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Trader Joe’s Women’s Once Daily Multivitamin & Mineral Supplement

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 4 Comments

The road to health after being diagnosed with Celiac Disease starts with a gluten-free diet, but does not end there. Just because something is gluten-free doesn’t mean it is healthy. There are plenty of gluten-free junk foods out there. In addition to removing gluten from my diet, I also needed to add in vitamins. I was deficient in Vitamin D and had low iron stores. I have always had problems with vitamins. They have always upset my stomach. It was a struggle for me even when I was pregnant both times to get my prenatal vitamins in. I finally resorted to Flinstones while pregnant, a suggestion made to me by my OB/GYN.

With the help of a friend last year, I started to add some vitamins into my diet. Instead of doing a multivitamin at the time, I opted for the most important ones for my body & the female body – calcium, vitamin D, magnesium. I quickly found out that my body is not crazy about the magnesium supplement even though it is indeed gluten-free. The calcium & vitamin D were okay. I was able to raise my vitamin D level to right below normal with the combination of the vitamin I took twice daily & some exposure to the sun.

Now that I am training for a marathon in May, it is even more important for my body to have all the vitamins & minerals that it needs. I browsed a lot of websites & stores for a multivitamin that would not make me feel sick and that wasn’t too expensive. I finally settled on Trader Joe’s (or Trader Darwin’s, as the bottle so cleverly states) Women’s Once Daily Multivitamin & Mineral Dietary Supplement. Aside from the label having the Trader Joe’s “No Gluten Ingredients Used” symbol, it also said “gentle on the stomach” right on the front. That sure caught my eye. Trader Joe’s also happens to have one of the best return policies out there – not happy – bring it back for your money back – no questions. As a side note, Trader Joe’s will also let you sample just about anything in the store before you buy it! I had a nice chocolate sampling last time I was there!

Some of the main features that stand out to me about these vitamins are:

  • Additional Women’s Nourishing Blend comprised of 300 mg of food & herbal powder (Dong Quai root, Spirulina, Red Clover blossoms)
  • Vegetable Juice Complex equivalent to 40 mg vegetable powder – Kale, Spinach, Dandelion Greens & Beet Juice.
  • Lactobacillus Sporogenes (a probiotic)

From the bottle:

Trader Darwin’s Once Daily Women’s Multivitamin provides complete nutrition for women, including bone supporting calcium and other nutrients plus iron, a high potency B complex, and a nourishing blend of botanicals & green foods.

I have been extremely pleased with these vitamins. I am glad that I finally found one that doesn’t make me feel sick! After taking this product now for over 2 weeks, I feel great & don’t have the “normal” queasiness I get from taking vitamins. I highly recommend this vitamin to all women, not just those with Celiac Disease.

Simple Money Saving Strategies for Gluten-Free Shopping

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

Finding gluten-free groceries that don’t break the bank is tough enough, but with the rising cost of, well, everything, it is getting harder and harder know what to buy and where. Some tips are simple, and universal, including buying “in season” produce, and looking local. But what about the gluten-free foods, which are never “in season” and usually far from local?

Neighborhood Grocery Stores

Believe it or not, many local grocery stores are now carrying gluten-free pasta, bread, and cookies. In some cases, stores are even labeling their private brands with “gluten-free.” Wal-mart labels their Great Value brand pizza sauce “gluten-free,” along with some more obvious things, like canned veggies and cottage cheese. Kroger (King Soopers) is making a real effort to carry a variety of gluten-free foods, including breads and frozen meals (in some locations). In Longmont, CO, King Soopers is carrying Amy’s frozen meals, Pamela’s cookies, and Udi’s bread. Usually, the average family grocery store is less expensive than the big name organic and specialty stores. When you visit the neighborhood grocery store for eggs and butter, check the aisles for new gluten-free additions.

Note: For help finding grocery stores in your area that carry gluten-free items, check out our gluten-free groceries by state page.

