A bit over eight years ago my mother was diagnosed with Celiac Sprue-- an auto-immune disease which affects the small intestine, in most cases causing chronic diarrhea, failure to thrive (in children), and fatigue. The trigger for this disease is gluten protein in wheat and also similar proteins in related grains (i.e. barley and rye). Consumption of these proteins causes an inflammatory reaction in the bowel, resulting in the aforementioned symptoms. As there is a genetic component, I was also tested due to the chronic sickness that I had dealt with for many years, but this ended up not being what was making me so ill.
After diagnosis, my mother was-- understandably-- very sad. To those unaffected by food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances, complaining that you can no longer "eat bread" can seem melodramatic. While I do not have Celiac, there are plenty of things that I cannot eat because of food allergies and triggers for the condition I do have, so I can say from a place of understanding that it is not that simple. Firstly, gluten is in far more food products than those who don't pay attention might assume. Just like corn, soy, and dairy, gluten is pervasive in processed foods, and is also capable of contaminating nearby crops. As an example, oats do not contain gluten, but due to the way that they're processed, almost all oats that you can find on the commercial market are contaminated.
In the end, there are many foods which she and others like her had to give up almost overnight. Beer, pizza, bread, licorice, oatmeal, certain soft cheeses and yogurt-- all of these taboo following her diagnosis. There are many other examples, and as such it bothers me when people refuse to understand that food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances are serious and quite real to the individuals whom they afflict. Are there worse things that could happen? Of course-- but that's a facile argument which I've often heard in order to undermine how sad that these food issues can make people.
To honor my mother and her struggle in finding affordable, tasty replacement foods (which she eats sparingly due to high cost and calories, opting instead to make most of her own food), we decided to cover a few of the items which she's tried-- in one case an item she hates-- to see what people who stick Gluten Free have for options. So for an entree item we tried:
De Boles Gluten-Free Corn Spaghetti:
This is the one that my mother hates-- the very reason that she chooses rice pasta every time that she makes a dish requiring pasta. In the box it looked innocent enough, but my mother swore up-and-down that great evil and vitriol lay within. Considering her reaction, of course we wanted to try this one first; what an adventure!
The ingredients were minimal-- just corn flour and water. The noodles were School Bus yellow. It was evident that this was not going to taste like traditional pasta (which we'd expected), but also that it wasn't really going to resemble pasta in any other way than its shape and moniker. It took a long time to soften in the water and by the time it seemed al dente, within seconds afterward it was overcooked and subsequently very gummy. In order not to obscure the flavor, Will tossed the noodles in olive oil and a bit of garlic, rather than using a tomato sauce.
Right out of the gate, the corn flavor was obvious. One thinks, "Of course it tastes like corn!", but the issue was that it was very obtrusive and absolutely overpowered the garlic. It almost tasted like popcorn, and like popcorn it dried out your mouth. The texture wasn't bothersome, but it was unexpectedly analogous to a Soba noodle. What's interesting is that the taste was just kind of there-- in your mouth, clinging to your cheeks and tongue persistently, incessantly; a flavor which, over several minutes, morphed into what I can only refer to as the general taste of a dirty water hotdog, which is something I'm looking for when I go to Manhattan, not when I'm having a bowl of pasta. In the end, I would pass on this one if I were offered it again.
We also tried:
Ancient Harvest Corn/Quinoa Blend Pasta:
Will may have mentioned this in his review, but we love quinoa. It's nutty and fun-looking, and also completely great for you. We've eaten quinoa as a side for our dinners almost an entire week in-a-row before, and have been completely satisfied in doing so. The quinoa that we eat is the seed of the plant and is most closely related to beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds. Sounds gross, tastes awesomely.
This pasta was also Spaghetti-style, and was made up of corn flour, quinoa flour, water, and sea salt. It was easier to cook and had a similar color and texture to traditional pasta. We all found it to be more attractive right away. Will was able to cook it to a nice al dente, and it paired well with the garlic and olive oil. While the corn flavor was still there, you could also detect a slight grassiness from the quinoa, and they tempered one another nicely. I would gladly eat this in replacement of traditional pasta anytime.
For dessert we tried:
Udi's Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Muffins:
Not only Gluten-Free, the package boasted that these muffins were also soy-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. They were nice-looking muffins, with a dark chocolaty color and rich, warm scent. The texture was like a super-moist gooey brownie that had stiffened up a little bit, which wasn't a bad thing. The only issue that I had with these muffins was that they also had lemon zest in them and the lemony element overwhelmed the bitter-sweetness of the chocolate. I wasn't fond of that aspect, but otherwise I thought that they were good, and I would recommend them to someone else if they like a citrusy flavor with their chocolate.
Will and Kenny also tried:
Amy's Kitchen Organic Chocolate Cake:
My mother loves this cake, and in fact recommended that we try it for the review. Sadly, the cake smells strongly of alcohol from the vanilla extract they use, and while this wouldn't bother me in terms of flavor, I cannot have alcohol due to my condition, so I opted not to try it. I recommend reading Kenny's and Will's reviews for the low-down on this one.
