Re: Are you satisfied?

[Guest guest]

Regret that you are having such a difficult time. I have found quite the opposite. Don't get me wrong, I still shop at a number of different stores for my celiac daughter; but I guess I rely more on the internet and going direct to manufacturers she really likes. For example, Drew's Salad Dressing comes in a Smoked Tomato flavor which is difficult to find. I emailed Drew's and they sold me a case direct.

Re: bread, the only breads my daughter likes specifically for sandwiches is from Everybody Eats, Inc. in NY. We order their deli rolls and baguettes. Recently in the group discussions, a recipe for bread was posted as well as the best breadmaker. Perhaps that would help.

Whole Foods sells a brand of sliced deli meat called Diestel. ALL of their products are GF. Also, Hormel sells GF sliced ham and turkey, and you can find that at Albertson's.

There's no question that part of this whole thing may include tweaking the way you eat. People who like snack-type foods are definitely at a disadvantage; BUT, there are some terrific mainstream brands of chips.

This past weekend, I was at Piedmont Grocery in Oakland (on Piedmont Ave) and saw a new frozen GF cookie dough - - Glutenfreeda's. Market Hall in Oakland sells a BBQ sauce that says gluten-free right on the label. It's called Daddy Sam's Just Slop it on BBQ Sauce (...really!) So I talked to the store manager and ordered 6. My daughter can't get enough of this stuff. It's really good.

Sometimes, I'm ready to pick up and move to Finland, a haven for the GF lifestyle.

Good luck!!

, mom of 16yr old celiac Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com.

[Guest guest]

Yes, I can see that as a problem. Unfortunately snack-foods are the

largest group of items I've found that are certified gluten-free.

It's all well and good, but people can't base a healthy diet on

cookies, crackers and chips

I just really want to find and develop local resources to cater to our

market. I see no reason why I or anyone should have to mail order

their food or drive 50 miles to find a shopping experience that suits

their needs. The stores I've mentioned are high-end markets selling

lots of organics and cater to specialty diets and items, so I see no

reason why gluten-free items cannot be better represented and easily

located. It's just seems they need to see a head count of people

willing to buy product before they take the risk to stock it.

skooter

>

> There's no question that part of this whole thing may include

tweaking the

> way you eat. People who like snack-type foods are definitely at a

disadvantage;

[Guest guest]

Or even just to NYC. I was drooling reading that article about all the

great GF restaurants! Ahhh, to go into a restaurant and not have to

micromanage what you're ordering!!

> Sometimes, I'm ready to pick up and move to Finland, a haven for the GF

> lifestyle.

[Guest guest]

This was a really interesting post. I'm not sure exactly where you are

in the Bay area, but have you tried Nob Hill (Mountain View location

in particular) or Harvest House in Concord? The new Nob Hill carries

most of the specialty gluten free items I would personally wish to

see, including convenience foods like Mrs. Leepers, tinkyada pasta, GF

soy sauce, Amy's soups and Glutino cookies and crackers. Their prices

are steep, which I'm afraid is just going to be the reality of

shopping GF in a mainstream market for a while. Harvest House has

every gluten free item I can imagine and is a fantastic source, but it

may be a bit out of the way for most shoppers. Country Sun (California

Ave, Palo Alto) isn't bad and has a decent selection, but high prices.

I also liked New Leaf Market (think that's the name) in the mountains,

but again, it's not especially convenient. Coming from Boulder,

Colorado- where there are the most health food stores in a small space

ever and many natural companies have started, I have to admit some

disappointment with the California offerings. One thing I'd love to

see is a Vitamin Cottage chain expanding into California. They have

great selection of GF products and (relatively) great prices, although

that would be adversely impacted by California's various taxes.

(Grumble grumble). Maybe we should have a campaign to try and get them

in the Bay area? Starting a co-op is another idea.

I do agree with Connie, though... Besides soups and pastas, most

gluten free goods you are going to find are going to be junk food, so

not worth buying all the time anyway. The best gluten free diet is

going to be based on fresh produce and gluten free grains, with

natural protein sources. While traditional markets may be failing you,

you might look into international markets. Indian, Mexican, Japanese,

Korean and Chinese markets usually have great prices on produce and

many interesting rice or corn based staples that are better for us

than most of the specialty GF items.

My solution to the GF shopping dilemma is currently to eat as much

delicious local produce and grains as possible (one great thing about

living in Ca, lots of farmer's markets etc.) and do periodic bulk

ordering online of gluten free flours and a FEW pre made products.

Mostly I just buy flours and mixes from companies like Chebe, Allergy

Grocer, Bob's Red Mill, and Amazon because whatever I make is going to

taste better and be fresher than pre-made stuff. By shopping a few

times a year I'm able to minimize shipping costs and save myself money

and effort. I never buy my flour at local stores because it will cost

more and their selection is generally lacking anyway. I do make an

exception for mixes if they are put on sale (Nob Hill). Anyway, I know

shopping GF can be a hassle, but it is manageable. If there are

specific things you're looking for and not finding, let us know and

maybe we can make an effort to get those items in stores by requesting

it en mass.

