Six Food Intolerance Living

When I first found out about my GDSYWP intolerances, many foods that I would never be able to have again ran through my mind. Cheese, bread, pasta, pizza, milkshakes and ice cream all came to mind. But, one thing that I didn't think of was cereal. I have never been a big cereal fan. Hubby, on the other hand, is. He LOVES cereal. I honestly think if I gave him cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, he would be a happy man. Especially if I gave him a couple choices and even better if I mixed them together. Ick. Anyway, back to the subject at hand. When traveling (and this subject deserves several posts all to itself, which it will get later), cereal is probably the easiest breakfast option to not only consume safely, but also to find in local grocery stores. There were some surprising cereals that I thought would be GDSYWP free, but were not. This is a reoccurring theme in this lifestyle (again, a subject which needs its own post). In addition to the fact that I've never been a big fan of cereal, I also have a strong aversion to anything that tastes too "ricey" (I think I just made that word up, but if you are gluten free, you probably know what I'm talking about). Certain rice milks, Rice Dream ice cream, certain flour mixes and certain breads have too strong of a rice flavor for me and it is really gross to me. It kinda makes the gluten free part of this lifestyle difficult, but it is what it is. So, here is a list of not too "ricey" cereals from a GDSYWP free, non-fan-of-cereal.

I was so happy about this because although I've never been a big fan of cereal, I did always like both Cocoa and Fruit Pebbles. This is often my go-to cereal.


Now, be VERY careful with this one. Rice Chex only recently became gluten free (as of July 2008, I believe), so there are still gluten packed boxes floating around. PLEASE read your box and make sure that it is indeed gluten free. It is labeled right on the front of the box. The previous recipe contained malt barley. Actually, when I was first diagnosed with all this back in February 2008, the very 2 first cereals I reached for (thanks to my Hubbys extensive knowledge of all things cereal), were Rice and Corn Chex. I was very surprised to find that they both had malt barley in them. I mean, they seemed like easy cereals to make allergen free. But alas, they were not. Until now! So, I've stocked up on Rice Chex and am crossing my fingers that they will soon make their Corn Chex gluten free as well!


I don't ever remember having Trix prior to this lifestyle change, but I really like it. Since it is corn based, it doesn't have that strong "ricey" flavor, which I am happy about. It also holds up to milk and stays nice and crunchy - I can't stand mushy cereal! Ick!


Some cereals that I was surprised to learn were NOT GDSYWP free: Cocoa Krispies (Malt Flavoring and possible use of Soybean Oil). I figure if Cocoa Pebbles is safe, Cocoa Krispies should be too, right? Nope!, Rice Krispies (Malt Flavoring), I just thought this one should be easy enough to make gluten free, Corn Pops (possible use of Soybean Oil and some other unmentioned wheat product, but allergen information says the cereal contains wheat - maybe manufactured on equipment that processes wheat?), Honey Comb (made with non-GF Oat flour and is manufactured on equipment that processes wheat).


Now, I know that there are companies that make specially designed gluten and other allergen free cereals. I have tried a couple of them, but I just did not like them, either the taste or texture was off. I know that I could experiment more with them, but they are usually more expensive than the "regular" brands and since I am not much of a cereal person to begin with, I just haven't devoted much energy into it. Besides, I only occasionally eat cereal at home. One box would last ages in my house (well, if Hubby didn't get into it!). It is really only when I travel that I make cereal my safe breakfast, and if it's a specialty cereal, I may not be able to find it where I am going. If I stick to big store brand-names, I am sure to find at least one of these. I usually just pack some rice or almond milk (double or triple Zip-Loc bagged in my suitcase if flying, or just thrown in the trunk if driving) and then find the cereal at a local grocery store when I get to where I'm going.

And that's all I have to say about that!