How many times have you been traveling and either had safe bread products with you or found some safe bread products but you were afraid to put your safe product into the toaster? I’ve certainly been in that situation with my family and so I found a great little product that helps keep the toaster cross contamination out while allowing us to eat safely: Toast-It! Bags.
Originally created for containing grilled cheese sandwiches in a toaster, they are now well used and loved by many with special diets who want to use a toaster while visiting family or a breakfast buffet with their own safe bread product. You simply slip your own bread (or thinly sliced bagel, muffin, etc.), into the Toast-It! Bag and then pop it into the toaster. Gluten free breads may need a second run through but then you can just slide out your item and enjoy.
The website says that they also work in toaster ovens and on grills like the George Foreman Grill. I do know of someone who tried it successfully in a toaster oven but I’m not sure if that was on the toast or bake setting. I’m also not sure if they might work for something like a small individual pizza but it’s certainly worth a try.
If you’re traveling for the holidays or travel a lot for work and need to take your own food with you like we do, this handy little product could be a life saver (literally) and you no longer have to take your toaster with you. They can even be washed at home, dried and reused several times. Take a look on their website at: http://www.toastitbags.com/
This Nonuttin’ chocolate sale won’t be found anywhere but on Nonuttin’ social media: our enewsletter, our blog and our Facebook page. And it’s only on until December 15 at 9 pm PST.
For every 3 pouches of our 70% Dark Chocolate Chunks OR every 3 pouches of our Semi-Sweet Mini Chocolate Chips you’ll get 1 FREE.
Put in 4 of one product to the cart and 1 will automatically be updated to a free item. Put in 8; get 2 free, and so on. Products are not mix and match for the free item (i.e 2 pouches of chunks, 1 pouch of chips).
There is NO limit on how many free pouches you can get so now is the time to stock up for your baking. Our chocolate freezes beautifully in its sealed pouch too and can be frozen for up to 2 years (even though we bet you won’t be able to keep your hands off for that long).
Go Shopping Now: www.nonuttin.com/shop or www.nonuttin.ca
We can pick our friends but we can’t pick our families and when you’re dealing with food allergies and intolerances over the holidays, you might just want to hang out with your friends. What is it about food allergies that can cause so many family feuds?
And why is it that all holidays between Halloween and Easter are excessively celebrated with food? From US Thanksgiving on Thursday through to Christmas especially, every get together is frought with minefields that we must safely navigate. These holidays can be the most stressful of all, especially if you gather with family who just don’t understand the severity of your needs. Is it any wonder that some of us just want to hibernate?
I’m the first to say that I’ve been really lucky in that I have great family on both sides who take our family’s food allergies very seriously when we’re visiting. Everybody always goes out of their way to make sure that the food is safe and that we have lots of choice. It’s what has allowed us to sanely navigate our way through many a pot luck family reunion. Even if extended family is not on board, we’ve always been able to enjoy ourselves with what’s available to us from our closest family, away from the main food serving area.
But I’ve heard horror stories ranging from the grandma who leaves the bowl of peanuts out on the coffee table near an allergic toddler to the sister-in-law who gets offended when you can’t eat her wheat laden house specialty. Is it worth it to even go to a family member’s house if they just don’t get it? Will they ever get it? If so, what does it take? If not, is it easier said than done to write them off?
When I speak to our American clients, I often hear how impressed they are with Canadian labelling. They have the erroneous impression that our laws are superior to their own. They’re wrong and we may be finding out just how much by the end of 2010.
American lawmakers passed FALCPA (Food Allergen Labelling Consumer Protection Act) in 2004 and it became mandatory in 2008. Health Canada started its process for new labelling laws a decade ago and they still haven’t been completed. In fact, an urgent letter for support from many of Canada’s allergy and Celiac support groups went out today that indicates if the proposed laws do not pass by the end of 2010, they will expire!
I realize that Health Canada is trying to be careful to address many health concerns and is listening to many stakeholders. I’ve participated in the consultation process both personally and representing Nonuttin’ Foods. But can you imagine a business or household that ran this way? Read more »
When I go to business trade shows, I often end up meeting many other food manufacturers, especially if I’m displaying in a booth with my sales broker. Since we are together for a couple of days, we get to know all about each other’s products and often go home with samples in our suitcases. This is how I found one of of my favorite gluten free items, GoGo Quinoa spaghetti.