At the end of the day, we all want to feel like we can eat the good things that others eat, but in the cases of individuals with food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances, the only option for many years was to make-due with what there was available. Now there are new and tasty products which are created taking these limitations into consideration, and that is super cool.
After diagnosis, my mother was-- understandably-- very sad. To those unaffected by food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances, complaining that you can no longer "eat bread" can seem melodramatic. While I do not have Celiac, there are plenty of things that I cannot eat because of food allergies and triggers for the condition I do have, so I can say from a place of understanding that it is not that simple. Firstly, gluten is in far more food products than those who don't pay attention might assume. Just like corn, soy, and dairy, gluten is pervasive in processed foods, and is also capable of contaminating nearby crops. As an example, oats do not contain gluten, but due to the way that they're processed, almost all oats that you can find on the commercial market are contaminated.
In the end, there are many foods which she and others like her had to give up almost overnight. Beer, pizza, bread, licorice, oatmeal, certain soft cheeses and yogurt-- all of these taboo following her diagnosis. There are many other examples, and as such it bothers me when people refuse to understand that food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances are serious and quite real to the individuals whom they afflict. Are there worse things that could happen? Of course-- but that's a facile argument which I've often heard in order to undermine how sad that these food issues can make people.
To honor my mother and her struggle in finding affordable, tasty replacement foods (which she eats sparingly due to high cost and calories, opting instead to make most of her own food), we decided to cover a few of the items which she's tried-- in one case an item she hates-- to see what people who stick Gluten Free have for options. So for an entree item we tried:
De Boles Gluten-Free Corn Spaghetti:
This is the one that my mother hates-- the very reason that she chooses rice pasta every time that she makes a dish requiring pasta. In the box it looked innocent enough, but my mother swore up-and-down that great evil and vitriol lay within. Considering her reaction, of course we wanted to try this one first; what an adventure!
The ingredients were minimal-- just corn flour and water. The noodles were School Bus yellow. It was evident that this was not going to taste like traditional pasta (which we'd expected), but also that it wasn't really going to resemble pasta in any other way than its shape and moniker. It took a long time to soften in the water and by the time it seemed al dente, within seconds afterward it was overcooked and subsequently very gummy. In order not to obscure the flavor, Will tossed the noodles in olive oil and a bit of garlic, rather than using a tomato sauce.
Right out of the gate, the corn flavor was obvious. One thinks, "Of course it tastes like corn!", but the issue was that it was very obtrusive and absolutely overpowered the garlic. It almost tasted like popcorn, and like popcorn it dried out your mouth. The texture wasn't bothersome, but it was unexpectedly analogous to a Soba noodle. What's interesting is that the taste was just kind of there-- in your mouth, clinging to your cheeks and tongue persistently, incessantly; a flavor which, over several minutes, morphed into what I can only refer to as the general taste of a dirty water hotdog, which is something I'm looking for when I go to Manhattan, not when I'm having a bowl of pasta. In the end, I would pass on this one if I were offered it again.
We also tried:
Ancient Harvest Corn/Quinoa Blend Pasta:
Will may have mentioned this in his review, but we love quinoa. It's nutty and fun-looking, and also completely great for you. We've eaten quinoa as a side for our dinners almost an entire week in-a-row before, and have been completely satisfied in doing so. The quinoa that we eat is the seed of the plant and is most closely related to beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds. Sounds gross, tastes awesomely.
This pasta was also Spaghetti-style, and was made up of corn flour, quinoa flour, water, and sea salt. It was easier to cook and had a similar color and texture to traditional pasta. We all found it to be more attractive right away. Will was able to cook it to a nice al dente, and it paired well with the garlic and olive oil. While the corn flavor was still there, you could also detect a slight grassiness from the quinoa, and they tempered one another nicely. I would gladly eat this in replacement of traditional pasta anytime.
For dessert we tried:
Udi's Gluten-Free Double Chocolate Muffins:
Not only Gluten-Free, the package boasted that these muffins were also soy-free, dairy-free, and nut-free. They were nice-looking muffins, with a dark chocolaty color and rich, warm scent. The texture was like a super-moist gooey brownie that had stiffened up a little bit, which wasn't a bad thing. The only issue that I had with these muffins was that they also had lemon zest in them and the lemony element overwhelmed the bitter-sweetness of the chocolate. I wasn't fond of that aspect, but otherwise I thought that they were good, and I would recommend them to someone else if they like a citrusy flavor with their chocolate.
Will and Kenny also tried:
Amy's Kitchen Organic Chocolate Cake:
My mother loves this cake, and in fact recommended that we try it for the review. Sadly, the cake smells strongly of alcohol from the vanilla extract they use, and while this wouldn't bother me in terms of flavor, I cannot have alcohol due to my condition, so I opted not to try it. I recommend reading Kenny's and Will's reviews for the low-down on this one.
At the end of the day, we all want to feel like we can eat the good things that others eat, but in the cases of individuals with food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances, the only option for many years was to make-due with what there was available. Now there are new and tasty products which are created taking these limitations into consideration, and that is super cool.
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