Today marks my 8th day sans-gluten! That’s right. I’m doing it. The girl who loves bread so much that sometimes she makes a loaf and some butter and cheese into an entire meal is living gluten-free and doing ok! Thanks in no small part to the delicious gluten-free options at Earth Fare.
In general, I’ve been eating a lot more foods that come straight from “the wild.” Eggs, fruit, veggies, lean meats…I’m getting into a routine of a fried egg and some gluten-free toast for breakfast, an Itty Bitty Bites meal (wrap on a GF tortilla with fruit and some GF cookies) for lunch, and a salad – sometimes with grilled chicken – for dinner. Of course, I change it up now and then, but these are my fallback meals.
I thought for this blog post I would highlight some of MY favorite gluten-free snacks. My aunt (who also lives with autoimmune complications and who is also interested in treating her condition through diet and lifestyle) emailed me a few days ago to ask how the GF diet was going. Her main concern was that, in her experience, GF foods just didn’t taste good. I’ll share with you the solutions I shared with her:
Udi’s Gluten-Free Bread (their website)
If you’ve been trying GF products for long enough, you’ve probably run into bread that’s not exactly soft and tasty – luckily, a customer suggested we get some Udi’s in stock. It was love at first bite! Udi’s tastes and feels the way bread is supposed to taste – squishy and delicious! It’s OK to freeze – you can even ask the bakers at Earth Fare to get you a frozen loaf if you’re looking to stock up.
Pirate’s Booty (their website)
Funny name. Delicious snack. The aged cheddar has the taste of an old favorite, but I’d definitely recommend the Spinach and Kale Veggie Booty if you’re feeling a little more adventurous. I’d also recommend not underestimating the addictive power of Pirate’s Booty. I’m not too proud to admit that I’ve been known to polish off a whole bag in one sitting.
I’m also a huge fan of the gluten-free snacks from Earth Fare’s bakery…carrot cake, anyone?
There are plenty of gluten-free options available on our shelves (you can always point them out by finding the little “gluten-free” aisle signs pictured at the top of this post). That’s lucky, since many of the restaurants in town are a little late to the gluten-free party. I know that Posana runs a gluten-free kitchen, and I was thrilled to see The Hop recently added gluten-free cones to their selection. Are there any other Asheville kitchens making an effort to help out the GF population? Leave them in the comments if I’m missing anyone!
Gluten-Free and loving it! (I’m as surprised as you are.)
