Why Eat Bread ...

...When you can substitute everything for cabbage!

Do not laugh, I am being serious. Bread, although tasty and deserving at times, is not something you should incorporate into your diet everyday due to high level of unwanted carbs, low fiber, iron and dirty words like "enriched."

My plea and cry for you is to consider substituting bread for lettuce and/or cabbage. Take two leaves for deli, cottage cheese, chicken, eggplant, salmon or even Nutella and peanut butter and jelly.  My fav cut up some triangles for enjoyable dips and spreads like sour cream and chives, hummus, peri peri chilli. Who needs bread?

Cabbage is one of the richest veges in terms of protective vitamins. Yes. raw cabbage cleans the waste from the stomach/upper bowels improving digestion and reduces constipation that's a good thing so don't be scared of the toilet. Known to be a cancer inhibitor, stimulates the immune system, kills harmful bacteria, soothes ulcers, and improves circulation. Outer leaves are a good source of vitamin E, making it good for the SKIN complexion. Also rich in vitamin C (raw white cabbage contains as much vitamin C as lemons) and sulphur. Yes all this for only 24 calories per 3.5 ounces.  Go, eat it up!

Now you know, there are alternatives to breads...

Mi-Del Loves Us! Gluten-Free Product Review

Mi-Del Cookies

A good solution for gluten-free Ginger Snaps, Cinnamon Snaps, Chocolate Chips, Arrowhead Cookies Pecan, Royal Vanilla Sandwiches, Chocolate Sandwiches all provided for a tasting and thumbs up are given.

Hey, when you need that Oreo style cookie, but prefer not to eat artificial terrible ingredients from Nabisco then this would be your alternative! Enjoy ;) 

New Planet 3R Raspberry Ale: The Finest! Gluten-Free Product Review

This has been my first ever beer review and it has been an ultimate experience. Having tasted a few beers here and there over the past years I recruited @egjadzis, beer cynosure to guide me through the tasting.  This beer tasting is for New Planet Raspberry Ale. Each feature of the beer was scored on a best out of 10 scale, with a 50 being the highest score a beer can earn...


New Planet Gluten Free Beers

•   Aroma: 8
•   Appearance: 8
•   Taste: 8.5
•   Mouthfeel: 9
•   Overall Experience: 8.5
•   Total: 42

Rosi Loves GFGal's Gluten Free Breads!

Musician - Rosi Golan

Loving the breads so much by Chelsea (GFGal) I had to promote it as much as I could wherever possible....  I told my friend Rosi Golan, singer/songwriter, whom was traveling on her national tour through Denver about the flavored breads over this past week. Rosi being so wonderful as usual was telling me about her drive towards gluten-free living so I had the two meet.  Rosi was extremely humbled and grateful for the offering and was pleasantly surprised on how amazing these breads truly are. They are sweeping Colorado by storm with another double rainbow gluten-free style.

Rosi Golan's website
The GFGal's website

Found it! The Most Delicious GF Bread! Gluten-Free Product Review

Home bakers are the best gluten-free chefs, IMHO :) 

Here in Colorado we have so many beautiful rainbows and I just found what's at the end... It feels surreal to have incredibly tasting gluten-free breads like banana, cinnamon, sweet potato and blueberry back in my life from home baker, Chelsea Willis. Completely allergy friendly and not just gluten-free.... There's no corn, dairy, soy, refined sugar or nuts baked in Chelsea's (aka GF Gal) breads all from a designated gf Denver kitchen facility.

Udis $1 coupons now available!

http://udisglutenfree.com/safeway

If you go to this link and shop online you can get a $1.00 coupon for your next Udi’s purchase! Come back again to @GlutenFreeG for great product news, coupons and gluten-free and Celiac lifestyle needs.

Udis... My First Denver Bagel! Gluten-Free Product Review

Udi's Gluten-Free, a local Denver bakery that offers something special for the gluten-free lifestylist. I have been craving bagels for years and wasn't able to find one that can be toasted, have a crust and hold together.  And then I found it in Denver when Udis sent me bagels, breads and muffins to sample. 

