Happy
Sunday everybody! I hope you're having an enjoyable weekend, and are staying
cool during this hot weather.
A couple of weeks
ago, I had the opportunity to try the Gluten-Free Grocery Guide by TriumphDining (click here to check
them out). I've been using it every time before I go to the grocery store,
testing to see how useful it would be in planning my trips to the grocery
store.
For those who
don't know, purchasing food on a gluten-free diet can be super scary. I can't
tell you the number of times I've gone to the grocery store, movie theater,
etc. and had to search through forums and other websites on my phone to
see if I can safely eat the food. Most of the time, I just safely default to
choosing not to eat. That’s why I was excited to try this grocery guide out.
Here’s some of the reasons why I’ve grown to like it and use it on a regular
basis:
Consolidated information – The guide covers pretty much everything
in the kitchen outside of the kitchen sink. From breakfast items to baking
ingredients, I haven’t had trouble yet with finding a type of grocery item in
the guide.
Well organized – The guide is broken down into various
grocery categories and includes an index. This made it easy to find items
quickly through a guide dense with information.
Symbols to present the quality of gluten
free – This is perhaps my
favorite feature in the guide. When it comes to gluten free, there’s a wide
range of how sensitive people are. Celiacs follow rigid guidelines to ensure
the food they are eating is not contaminated with gluten. Meanwhile, you have
those who are gluten-sensitive, and won’t experience as severe symptoms if
consuming gluten. They use the following categorizations, and match a symbol up
with each:
·
GF
Facility – No chance of cross-contamination
·
Gluten
Testing performed
·
Gluten
Free based on the ingredients listed
·
Procedures
are in place to minimize cross-contamination, but produced in the same plant
·
Cross-contamination
possible, not labeled as gluten-free by the company
·
Company
states item is gluten free without context.
This is perfect because it eliminates guessing whether the item
you purchase will cause you to react negatively to the trace amounts of gluten
present.
Now, if you’re like me and forget your guide, or do some unplanned
shopping, you can download their guide as a smartphone app. It has all the same
information, only packaged in a digital medium.
In close, I definitely recommend this guide to anyone who’s like
me and worries about whether they’ll get sick from food they buy from the
grocery store. It’s a great tool for Celiacs and those with gluten sensitivity.
I use it regularly and I recommend it to anyone who finds gluten-free grocery
shopping difficult.
Image Source ( http://www.triumphdining.com/products/gluten-free-recipe-ingredients )
