Monday October 17, 2011

Gluten-Free You and Me?

Lately we've had many new clients come into our office curious about gluten. Some have already given it up, and others are inquiring if they should. Gluten is a protein in wheat, barley and rye, and manages to make it's way into many unexpected foods like salad dressings, yogurt, and even cold cuts. Gluten-free was once reserved solely for those with celiac disease, but that's changing now that a condition called gluten sensitivity is recognized as affecting up to six percent of the world population.

At Foodtrainers, we don’t see gluten-free as a fad diet or flash in the pan. Turns out that going gluten-free the right way can help treat digestive issues, headaches, eczema, ADHD, autism and fatigue, and may result in weight loss.

Many who choose to go gluten-free find that processed foods (we're looking at you, cookies and bagels) are chopped from their diet. But you can't assume that a gluten-free stamp means a food is healthier or lower in calories. Unfortunately, a gluten-free donut is still a donut, so label reading is a must.

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Foodtrainers Gluten-Free Favorites

While unprocessed and naturally gluten-free foods such as vegetables, fruit, beans, fish, lean meat and gluten-free grains like quinoa, millet, brown rice and some soba noodles are our staples, there's space in our kitchen for some other glutenless goodies. As always, healthy imposters run rampant so we scoured the markets and selected our top picks for our gluten-free bundle:

Sheffa Savory Bars: In a world of sweet, those geniuses at Sheffa are thinking outside the box with these savory bars.  Brown rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, chickpeas, sunflower seeds and a touch of olive oil make these one of our new favorite go to snacks.

Purely Elizabeth Granola: We're generally skeptical of granola but this is a Foodtrainers essential. Made with gluten-free oats, amaranth, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, and free of refined sugar, it's great for breakfast or before a long run or race.

Glow Cookies: These cookies intrigued us since they're made from garbanzo and fava bean flour (don’t worry they don’t taste like hummus). One at 3pm with a cup of tea is the perfect afternoon ritual.

Mary’s Sticks & Twigs: You won’t miss pretzels with these crunchy treats. Made with brown rice, quinoa, flax, amaranth and millet, they taste great and the fiber and protein content make these a healthy addition to your snack list.

Zing Bars: Meet the perfect afternoon energy booster for those days when utensils are not an option. Zing bars also manage to satisfy a chocolate craving so you have to give these gluten, soy and dairy-free bars a shot.

To order your gluten-free bundle, visit our online store.

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Gluten-Free Market Foodtraining Tour

Confused about what is and isn’t gluten-free at the market? Tired of your current repertoire of gluten-free goodies? Sign up for a gluten-free Market Foodtraining tour and learn about the best bread, pasta, cracker and cereal (for both your tastebuds and your health), plus all of the other tips and tricks we share on our tours. Sign up by November 30th and receive 15% off. Secure your spot by contacting us at info@foodtrainers.net.

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Don't Forget To #TIDEI (Tweet It Don't Eat It)

If you see any gluten-free garbage trying to ride the gluten-free wave, tweet us about it with #TIDEI (Tweet it Don’t Eat it)!

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