Oh Fiona! Way To Crunch Into My Heart. Gluten-Free Product Review

After moving to Denver I voyaged through Denver's Whole Foods Cherry Creek and they host a slew of local Boulder, Colorado items. Fiona's All Natural Quinoa Crunch is a hearty baked delicious option for breakfast. 

1,2,3,4 ... Two Moms In the Raw Gluten-Free Product Review

A great name for a greater product, Two Moms In The Raw.

 Super duper tasting Gluten-Free granola is not easy to find and often you will see that that the oats are not GF or that you can't trust the manufacturing facilities to be sure the ingredients are indeed safe and secure. It's the continual saga of our era.

GF Pizza That Is Not GF?

I love pizza... It is a treat for me... It smells, looks and tastes beautifully! Am I drooling? But I have horrible news for you, my gluten-free friends... just because the pizza ingredients are touted as gluten-free that does not mean when it arrives on your plate @ your table it still is.

Why you ask? Well a lot of restaurants are supporting the gluten-free movement and we love this, but when you are a Celiac you need to ask more questions about the kitchen preparations that they won't always tell you upfront. Often the question you should ask to your waiter and/or manager on duty should be:

Questions:

• Do you use the same pizza tray or stone?
• Does the chef change his apron?
• Does the chefs or line use separate ingredients for all pizza?
• Do you bake your pizza in the same oven as regular pizza? 

Unfortunately this may be the case ... your GF food may be contaminated with traces or more of gluten more often than not so please be wise and ask this question when you hear about your pizza and also dishes of rice, pasta, other baked, grilled or fried gf options! Tell them how important it is that you separate GF so places stop touting food as gluten-free lifestyle half ass and more strictly following 100% gluten-free for those who are medically diagnosed as Celiacs! It is confusing all of us and getting many Celiacs ill without knowing. For all of you who are eating gluten-free lifestyle start taking it more seriously and help the rest of us by demanding 100% gf because of this issue.

Cheesy Boof! Yes... daiya is GF

Many Celiacs suffer from Lactose Intolerance either as a pre-cursor to living gluten-free and/or live with it everyday. If you are anyone like myself, you appreciate some fresh and melted cheese to compliment many other foods and it's important to find options that won't agitate your digestion.

I recently sampled daiya, cheddar style shreds, from Whole Foods-Cheery Creek Denver and found out quite surprisingly how nice it was for a dairy alternative... With a pleasant, fresh aroma and when melted it was near comparison to shredded cheese I thought. There was no awkward after taste or bad fake smell and taste. My two tastings were on a onion, tomato, pepper and broccoli omelet with shreds + hot salsa along with pasta, I was quite a happy boy!

Free of most common allergens such as: Soy, Dairy (Casein, Lactose), Gluten, Egg, Wheat, Barley, Whey and Nuts, daiya provides a fantastic cheese shred and some new products to look out for in the future. Also note that it is good in the fridge for 7-10 days once opened. For more detailed information and where to buy daiya check out their website. Enjoy!!!

Keep in mind my ratings are for those who are open to food, tastings and alternative eating :)

Recommend to Celiacs: 4 out of 5
Recommend to Dairy Free: 4.5 out of 5
Recommend to Anyone: 3 out of 5

http://www.daiyafoods.com

Gee, Thank You, Whole Foods.

It is a fact, Whole Foods has hooked me up with a big a$$ bag of GF products for sampling. I met with Heather @ the Cherry Creek, Denver CO location on a gorgeous sunny day, 7pm. We talked GF shop, laughed even skipped down the aisles together as she took me on a thorough explanation of some of the newer products in store. Heather was kind enough to let me put a variety of foods in my bag that I had not tried, such as; chips, salsa, dairy free ice cream and cheese, pasta, sauce, nut butter, granola, chips and more. I think I gained weight just thinking about all of this food. Sooooo, over the next few weeks as promised, I"ll provide a few passages on how these foods taste, smell, look and sell as a GF consumer.

Please leave your thoughts as necessary party people...

Seeking Your GF Products for Review!

