This is a follow up post from "Is it Gluten Free?"
Ever go to a food festival, music is playing, there is food everywhere and everyone is trying different items carefree? As a Type 1 Diabetic and also being gluten intolerant and vegetarian, randomly finding food to eat is not always easy; it takes hours of searching different places and restaurants to find at least one thing for me to eat. This whole process can just be so frustrating that usually I give up and eat before I leave for any event, or I pack a bunch of snacks. So now, imagine walking around a food festival full of samples that are 100% gluten free and more than half of the products are vegetarian! So exciting, right?
This past weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Nourished Festival as an official blogger. I have to say that after years of wanting to go and researching and following the Nourished Festival’s posts and journey to other cities - I was so excited when this weekend came along! However, this week I also started to feel a little anxious, since this was my first time going to any food festival that I would actually be able to sample food, basically all day. I had a bunch of thoughts running through my head: “what if my blood sugar doesn’t behave?” “how do I even start giving myself insulin for all these samples?” “when should I start giving myself insulin?” “If I give myself too much I drop, but too little I’ll spike so fast that I won’t be able to enjoy anything” and yes even the thought of “ maybe I just shouldn’t go so I don’t have to worry about my blood sugar messing the whole experience up.” Then I stopped, I BREATHED, and I realized that stressing about my blood sugar messing up the whole festival, that the stress alone is more than likely going to cause my bg to spike.
So, I did what I do best, I planned ahead! I contacted my amazing endo who not only helped me figure out how much and when to bolus (Hello Square Wave!) but also made me so thankful that I have both an insulin pump and a Dexcom! After talking to my endo, I felt a whole weight was lifted from my shoulders - I realized that I was just so worried about the “what ifs” that I was started to see things differently, like through fog for example, instead of being excited I was more anxious then anything. The truth is that we cannot always plan ahead, even if it is ideal too, challenges happen, blood sugars spike right when you don’t want them to; but it’s all about the mindset going in. Therefore, with a now positive, excited mindset I was able to walk into the festival with ‘clear’ eyes!
And now about the festival…
I hope that everyone that lives with either a food allergy or a special diet can attend at least one time – I’m already planning on going next year! As an official blogger, I got the opportunity to attend the festival, talk to the exhibitors about all their products, and of course sample my way through the day – honestly, this was the most gluten free mostly vegetarian options I have ever had in one room! It was so empowering and so much fun going to mostly all the booths and talking to them about their products and their own personal stories about having either/both a chronic illness and food allergy. After hours and hours of talking, sampling, and also discussing mostly every booth I visited with the boyfriend (who was there basically as my photographer and sampling buddy) I narrowed down my top 5 picks from the festival!
TOP 5 (in no order)
EpiLynx Skin Care and Cosmetics – yes, I know what you are thinking, why am I discussing a cosmetic brand and why in the world was it at a gluten free festival. Well, yes the line is 100% gluten free and hypoallergic - which is very important for individuals with celiac disease, and also myself since most makeup (especially eye makeup) irritates my skin. So, the reason this company is on my top 5 has to do with their amazing 3D Natural Lashes Mascara that made my eyelashes look so full without any irritation! Also, I found that one of the co-founders, Liia, and one of the store managers, Jasmine, to be incredibly empowering women. Dr. Liia Vainchtein, PharmD, PhD, shared her empowering story of how she was working within pharmaceutical companies for over 10 years and was so frustrated every time she was getting ready to go out, since all her makeup would give her horrible allergic reactions that forced her to stop using makeup. One day, she had a fantastic idea to use her (and her co-founder’s) scientific and medical skills to create a makeup and skincare line that everyone with a severe allergy and sensitive skin could use and enjoy! Her inspirational story, fantastic products, and genuine, friendly, and enthusiastic personality made this company worthy of being in the top 5!
Chebe Naturally Gluten & Grain Free - This company makes six dry mixes: cheese bread, pizza crust, cinnamon rolls, garlic-onion breadsticks, all-purpose bread, and focaccia. What I loved about these products is the fact that all of the mixes (other than the cheese bread which contains dairy) is free of gluten, soy,corn,rice, potato, yeast, tree nuts, peanuts, iodine, and lactose. I also liked that all these mixes were very simple and versatile since on their website there were so many different items you could make with each mix! I personally loved the parmesan focaccia bread they were sampling, so much that by the end of the day I had to go buy a box! I hope to try most of this company’s mixes some day!
