GlutenFreeSpot.com » Gluten Free Products

Capella Market in Eugene Offering Gluten Free Demos

Eric — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:25:50 +0000

For those of you who live in Eugene, OR, Capella Market offers Gluten free demos on the 3rd Saturday of every month from noon until 4pm. Capella Market is near 24th and Willamette in South Eugene. The staff is on hand to answer any questions and they have samples that you can try. Capella Market is locally owned and operated and defines themselves as a natural food market place.

Capella Market has a growing selection of gluten-free products throughout the store. To aid you in identifying these products, we have placed a small blue dot on shelf tags for gluten-free products.

You can download their gluten free product list HERE

Importance of a Dedicated Facility

Eric — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 18:41:41 +0000

Here is a video from Youtube that shows how a company that offers a dedicated Gluten Free facility made this facility happen. This video shows the tear down and gluten decontamination of waffle equipment purchased by Kinnikinnick Foods.

Importance of Dedicated Gluten Free Facilities & Equipment

Firefly Vokda Confirmed Gluten Free

Eric — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:18:20 +0000

There was an event for Mardi Gras in Eugene last night and Firefly’s Sweet Tea Vokda was promoting it for their drink specials and I was curious to see if their vodka was Gluten Free. A fifth of this vodka is about $20. After some research I found a very good post on Celiac.com.

Here is the set of e-mails that were posted:

Here is the response from our chemist:

To: Namelss

Thank for your interest in Firefly products. My name is Truman Cox and I a chemist for Firefly Distillery. To the best of our knowledge, the distillation does remove or denature the proteins and gluten associated with the starting grains in the vodka. The vodka used for our Firefly Tea products comes from corn. The flavors we use do not contain the allergens listed in the FALCP act which are wheat, milk, tree-nets, peanuts, shellfish, fish, eggs, or soy.

We have had many requests by celiac patients and have never heard of an adverse reaction to our products. As I am sure you know, please check with your doctor before consuming any alcohol products.

Truman Cox

Dan
Dan Williams
Director of Sales – Pennsylvania
THE SAZERAC COMPANY

====================

From: Sc’Eric (aka sc’Que)
Sent: Monday, March 02, 2009 3:49 AM
To: Scott Newitt
Cc: Dan Williams
Subject: [Fuji & Jade] Firefly: gluten content?

Scott~

Question for you… I have customers who have concerns related to gluten intolerance / Celiac disease. While it is generally understood that most caramel colouring and maltodextrin in the US are produced from corn, the recent trend toward corn-based ethanol fuels has spawned a resurgence in wheat-based sweeteners and colouring agents. I have also posited that since Firefly distills its own wheat, yes?, that it is entirely possible that you may produce your own caramel colouring from that wheat.

Celiac disease is a condition that ultimately results in malnourishment due to an auto-immune response to wheat, barley and rye glutens. Ingestion (even in seemingly negligible quantities) can lead to immediate intestinal damage that takes weeks to repair, and perhaps longer for gluten build-up to be removed. While this is occuring, you are essentially starving while eating hearty meals: you become anemic. If left unchecked, you risk permanent damage to the intestines, liver and limbic systems. The only trusted treatment at this time is to completely remove gluten from the diet.

And while distillation does seem to remove gluten from the final product, the addition of dextrins and colouring agents prior to bottling could mean the difference between a night of enjoyment and several weeks of illness.

Can you please confirm whether Firefly is a gluten-free product? Depending on how your faciliy is laid out, this would also necessarily include the possibility of cross-contamination of the final product with any of the initial wheat ingredients via airbourne dust.

Regardless of your response, rest assured that Firefly will remain in popular repute in our establishment due to it’s quality flavour and smoothness. It may may also behove you to include this information on your website for the 1 in 150 persons estimated to have gluten intolerance / Celiac disease.

Thank you for your time and honesty!

~Sc’Eric, bar manager
Fuji & Jade Garden, inc.
State College, PA

It sounds like they are very confident that their drink does not contain any ingredients that could cause harm.

If you have not tried it, I suggest you do! It is very good. If you are interested in trying it here are some recipes:

Firefly on-the-rocks

* Old-fashioned glass, filled w/ ice.
* 3-oz Firefly original sweet tea vodka
* Splash of water
* Stir well, and garnish w/ Lemon.

Kentucky Iced Tea

* In an Old-fashioned glass, mascerate mint leaves w/ a teaspoon of sugar and a thick slice of fresh lemon. (Alternately, fresh raspberries also work really well with mint.)
* Fill w/ ice.
* 3-oz Firefly orginal sweet tea vodka
* Dash of Zen green tea liqueur (opt.)
* Splash of water
* Shake well, garnish w/ mint sprig.

