Mainstream Gluten Free: Betty Crocker Give-Away, Elisabeth Hasselbeck & Celiac Genetic Testing from Home
When we discovered that Celiac was the reason our daughter was so ill, the world was just starting to gain awareness of the disease and it’s cure, being completely gluten free. In the two years that have passed since our family began its journey into gluten free living, the world has grown leaps and bounds in awareness. The result? Easier living, simpler choices and feeling more “normal” for those who must live gluten free.
Some people are gluten intolerant without being Celiac, these people feel significantly healthier by eliminating gluten from their diets. Others have Celiac disease which causes life long health issues if not treated by removal of gluten from their diets. Some bloggers have questioned if gluten free is the new fat free… a fad diet that is “cool” to jump on board. To that, I say “poo-poo”. Being gluten free isn’t fun, it isn’t easy and it certainly isn’t something one does just because. (Stay with us after the jump for gluten free recommendations and a give-away.)
- » See also: Gluten-free Squash Pancakes
- » Get Eat. Drink. Better. by RSS or sign up by email.
I’ve been reading Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s new book, The G Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide. When household names become a spokesperson for a disease, awareness grows by leaps and bounds. This is the first gluten free book I have purchased and I can’t quite pinpoint why, but having a hands on manual is important to gluten free living and my children feel more important when they see me becoming better informed about our dietary needs.
Today, I received a large box of products from Betty Crocker (a General Mills company). I really pondered if I should post here about these new products, afterall, they are a packaged baking mix and therefore not the best option in nutrition. They are also NOT organic, which I’d love to see change, however I felt that gluten free awareness is vital to the well being of many Americans and therefore sharing this here was okay. If you don’t agree, then don’t read it.
General Mills began labeling Chex cereals Gluten Free a few months ago after they removed barley malt from the formulations. Now, Betty Crocker has introduced four new baking mixes (all produced in a gluten free facility). The baking mixes are: devil’s food cake, yellow cake, chocolate chip cookies and brownies. Frostings are not yet labeled gluten free, though the ingredients look safe to me… but we make our own because we also avoid artificial flavors, preservatives and colorants. Betty Crocker intends to have the frostings labeled gluten free this fall.
What we like: the mixes do not contain any artificial flavoring, coloring or preservatives (which is my one issue with Chex, they still contain BHT). I also LOVE that these mixes have Box Tops for Education on them, as we feel this is an important contribution to our school.
What we love: on Betty Crocker’s Gluten Free site, you will find several recipes to fancy up your baking. I am thrilled that many of these recipes add a bit of health to the treat. (Today we made banana cupcakes with browned butter frosting, which is amazingly tasty and the resulting cupcakes look just like traditional ones). There are also directions for preparing the mixes without butter (for those who can’t have dairy). We simply use Earth Balance Soy Free Spread to replace butter in our recipes, but it’s nice to have these handy directions available. I was thrilled to see these mixes in the baking aisle at our local grocer, having them right along side all the “normal” foods is a welcome sight!
On another note: if you are one of the many American’s wondering if they might have Celiac disease, you can now order a home test kit to see if you carry the DNA markers (indicating the likelihood that you or your children will develop the disease at some point). The test is offered through MyCeliacID (Prometheus Laboratories). The home test kit is $329 which is about a third of the blood genetic testing our pediatric GI ordered through the same laboratory. There are many reasons one would choose to test for the DNA marker for Celiac, but it does not diagnose Celiac disease.
Comment here to win (leave your GF story or favorite recipe from Betty Crocker’s site in the comments) a prize pack of Betty Crocker Gluten Free Baking Mixes. Your prize pack includes 1 each: yellow cake, devil’s food cake, brownies and chocolate chip cookies. It also includes two “free” coupons for GF baking mix of choice, a shopping tote, magnetic shopping list and a pen. Open to residents of the United States only. One winner will be chosen at random on August 1, 2009. Comments will close at 8am PST on 08/01/09.
Eat Well. Be Well. Gluten Free may be the key to your health.
Update: Comments are now closed. Congratulations Mary Frances.
Favorite recipe is Gluten Free Pineapple Upside-Down Cake!
GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE
I started slowly but surely going GF at 14. I’m 25 now. I haven’t been tested for the DNA markers yet, and because of a mother who’s anti invasive procedures, I never had a stomach biopsy.
I’ve had a revolving door of diagnosis applied to my problems, but in the end it always boils down to one thing: when I eat gluten, I get sick. I can’t live my life, and deal with my other medical issues, when I do. Without gluten, I don’t feel deprived anymore–I haven’t felt that way since I was a teenager.
Going GF? It shook up how I ate, how I shopped, what I put into my body. I live with a great guy, and we keep a GF kitchen. He committed with me to staying healthy and being happy while I do it.
I am thrilled that these mixes are coming out. As the parent of a teen who can not have gluten, I am always looking for ways to make things that she enjoys Betty just made that easier!
To my knowledge,I have never tried Gluten Free anything, but if it is good for me and my family, I’m all for it.
Gluten Free carrot cake
I am excited to try the Betty Crocker Gluten Free Cookie Brownie Bars. They sound yummy! My niece is limited to gluten free products and I want to make special cookies for her and share the info about this product line with my sister in law.
love the Brownie Ganache Torte with Raspberries recipe
I agree that raised awareness is great for celiac, but with these we are just replacing an unhealthy gluten filled diet with a gluten free unhealthy diet. Celiacs need to focus on whole foods and clean eating, not replacing white wheat flour with white rice flour.
My gluten free story comes from the spouse of a gluten free person. My husband hadn’t been following the diet, he’s been diagnosed for 20 years now. He limited his amount he ate but no longer went completely g-free. About 2 years into the marriage he declares he must return to the diet due to health issues. I’m all for it but clueless. I understood what gluten was, after all I had baked breads, cookies, pastries my whole life. I have a book of ribbons and medals to prove I understood gluten. I didn’t understand what it meant to remove it. I started researching, reading, studying everything about Celiac and gluten free flours. He told me it was next to impossible to find them around here so I found them on Amazon.com. I ordered a case of gluten-free flour substitute. It said that it was cup for cup replacement. I was excited. When it arrived, I was like a kid in a candy store. I ripped open that package, grabbed a box and ran for the kitchen. I was going to make bread. I used the tried and true family recipe that I was now the fourth generation to be making. I made the bread just like always, knead it, let it raise, punch it down, let it raise, make it out, let it raise, bake it. All the punching down and raising is what makes it so light and airy and gives it that great tooth. I popped it in the oven to bake. My chest was so puffed up with pride it wasn’t even funny. When it came out, I was slightly disappointed with the browning it didn’t have the deep brown I was used to. Oh well, I’m sure it would taste fine. When it was time to cut it, I about died. I could use it for a brick in the patio. It was horrible. I cried for days. I gave up. I bought mixes, something totally against my training but I did it. Fast forward 3 years, I still use some mixes from time to time but I’m baking more and more from scratch and now, they aren’t turning out like bricks. Plus my local grocery store, here in the sticks, now carries most of the flours that I need. Gluten - free isn’t near as scary now.