Forno de Minas - Pão de Queijo Brazilian Cheese Rolls - Going into the festival, I knew I really wanted to try Brazilian cheese rolls, since I have never had them but heard they taste amazing. I knew about a brand called Brazi Bites; however, I haven’t heard of this company until I went to their booth and had a sample - now I can’t stop thinking about them! I got to chat with one of the Forno de Minas reps and she explained to me that these Brazilian traditional treats are naturally gluten-free, since they are made with Cassava flour and of course, their own homemade cheese. What really made this product/ brand stand out compared to a different brand of Brazilian cheese rolls is that these use an authentic recipe straight from Brazil, which you can really tell the difference! These rolls are in the frozen isle and are baked in the oven for only 5 minutes! I definitely recommend trying these - just be careful, you might eat the whole bag 😉
Swerve The Ultimate Sugar Replacement - Being both a baker and having T1D, this brand really caught my eye and I decided to talk to the two Swerve reps to figure out what exactly this product was. The reps explained to me that Swerve is made from ingredients found in select fruits and starchy root vegetables, and contains no artificial ingredients, preservatives or flavors. It’s zero-calorie, non-glycemic and measures cup-for-cup just like regular sugar. Still a little unsure, I tried a sample of a piece of chocolate cake (made with their cake mix) with buttercream on top (made by using their confectioner’s sugar). I have to say I was truly surprised! I couldn’t tell that it has used this sugar replacement, all the rich and sweet flavors were still there! The fact that these products are non-glycemic, the reps explained to me that it is “safe” for those living with diabetes since it has no effect on blood glucose, meaning no insulin is really needed to enjoy one of their products. I was intrigued! I love to bake and especially make buttercream, but it can be difficult to bolus for since it is pure sugar - could this be the answer? I was given a bag of their confectioner’s sugar, which I am so excited to see if by using Swerve if it would taste just like my original buttercream without the hassle of the effects it has on my bg - I will definitely be keeping everyone posted on that!
Aleia’s - This is another brand that looked familiar, yet I have never tried it. I am always looking for a new gluten- free and slightly more healthy cookie to enjoy- well this brand has me covered! This brand has a line of delicious, all natural, certified gluten free, wheat free and kosher baked goods, breadcrumbs, and croutons. I have to say all their cookies were delicious, however their almond horn cookies and ginger snaps were two of the best cookies I have had in a very long time. I absolutely loved the ginger snaps, since I have found it hard to actually find a gluten free brand, until this one, that successfully has a product that has a strong ginger flavor profile and that softish molasses texture! Other than the fact that those ginger snaps were so freaking delicious, I also liked that one cookie (which is actually a decent normal size) is only 60 calories and 10g of carbs! I will be keeping an eye out for this brand’s products the next time I go shopping and am craving a good cookie; I will definitely recommend this brand to anyone that is either/both gluten free or just looking for delicious natural cookies.
Honorable Mentions
These are products I found that I enjoyed, and some products that I saw but have not yet tried but found them to be very interesting (these will be marked with a *) I will also include the brands that my boyfriend personally liked (marked BF Choice)
-LEKKO Belgian Dark Chocolate Spread
-Urban Farmer Veggie Crust Pizza (the southwestern veggie is my favorite)
-Milton's Craft Bakers Gluten Free baked crackers
-Kay's Naturals Protein Chips (Crispy Parmeasan)
-BioK+ (BF choice)
-Brain Juice (BF Choice)
-I’m Aware (an at-home test for celiac disease)*
-White Gold 1:1 bread mix *
- Pamperme Pantry Box (Profits benefit Autism Hope Alliance )*
The top 5 was really hard to narrow down because there were so many friendly exhibitors and amazing products; however, to make sure that this post doesn’t take forever to read I had to choose a top 5 to go into detail about and choose to make a small list of the honorable mentions.
The Connection
The truth is that there is a huge connection between mental health and chronic illness (which includes celiac disease), and then if you add a food allergy that is just another necessary limitation. The more limitations an individual has, the more they are at risk of it affecting their mental health. For example: let’s say a child that just got diagnosed with Celiac Disease was invited to their friend’s birthday party. They are excited until they realize that now they are worried about if they can eat anything at their friend’s birthday party. This might make that individual not want to go to their friend’s birthday parties anymore, due to not wanting to risk of possibility of getting sick due to cross contamination or feeling left out when their friends enjoy cupcakes. This thought process in turn, can affect their self-esteem and that's when depression and anxiety can come to the surface. You see, it’s all connected! That’s why being able to go to Nourished Festival, where you can learn about amazing products and information regarding Celiac disease, and it also gives you the chance to feel empowered and included - you can eat that cupcake without worrying about being sick - and that is a glorious feeling!
Until Next Time, Stay Strong!