-

>

> After poking around posts and topics here, in addition to going around

> to various stores in S.F., I wonder how satisfied everyone is with the

> selection of items and if not, what are people doing about it?

>

> For myself, I'm fairly new to the whole GF thing, but what I'm seeing

> in the stores is fairly disappointing. I've recently visited

> Andronico's (Inner Sunset), Rainbow Grocery, Whole Foods (california

> st & soma), Real Foods Co. (stanyan & Cole) and Tower Market (Mollie

> Stones). And although some of the staff, and even a store manager

> have been involved in my quest, and they've been responsive at least

> in conversation, I'm finding the motivation and product selection to

> be scattered and inconsistent.

>

> My experience boils down to either the stores don't carry items

> because nobody buys them or the ones they do, are so frequently sold

> out they can't keep them on the shelf. Either is a bad situation.

> And I don't know about anyone else, but from my perspective, various

> flours, baking mixes, $6 packages of crackers, a few puffed-rice

> cereals, potato chips, breakfast bars, frozen loaves of bread, cookies

> and brownies just don't cut it for a balanced and healthy diet.

>

> I can see that perhaps my newness to this whole shebang may be biasing

> my experience, but from where I sit, these products should be

> available locally - I should, or anyone, should not have to waste time

> and energy resources (e.g. fuel, parking, etc.) driving across town to

> specialty stores for the few stocked items. I think with our

> collective interests we can motivate retailers to carry a broader

> range of items. They all have said " we get a lot of requests " but

> they're still not stocking their shelves because they don't think

> people will buy them before code dates, etc.

>

> It's a catch 22. I can see that we collectively won't shop a store

> that doesn't have these products readily available, that means stocked

> and easy to find, and they won't stock them unless there is enough of

> a demand. I'm for gathering our resources, voices, and pocket books

> to collectively push to get out locals stores to stock foods that will

> allows us a healthy diet with easy to find products.

>

> Most notably, the managers I spoke with, I'd mentioned that " we all

> have online support groups and we share info...you stock it...we'll

> share the info and come buy it... " and this was met with raised

> eyebrows and fast feet to give me a tour of GF items in the store.

> Best response I got was from Tower Market/Mollie Stones, and the

> bakery person said they were considering turning their on-site bakery

> into the GF regional kitchen to distribute to the other stores.

>

> Thoughts? Ideas?

>

> Thanks,

>

> skooter

> highly motivated celiac

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the great response Isaiah, and everyone, I really do

appreciate it.

Definitely not, I am not looking for prepackaged, processed or junk

foods. I just don't eat them at all. I'm a former chef and have

always cooked nearly all of my food - I eat very well. Maybe in my

frustration I've come off sounding as though nothing is available, as

that's far from my intent. I suppose that's my " mourning period "

voicing itself.

On a more realistic note, I just can't see why with all of these great

products, the large number of people that have this disorder, and the

buying power of these specialty stores, why a consumer is forced to

drive long distances wasting resources, shopping at dozens of stores

or having to mail order food items, or need to pay $9 for a loaf of

rock hard bread that's barely edible and questionably nutritious. And

who has time in a busy life to hunt everything down AND make

everything from scratch? I certainly don't and I suspect others don't

either. Is it so freakin much to expect to be able to pop into my

local Andronicos and find more than one lump of frozen gluten free

bread? Choices and options without added stress and frustration is

just as important to diet as eating correctly. I just want to find

some freakin english muffins, is that so wrong?

And I definitely like the idea about forming coops or some such type

of consumer organization. As mentioned, with thin profit margins, I

seriously don't think stores are going to respond and open more shelf

space until they can have some demonstrated assurance that there will

be someone there to buy it. If I drive across town, or into another

county, to find a few items to give me reasonable variety, what

motivation is there for the store down the street to stock anything

for me? None. I think some tighter, more organized groups can help

bridge the gap.

skooter

>

> If your need is to have GF versions

> of all the usual junk food and boxed meals and processed

ready-to-microwave

> meals and pastries, I can understand the frustration. But otherwise, it

> seems to me the Bay Area is one of the easier places in the country

to find

> GF groceries. There are so many GF specialty foods available ....

[Guest guest]

I'm not sure what products we're talking about.

It jumps betw snack food, and saying can't find healthy foods.

To me, the majority of healthy foods are GF as is. Fish, chicken breasts,

salads/produce etc.

I'm not sure what I buy that's been " re-formulated " to be GF besides the brown

rice tortillas. (Aha! Redbridge!)

But I haven't eaten processed food in over 2 yrs, due to celiac-related

complications.