Carolina Sweet-tini

* In a cocktail shaker add ice and…
* 3-oz Firefly original sweet tea vodka
* Dash of triplesec
* Splash of Clementine juice (You can substitute OJ–extra pulp is always best!)
* Splash of Water (This really is key!)
* Shake vigorously for one minute. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
* Garnish w/ Orange wheel.

Article From MSNBC

Eric — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:10:58 +0000

I stumbled across this article from a major news source MSNBC. It talks about potential reasons why people may be having bloating, cramping or general GI discomfort” and say “your diet may be to blame”. They give 2 potential reasons:

1) Lactose Intolerance

2) Reaction to Gluten

They give a pretty basic description of Celiac Disease

People who have a condition called celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease affecting the digestive system that is triggered by a protein found in wheat, barley and rye called gluten. When a person with celiac eats gluten, the body’s immune system responds by attacking the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. If you or your doctor suspects you may have celiac, you can be screened using a simple blood test. If the blood test is positive for celiac, your doctor will likely take a tissue biopsy of your small intestines to confirm the diagnosis.

Individuals diagnosed with celiac disease need to eat a gluten-free diet for the remainder of their lives in order to remain symptom-free and prevent additional damage to their gut lining. That means they have to completely avoid wheat, rye, barley, and any ingredients or food additives that contain these grains. Individuals with celiac cannot eat standard bread, pasta, or baked goods made with wheat flour (or any condiments or other processed foods with gluten-containing ingredients or additives). Thankfully, because celiac disease is now recognized as a common condition, there are lots of new gluten-free versions of our favorite foods available on the market to make life easier.

They also give some product ideas for those looking to go Gluten Free.

CEREALS
Nature’s Path Gluten-Free Whole O’s, Crunchy Maple Surprise, or Mesa Sunrise
Arrowhead Mills Organic Maple Buckwheat Flakes
Erewhon Gluten-Free Crispy Brown Rice Cereal (Regular or Mixed Berries)
Health Valley Organic Blue Corn Flakes
Barbara’s Bakery Puffins (Honey Rice flavor only) or Organic Brown Rice Crisps
Corn or Rice Chex
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal

BREADS
Ener-G Bread: Seattle Brown Loaf or Brown Rice Loaf
Food for Life: Wheat & Gluten Free Whole Grain Brown Rice Bread, Rice Almond Bread, or Raisin Pecan Bread
Food for Life Whole Grain Brown Rice Tortillas

CRACKERS
Mary’s Gone Crackers
Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers

PASTAS
Deboles Pastas (multigrain varieties)
Hodgson Mill Gluten-Free Brown Rice Pastas
Ancient Harvest Quinoa Pastas
Le Veneziane Corn Flour Pasta

SNACK BARS
Lara Bars
Kind Bars

BAKING MIXES
Arrowhead Mills Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Mix
Bob’s Red Mill All-Purpose Gluten-Free Baking Flour
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pancake Mix
Pamela’s Baking & Pancake Mix

If you are looking for some more product ideas make sure to check out my Product Reviews!

Gluten Free Grocery Store: Deby’s Gluten Free

Eric — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:28:56 +0000

I came across this Gluten Free grocery store on the internet. They are located in Denver, CO. I have never been to an entirely Gluten Free grocery store like this one (I plan on visiting one day). All the stores that I have been to have sections for Gluten Free items or have some shelf space for these items. I think it is great that there is an entire grocery store dedicated to the Celiac community. This allows them to specialize in Gluten Free products for those living in the Denver area. Do any of you know anyone living in Denver? I think it would be great to have someone describe what it was like.

This is from their website:

Deby’s is a Completely Gluten Free grocery store and manufacturing facility. We produce over 400 gluten free items, including heat and eat entrees, snacks, bread, take and bake pizza, cake slices, gluten free flour mixes, and more.

All Deby’s products are made on site, in a gluten free, peanut free, and shellfish free environment.

They also have an option for shipping items locally or out of state! Click here to Order from Deby’s

Also, here is the allergen statement from their website:

Allergen Statement

Our entire facility is wheat-free, barley-free, and rye-free. We now carry Gluten Free Oats grown in Wyoming. These oats are specially grown and tested to assure they are gluten free. If you don’t see oats on our sellf, just ask and we will get some from the back. We stock an oatmeal cookie dough in our freezer. Otherwise we don’t cook with or use oats our of respect for our customers who cannot tolerate the protein in oats.

Our facility is used to process all other allergen foods such as peanut, egg, dairy, etc… If you have food intolerances other than gluten just let our staff know and we will prepare your order (if possible) without these ingredients.

IF YOU HAVE LIFE THREATENING ALLERGIES, PLEASE NOTE THAT WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THE ABSENCE OF ANY FOOD OTHER THAN GLUTEN.

This is a very cool website, they have baking tips, they offer cooking classes, provide you with Celiac information and also have recent news about this items being featured on TV or in ballparks.

