Dearest Domino's

 Dearest Domino's Pizza,

You have probably noticed by now that the Celiac community is less then enthused with your offering of Gluten Free Pizza. Really, why call it Gluten Free  when it actually  ends up not being so. I understand that the crust itself is indeed Gluten Free, but once your employees handle it all that Gluten Free safeness is out the window. "Appropriate for those with mild gluten sensitivity" Not recommend it for those with Celiac Disease".

 Seriously? What are you trying to accomplish?

In my personal opinion, if you are going to offer a Gluten Free pizza, shouldn't it remain just that? I get that it's not only Celiac's who eat Gluten Free. The difference between us and  bandwagon yuppies   Kim Kardashian, Gwyenth Paltrow, and the rest of the posse is that Celiac's MEDICALLY REQUIRE 100% GLUTEN FREE FOOD! Did you catch that? The fact that you are even marketing it as  Gluten Free  blows my mind. Would you market something Peanut  Free but only suggest it to only those who have a "minimal intolerance"? Probably not. Just like you would not sell a Vegetarian Pizza that is dripped in meat sauce.

Please understand that I am not out to get you. You are just going about it the money making  wrong way. I mean sheesh, why not just label the darn thing "low carb" for crying out loud. Your twitter feed the other day sort of made me laugh. I had to or my eyes would have exploded at the shear ignorance of what you are doing. Sure, go ahead and tweet well known celebs who credit being  Gluten Free  for their amazing bodies, about your new Gluten Free pizza. Not a sham at all! You do realize that these people have personal chefs, fitness trainers and their photos get a healthy dose of that neato thing called Photoshop.

What was the point in partnering with the NFCA? Credentials perhaps? Neither of you recommend this pizza to those with Celiac.So what it is then? Are you secretly hoping that Gluten Free will be the next big thing and then when you are overflowing with money, you will actually offer pizza that stays Gluten Free? Or is it that you are hoping Celiac's in desperate need of something new and quick to eat will see GLUTEN FREE and order without questioning? Sure they can't sue or anything because you disclaimed the hell out of it on your website. Just know that not everyone reads fine print, things such as language barriers exist and a lot of people assume the words Gluten Free mean just that. You probably think that's silly though.

Celiac Disease is an Immune Disorder and Gluten Free is NOT a trend. It is my life. It keeps me from being so ill that I can't function. Have you seen someone with Celiac Disease have a reaction? Did you know that even if we all react differently (hence the trouble with diagnosis) we have the same detrimental outcome. Untreated, or continuous accidental ingestion can and does result in MANY other serious ailments. Please allow me to list a few for you - Osteoporosis, Cancer, Neurological Disorders, Infertility. Oh, and it can be fatal too.

Here's something else I bet you didn't know, Malnutrition is a symptom of Celiac Disease. 

In the end, you are attaching yourself to a trend that is not actually a trend. You are doing so at the expense of myself and others with Celiac Disease. Shame on you.

Celiac Disease: What kids have to say

When The Gluten Free Section Isn't

I went to HomeSense yesterday . This was my first trip to the store and I went thanks to the suggestion of a friend. When  I approached the food section, I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot of Gluten Free items. They were in a section labelled as such too. I was so happy at the site of this that I took a picture with my phone.

Now for the not so cool part. Today I was going through yesterday's GF purchase of almost $40.00 to decide what product I would be enjoying first. Upon reading the ingredients/directions I discovered that  I had made a silly mistake. A novice mistake. In my shear joy of seeing a section full of Gluten Free goodies, I neglected to read EVERY label of every item I was placing in the shopping basket. I bet you can guess what is next! I ended up purchasing 2 NON Gluten Free products. Total bummer! I have labelled the 2 items in my photo in hopes of preventing the same mistake from being repeated by anyone else. At first I thought, okay I must have grabbed these items from a different section. Nope. So there seems to be a mishmash of Celiac friendly and pain inducing (non gf) product in the so called Gluten Free area. Not sure if this is a mistake or if this is just how that section is taken care of. Unfortunate I know.My mistake completely for not verifying and triple checking like I normally do. But still, you would think that a Gluten Free Section would be just that wouldn't you.

Metro's GF Freezer Bin

Metro has a freezer bin almost full of amazing Gluten Free items. I say almost as a few items in the right of the bin (not in the photo) are only nut free. Interesting how prominent the Gf sign is and how there is NO sign advertising the nut free part of the bin. A sign is needed not only to help promote the nut free product, but to prevent confusion. Oh, and the cookies on the top of the bin are NOT GF. Im not even sure they are nut free.

 The Real Canadian Superstore , like many grocery stores has Gluten Free mixed in with Organic and Natural items. This is where I do my groceries so I am well aware of the regular stock of GF items. Anything new, I triple check.

I guess I would just like to see a Gluten Free section that is just that. Gluten Free.

Sleep, Where Are You?

Lately I have been feeling tired. Really tired. There have been days where all I wanted to do was sleep.  With a 3 year old and work, that is not an option. Those are the days Im like a zombie. I can barely think, my appetite is nowhere to be found and I have trouble sleeping...getting that good sleep. 

I wish I could be more like my husband - close my eyes & be immersed in dreamland instantly. But Im not.It's always taken me a while to fall asleep.Lately though, there is not much of that whole deep sleep going on for me.

At times I wonder if I have accidentally ingested the dreaded gluten. It's not a far off possibility. We have a small kitchen with minimal counter space. Sometimes my little guy with stick his hands in a bowl of a gluten free snack for a bite before I can wash his hands. Often before I even notice. There are also times where hubby, as vigilant as he is, assumes safety of food without reading ingredients. I get it though, it kind of makes me shake my head to see gluten in certain food.

Months ago, my family Doctor diagnosed me with Chronic Fatigue. I didn't know what to think and I still don't. There are many different theories on this issue. I forgot about it until recently when I became so tired again. 

I hope it's something minor like stress affecting my sleep. Hopefully with Spring well on it's way, the fresh air and sunshine will help me get back to my usual self.

Enjoy Life Plentils Review

I won a contest care of Enjoy Life ! Talk about exciting! The prize I have been eagerly awaiting has arrived. Can you guess what it is? I received a box containing the NEW  and soon to be released in stores Plentils. My gift pack contained 4 bags of Plentils. One of each flavour -

Margherita Pizza 

Light Sea Salt

Garlic & Parmesean

Dill &Sour Cream

The overall design of the individual packages made me smile right away. As you can see from the pictures, it was like opening a box of Summer. I kid you not. The colours are bold, yet warm and inviting.

On to the most important thing....TASTE. It took a few Plentils to get used to the texture. They have the crisp snap of a potato chip when bitten into. Once in your mouth, the Plentil is almost like a rice-cake in airiness. At the end, it melts away like a shrimp chip. It's a rather interesting experience. Before I knew it, I had downed an entire bowl and was starting a second. Good thing they are healthy. ;)

After sampling the Plentils I have decided the following

1) They are a welcome treat

2) Great snack choice for school / work lunches

3) Would be great for entertaining

4) I can't eat just one

5) Flavour filled without being overloaded

The little note that was on top of my Plentils states that the packaging I received will be used in America only. I'm guessing that the Canadian version  will be only slightly different with the obvious addition of French labelling. 

If you cannot wait for Plentils to hit store shelves, they are currently available online through the Enjoy Life  web store.