.  Whether you have Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance or another form of sensitivity to gluten proteins, Elisa Technologies offer kits for you to test food and beverages quickly and efficiently via a test strip. Most of us know not to take risks, but every once in a while I hear about people taking way too many risks, so now in less than 10 minutes you can check that food sample, finally! I tried it and I'll share with you my results.  These EZ Gluten™ Test are extremely simple kit that in less than ten minutes will detect the presence of gluten proteins in foods and beverages. It is sensitive enough to detect levels of gluten as low as 10 ppm (which is 2x better than the FDA guidelines). As you can see in my example here, the test kit is small and portable enough for at home, going to friends, or family, heading to a restaurant or whenever you need to know if a food could have gluten contamination, and avoid it! 

Recipe: Baked Squash & Sweet Potato Stew

RECIPE 

Baked Sweet potatoes and squash can take your stew or soup to a whole new level year round. Although it's spring, I was craving some amazing stew.  By taking your favorite nutrient rich vegetables, legumes, and tubers, with an optional meat source you can have a low calorie, energy rich stew for a few days.  Each element of this recipe can also be edited to have something else that's in season or a vegetable that you love so much that you can't resist. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

• Sweet potatoes - Use 1 or 2 large sweet potatoes for pre-baking. 
• Squash - Take a whole medium size squash for pre-baking.
• Cauliflower  - Take 1/2 cut into smaller sizes for adding into to stew 
• Black beans - Add 1 can or cooked beans
• Onions - Use 1, chop to your delight
• Cumin - Sprinkle to your delight
• Litehouse herbs - Add to your delight
• Beef - Optional and a nice touch (or chicken)
• Creamy tomato soup - 32 oz suggested. Optional use a tomato sauce, but a low sodium, organic soup is creamier 

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-Bake #1

• Sweet potatoes - Wash well and peel skin off. Cut into round slices, pre-bake separately than squash at 375 degrees for approximately 35 minutes. Potatoes take longer.
• Squash - Wash well and take 1/2 squash and cut into smaller round slices, pre-bake separately than sweet potatoes at 375 degrees for approximately 25 minutes. Bakes faster than potatoes. 

Pre-Sautee #2

• Saute the chopped onions and meat ahead of time only about medium/rare for 5-6 minutes. 

Pre-Heat The Big Pot #3

• Add the tomato sauce to pot. You can also add a cup or two of water or chicken broth depending how thick or soupy you prefer. Prep this liquid portion on medium heat ahead of time to coordinate the ending of baked and sauce preparations for the stewing below.  

Stew Time (30 minutes)

1. In the same large stove pot add your cauliflower to the pre-heated soup
2. Next cut your pre-baked sweet potatoes and squash into smaller pieces. Now you can peel the skin off quash and add directly into the stew.
3. Add the optional beef strips
4. Add in the spices to taste
5. Your big pot can now slow cook on light flame or until everything is soft. 

ProYo Frozen Yogurt Product Review

 Start your day or kickstart your afternoon

 with ProYo Frozen Yogurt. I'm hooked!

 

Udis & Smashburger Unite To Devastate Gluten-Free Safety

I can't tell you how upset I was after reading about Gluten Free Dude's finding that Smashburger used Udi's Gluten Free Bread (a once gluten-free leader) and failed an obvious cross contamination gluten-free test with a gluten free customer.   

Let's be very clear to those who manage a restaurant, servers and chefs along with those who are responsible at home to cook for gluten free family and friends:

1. It's not okay to serve gluten free products in a cross contaminated area so wash, clean and/or separate all utensils and food much better.
2. It's not okay to pretend you're promoting gluten-free options but exclude those with actual gluten related illnesses. Duh!

I Heart Keenwah Gluten Free Product Review

Imagine bite size square snacks that are perfectly shaped, crunch in your mouth and have desirable taste, ingredients and leave you satisfied. Welcome to I heart Keenwah, taking the quinoa snack to a whole new level and taste experience. The founder, Ravi, was touring Bolivia and learning about the quinoa grains. He immediately became smitten over a ready to eat snack and pitched the ideas to his grad school friends. They concept was born and they went to the kitchen mixing quinoa to find a crunchy treat as we see today in the cluster snacks.