Life, Gluten Free

And you have a great day, too!

My daughter's ballet class was yesterday and we took the RTD bus home. It was only our second time, and I was...concerned? nervous? Kinda both. I'm not an expert at this, but mostly you just have to remember a) the time you need to be at the bus stop and b) your bus number. And keep your transfer ticket if you are making a transfer, which we were.

And so we made it to our transfer stop, and we settled in to wait 20 minutes for the next bus that would take us back home.

We ate some hot soup that I brought, and wished I hadn't forgotten our mittens because of the blistery cold wind.

I was glancing around when I saw an older woman walking by with gusto, sporting a cheery green scarf. She smiled to a man standing near me and said "You have a GREAT day!!'

I thought they must know each other, but she turned to me and said pleasingly as she passed by "and you have a great day too!"

I reciprocated "You too!" and she said, without turning back "thank you!!" as she continued walking briskly to her destination.. wherever that may have been.

I smiled to myself and turned my head to the direction of the man she had first greeted. I saw he was smiling to himself, too. I remarked "She sure has the right kind of attitude."

He agreed, "she does, and if more people would go around saying that.. the whole world would be happier."

I had to agree with that one.

I don't know that lady, and he didn't either, but her postive attitude brightened our day. It reminded me that life sure goes by fast, and often we are in a hurry. Sometimes we don't think about the little things that could make everyone's day brighter, even complete strangers.

Our bus came, and we hopped on. I realized it was the same bus driver that we had when we took the bus for the first time in November. I handed him my transfer ticket, he looked at it and thrusted it back into my hand. Last time we tried to engage him in a courteous greeting exchange, but it just didn't happen. 

Sophie's cuteness usually charms just about anybody, but apparently not the likes of him.

All the same, I thanked him when we got off the bus and I think he grunted something in return. I am not sure. And I remembered, I have no idea what his life is like. And maybe, my positive attitude would rub off on him. It can't be easy being a bus driver, after all.

We made it home and all pieces were intact. Mostly. Unfortunately, I pulled the cord and "dinged" the dinger-thingy one bus stop before ours. It was still within short walking distance and we could easily see our house not too far in the distance. But just as we rounded the corner into our neighborhood, Sophie took a tumble.

For a split second I thought I had caught her in time, before her knee hit the pavement. But the tears sprang, and I realized I hadn't. I saw a scrape, larger than a quarter, on her knee with blood oozing slowly.

I grabbed her up and made the last trudge to our front steps carrying my almost 5-year old, my purse and a bag with our snacks and thermos of soup. When we went inside we saw our cat leaping off the couch from undoubtedly, a contented nap while we were gone. She was so concerned that Sophie was crying, she came and sat by her. A quick wipe down and 2 hot pink bandaids later, all was almost right in our world again. 

We had to text daddy what happened and he sent a goofy-face picture of himself via our iPods, which made Sophie laugh and I started to set out lunch. But I didn't forget about the lady who wished us a great day, because that inspires me. I have always been a huge fan of random acts of kindness and I try to do my part. You never know how your small compliment or greeting could actually impact someone's day in a positive way. 

And you have a great day, too! ♥

Tips on Finding Allergy-safe Foods and How to Be a Conscious Consumer (Part 2)

Did you read Part 1 of Tips on Finding Allergy-Safe foods? (click here if you haven't yet!)

We eat very little packaged foods, not just because it's hard to find allergen-free and 100% gluten-free products... but because it's healthier to eat a whole-food based diet.

The few foods we eat packaged are by companies that we have spoken to on the phone with - sometimes on numerous occasions - to learn about their facility and food processing practices. They do not produce gluten, tree-nuts, etc in their facility.

So, we have literally spent hours on the phone speaking to companies. We do this for all of the products we buy such as: supplements, bodycare, food, etc.

It's important to contact companies, as you have read in part 1, because food labeling is not effective. There are very little regulations regarding what you can and cannot put on a food label. This means that "gluten-free" can be put on a label even if the product contains trace amounts of gluten.

What should I say when I approach companies?

Here are a few ways we start the conversation:

"Hi, I am very intrested in your line of products.. but my daughter has severe allergies to foods like tree-nuts, sesame and flax... we both have celiac disease so that means we can't have gluten. I see that your product ingredients do not contain those, but I would like to inquire about your food manufacturing policies to see if you produce any products in your facility that contain those ingredients."

or

"Hi, I am interested in your product but I need to ask some questions because we have allergies in the family."

Then you can go on to explain what allergies you have, and ask if their facility is free of these ingredients.

I explain about cross-contamination and how serious of an issue it is. I tell them that we've gotten sick in the past because products contained trace amounts of gluten or our other allergens, so now we always call companies before trying their products.

It's important to let them know how serious the situation is, so that they understand it's important to get the right information.

Never be afraid to ask. Companies should expect inquiries, and if the person you are speaking with on the phone does not have the information you need then ask to speak to someone who does.

Labeling policies is something that definitely needs to improve across the board, but again it's up to us to call companies to make sure products are truly safe!

Tips on Finding Allergy-safe Foods and How to Be a Conscious Consumer

It can be very tricky to find products that are truly allergy-safe, gluten-free, tree-nut free and so on. The key is not just in reading the label because labels are often not clear and the laws on labeling for food allergens is fuzzy at best.

In fact, labels can often be incredibly deceiving. The key, rather, is to be a conscious consumer. Know what is in the products you are eating, and do not rely on the label to tell you what's really in it.

