Category: gluten free

December 3, 2013

Delicious Guilt Free Goodness with CheeCha Puffs! #Review #Giveaway

Eating snacks between meals is important – it keeps our energy up, prevents us from over eating at meal times, allows us to remain feeling full and satisfied and has been shown over time to help with weight loss. What we eat at these snack times is very important. I find that too often it is so much easier to reach for the junk snack foods that are so readily available and full of calories, sugars and ingredients you can’t even read! Which defeats the whole purpose of healthy eating at snack times!

But what if there was a snack out there that was made with wholesome ingredients, low calories and tastes delicious?

CheeCha Puffs covers all those points and more! I was introduced to the brand when I started my gluten free diet two years ago. I wanted something healthy, gluten free, low in calories but would still satisfy those snack cravings I seem to always get in the early afternoon!

The gluten free CheeCha Puff line is made up of five flavours. Each flavour is not only gluten free but also nut free, cholesterol free, non GMO, trans fat free, MSG free and dairy free. Now that is a list!
The gluten free flavours are:

original

salt and vinegar (my personal fave!)

salt and pepper

luscious lime

fiesta salsa

The low calorie line (and by low calories I mean roughly 75 calories for two cups! Yup two cups! That is a lot of snacking) is compromised of seven flavours:

triple cheese (my boys fave flavour!)

Each wheel like piece of potato puffed CheeCha Puffs are lightly seasoned and popped to make that healthy and delicious treat. I find these make the perfect snacks for school lunches and I regularly bring them to soccer games and the team cheerleaders “aka the little brothers and sisters” love to snack on them throughout the games!

CheeCha Puffs are sold at many locations across Canada and the United States. I personally purchase my own at Sobeys and Walmart.

What I love the most about CheeCha Puffs is their story. They are a Canadian owned business that started in Elaine Cadrin’s Calgary kitchen. She took a traditional family snack that was deep fried and popped it to create what would become CheeCha Puffs. She started selling them at a local farmer market where they soon became a huge hit. Now alongside her daughter, Tracey, they manage the CheeCha factory in Calgary bringing families all across Canada healthy goodness!

CheeCha Puffs have generously sponsored a great giveaway for you! They would like to give one Canadian reader a case of CheeCha Puffs so you can taste for yourself how fantastic they truly are!

Enter the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway is open to Canadians, 18 years of age and older.

GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: I received no monetary compensation for this post. All thoughts expressed are my own. The only compensation is the giveaway for you my readers!

September 16, 2013

What is Celiac Disease?

The term gluten free has begun to pop up frequently in the news, grocery stores and restaurants. The term is often used to describe the diet that a person with celiac disease is required to follow in order to prevent numerous symptoms from developing. Many individuals have adopted this diet to help ease the symptoms of gluten intolerance (myself included!) and wheat allergies.

Celiac disease is a disease that effects the small intestine by damaging the lining and interferes with the absorption of required nutrients from their food intake. Individuals with this disease can not digest gluten which is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.

There are many symptoms of celiac disease that include: weight loss, abdominal cramping/swelling/bloating, constipation, vomiting, muscle cramps and fatigue.

The best way to be diagnosed is to see your family doctor. They will review your symptoms and more than likely send you for a simple blood test that will check for antibodies related to celiac disease. If you are diagnosed with celiac disease following a gluten free diet is essential.

Gluten intolerance is similar more so to lactose intolerance. The individual will experience similar symptoms but the antibodies are not present. Sometimes preparing a food diary is helpful to keep track of your health symptoms and as you eliminate (under the full guidance of your family doctor and if possible a dietitian!) gluten out of your diet you can see if this is working for you. I found this to be helpful for myself to pin point where I was developing symptoms and how/if they were alleviated by removing certain foods out of my diet.

Check out some of these helpful tips from UDI’s on how to deal with celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

Are you or do you know someone who is suffering with Celiac disease? Do they struggle with this diet?

September 16, 2013

Toronto Gluten Free Expo 2013

I had the pleasure of working the Glutino and UDI’s booth this weekend at the Gluten Free Expo in Toronto. I had an incredible time! I met some fantastic people, sampled some delicious gluten free products and the new incoming products.

There were a lot of exhibitors present at the event – many I had never heard of and each offered something unique and exciting. Many booths offered samples (like a box of pasta!), information and so much more. I gained so much knowledge and insight at this event! Especially in regards to the challenges so many people out there face when trying to prepare meals and grocery shop.

Here are a few of the shots I was able to capture on Sunday.

My favourite product of the day had to be the Glutino baked potato crisps! Everyone in my family loved them and could not believe they were gluten free! They taste so much better than other baked crisps I have ever tried.