Best Gluten-Free Products 2017

Going gluten-free (GF, yo) has never been so delicious.

If you haven't experimented with how different foods make you feel, look or act and you think all bodies are the same, act the same and react the same, this article is probably not for you. Just move along with your "gluten-free is a fad" thinking. We can still be friends. Really.

If, like me, you've found that curbing intake of gluten makes you feel better, or you have been diagnosed with gluten intolerance, then this article is for you!

When I eat gluten, I shortly thereafter feel tired, my face breaks out in little dry patches and my system gets, let's just say, messed up. Am I sensitive or allergic or making it up in my head? Who cares. I like the energy I have when I don't eat it. So I have tried a lot of GF versions of products normally made with wheat. Some are downright terrible. Many are okay but not worth repurchase.
Some really stand out. Those are the ones that deserve a shout out.

Without further ado, below is my shortlist of go-to GF basics:

canyon bakehouse bread

Canyon Bakehouse breads. The best GF bread, hands down. It's the closest thing to normal bread you will find—and it's really close. Buy it fresh at Target (preferred) or frozen at Wegman's. I love the white and the multi-grain is also excellent. We keep ours in the fridge and use within a week. It is great for a grilled cheese sandwich. It holds up in the lunchbox with my son's favorite chocolate almond better spread (surprisingly not unhealthy). Canyon Bakehouse also makes focaccia, buns and more, to wonderful acclaim, but I have yet to try those because our lame stores carry a very limited selection.

pamela's baking & pancake mix

Pamela's pancake mix. We tried a lot of flours and mixes and Pamela's is by far the best. (If you're interested, Bob's Red Mill was the absolute worst. I actually took it back to the grocery store, it was that bad.) Pamela's pancakes are a little more dense than fluffy. But they are not heavy. The texture is normal and the flavor is all pancake. Of course, my kids douse enough natural maple syrup on them that they can't taste the pancake anyway! It's available in a 24-ounce size, which makes about 34 four-inch pancakes. It also comes in a 4-pound bag. We use this same mix to make delicious waffles, which are easy to freeze for use during the week. This mix is also designed for muffins and cakes, though I have not used it for those recipes yet.

bionaturae spaghetti

Bionaturae pasta. Pasta is delicious and when you have kids with a busy schedule, it's a fast and filling dinner. Even though we have tried some very bad GF pastas, I did not give up. Thankfully, I found Bionaturae spaghetti. These noodles are so good, my husband asked me if it was really gluten-free. Fooled him! It may be the combination of rice, potato and soy flours that makes it better than others. We don't eat a lot of soy, but this at least is organic soy flour, so I make that concession. Pasta made with only rice flour has a terrible texture and does not hold up in pasta salads at all. It gets hard and crumbles. Corn pasta is a less expensive substitute (Wegman's brand), however Bionaturae is our hands-down favorite. 

evol chicken tikki masala

Evol Chicken Tikki Masala and Fire Grilled Steak bowl. We all try not to buy processed, convenience foods. But let's not pretend it's not great to open the freezer, grab a boxed meal and microwave it for a quick and healthy lunch or dinner. While they violate my "ideal" of avoiding the microwave, particularly in a plastic container, I make an exception for these delicious quickies. I am super weird about meat in general and I've never had a bad piece of chicken or steak from Evol. The serving size is on the small side, but they are filling, taste fresh and have no fake ingredients. I usually buy them at Target, and they are often on sale. If you're wimpy about spices, start with the Fire Grilled Steak bowl because the Tikki Masala is spicier.

jilz crackerz

Jilz Original Crackerz. If you like a crunchy, hearty, peppery cracker, you will love Jilz. These gems are packed with nutrition, Paleo-compliant and filling. I found them on Thrive.com but they are also available on Amazon now. Not inexpensive, but definitely a high-quality snack. I've only tried the Original; Jilz also offers Tuscan and Mediterranean and the reviews are excellent for all three flavors. They would pair well with almost any cheese and definitely a glass of red wine.

kinnikinnick cinnamon sugar donuts

Kinnikinnick donuts. I haven't seen many GF donut options, but Kinnikinnick's are very good, worth an occasional splurge. We have tried the cinnamon sugar and the chocolate coated and both cake-style donuts are delicious. You'll find them in the freezer section. A quick pop in the microwave and they are good to go. I also recently saw that Stonewall Kitchen has a dry mix that gets excellent reviews, so I am going to put it on my list to try (along with buying a donut pan).

