Places to go! Things to do! But… Where?

           Many stores are adjusting their aisle organization and product selection to meet the growing demand from gluten free consumers. Be they regular foodies trying out the gluten free diet, or people with true gluten intolerance or celiac disease, now is the best time to be gluten free, if only because there are finally so many gluten free products out there! Who doesn’t like to experiment with their food, right foodies? Big name companies are finally producing gluten free products, flours and mixes that are being sold at every day grocery stores, not just specialty shops.

                 

            But now there’s a problem foodies; where do you go? Which store will carry all your go to products and serve your needs? Which place has the best selection?

My answer is Whole Foods.

               

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            It’s true, Whole Foods is still generally considered a specialty shop; with their organic selection, extensive supplement aisle, vegan and raw diet deli selections they aren’t usually considered as a go-to everyday market. Especially not since many of these holistically grown veggies carry a hefty price tag to match their wholesome goodness. For gluten-free goodies however, Whole Foods is the best one stop shop around.

                  

Although grocery stores like Nugget (in Northern California mainly), Safeway, and even Costco are beginning to expand their gluten free offerings to include breads, pancake and cake mixes, snacks, granola bars, and sweets, there are many things which they can’t provide. Gluten intolerance can often be linked to many other intolerances and symptoms, which may lead to an even more specialized diet for some gluten free foodies. Whole Foods offers many types of gluten free foods, including foods which do not contain many of the main allergens and even vegan gluten free foods.

Though these stores are beginning to adapt to the growing gluten free market, they haven’t quite expanded their offerings enough to supplement many more specialized diets. Adding on to that the fact that many of the people that are developing gluten intolerances are now children as well as adults and adolescents; the growing kid-friendly gluten free demand is hard to meet. Many foods that are gluten free don’t have quite the same appeal, taste, texture, or color as more popular and widely accessible gluten containing versions. Cookies are often harder or crunchier in texture, brand-name gluten free Oreos don’t exist yet, and gluten-free graham crackers, while delicious and often spot on for flavor, are far thicker and denser than their counterparts by necessity.

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When it comes to gluten free foods—snacks, mixes, and most especially kid-friendly gluten free foods—Whole Foods has the most extensive and comprehensive range of products to choose from. The pricing for gluten free products at Whole Foods is about equitable to the pricing at other stores; however, where Safeway for example has one flavor of gluten free mac and cheese, Whole Foods has four or more, and gluten free kid sized breaded chicken nuggets and corn dogs besides.

I applaud and, don’t get me wrong foodies, am very grateful that gluten free foods and products are now becoming widely available. I often stop by Safeway or drop into Trader Joe’s to get gluten free waffles and cereal (all forms of Rice Chex are currently gluten free! Chocolate and Cinnamon are my favorite! ) and the occasional dairy free ice cream treat besides, but I am still of the opinion that out of all the gluten free food providers and grocery stores out there Whole Foods has the best selection, and is the best one stop shop for the foodie with a gluten free lifestyle.

I decided to share some random cooking tips with every blog post form here on out, so I hope you’ll try some of them out!

NaOmi’s random gluten free cooking/baking tip:

Gluten free baked goods tend to be rather dry, so consider adding extra moisture into your batter or dough. Sour cream and mayonnaise actually make delicious additives to savory dishes, and for something sweet; sour cream again (a vegan sour cream like Tofutti works just fine), or a small lunch container (or about 1/3 cup) of applesauce are great ways to add some much needed moisture. Try substituting half of the oil called for in a recipe with apple sauce as well to make a healthier tastier treat! To help keep your treats moister for longer, try wrapping them in a lint-free cloth or covering them with plastic wrap! If you’re giving them as gifts, small printed bags, or cellophane wrapping help keep in moisture, and add a nice touch! (Plastic zip-lock bags will also do just fine)

Try this recipe for flaky gluten free sour cream and scallion biscuits, be warned it’s a bit involved, but quite yummy! Worth the effort in my opinion, but then again, I love scallions.

Keep a lookout for gluten free versions of your favorite snacks! Is there a food that you wouldn’t mind trying gluten free? Have you ever eaten an alternative food (like dairy-free milk or ice-cream, or an alternative snack)? If you have, how was it? Would you try something else? If not, why not? Would you be willing to?