I am looking to find some great tasting gluten free products. I recently found out that I cannot have gluten in my diet and would also like to eliminate it from my family's diet. I am new to finding things and have started trying some gluten free bread mixes. I also recently got a recipe for gluten free crescent rolls. ANy suggestions of products would be great!!
Also what is the best gluten free flour for baking? ANd where can I find Xanthan Gum?
Thanks,
J.
Thank you all for your input. I can't wait to try out some of these products and places....they sound delicious. At this time I have been told to take gluten out of my diet but not that I have celiac...so we will see.
For anyone else interested there is also an upscale, winebar restaurant I learned about in Downer's Grove that has a gluten free menu on request, it's called Stillwater.
Thanks again and please continue to send any suggestions this way!!
OMG my husband is gluten free also,.I use to be a chef and now I cook with gluten free product boy can I show you some stuff. My number is ###-###-####
Let me know what I can do,
Pat
Actually I have bought xanthum gum at Myjers. Thay actully have a lot of wheat free gluten free food.
I'm pretty sure you can get the Xanthan gum even at Jewel- try the baking section. Try the "organic" grocery stores for pre-made items- Whole Foods, Fruitful Yield, etc. Dominicks and Jewel are carrying more and more gluten-free items, as well as vitamin stores like Fruitful Yield. Woodman's is fantastic- but they don't take credit cards, so prepare in advance!
There is also a risk of cross-contamination with Celiac's, so make sure you get new pots and pans, new toaster, wipe down your shelving and keep your foods separate from the rest of the family as far as gluten products.
There is some really good info here:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions/index.php
It's a forum where you can actually ask questions from others with the same issues who have been there, done that. Scroll down to the Nutrition/Good eating section
:)
Hope this helps!
M.
We have a dairy, soy and gluten free house. We shop at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, For The Good of It, Sunrise Foods, Dominicks and Natural Choices. Whole Foods is my favorite. They will also give you a print out of everything in the store that is gluetin free.
Hi J.,
I have a dear friend that has to stay away from gluten due to her fibermialga (sp?). She purchases alot from Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. In addition, she has had issues with her skin (as that is our largest organ) and needed to address that also with good products too. (I myself am a cancer survivor and while looking for solutions for both nutritional and skin care discovered Arbonne products.) I shared this find with my friend as ALL the Arbonne line Gluten free, vegan approved. In the nutritional line they have fiber shakes, protein shakes and vitamins which we both use. We know having these as part of our daily rountine helps boost our immunity system. In addition, the skin care has really helped improve our skin. My friend had tried many other hi-end products and swears by Arbonne and I have shared the products with many others with auto-immune disorders (lupus, rhematoid arthritis, etc). If you'd like some samples or further info, I'd be happy to share with you. Just contact me at ###-###-####. Fortunately for you there are some good alternatives.
Take care and all my best!
D. Maggos
____@____.com
www.arbonne.com
If you are looking for more restaurants to eat at please check out www.glutenfreeonthego.com. It has local restaurants in the Chicago area and suburbs. Also has listings around the world.
C.
Just to let you know, a new gluten free bakery, cafe and restaurant just opened recently in Evanston, on Central near lincolnwood (Northwest Evanston). I can't think of the name of the place, but a google search should get you the info. I tasted some of their bakery products and they are terrific.
Good luck,
K.
Places like Whole Foods and Wild Oats also have a huge selection of gluten-free great tasting products.
As for the Xanthan Gum...I've never bought it, but I'm thinking that Whole Foods/Wild Oats might carry it? They have a huge selection of gluten free/wheat free flour/fillers.
For great online recipes for things to make at home go to http://www.glutenfreeda.com
Hi, J.! I also stay away from gluten as much as possible. I agree with the other moms: Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Meijer, Fruitful Yield - all wonderful. I found a health food store in Orland Park that had brown rice tortillas that are wheat and gluten free by "Food for Life". Whole Foods does not carry them regularly, (but do carry other products from this company) and will special order a case for you. I believe 12 pkgs of 6 tortillas come in a case and you can keep them in the freezer forever. These are awesome for wraps or tacos. Also, we eat a lot of rice crackers. Whole Foods brand are only $1.39 or so per pkg.(my kids love them with tuna), and if you order a case (of anything), you get a 5% discount. The phone number for Whole Foods in Palatine is ###-###-####. Give them about 1-2 weeks to get your cases - they will call you when they come in. Also, www.foodforlife.com has many other wheat and gluten free products. Could I have the recipe for the crescent rolls? Thanks! Hope this helps!