Prior to that, I ate all sorts of gf products. And if u think it's bad NOW, u

should've seen the meager selection 5 yrs ago!!

To answer the question, yes I am satisfied.

[Guest guest]

There's a trick to the brown rice tortillas to make

them more usable.

Wet & microwave.

I hold the more pebbly side (well, *usually* there is

one) under running water just for a second, moving it

around to make sure all of it gets hit.

That'll be the 'down side' in the microwave.

The other side I barely get wet, kind of 'painting' it

w/ fingers that I've held under the running water.

On a paper towel, I microwave for 20sec. (But it took

45sec in one friends micro)

They come out extremely pliable, and do tightly wrap

my delicious smoked salmon, avocado, red pepper, red

onion wrap, which also often has hummus spread on the

tort, like a condiment. Mmmmmm MMM!!

I'm new here and surfing on a phone, and unfortunely

the site doesn't come out looking very good, tho a

great many other sites do.

I'll add a full entry to the Roll Call at some point,

but for now here's a brief look.

I'm tom, gf for almost 4 yrs, wheat-free for a couple

yrs prior.

Moving back to the South Bay very soon, where I'd

spent most of my adult life, after 1.5yrs away.

I'm also currently off dairy, yeast, soy, corn,

sugar(even most fruit) ... . . . LOL seeing it in

writing is worse than living it!!

Probably missed a couple. Been off most of it for

>2yrs.

Finally got off soy in early June, and my brain just

" woke up " , to a magnitude I never would've even dared

dream.

Strangely, this soy elimination test, was NOT

definitive in 3 days, or 5 or 7 or 9.

None of my other tests took so long to be sure, and

I'd also tested soy 3x before this.

It wasn't until days 10-12 that I became sure I was

FAR better off soy.

I had never heard of such a thing.

(Oops!! Did I claim this would be 'brief'?? Hehehehe

my bad!)

HI EVERYONE!! <tom waves>

________________________________________________________________________________\

____Ready for the edge of your seat?

Check out tonight's top picks on TV.

http://tv./

[Guest guest]

Recent labeling laws requiring wheat be listed along with other

allergens was a big step in this direction. I do think that in coming

years we will see increased regulation of the gluten free label, but I

understand why this isn't more advanced than it is. Many companies

make alterations of formulas regularly in response to market prices

and they aren't always as well informed about their ingredients as we

would like. This would make them understandably reluctant to label

their products inappropriately for fear of getting sued... and I'd

rather they not put a gluten free label on the product, especially if

they aren't sure and aren't subjecting the product to any testing.

On the up side, although I don't really shop there, Walmart does have

an unusual amount of gluten free labeling, and sometimes I am

surprised at how many things actually have gluten free labels that are

sold in the mainstream market. However, these labels are usually

hidden (i.e. not on the front of the package in big colorful

lettering), so take a little effort to uncover.

As far as good gluten free bread products- I think mail order is the

way to go for prepared products, but homemade bread products are

always going to be the freshest and tastiest. Before we knock ALL

gluten free breads, I think there are a lot of excellent recipes using

the more nutritious bean, teff, buckwheat, and sorghum flours that

produce some very tasty breads. There are a lot of good recipes at the

SillyYaks message board, but I tend to rely on Bette Hagman's gluten

free gourmet bakes bread book. With a breadmaker they don't take much

(active) time at all, although you do want to take the bread out as

soon as it is done or it will get soggy. One thing that DOES make me

mad is the fact that as San Fran. area folks on the opposite side of

the country from Whole Foods' gluten free bakehouse, we have to pay at

least twice what our eastern and southern friends do for the same

products- and they aren't as fresh for us! I will say that the sun

dried tomato bread is excellent toasted- and the toaster is your best

friend with regards to gluten free breads.

While I don't think we're quite as lucky as those New York or

Boulder/Colorado folks with their billions of health food stores and

alternative restaurants, it's really not so bad here for gluten free

living. Here's a link to various reviews I've done of Bay area

restaurants and shopping at my blog:

http://www.bookofyum.com/blog/?cat=37

It's been fun uncovering them all- but, also, isn't really necessary

for satisfying gluten free eating. Most of that happens in my kitchen!

-

> > > >

> > > > If your need is to have GF versions

> > > > of all the usual junk food and boxed meals and processed

> > > ready-to-microwave

> > > > meals and pastries, I can understand the frustration. But

otherwise, it

> > > > seems to me the Bay Area is one of the easier places in the

country

> > > to find

> > > > GF groceries. There are so many GF specialty foods available ....

> > >

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

There's always Amy's frozen meals! They're always labeled clearly on

the front re: gluten. Whenever I'm feeling lazy I pop one of those in

the microwave and am never disappointed.