Online Deals

Online shopper? There are some great deals online. Kinnikinnick products are yummy, but sometimes hard to find. Thankfully, you can order all of their products on their website, and they offer $10.00 flat-rate shipping cost and monthly specials. If you have any experience with Amazon.com you know they offer some great deals, like 33% off of a 3 pack of Pamela’s Baking Mix. You have to buy in bulk, but if you have a freezer, or a large family, the savings are worth it. Amazon.com offers Free Super Saver shipping on many items, which usually takes 5-9 business days. If you are a frequent Amazon.com shopper, they offer the Prime Membership for $79.00 per year, and you get free two-day shipping, or one-day shipping for just $3.99 per item, which could save you money if you shop on Amazon.com often. Sign-up for emails from your favorite companies which may include coupons, recipes, and online specials.

Shop Smart

Some things are obvious, like fresh produce, beef, butter, milk (cow, soy, rice…) and can easily be purchased, usually for less, at your local grocery store. Remember to read labels and buy products that you can get at the neighborhood stores that are naturally gluten-free, and save the specialty stores for the specialty products. Look for your favorite products online, and buy in bulk at a discount.

Clip Coupons

You may find coupons for gluten-free foods online or in magazines, but don’t forget the coupons for cleaning products and hygiene products in the weekly newspaper. If you can save on the other grocery items, the gluten-free goodies won’t seem like such an expense.

Who Makes the Best Gluten-Free Chicken Tenders?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Taste is relative but below is a list of products that are very well received by many people on the gluten-free diet. This is by no means a comprehensive list. It includes only products I’ve tried and enjoyed personally.

Wellshire Farms makes gluten-free chicken nuggets but they were tested about a year ago and were proven to contain gluten. Much more in fact, than is allowed in gluten-free foods. Or rather more than 20ppm. There was a bit of a scandal involving Whole Foods who carried the item and would not pull the products from their stores until customers pressured them to do so. It was a bit of a public relations nightmare for the national grocery chain based in Texas. Wellshire Farms stated they would switch suppliers for their gluten-free batter to correct the problem.

The gluten-free brands in the bulleted list above are routinely tested for gluten to make sure they are safe for those on the gluten-free diet. Bell & Evans makes many gluten-free breaded chicken items which are very good. S’Better Farms chicken fingers have a very crunchy coating, reminding me of extra crispy chicken from KFC. In addition to making tasty chicken tenders, Applegate Farms also makes very good gluten-free sausage. Allergy Free Foods products are free of gluten and all eight major allergens.

In the Atlanta area, zpizza in Alpharetta and Pepperoni’s both serve gluten-free chicken nuggets. At those locations, the chicken tenders arrive to the restaurants already battered. The famous Roswell, GA Outback Steakhouse also serves gluten-free chicken fingers, but they make theirs in house, making them as good as any gluten version you’ll find. To my knowledge, no other Outback Steakhouse serves gluten-free chicken fingers at this time.

If you want to make your own chicken fingers at home, they are super easy to make. Cut your chicken into nugget size or finger size. Soak chicken pieces in skim milk for a couple of minutes before dredging in a gluten-free flour blend. Make sure to coat all sides of the chicken pieces. We use Domata or Jules brand flour. Add salt and pepper to flour ifdesired. Pan fy the chicken in olive or canola oil until golden brown. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil. For a quick honey mustard sauce, blend equal parts of honey, mustard and mayo. Making your own sauce is cheaper than buying ready-made sauce and it tastes much better than anything from a jar.

Have a question about the gluten-free diet which we haven’t covered yet?  You can now submit your questions here! (Note: All medical questions should be directed to your physician)

Is Movie Popcorn Gluten-Free?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Most major theatre companies including Regal and AMC report that their popcorn and butter (or imitation butter) is gluten-free. Popcorn is just popped corn and it is gluten-free. The gluten in corn is not the kind that needs to be avoided by people who can’t tolerate gluten. Grits are corn but sometimes grits packages will be marked ‘may contain wheat’. That is due to the processing methods used at some plants – not due to corn being unsafe for those with gluten intolerance.

