Leave comments, ideas at what you want to learn and read about

As a blogger, wow, when did I become a blogger? It has been on my mind for years, and have read so many people's feelings, opinions and great tips, but never thought I'd really create a blog and help others. 
I want to be as helpful to others as I can be, so please leave me questions, comments, ideas, etc for me to discover and write about. 


Hope you hear from you all soon (and there's no rules on only Gluten-Free and Celiac's alike are allowed to comment, 'we' already feel excluded from most food groups, so we don't like to make other's feel left out :)

Celiac Disease?

Celiac Disease? What an odd name for such a serious disease. Celiac Disease is a life-long disease that is genetic, meaning those with the disease are born with it and a will always have to live by a certain lifestyle and diet. 


A technical definition of CD from the Celiac Disease Foundation is below: 

'Celiac Disease (CD) is a lifelong inherited autoimmune condition affecting children and adults. When people with CD eat foods that contain gluten, it creates an immune-mediated toxic reaction that causes damage to the small intestine and does not allow food to be properly absorbed. Even small amounts of gluten in foods can affect those with CD and cause health problems. Damage can occur to the small bowel even when there are no symptoms present.

Gluten is the common name for the proteins in specific grains that are harmful to persons with celiac disease. These proteins are found in ALL forms of wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn and faro) and related grains rye, barley andtriticale and MUST be eliminated.'

New Gluten Free Cereal

After a hankering for cereal last night I went to the grocery store and scoped the aisle for a yummy treat. Having had Chex cereal before, I immediately went to that area and saw a new product.....Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Chex. DELICIOUS is all I have to say! This healthy, scrumptious and low-calorie cereal is great for not only breakfast, but also as for a snack when you want something sweet, tasty and not going to add to your waistline.

Here's a picture of the box so you can easily spot it and also nutrition facts:

Northern Michigan and Nutty Pumpkin Harvest Granola

Dennett's Farm and Gluten Free Kitchen offers Northern Michigan locals amazing flavors, local and savory ingedients and an overall feeling of goodness. As you can see by this picture, I ate the entire bag....in one sitting :) It was my intention to enjoy this little snack pack for just that, a bite or two...but that turned into the entire pouch. I will say though, this snack pack is much healthier than eating a small bag of chips or other salty and high calorie snack.
The thing I loved the most about this Nutty Pumpkin Harvest Granola was not only was it Gluten Free, but also so delicious with it's flavor. I felt as if I was eating Fall classics with pumpkins and leaves turning colors around me....that's the beauty of having harvest flavors all year round with Dennetts!
Be sure to check out Dennetts new website to get information about ordering, pricing and locations of where Dennetts is sold.

http://dennettsglutenfree.com/you-can-find-us-here


Ingredients:
Non-GMO Gluten Free Oats
Walnuts/Almonds
Brown Sugar
Pumpkin
Canola Oil
Pure Michigan Maple Syrup
Organic Crispy Brown Rice
Organic Brown Rice Syrup
Sea Salt
Vanilla Extract
Pumpkin Pie Spices
Salt

Organic?

After my last post I realized that I talked about Organic products, but wanted to address this further with more information about what organic means. 
Organic? It's been the topic of discussion and a buzz word over the years...so in short, here's some history of organic products and their fruition. (thanks in part to wikipedia)

'Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemical fertilizers. Organic Foods also do not contain genetically modified organisms, and are not processed using irradiation, industrial solvents, or chemical food additives.

The weight of the available scientific evidence has not shown a significant difference between organic and more conventionally grown food in terms of safety, nutritional value, or taste.

For the vast majority of human history, agriculture can be described as organic; only during the 20th century was a large supply of new synthetic chemicals introduced to the food supply. The organic farming movement arose in the 1940s in response to the industrialization of agriculture known as the Green Revolution.

Organic food production is a heavily regulated industry, distinct from private gardening. Currently, the European Union, the United States, Canada, Japan and many other countries require producers to obtain special certification in order to market food as organic within their borders. In the context of these regulations, organic food is food made in a way that complies with organic standards set by national governments and international organizations. In the United States, organic production is a system that is managed in accordance with the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA) of 1990 and regulations in Title 7, Part 205 of the Code of Federal Regulations to respond to site-specific conditions by integrating cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity. If livestock are involved, the livestock must be reared with regular access to pasture and without the routine use of antibiotics or growth hormones. In the United States, a food can be labelled as "organic" if it contains a minimum of 95% organic ingredients'

Coconut CranApple Granola

A little bit of crunch, a little bit of sugar and spice= a lot of delicious snacks for all to have. Recently I paired up with Northern Michigan company Dennetts Gluten Free company and have been in love with all their products.
My first taste of heaven came with the Coconut CranApple Gluten-Free Granola. The recipe combines flavors that not only provide sweet flavors, but also give you energy and feeling full, but satisfied. The main ingredient of Brown Rice is Organic, which entices me to eat them even more. I am not one to only eat organic food, but I find that if products contain organic ingredients, the more likely I am to consume them. And of course, the Local Michigan Honey, even more reason to support this company.

Ingredients include:
100% Certified Gluten Free Oats
Canola Oil
Organic Crispy Brown Rice
Brown Sugar
Unsweetened Coconut
Sunflower Seeds
Almonds
Purified Water
Local Michigan Honey
Dried Apples
Dried Cranberries
Pure Vanilla Extract
Cinnamon
Salt

Please check out more products and flavors at Dennetts website at
http://dennettsglutenfree.com/

Happy and healthy eating!

Harris Teeter and Gluten Free

How amazing is Harris Teeter? They have done it once again at being great producers of products, but also amazing to the locals of Nashville. I enjoy city life because it gives you more options to varieties of foods. Harris Teeter is a staple grocery store in Nashville and they have recently put out a list of all the products they carry that are Gluten Free......
Here is the link to the list-
http://www.harristeeter.com/shopping/gluten_free.aspx

Got the Naked Blues?

Naked Blues Tortilla Chips---Delicious!!! I love these chips, because you can eat them-as many as you'd like and you don't feel that bloated, overly-full and salty feeling. Gluten Free chips from Way Better Snacks have been a true delight to eat. I really enjoy the flavor, taste and overall feeling of satisfaction after eating them.
It is hard to find chips that leave you feeling energized, not sluggish as most chips do. And I combined these particular Blue Corn chips with my favorite Peach Mango Salsa and it was like heaven in my mouth. I relate this type to the great Blue Corn Chips by Garden of Eatin' Organic-which I enjoy, but Way Better Snacks (www.gowaybetter.com) provides a better feeling overall after eating, therefore next time I'm in the grocery store or want some chips and dip, I know I have many varieties to choose from with Way Better Brand.