Against The Grain rolls and baguettes. Against The Grain came up with a unique way to solve the dryness often found in GF breads—add cheese. As long as you're a dairy-eating person, you will find this to be ingenious. Their baguettes and dinner rolls come frozen. After thawing them for about 30 minutes, I pop them in the toaster oven. Out comes a crusty, chewy, delicious bread that is awesome for dips and cheese plates. It is crumbly on the outside, for sure. But the flavor and the texture when it first comes out of the heat is just perfect. Against The Grain Gourmet also makes a pizzas, bagels, pitas, and a 100% plant-based chocolate chip cookie that I have yet to try. I love that they are against not only grain, but also fillers, binders and gums.

Capellos Grain Free Lasagna Sheets. You will never know these are made with almond flour and eggs. I mean, seriously, these make the best lasagna. Use your normal recipe but layer these sheets instead of normal pasta and prepare to be amazed. I will warn you, their products are a little pricey. I buy them in the freezer section of the natural foods area at Wegman's. Capellos also makes cookie dough and pizzas. People love this brand and for good reason.

Do you agree with my picks? What are your favorites? Please share. That's how I found Canyon Bakehouse—thank you very much, Liz!

For Parents-to-Be: Part 4 (Detoxing Your Home)

Finally, fourth in my series for new parents (or parents who are new to OllieOllieToxinFree), I offer some basic suggestions to help you detox your home and help everyone breathe easier!

 

1. Avoid scented products (anything listing "fragrance" as an ingredient). Also, beware of certain "unscented" products that use "masking fragrance" to cover up the original fragrance—these can be doubly toxic!

 

2. Avoid fabric softeners, scented dryer sheets and bleach. These products are VERY toxic. There are better options out there: Suck it up and buy the unbleached diapers and natural wipes (Mother Nature brand is great)—I can't find them around here, so I buy from drugstore.com or diapers.com. Bounce fragrance-free, dye-free fabric sheets are okay; Seventh Generation are better. Ecover, ECOS, Sun & Earth, dropps and Seventh Generation make good detergents. Method (Target) is also okay, if fragrance free.

 

3. Avoid ALL pesticides, fungicides, herbicides and fertilizers (except compost). Pesticides are neuro-toxins (affect the central nervous system), and they don't know the difference between the BUGS and YOU (or your PETS)! For fleas, roaches, ants, etc., use diatomacious earth, boric acid, and nematodes. You can get these from health food stores and pet supply stores.

 

4. Switch to non-toxic cleaning products. For most jobs, white vinegar and baking soda will clean as well as any product. I unclogged our bathroom sink with baking soda, vinegar and hot water and I promise you, it worked better than Drano! I do not recommend Method, Caldrea, Mrs. Meyer's or other super smelly brands. That "clean" smell is doing your lungs, brain and endocrine system no favors. Let it go!

 

5. Drink and bathe in filtered water. Taking a shower in chlorinated water causes the chlorine to go right into your blood stream. Buy a shower filter that easily attaches to your shower nozzle from water-supply stores (check your Yellow Pages).

 

6. Eat organic food when possible. Avoid processed foods, foods with colors and dyes, hydrogenated oils, preservatives, etc.  Also, AVOID products containing "NutraSweet" (aspartame) -- it breaks down into formic acid ("ant-sting poison") and methanol (wood alcohol) in your body! In fact, read Food Rules by Michael Pollan and get Jillian Michaels' Master Your Metabolism. Both will enlighten you in short order.

 

7. Wear natural-fiber clothing (100% cotton, linen, wool, or silk). Clothes marked "permanent press" or "wrinkle resistant" have been treated with formaldehyde that does NOT wash out! Same goes for the flame-retardant PJs. Skip them and choose kid-friendly cotton, such as Hanna Anderson's "Oko-Tex standard 100" organic line. We love them, especially when they're on sale!

