by Shannon Schilling
 |
| Sitting down for a gluten-free break |
When I was diagnosed with gluten
hypersensitivity a year ago, at first I thought that I would never be
able to eat anything good again. Thankfully, I was wrong.
People with gluten hypersensitivity, gluten intolerance, or celiac disease are unable to properly digest the gluten protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. As a college student, I ate a lot of gluten prior to my diagnosis so cutting it out of my diet completely felt a little like the end of the world. All the things I loved - pasta, bread, baked goods - gone!
Although my school's dining services did their best to serve me, I sometimes still felt like I was not eating enough because I did not have enough options. In addition, I would see all my friends eating gluten-filled foods, making me feel like an outsider, something no one wants to feel like when they are miles from home! It took a lot of willpower for me to stick to my diet and not give in to the gluten peer pressure.
Eventually, I discovered (and am still discovering) many great products that are gluten free. However, most of the items can be expensive for a college student's budget. So even though it's been a year, I still find myself stressing about food and health as well as schoolwork and a busy schedule.
When I started working for Bonnie a few months ago, she mentioned that we would do taste tests for new products before putting them into a basket, and I had to break the news about my diet. As we discussed the rising amount of gluten-free products in the marketplace, we realized we had an exciting opportunity: make gluten-free baskets.
As luck would have it,
we discovered that some of our products were already gluten free,
such as many dips from Robert Rothschild Farm. But we went searching
for more products and not just gluten-free items, but good
gluten-free items. I think there is a common misconception that
something labeled gluten free does not taste good, but I try every
day to find products that disprove this.
We found a number of
great-tasting gluten-free products and I was very excited to be able
to use some of my expertise at work and I think Bonnie was excited to
once again have a taste-test partner.
We decided to make two
gluten free baskets: the Gluten-Free Care Package, designed for the
GF college student with plenty of nutritional and energy-boosting
snacks, and the Gluten-Free Goodie Tray, a slightly healthier version
perfect for any occasion.
People with gluten hypersensitivity, gluten intolerance, or celiac disease are unable to properly digest the gluten protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. As a college student, I ate a lot of gluten prior to my diagnosis so cutting it out of my diet completely felt a little like the end of the world. All the things I loved - pasta, bread, baked goods - gone!
Although my school's dining services did their best to serve me, I sometimes still felt like I was not eating enough because I did not have enough options. In addition, I would see all my friends eating gluten-filled foods, making me feel like an outsider, something no one wants to feel like when they are miles from home! It took a lot of willpower for me to stick to my diet and not give in to the gluten peer pressure.
Eventually, I discovered (and am still discovering) many great products that are gluten free. However, most of the items can be expensive for a college student's budget. So even though it's been a year, I still find myself stressing about food and health as well as schoolwork and a busy schedule.
When I started working for Bonnie a few months ago, she mentioned that we would do taste tests for new products before putting them into a basket, and I had to break the news about my diet. As we discussed the rising amount of gluten-free products in the marketplace, we realized we had an exciting opportunity: make gluten-free baskets.
 |
| Gluten-Free Dips from Rothschild Farm |
 |
| Gluten-Free Care Package |
I wish that I could say our baskets
would be safe for those with celiac disease, but due to how some of
the products were processed and packaged, we've decided to only
recommend our baskets for people who are just gluten intolerant.
 |
| Gluten-Free Goodie Tray |
I definitely enjoyed putting these baskets together with Bonnie and I am excited to get to send them to people who struggle with the same thing that I do.
Posts