Great news food fans, in the near future I will be sampling some of the newest GF products out in the market place. Some of you may not have heard of them others will have, but I will offer a true evaluation of the product packaging, taste, ingredients and their marketing if available. In addition, I will have guests sample your products. 

Uhoh, Were You Born C-Section?

Ground breaking news on the research front, a German study shows that CD and other intestinal disorders are linked to Cesearian births. "Dr. Mathias Hornef, from Hannover Medical School in Germany, and his colleagues knew that people with certain inflammatory bowel diseases - such as celiac disease, Crohn's disease, and ulcerative colitis - have a different mix of bacteria in their intestines." Wow great news, but I wasn't born C-Section... This is a nice read about some good ol fashion research done recently, but I wouldn't let these facts get to far in your head. Considering CD is still so very completely mis-diagnosed and under-researched we can look and tally up each research and see what helps us further understand.

http://www.nationalpost.com/life/health/story.html?id=7ec097ab-11e7-4bd6-ba8e-ee816839b31f

Oh, People No! Did You Receive Your Food Education In The Grocery Aisle?

I dig how the Lawrence Journal has opened up a small can of woop-ass on a subject matter I hold close to the vest: The world of food labeling and questioning the mere nutritional truths behind them. As a consumer we are subject to excessive unique advertising, catchy tag lines and eye catching eye level package design which I support for it's creative impact... because it still our humane, responsibility to stay educated and learn about what to consume and what is "healthy". Once we are in aisle 4 and hold the package to our declining vision you are invited to read key words such as: low fat, sugar or sodium, reduced calories, high fiber, all natural, whole grains, heart healthy and many more that could be misleading. Often these phrases are placed with great precision in a flashy star or box in the corner highlighted on the package, but you must read further to be sure that low fat isn't substituted for high amounts of sugar for improved taste, for example. Your life is a world of education. The information is in front of you...

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2010/may/03/food-label-lingo-nutrition-experts-weigh-which-cla/?city_local

It's a Salty Subject

I'm very new to baking so I have a lot to learn... exploring and trying some new recipes are fun, but one lesson to remember is do not put too much salt in the cookie batter! Yes. Salt to some symbolize purity, perfection, wisdom, hospitality, durability, and fidelity, but when it comes to sea salts which have an incredible flavor composition follow the direction and even use less! It is vital to great cooking, but when you over do it with salt you ruin the cookie on the first bite. Trust me when telling you the most valuable lesson I had ever learned on TV was during a FULL HOUSE episode in the 80s when Becky said, "less is more" and that applies to much more than baking...

Surprise Foods Containing Poision!

Be wary... you have to because this is your life... It's common for us to read and then re-read ingredient listings thoroughly and always to check with the source to be sure foods are gluten free. Here is a brief list of foods that you certainly should be checking out to be sure you find an alternate. Some of these may surprise you:

*chicken broth
*vitamins
*bouillon cubes
*soy sauce
*red licorice
*blue cheese
*mustard
*fruit punch
*play dough

Bad Bakery, Bad

Don't you just love that warm, sweet sensation from breathing in freshly baked bread and pastries at the nearby bakery/cafe? It makes you smile doesn't it? Perhaps you even do a little dance? Great.... well not so great for Celiacs. That's actually a poorly thought out concept. Spending extended amounts of time in a bakery surfin' your laptop breathing in the particles of goodness, could for some very sensitive Celiacs get you ill. And if there is enough freshly baked items in there, there could be flour dust contamination to the coffee, tea, fruit, smoothies or cups, etc. Daang.... The grass is always greener on the next block or two so go hang out at a coffee shop that won't kill ya. I'm sure the coffee there will be just as good.

Launch Of The Gold Star Awards ...

I'll give you one secret about Denver, since there are too many in reality to share with you today ... There are endless gluten free options. I've spoken with hostesses, waiters and even bus boys @ restaurants, bartenders, grocery staff, acquaintances and straight up strangers from the hood here in Denver and everyone has heard of Celiac Disease and knows more or less what the restrictions are about... Of course some people do not know the full extent, but those in the restaurant business certainly do and again we're not talking about only chefs. In my experience the front end is VERY familiar with it and will triple check all orders with the kitchen to ensure me as a patron I was pleased. As the face of a place, these employees deserve kudos... Here is the beginning of Gluten Free G's new gold star program... Congratulations Denver for earning the first Gold Star Award!!!