 

8. Use only 100% cotton, wool, or pure silk bed linens and blankets. Avoid "no-iron" or "wrinkle-resistant". A good brand is Martex's "Simply Cotton", available at department stores. Wal-Mart also carries 100% cotton "T-shirt" sheets! And if you can find organic cotton linens, all the better because you are supporting healthier agriculture.

 

9. As much as possible, avoid plastics, particleboard, plywood, glues, inks (or look for low-VOC inks), standard paints (try Sherwin Williams' Harmony or Benjamin Moore's Aura or Natura; or even better, Anna

Sova or Real Milk Paint instead), foam rubber, vinyl, carpeting, synthetic rugs, varnishes (look for AFM Safecoat as an alternative), and solvents (try citrus solvents instead). Most plastics contain PVCs but are not labeled as such and these are really bad, especially for young, developing kids. Definitely avoid #3 and #7 plastics, which contain pthlalates (hormone disruptors). Try to find alternatives, for example, replace your PVC shower liner with one made of natural fabric. For more on plastics: http://archive.greenpeace.org/toxics/pvcdatabase/bad.html

 

10. Open your windows as often as possible! Even in the most polluted cities, the outdoor air has been found to be a lot less toxic than the indoor air! Amazing, isn't it?

 

11. Certain houseplants are beneficial to remove toxins from the air, such as formaldehyde, benzene etc.  The best plants for removing these and other toxins are philodendrons, spider plants, aloe vera, English

ivy, golden pothos, and boston fern.

 

12. Recycle everything you can. Reuse anything you can. Reduce—buy only what you need. It's hard to do in our culture today, but this is what it all boils down to.

 

Have any suggestions to add? Comment it and I'll add it here!

 

Green America's tips for saving money

Since we can always use some good-sense nudges to stay on track, I've summarized Green America's article, "13 ways to go green and save green" here for you:

1. Grow your food — a little work in the dirt really pays yummy dividends
   
2. Use your car less — combine trips or ride a bike
3. Freecycle — give away what you don't want, get what you need: freecycle.org
   
4. Unplug electronics/appliances when not in use — saves electricity
   
5. Go solar — while the initial investment is expensive, savings should only increase over time
   
6. Compost — this is really easy and you'd be amazed at how much less trash you have
   
7. Dispense with disposables — choose hand towels and cloth napkins over their paper counterparts
   
8. Think about what you buy — what do you really need? you can be happy with less stuff
   
9. Think about who you buy from — support local businesses and farmers; your community will reap the benefits
   
10. Eat less meat and more beans — meat is yummy but it's not all that healthy for you or the planet
    
    And if I can add a few of my own...
    
    
11. Make your own cards or send eCards — find scrap paper and get creative for local loved ones, otherwise use an online greeting
    
12. Take the stairs — burn your own calories instead of elevating your electricity use
13. Buy in bulk — refilling containers saves money and packaging (note to Costco, your vendors need to rethink their offerings to reduce packaging!)
14. Cook extras — turn on the stove or crockpot once, make extra meals and freeze the leftovers (this also saves you time and your sanity)
    

MSG by any other name is still an excitotoxin

If you know me, you surely know I have suffered from migraines for awhile now. I had great success in reducing them through immunotherapy and learned a lot about foods and chemicals that are known to trigger headaches. One that usually gets me is MSG. In the latest Organic Consumers Association enewsletter, there was an article about avoiding MSG that caught my eye. I thought it was "bad" but not really toxic.

In fact, I appear to be wrong. Here's what they say:

"Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is one of the most common and hazardous food additives on the market. MSG is reportedly more toxic than alcohol, tobacco and many drugs. MSG is an excitotoxin, so it tricks your brain into wanting to eat more and more foods containing the ingredient, even if you are already full. Side effects of MSG include: obesity, eye damage, headaches, depression, fatigue and disorientation. Food manufacturers know that health-conscious consumers try to avoid MSG, so it is oftentimes not listed in a product's ingredients."

