Dabbling in Gluten Free
The phrase gluten free wasn’t part of my vocabulary five years ago. In fact I have a hard time remembering just when it became so common. I was once at a local Vancouver park with my kids and I overhear a couple of little girls imagining a game of house and the big plot was that they were both ‘gluten free!’. I sighed and thought…oh Vancouver!
Going Gluten Free?
As time has passed I’ve learned much more about Celiac disease and gluten intolerance. I have even asked myself if it’s time for the family to go gluten free. None of us are showing any tell tale signs of needing to cut back on gluten but it has become such a hot topic it’s often on my mind when grocery shopping. So, in a more moderate approach I’ve been exploring gluten free options as trade offs for our regular products. It’s fun to experiment and to encourage my kids to have more variety.
Discovering Rudi’s
Recently I had the chance to wine and dine with some fantastic Vancouver moms at the well known Kitsilano hot spot Las Margaritas. The theme of the evening was ‘gluten free’ and well, I learned a lot! The event was hosted by Rudi’s Bakery, a well established brand in the US that is just entering the Canadian market.
I love a company with values and Rudi’s is family run business with a long history. Their organic bakery was started in 1976 by Sheldon Romer in Boulder, Colorado. They want to provide high-quality organic breads that contain the healthiest ingredients possible. It’s all about simple ingredients you can pronounce. One of the highlights of the evening was being able to taste Rudi’s wraps as part of a traditional Mexican meal. The restaurant substituted their standard product for Rudi’s and we got to taste first-hand. Personally I loved the texture and would have never guessed that was anything other than their normal wrap.
Changing it Up
It’s one think to impress the parents, the true test is with the kids. I brought home a loaf from Safeway in time for the following morning’s breakfast. Locally you can also find them at Choices and Whole Foods. The kids were happy to go about their regular breakfast without much notice of the switch. I was happy to have found an alternative and another option to cut back on the gluten consumption.
I don’t foresee us becoming a gluten free family anytime soon, but I was encouraged by the quality of product, the variety of options and the peace of mind knowing that I new exactly what had gone in to making of it. If you’ve been wondering about the gluten free life style or want to get to know some tried and true brands, Rudi’s is a great place to start. Find them online at ca.rudisbakery.com.
Katie is a lover of all things Vancouver. She lives in the city (yes, in an apartment!) with her husband and two kids. She takes her coffee seriously and like any mama declares blogging to be the new therapy and Instagram the new scrapbooking. You can find her at www.worldbysmith.com and on Twitter where she's @worldbysmith.