Does Gluten Sensitivity Mean Sensitive Skin?

The Gluten Free Fox has a brief article about the sensitivities to our skin and how they could certainly be affected by our allergies to gluten or other ingredients:

"Here are some of the more common natural ingredients that can irritate sensitive skin:

lavender: Even though it is typically thought of of soothing or calming, many people do experience allergic reactions.
bismuth oxychloride: This mineral makeup additive creates a healthy-looking shimmer effect, but may contain irritating heavy metals.
chamomile: Though less common, this calming flower can also product topical allergies.
carmine: Sometimes thought of as "the only true red found in nature," this bright red pigment is made by grinding up beetle parts and causes skin irritation to many.
tea tree oil: Especially if undiluted, this acne-fighting oil can cause skin irritation."

See the full link here: http://ow.ly/1oPTFY

Classic Bad Serving

Now this is just classic bad serving... Yesterday I went out to dinner with some cousins to a new seafood restaurant and they had a GF menu. The restaurant was not too busy at all so I was feeling good about what was about to happen. I ordered the salmon salad which was probably the easiest item to make on the menu without screwing it up GF. It was similar to the regular order but without noodles and capers. Waitress was confident to bring it with ease for me. I trusted her. It comes out salmon blackened, with noodles and capers. They completely screwed it up and the chef didn't make the GF version. Wow! Wow! The waitress didn't check and it came to my table as POISION on a plate, basically, hahaha. Luckily, I did the usual fork lift and shuffle and inspected the food before putting it in my mouth, but damn, classic mess up and a near gigantic accident. If you are not sure if this is the right meal on your own, definitely wait, be patient, and have the server inspect it for you to be sure they see it because they should know the menu best! But seriously you can't trust anyone when you go out to eat but yourself. You have to question people (kindly) and even sometimes your own parent, friend or family member because they don't necessarily know what is best. Because the only person that gets screwed when you don't is you! It's you who gets sick and when that is my case, I won't let that happen if I can hep it. Sigh. Another upsetting Gluten Free meal out to eat.

GF On The Go

On the road again... I have been traveling a bit and it is always a jourrney to grocery shop and eat out in many difference cities. For the regular traveler it is paradise... eating local cuisine and trying new menu items. But for the GF consumer, unfortunately the GF education in most restaurants have only evolved slightly. It is still anything, but a day in the park. You still need to have the same conversation you would have with your local server/chef each time you eat out like, "Hello, I can't have any food that has gluten." They typically say unless it's a prestigious restaurant, "What is gluten" and you tell them, "Wheat flour, rye, barley, malts in the food itself or in contamination with it, can you help me find something?" and the trusting begins. Sometimes you can feel good about putting your health in these people's hands and other times you should not, so be sure you trust the server or chef and if you do not then do not eat the food, go somewhere else. Remember there is no cheating with a gluten free diet and you can always find something to eat elsewhere so call the restaurant ahead and help educate your servers and teach them. All in all I have seen some progress... often establishments have a GF menu, but still can't guarantee it is allergen free. Also, why are waiters not educating themselves or employers not teaching them more about allergens. When your job is to work with food, serve food, handle people who eat food, take the time to learn about some of the more common allergens: gluten, nuts, fish/shell fish, milk, soy, eggs ... and all of our dining experiences will be more social and more pleasurable. Think about it, if the world knew what was in the food we ate, we would all be healthier individuals and smarter servers. That'll earn you a big tip, people.

Across The water, Across The Land, Go

(whistling) My new journey begins and ends in the same place, home. Home to me now is wherever I am in the free world with my friends/family. Change is in the air and I have been searching for new places to reside. First, NOLA. However, this place has poor gluten free awareness. After educating your server, you may be able to trust them with your meal, but most places just don't adapt well to the suggestion. Houston has some awareness. The Tex Mex joints are familiar with corn and flour tortillas and can separate them in the kitchen. Austin is a fantastic city for many reasons.