In the news
Celiac Disease and Neuropathy
In recent medical news, a connection between Celiac Disease and neuropathy was found. Of specific mention were links between ALS and Multiple Sclerosis. Reporters in this article went as far to say that all patients with Multiple Sclerois should be tested for Celiac Disease. And the article also reinforced, as I ALWAYS say, that people need to be tested before switching to a gluten free diet.
On a personal note, I think that Fibromyalgia patients should be tested for Celiac Disease as well.
In the kitchen
As many of us know, Aldi has their own gluten free line called liveGfree. During May's Celiac Awareness Month, they launched a "special buy" selection of gluten free items. (Special Buy items are only available for a short time.) One of the things I was most eager to try was their Angel Goof Cake Mix.
This is the first Angel Food Cake I have ever made, and I must say it was EXCELLENT! It was so good I went back and picked up the last box of it they had at the store.
We tried several other items in their recent Special Buy that were a hit, such as the Southwest Veggie Tamale Bites and the Cheesecake Sampler. Not all items were stellar though- their All Purpose flour was a dud. Baked goods tasted spongy and the pancake recipe on the back turned out pancakes that tasted more like biscuits than fluffy golden flat cakes.
In the mail
Every once in a while companies send product to me (or give me free product to try at expos.) Recently I won the weekly #HealthFriday Path Of Life Instagram giveaway. I met the Path Of Life crew recently at the Chicago GFAF Expo. They have a wide range of products, from quinoa to garbanzo beans to chocolate covered fruit.
We paired the Southwest Quinoa with our Tamale Bites. The mango in the Southwest Quinoa paired nicely with the black beans and roasted corn in it. I'll be sure to look for it when I'm at Meijer next. Their products are also available at Walmart and Sam's Club.
In my opinon
Even with a gluten free label, you need to ask about how products are made. I recently heard about a great company that stated that their product was gluten free, but inquired more when I read that their product was made in a shared commercial kitchen. In those instances, it can be hard to prevent cross-contact.
Especially as you go to Farmer's Markets this summer, make sure to be vigilant in asking vendors questions when they market a gluten free product. Just because they have a sign (or even a label) that says gluten free, it doesn't mean that it's truly under 20 ppm. And as always, gracefully ask questions. Admittedly sometimes I forget my manners and sound more like a policeman interrogating a witness than sounding like a concerned, possible client.
What were the gluten free highlights in your week? Labels: product review
