Baking & Gluten

Baking is very hard when you have a gluten allergy. You can find substitutions for flour and oats, or you can find recipes that do not include gluten (this can be very tricky). Here is a recipe that is easy and gluten free. It is also a lot healthier than other cookies.

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Mix in chocolate chips. Using moistened hands, form generous 1 tablespoon dough for each cookie into ball. Press down with a fork so they can cooky evenly. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

ENJOY :)

Gluten - A New Market?

So you may be wondering why I chose to blog about my gluten free lifestyle? How does this relate to my school/career life? Well, I believe I can relate this topic to every aspect of my life including marketing and advertising.

Like I stated in my previous blog, gluten free has not only just become a more commonly diagnosed disease, it is becoming a “fad diet” and new lifestyle choice for many people. This opens a whole new market for brands. A year ago, when you walked into a grocery store there was a very limited amount of alternatives for gluten intolerant people. Nowadays when you walk into the grocery store there is a whole section dedicated to wheat allergies. They are offering many alternatives to gluten products, like potato and rice based foods. Many companies have jumped on this bandwagon and are coming out with new and innovative products everyday.

Its not only food companies producing products, restaurants and bakeries are now recognizing these new trends. Bakeries are now becoming gluten conscious and providing their consumers with alternative products. Restaurants are now including a gluten free section on their menus, making it a lot easier for people with allergies to dine out.

Why Gluten-Free?

The Gluten-Free Lifestyle

The gluten-free diet has recently become a very popular lifestyle choice. As first it seemed that more and more people were being diagnosed with “Celiac” disease and were advised to go on the gluten-free diet. Now is seems like everyone is jumping on the gluten-free diet as a lifestyle choice.

So what is Gluten-Free?

Gluten-Free is a diet that excludes any foods containing gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and malts. People choose to eat gluten free for many different reasons, some because they have to, like Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is a disorder that causes damage to the small intestine. Cutting gluten can relieve many symptoms, including bloating, cramps, nausea, anemia, irritability and depression. Others go gluten free as a way to lose weight and eat healthier.

So why I am gluten-free? My sister was diagnosed with celiac disease 3 years ago. To make it easier on her we started eating gluten-free as a family. This way my mom didn’t have to cook separate meals for my sister and we could all help her cope with being Celiac. It was very tricky at first, but we all learned about substitutions to gluten and adapted the diet to our lifestyle. Not only did my sister get better, we all felt healthier and learned to love the gluten-free lifestyle.