Yesterday I spent the evening at Thrifty Foods in Victoria, where I participated in a walking tour of the store’s gluten free options. The tour was led by Jessalyn O’Donnell, a registered dietitian who is full of enthusiasm, knowledge, and patience for the many questions thrown her way. The whole tour lasted about 1.5 hours and was extremely informative. Jessalyn covers everything from lactose-free products, to nut and sugar free items – but her main focus are things that are gluten and wheat free. She has created a list of Celiac friendly products which you can acquire at the front desk (customer service) or on your own time through their website. It changes often, so printing it may not be the best for the trees. The list also covers alternatives to dairy and milk.
I was blown away by two things: how much I have yet to learn about this disease and my intolerances, and how lucky I am to be part of these types of events in my city. My main positive experience was the realization that so many products have gluten-free versions, and even big names like Campbell’s have joined in. In addition, rather than having one isle of “gluten free” stuff, Thrifty’s has incorporated their products along with everything else, making you feel like a regular shopper.
Some things that I learned today, that I have not read anywhere else:
- Always read the label and don’t assume! Fry’s Cocoa, for example, has two sizes of their product. The smaller container has no warnings about containing wheat, while the larger container does. After Jessalyn spoke with the manufacturer, it turned out that each size is produced at a different facility and one has possibility of cross contamination. Wow.
- Imitation crab meat contains wheat. (did anyone else know this?… I just made sushi 2 nights ago… poor timing!)
- Couscous contains wheat. I don’t know why I didn’t know this.
- Each country has their own gluten-free standards, so something that may be gluten-free in the US, may not be considered the same in Canada (and vice versa). Thriftys is very careful about listing their GF items that are manufactured in other countries, unless they can get a clear answer about that product’s packaging and facility procedures. (Although these items are still carried by the store, they may not be listed on their certified “GF” list).
- Ingredient lists that say “herbs and spices” – beware. Unless that package specifically says “GF Certified” on it, try to avoid.
- Avoid deli meats and bulk sections: cross-contamination is a high risk here.
- A Celiac cannot have more than 20mg of gluten. A Canadian dime weighs 1750mg. (Everyone is different of course, so this is a pretty general statement to give you an idea how little gluten can affect someone).
- Dried figs and dates are often sprinkled with gluten-containing flour in order to prevent them from sticking together during travel and packaging. Ensure to read your labels, or if they are not clear, don’t hesitate to contact the manufacturer!
I highly recommend this tour for anyone with any food intolerance, as Jessalyn easily caters to help you with whatever you need. And even if you are not intolerant to anything, this tour gives you great ideas about healthier eating options and how to properly read labels.
The tour costs $10.00, but at the end you receive a $10.00 gift certificate to Thrifty’s. Jessalyn was also kind enough to give us a sample of some rice chips (very yummy!) but I am not sure if she does that on every tour.
More information about healthy eating: Thrifty Foods Nutrition Website. You can find contact information for Jessalyn on this page, and email her about the next tour!
*Thrify logo image courtesy of Google Image Search.
Let me just jump right to my conclusion and say that I absolutely love this stuff! I found it completely by surprise when shopping for pot-luck friendly items on my way to a dinner party. I had always loved cream cheese with salmon and capers, on rice crackers along a gorgeous wine jelly, or as a dip for veggies. So of course I was in total shock when I found something that not only tasted EXACTLY like lactose filled cream cheese, but had the same consistency and was better for you! When I finally got to my party, I brought regular cream cheese and Tofutti’s alternative. Both were made side by side with some seasoning as a dip for rice crackers, but the Tofutti was gone before its regular competitor. My friends had a laugh when I told them that they preferred something that was actually better for their health, especially since the theme of our dinner party was “Cheat Day”. I am so incredibly happy with this product and look forward to trying their other flavours, as well as sour cream and ice cream!