-

>

> I'm self employed, so I've been able to take the time to cook a

variety of

> foods from scratch, and that's made the transition away from wheat much

> easier. But I whole heartedly agree that no matter how much you like to

> cook, sometimes you really just want to kick up your feet, tear off a

> wrapper, and pop a pre-made meal into the microwave.

[Guest guest]

I haven't personally had problems with their gluten free/ free of

gluten ingredients products. (Label varies by product.) On their web

site it states:

Amy's Kitchen Products

Amy's Kitchen manufactures a number of " Gluten Free " products all

meeting the FDA guidelines for " gluten free " (i.e., <20 ppm gluten).

We strive to make these products as delicious as our popular gluten

containing products. We currently have over 60 products that are

" Gluten Free " .

Amy's Kitchen Policies and Practices

Amy's has always had strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) to

avoid cross-contact of our non-gluten products with gluten and we

continue to strengthen these practices. The GMPs include strict raw

material control, sanitation practices and employee training. We are

constantly improving our practices to include more separation, a

higher degree of testing and more in process checks. In the last

year, we have increased our screening of critical ingredients to

verify they are " gluten free " when they arrive at our plant. We

continue to make efforts to minimize gluten in areas where gluten free

items are processed. We have instituted a screening program to verify

that equipment has been thoroughly cleaned between manufacturing

runs. In addition, we now have an in-house lab so that we are able to

quickly screen more ingredients and finished products to verify they

meet our " gluten free " standards.

-Sounds pretty good to me! Personally I feel pretty comfortable

recommending them as products, as I feel they do make a concerted

effort to keep their products safe for their Celiac customers. But of

course it's a personal decision.

-

>

> The front of some of Amy's boxes reads No Gluten Ingredient, which

is a bit

> different from Gluten-Free. I recall that within the past year

some people

> felt that Amy's lack of a gluten-free dedicated facility was causing

them

> problems. I eat the No Gluten Ingredients products with no

apparent problems, but

> not everyone wants to take that risk.

>

> Amy's makes a wide range of meals to suit different types of users.

>

> H.

>

> In a message dated 8/3/07 12:53:53 PM, seamaiden399@... writes:

>

> > There's always Amy's frozen meals! They're always labeled clearly on

> > the front re: gluten. Whenever I'm feeling lazy I pop one of those in

> > the microwave and am never disappointed.

> > -

> >

> >

> >

>

>

>

>

> **************************************

> Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at

> http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Do you think you should get a second opinion before taking such radical

> steps?

> These aren't requirements I've ever heard mentioned here in just this way.

> I'd hoping others in the group, with a wider range of experience than mine,

will

> contribute their knowledge.

I became 1000% better thru such radical steps!!!

With intestinal candida overgrowth (aka yeast), which I do believe to be quite

common in long-suffering celiacs who don't get very well w/ just GF, mold is an

immense problem. As is anything fermented. Mold knocks all leftovers, dried

herbs/spices, and a myriad of other foods off of a safe-list.

The fermented part tosses out all condiments since vinegar is always involved.

(I did make my own mayo once, w/ lemon juice in place of vinegar, but w/ no

leftovers it wasn't worth the effort to do twice)

>

> Eating foods within 24 hours? Is this for any particular foods -- like meats

> -- or food in general? Much of our food, other than the very most perishable

> items, is in the supply chain for quite a long time.

Due to microscopic mold, I had to freeze leftovers immed or toss 'em. I learned

the hard way even having leftovers an hour after it was cooked would make quick

gut pain and dizziness and a weird prickly face sensation that's somewhat common

for a bad case of intestinal candida/yeast overgrowth.

The 24hr rule spoken of is about leftovers only. It's post-cooking that this

mold grows. If u leave something in fridge long enough you'll see it, but it

truly starts w/in hours.

>

> Treatment for food allergies is a field that can sometimes involve debatable

> policies. I'd make sure, really sure, that the information the nurse is giving

> you is absolutely first-rate before jumping in head first, making a huge

> commitment of energy and budget.

As long as we're talking intestinal yeast/candida albicans, then I'm here to say

I beat it and the info is correct.

It's a two-pronged approach - starve the yeast beast w/ diet, and kill it w/

pills & powders. I got mine from a Naturopath in San in '05.

Going easy on the diet may mean it never goes away.

I am now literally feeling better nearly every minute of every day than I had

not only since pre-celiac, but since the early 70s when I was a kid!!!

[Guest guest]

Thanks to everyone for all the wonderfully spirited and informative

responses. Much appreciated!

I'm happy to report on my first forays have been positive. As I

mentioned earlier, Mollie Stones at Tower Market in SF are encouraged

a bit more to make a regional GF bakery onsite, and I'm chatting the

Andronico's (Irving St.) to get more products, and was able to get the

bakery to reconsider carrying gluten free products. In the next week,

they will be carrying again some Crave Bakery products. Whoohoo!

It's a start.

skooter