By Christie Hadden
I was recently diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease, an autoimmune disease where my antibodies attack and destroy my thyroid. Under doctor’s orders I was mandated to cut gluten and dairy out of my diet for ….the….rest….of….my…………….
life. That’s asking a lot from a food-obsessed gluten. That means I have to put away and retire my favorite “Praise Cheeses” t-shirt and put my GFCF pants on. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this (self brainwashing begins)
So here I am, Day 4 of 21 in a total detox which means no caffeine, no al-key-hall, no red meat, no eggs, no soy, not even corn on top of the no gluten, no dairy thing. It’s December by the way, so that means I have to do this diet during the holidays. God has a twisted sense of humor.
As the Restaurant Guru, I feel it is my duty to help lead the way for other GFCF souls and navigate not just the restaurant world, but also the home kitchen.
So for my first entry, I will give my thoughts on a couple breakfast items: Turkey bacon and Quinoa Flakes Hot Cereal.
Wellshire Turkey Peppered Bacon, 4 out of 5 stars
Except the fact that its not bacon, not even close to the porky, smoky, chewy, salty perfection that is bacon Mmmm…….bacon…….. tastes good. …………………..
*sigh, sorry my mind wandered off to happy memories in the land of lardo and belly. No joke. It took me 15 minutes to realize where I was in this blog.
OK, focus. Back to Turkey Peppered “bacon”. Here’s the truth. Although it is nothing like the real deal, turkey bacon is actually pretty tasty and doesn’t give you the greasy mouth. (love bacon, but not the grease that coats the whole clown mouth area). So in this product review, Wellshire Turkey Bacon makes this whole detox diet bearable. It’s a healthier guilty pleasure.
Quinoa Flakes Hot Cereal, 1 out of 5 stars
This cereal was recommended in the diet. Expecting it to taste like oatmeal is a really bad expectation. I had mixed in brown sugar. Gag reflex. OK so maybe brown sugar and honey. Barf. So brown sugar, honey, cinnamon, touch of nutmeg and dried berries. It was barely edible.
TIP: QUINOA FLAKES TASTE LIKE QUINOA. No matter what add ons you smother on it, it is still quinoa. My recommendation for this cereal is to make it a savory dish. It’s not meant to be sweet.
Thanks for letting me share. I hope to make more posts on various products and tips in the GFCF world.
Be well!
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My hubby is a gluten free for lifer & I'm not supposed to have corn, so here's what I've learned from this.
ReplyDeleteFor the cereals hit Trader Joe's & whole foods. 365 brand isnt horrible. Also I assume you can have rice so learn to love Rice Chex. Captain Crunch is GF, but I don't think it's corn free.
Namaste brand mixes are generally very good too. Based on the waffle mix we have in the kitchen they use rice & tapioca flours. As a gluten fiend I still find these tasty. Ed usually adds some cinnamon & other spices for grins.
Our latest & probably best discovery is Udi's brand breads. They are gluten, dairy, soy & nut free & don't taste like it! Their products are at Whole Foods now, we're hoping they expand! We had some of their bagels & can I say amazing! I couldn't tell the difference from "normal" bagels (I've never said that about GF food before).
I hope this helps in your travails. It's not fun or even easy, but it's getting better all the time as people become more aware of this! Good luck :)
Also, Vin Rouge has several GF items on the menu... ;)
ReplyDeleteHallelujah for GF Friendly Restaurants! I'm finding more and more everyday.
ReplyDelete