C.
My grandmother also has celiac disease and we buy most of her groceries at either Woodman's in Kenosha (although there are more locations)or Earthly Good in Gurnee.
trader joes' and whole foods as well as jewel and meijer, all carry good GF products,
my dh is GF, suspects he has gluten ataxia. We need to find a good neuro or gastro doc who can diagnose so he can apply for ssi. J., can you tell me where your doctor is located?
He really likes the GF Rice noodles from Tinkyada or the ones at Trader joes. both TJs and Whole foods will give you a list at customer service that is their GF products. There is gluten hiding in LOTS of things. even Maltodextrin can be wheat based. We use a fruit juice sweetened ketchup from whole foods that is GF, Shelton's chilis are good, Amy's Organics have a lot of GF products and you can find those at jewel or meijer too. (we don't use them cause they are very oniony most of the time) Just make sure to plan extra time at the grocery store, for the label reading. My dh has many other food allergies such as soy and dairy, so we have other things to watch for. There are TONS of blogs online too w/recipes, such as the Gluten Free Girl and others. There is also a celiac.org forum
Bob's Red Mill makes GF flours and xantham gum. Try also Fruitful Yield on Golf Rd in Schaumburg or York rd in Elmhurst. (other locations too)-they have tons of stuff, a whole WALL full at the Schaumburg store.
Hi J.,
Help is on the way...Woodman's in Kenosha off of 50 has a huge gluten free selection. In the last 3 years 3 of my 6 children have been diagnosed as having celiac disease.
There is also a new gluten free store up in Deerfield on 43.
Contact the University Celiac Program at the University Chicago Hospital and receive the celiac book with all the listings of normal products that are gluten free. Today I'll make a list of products my family likes and post again tonight.
J. H.
Hi J.,
I am a Homemade Gourmet Independent Distributor and I have some information that will be very helpful to you. I will send you a document that lists all of our gluten-free products / meals. You can find these on my webite:
www.homemadegourmet.com/cherylbass815123
Call me ###-###-####, if I can be of any help.
C. Bass
xanthum gum is available at Whole Foods and Sunset Foods in Highland Park; it is made by Ener-G.
Hi J.- both Whole Foods and Trader Joes have gluten free product listings. You can find them on the websites, print them out and take them to the store with you. At Trader Joe's they have great GF stuff - think dark chocolate covered raisins, frozen peanut butter cookie dough, ginger snaps.....I go there once a month and stock up on our junk food because it's much cheaper than Whole Foods.
My husband is GF also and is a big bread person, he likes the Gluten Free Pantry's French Bread Mix. Also, Kinnickinnick (sp?) has good bagels and the sunflower bread is good IMO (both of those can be found in the frozen section at Fruitful Yield, sometimes Whole Foods).
Also, you can buy in bulk off of Amazon! So if you find a product you really like, it is cheaper sometimes to buy it in bulk on Amazon (go to amazon.com, click in grocery and search for "gluten free").
The best GF flour mix I've found is the Bette Hagman mix. It's actually a combination of flours you have to mix yourself. Other good ones I've heard of are Better Batter and Pamela's GF baking mix. You could probably google the names to find them. Fruitful Yield has Pamela's. I think Xanthan Gum can be found just about anywhere. Bob's Red Mill and Ener-G both sell it.
Good luck. I just went GF a year ago and can't believe how much better I feel. Some days the diet stinks but it's well worth it.
Hi J.,
I just heard about a great new Cafe!!!
freev.com
The Balanced Kitchen
6263 N. McCormick Rd. Suite A
Chicago, Il 60659
They are gluten free and Vegan.
Best,
R.
I agree with the store recommendations, the only new info I can add is that there is a wonderful magazine called Living Without that deals with food allergies/sensativities. Perhaps look it up online or you can get it at Whole Foods. Also, a great recipe resource would be allrecipes.com. You can specifically look up gluten free recipes. Have fun!