Most theatre chains use the same suppliers for their concession items so it’s unlikely that you’ll find any popcorn that is not gluten-free. However, if you go to a non-brand name theatre, feel free to double-check with them about the popcorn they serve. The seasoning salt, cooking oil, and optional butter topping are the items to question. Theatre popcorn cooking oil generally doesn’t contain gluten as it’s usually coconut or canola oil. Both of those are gluten-free.

The one place you can eat food out in public where you don’t have to ask questions at is a movie theatre. This is assuming you don’t have a 100% gluten-free restaurant in your area. Theatres usually sell Coca-Cola soda products, which are gluten-free in the U.S.  and there is usually a wide range of candy – much of which is gluten-free. So you can have popcorn, a Coke, and some Raisinets and not ask one question about gluten. In fact, if you ask the teenager behind the counter if their popcorn is gluten-free, it would be surprising if they knew what you were talking about. For that reason, if you are unsure of the gluten-free status of the popcorn at your theatre, you should call the corporate office before going to the movies.

Many of us are watching movies at home these days and when we do – we like to have popcorn as well. Most, but not all, microwavable popcorn is also gluten-free. Read the label or check the website of your favorite brand. All Newman’s Own popcorn is gluten-free. Most U.S. manufacturers of microwavable popcorn seemed to have removed the weird chemical that causes the off condition called “popcorn lung”.

Enjoy the movies and your popcorn too! Thanks for the great questions – by sending them in, you’re helping others as well!

References:

Best Gluten-Free Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

Gluten-Free Naturals makes an exceptional line of gluten-free mixes. Their new bread mix makes phenomenal focaccia among other things. But the stars in their line up for us are the Pancake & Waffle Mix and the Cookie Blend Mix. The cookie blend flour can be used in any gluten cookie recipe. The package explains how to sub out the gluten-free flour correctly and it’s very simple to do.

To date, I’ve tried a couple of ready made gluten-free oatmeal raisin cookies but none of them were good enough to purchase a second time. As far as I can tell, the only way to enjoy amazing old fashioned soft and chewy oatmeal raisin cookies is to make them yourself. This is assuming you don’t live near a gluten-free bakery that sells them. If you need more information about gluten-free oats, read my recent post about them.

Bags2To find a cookie recipe, I searched Recipe Zaar until I found a highly rated oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. Then I used the gluten-free Naturals Cookie Blend flour and certified gluten-free oats from Gluten-Free Oats to make the cookies. As I was making the cookies, everything reminded me of the traditional gluten ones I always loved. But smells and textures can be deceiving when it comes to gluten-free baked goods – most of us have learned that the hard way! These cookies spread out a little more in the oven than the gluten version does but it did not affect the taste one bit.

The result of using the gluten-free Naturals mix to make these cookies was simply exquisite! They could win a bake off contest against gluten containing cookies – seriously! No other brand of oats I’ve tried for these cookies produces the same amazing results as the ones from gluten-free Oats. This is likely because the other brands are all thicker oats. In fact, one brand requires soaking before they can be used in cookies. I guess some people have time to soak oats but I certainly do not.

Last Christmas, I got absolute proof that these cookies are as good (or better!) than any gluten cookie around. Someone on my husband’s side of the family asked for the recipe. They asked another family member – not me. When directed to me – the person asking actually thought I’d made gluten cookies since they were so good. Sure – I made cookies that I could not eat – not likely! When someone who might go out of their way to avoid eating anything that’s gluten-free asks for your cookie recipe – you know you’ve got a winner!

This year I’m making a double batch of these cookies. I’m also keeping mine in a separate tin so I get my fair share  – or more – of these incredible old fashioned treats!