Bastards! If I have one pet peeve about food it's that labeling is too loosely regulated. Consumers should have all the tools at hand to determine what's in the food they are putting into their bodies and their children's. Isn't this simple, people? Geez.

Anyway, they went on to list all ingredients that *always* contain MSG:

• Autolyzed Yeast
• Calcium Caseinate
• Gelatin Glutamate
• Glutamic Acid
• Hydrolyzed Protein
• Monopotassium Glutamate
• Monosodium Glutamate
• Sodium Caseinate
• Textured Protein
• Yeast Extract
• Yeast Food
• Yeast Nutrient

Now you know. Make yourself a tiny little printout of this and put it in your wallet so when you're at the grocery store, you can use it as a reference. Yes, we are getting older. These are the things we have to do when our memories start going. :)

Speaking of mercury, here's the dish on fish

Green Guide posted a compiled list of good, bad and ugly fish choices based on data from several reputable sources. It's quite comprehensive, so I'm just going to hit the highlights. You can find the whole list here.

At stake are potential toxicity for us and seriously adverse affects of fishing on our oceans. Some fish are so contaminated with mercury or PCBs that we should not eat them at all. Some are fished with destructive methods that mess with the ecosystem. And some are just completely overfished, endangering the survival of the species (not to mention our food supply).

The hardest part of this is knowing the origins of the fish you're eating, especially in restaurants. Don't be afraid to ask because this is what drives chefs, stores and fishmongers to be more thoughtful about their selections. Otherwise, read labels. I found wild-caught Gulf shrimp at Giant in the frozen section for about the same price as imported.

Note that all farmed fish are not created equal. Some are safe to eat. Most imported farmed fish is not. You have to put a little time into making the best decisions, but we can all thank the researchers out there who have helped with lists like this one.

Here's the down-low on the most popular fish choices:

Crab
Best---Dungeness trap-caught in U.S.; Imitation wild-caught in AK (think about this...I did not make it up, was on list!); Snow crab from Canada; Stone crabs from FL
Okay---Blue from Gulf Coast); King from AK; Kona from HI, Australia; Snow crab from AK
Worst---Imported King

Shrimp
Best---Pink, wild-caught in OR; Spot Prawn wild-caught in BC
Okay---Shrimp either farmed or trawl-caught in U.S. Atlantic, U.S. Gulf of Mexico; Spot Prawn wild-caught in U.S.
Worst---Imported

Salmon
Best and Only---Wild-caught in AK
Worst---All other salmon

Scallops
Best---Bay farmed in U.S.
Worst---Sea from Mid Atlantic

Tuna
Best---NONE acceptable for regular consumption
Okay---Canned light; Troll-caught Pacific albacore
Worst---Canned white, albacore, bigeye, bluefin, yellowfin

These are more GOOD choices:

• Arctic char (farmed)
• Barramundi (U.S. farmed)
• Clams, soft-shell and steamers (farmed)
• Crawfish (U.S. farmed)
• Lobster, spiny/rock (U.S., Australia, Baja west coast)
• Mussels (U.S. farmed)
• Oysters (Pacific farmed)
• Pollock (AK, wild-caught)
• Sardines
• Squid, longfin (U.S. Atlantic)
• Striped bass (farmed)
• Tilapia (U.S. farmed)
• Trout, rainbow (U.S. farmed)Fish Too Contaminated by Mercury to Eat -- Ever:
• Arctic char (freshwater)
• Bass/sea bass (wild)
• Catfish (wild)
• Chilean sea bass
• Croaker (Pacific) aka White Croaker
• Groupers
• Halibut (Atlantic)
• Mackerel, king and Spanish (Gulf of Mexico)
• Marlin
• Opah
• Orange roughy
• Pike
• Shark
• Swordfish
• Tilefish
• Yellow perch
• Walleye

BEST OF: baby wipes

Best: Tushies with Aloe Vera

Runners-Up: Seventh Generation Baby & Mother Nature Flushable

Worst: Canus 'Lil Goat's Milk & Mustela Extra Thick

Source: EWG, Skin Deep Cosmetics Database