Here's a rundown on labeling and why it's rarely 100% accurate:

1) It is not mandatory for companies to label their cross-contaminated products as such. It is strictly optional. When you see "may contain ..." or "packaged in a facility with .." or "produced on the same equipment as ..." that company has taken it upon themselves to add that to their label. So that means, many companies out there are not disclosing this information on their labels.

2) Labels can be deceiving. Many products are labeled "gluten-free" because the ingredients contain no gluten, but the product may be produced in a facility (and often even on the same equipment) with other products that do contain gluten. According to the FDA, a product can also be labeled "gluten-free" but have up to 20ppm of gluten. You may have also seen "certified gluten-free" on some products, which is an independent certification by GFCO that means it contains less than 10ppm of gluten and 5ppm of gliadin.

Here's an example of mislabeling. There is a new product out and it claims on the package "we're not nuts!" meaning, they are not made out of tree-nuts. The package also has a "gluten-free" symbol. Yet reading further on the package you will find in tiny letters "may contain traces of tree-nuts, wheat and dairy."

wait, what?

Let's review this. They are advertising a product as being a nut-alternative. Yet, this product may contain traces of nuts. Clearly, they are not targeting people with nut-allergies, so who then? And while the product may be labeled "gluten-free" because the ingredients are technically free of gluten, their manufacturing processes are not gluten-free and therefore you may find trace amounts of gluten in this product.

And this is a big one, because many people do not realize this:

3) Some companies produce their product in one facility and ship it to another facility for packaging.

That means that while the facility in which they produce the product may be safe, their packaging facility may not be. This is why it's crucial to always call the company and ask questions about their production and packaging facilities.

4) Many companies share facilities with other companies or they simply make a wide variety of products - many not being gluten-free or nut-free.

5) Hidden ingredients? FALCPA is strictly a law that was passed to make sure the actual ingredients are described properly on the package. For example, if a product contains "spices" in the ingredient list and those spices have wheat, the company must disclose that on the label otherwise it would be a hidden ingredient. And they have to be specific, if the ingredients say "nut" they must clarify as to which nut it contains.

You can learn more about FDA guidelines regarding gluten-free and food-allergen labeling here.

Click here to read part 2 of "Tips on Finding Allergy-safe Foods and How to Be a Conscious Consumer".. broken up into two segments for easier reading!

Amy and Brian's Coconut Juice Review

We have been drinking coconut water for several years now and Sophie loves it. Our brand of choice is Amy and Brian's coconut water, because 1) we like the taste and most importantly 2) we have spoken to them on the phone to verify that it is produced in a gluten-free and nut-free facility (they only produce coconut juice).

So, what benefits do you get from drinking coconut water?

Coconut water is very hydrating to the body because it is high in electrolytes, especially potassium. It even can take the edge off of hunger, making it a great snack if you are waiting for lunch or dinner.

Amy and Brian's coconut water won us over by its great taste, and of course, that it's allergy-safe for us. We often buy it by the case because it's more affordable that way. Of course, some of you may be thinking: it's in an aluminum can, is that safe?

There is evidence that shows that there can be harmful side effects of long-term exposure to aluminum. I believe in always being cautious, and it does make me wonder about the correlation between the consumption of canned food items and alzheimer's disease. (If anyone has more knowledge of this, please feel free to leave a comment!)

There are many coconut water brands out there (some are not safe for us, O.N.E brand coconut water produces a cashew flavor) and some are in tetra paks. While tetra paks are thought to be safe, they cannot be recycled.

Do you drink coconut water? What's your favorite brand?

*this review is not sponsored by Amy and Brian's. It is purely my opinion and I did not receive any free samples nor was I asked to post about it.

Orange Fig Bars

These fig bars that I made for New Years were such a hit, that we polished them off quickly. Sophie ate most of them herself. They are similar to my Apricot Fig bars, but they contain just fig instead of the added raisins. Sophie likes the apricot fig bars, but not as much as she does these Orange Fig Bars. She said the apricot fig bars are "too sweet" and these fig bars, without the raisins, are "just right."

I love them both, and my opinion is that the apricot fig bars are heavier and taste very much like fig newtons, which I used to love to eat. The orange fig bars are also tasty, but taste a bit more fruity and light.

Orange Fig Bars

2 cups dried black mission figs

11 tablespoons fresh squeeze minneola orange juice (or any orange)

2 tablespoon coconut oil (softened room temp)

shredded coconut

Directions:

I like to rinse my figs off first for good measure, and be sure to trim off the stems

Add just the figs to food processor and begin to blend the figs

Once mixed well, add the orange juice and coconut oil

Blend again until thoroughly mixed and there are no chunks of figs (it will be like a fig paste)

In a square dish, pour in some shredded coconut (I didn't measure, maybe about 1/2 cup)

Scrape the fig bar mixture into the square dish

Using the spatula and/or your hands, mx and "knead" into the shredded coconut

The fig mixture itself is sticky, but once coated with the shredded coconut it will be easy to work with

Pat down into the square dish, cover and place in refridgerator

Serve after they firm (at least 30 minutes).

We buy our black mission figs from Made In Nature, they are gluten-free and nut-free. Because we go through so many, we purchase the 32 ounce bags (sold exclusively at Costco stores). You can find the smaller bags  at your local natural grocery store or Amazon.com

Need shredded coconut too? We buys our in bulk from Tropical Traditions.

Sophie has already requested another batch of these, so I better get to work! I am thinking of other variations too. They make a healthy and quick snack to grab.