GoGoQuinoa Spaghetti
So You’ve Been Diagnosed with Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance…
It’s not easy being gluten free, at least to start. Like anything, you will soon become used to your new buying habits and menus and your gluten free life will become what you consider normal.
But when you’ve first been diagnosed, it can be really disheartening to go to the store and discover that a lot of what you used to buy is now off limits. You may even find yourself mourning an old favorite which could be anything from pizza to perogies.
I recently contributed to an article about baking on a gluten free diet which was compiled with other contributors. Unfortunately, some of the suggestions are only in the US, such as Betty Crocker mixes, but this is a really handy article either if you need someplace to start or someplace to find new inspiration. http://thestir.cafemom.com/food_party/110610/best_glutenfree_baking_essentials_the
I got to try the Gluten Free Bisquick in May at the Celiac Disease Foundation conference in Los Angeles where I had pancakes made with the new product and it was really very good (especially with syrup!).
If you’ve tried any of the products mentioned, or can suggest any of your own (and perhaps where you can find them), please do!
If you are Celiac and feel like you don’t sleep well and feel rested, it’s not in your head. A recent study shows that Celiacs, whether following a gluten free diet or not, Celiacs suffer more than others with sleep disorders. Check out the link: http://www.celiac.com/articles/22292/1/Gluten-free-or-Not-Celiacs-Suffer-More-Sleep-Disorders/Page1.html
Defeat Autism Now is an approach to treating autism backed by the Autism Research Institute that suggests autism cannot be cured but that symptoms can be managed based on the latest scientific research. The West Coast Conference begins October 7. If you’d like to learn more about this approach, you can check out the website at: http://www.autism.com/
My husband absolutely loves Halloween and we have more decorations at our house for this event than Christmas and the rest of the holidays combined. We have flying bats, tombstones, skeletons, giant spiders, special lights, candy bowls, chains, cobwebs, sound effects and more. We even looked at an enormous skull for the front porch on the weekend (no, it never made it into the cart). But here’s a secret: I dread Halloween as the parent of an allergic child.
It starts in August with the Halloween candy down every store aisle. This has been handy for nabbing the safe treats that my allergic child will keep at school for unexpected events. But navigating past all of the peanut butter cups and nut filled candy bars is frustrating when they put them anywhere they think they have room. They even put piles in the produce department! Read more »
If you are exploring the possibility of having Celiac Disease (CD), there are certain steps that your doctor will take with you. At this point in time, most patients progress from a blood and/or genetic test with positive results to a bowel biopsy. The bowel biopsy has long been considered the gold standard for a definitive diagnosis of CD.
However, a new study from Argentina, as reported in Science Daily, suggests that 92% of Celiacs could be diagnosed from blood tests alone. Check out the link to the study: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100708094603.htm
Prior to both the blood test for antibodies and the bowel biopsy, the patient must be eating gluten. Otherwise, the test and biopsy may show as “normal” since the bowel will heal once gluten is removed completely from the diet and the body will no longer be producing antibodies to fight against the gluten. Staying on a diet with gluten is really easy for those who are asymptomatic but quite a challenge for those who are badly hit by fatigue, diarrhoea and more. For symptoms of Celiac Disease see: http://www.celiac.com/articles/1106/1/Celiac-Disease-Symptoms/Page1.html
The genetic test does not require a specific diet as it only tests for the presence of specific genes but it is not suitable on its own to diagnose either Celiac Disease or gluten intolerance. It is used more often to screen direct family members of a patient diagnosed with CD to see if they also have the potential genes for the disease.
The study from Argentina does not indicate whether the blood serology tests they recommend require the patient to be eating gluten at the time of the test. If they require gluten in the diet at the time of testing, it still doesn’t solve the problem that many of those face who are looking for a diagnosis. Namely, if you are already on a gluten free diet and feeling fantastic, why would you want to go back to eating gluten for a diagnosis you already believe in anyway?
And finally, even if this Argentinean study is correct, there are still reasons to have a biopsy anyway. Since there are many other health issues that may affect a Celiac from cancer to infection, a baseline view of your bowel could diagnose other health issues that must be addressed. But this certainly may open up a good discussion for you and your health professional.