Here is the link: Deby’s

Product Review: Mrs. Leepers Rice Pasta

Eric — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:19:28 +0000

Next product review will be Mrs. Leeper’s Pasta. I felt the need to do this one after doing the review for Tinkyada Brown Rice Spirals. The spirals were you guessed it, spiral. Mrs. Leepers were spaghetti style. I liked how these ones cooked. With Tinkyada the water turns thicker and makes it a little more difficult to clean out the pot. I do like the taste of Mrs. Leepers and was impressed by the quality of the noodles. The texture, taste and price are all great!

Taste: A I really like the taste and it goes well with any type of pasta sauce!

Repeat Buy: B+ I buy either Tinkyada or Mrs. Leepers. If I know I will be having spaghetti and want noodles specific for that I will go with Mrs. Leepers!

Click link for Mrs Leepers Pasta!

2 Days Until a Gluten Free Christmas: Cookbook

Eric — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:37:40 +0000

Its crunch time now…Last minute gifts are a necessity. Here is a great cookbook that can be purchased for a friend or family member or maybe yourself. I believe it is always important to try new things and this book will show you some new recipes.

From Amazon.Com

From Publishers Weekly
Even devoted low-carb dieters have it easy compared to those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, who have no choice in giving up many foods. Ryberg (The Gluten-Free Kitchen) aims to make their sacrifices easier by recreating favorite dishes, from fried chicken to lemon pound cake, with alternative ingredients. For every meal and course, she offers a wide range of crowd-pleasing recipes (mini meat loaves; Caesar salad); those that are normally gluten-heavy get several versions using different flours for different effects. The first chapter discusses stocking the gluten-free kitchen and converting recipes, and helpful notes about preparation accompany many recipes, but her extensive experience doesn’t always translate to the page, particularly with baked goods, which are the trickiest to make. Though she provides extra details about baking, there is still not enough guidance about what to expect with these unusual batters and doughs, and the results may not live up to her claims. Fortunately, her constant enthusiasm and encouragement will keep people trying, and the growing gluten-free community will be thrilled to have this massive resource of ideas for making their meals more enjoyable. (July)

You Won’t Believe It’s Gluten-Free!: 500 Delicious, Foolproof Recipes for Healthy Living

3 Days Until a Gluten Free Christmas: Bread Machine

Eric — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:58:18 +0000

Well here we are. 4 days until Christmas. I hope you have been able to look at the great recipes and maybe had enough time to try them out or at least plan on it! Today I wanted to give you another gift idea and this is something I think is very important to every Gluten Free dieter, a Bread Machine. Bread can be expensive, and not always taste the best. Having a bread machine will allow you to make bread when you want to. Most of the times it is better than breads you can buy at stores (which are sometimes froze). I have a bread machine and love it for the freedom and the knowledge that it is for sure Gluten Free. The only better thing that buying your own bread machine is receiving one as a gift! Here is a great bread machine that would be a perfect present!

Breadman TR875 2-Pound Breadmaker, Stainless Steel

Product Description (from company)

Bring Home the Bakery! Fall in love with your favorite breads and baked goods all over again! Featuring 16 unique baking functions in 3 loaf sizes – 1, 1.5 & 2 lb. – plus light, medium and dark crust control, you can make all your favorite breads, dough and even jams with ease – including low carb and gluten free! Our patented automatic fruit & nut dispenser means no more waiting around, while convection technology ensures even cooking and professional results.Please Note: When delivered, kneading paddle may be attached to the power cord of the bread maker

If you use bread machines about 20 times it will pay for itself! I think it is a great investment and I highly recommend it!

9 Days Until a Gluten Free Christmas: Avoiding Cross Contamination

Eric — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:32:50 +0000

I have done a post in the past about cooking in a contaminated kitchen. I thought it would be helpful to go over it again since holiday cooking is often hectic and very busy and sometimes things get mixed up. So to review from past posts: Use paper towels, designate butter, label your items, and Dedicate a toaster!

Here are a few products that could help this process. First is a Farberware 3-Piece Poly Cutting Board Set

These can take the place of paper towels and can serve as space for Gluten Free items. It will be a lot easier to locate these items if they are on something different than everything else. * Also check out the spatula sets on Amazon. Using different colors can be important for recognition*

Another great product will be the Farberware Enhanced 10-Piece Nonstick Cookware Set This will give you or the Gluten Free person in your family their own set dedicated for them and it is a great set!

These products make great gifts but they are also to have around the house for this time of the year!

Campbell’s Gluten Free Product List

Eric — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 03:03:32 +0000

Here is a list of Campbell’s products that are Gluten Free. I am sharing this because recently I almost had some tomato soup but fortunately checked the ingredients first and found “Wheat Flour” on the list. I assumed it was safe but made sure to double check before indulging.

Or click HERE for the PDF.