Eat "Free" of Fear

Good Morning "Free" eaters!
It's been a few days since my last post. Sorry for the delay! I want to give all my readers some resources for companies that are dedicated to making food options for those with food allergies and sensitivities. I hope that making my posts a resource to more resources will be helpful and make the search for "free" food a little less stressful (and more exciting)! It's very scary (especially for those new to "free" diets) for us to eat. Not knowing what's in your food and not being able to trust those who prepare your food is our biggest fears. I want you all to be able to not only eat "Free" of allergens and irritants, but also to eat "Free" of Fear!

So, my first resource is Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods! Bob's is an excellent source of healthy food options, but most of all, Gluten-free options. Everything from cake mixes (I highly recommend the GF chocolate cake mix) to basic ingredients that you need for your everyday cooking and baking! Not only does he offer amazing and trustworthy products, but he offers incredible resources (Bob has his own blog!) and on all the packages he lets you know how to use the product. On top of it all, his website offers incredible recipes!! You all gotta try making his Gluten Free Chocolate Chip cookie recipe (I substitute half or all the sugar for agave syrup)...So YUMMY! Anyways, Bob's is dedicated to their customers and their health needs and I have no fear of gluten contamination whatsoever. In addition, the products, including those that aren't gluten free, are a healthier, preservative-free, and tastier option for everyone! It's all quality product that your body will love and feel the difference too! Also, on his website is a link to gluten free registry. I will include the link here because it is a great tool to look up gluten free restaurants, bakeries, and businesses. It gives you links to places, addresses, and contact info. Look out for those that aren't fully dedicated to keeping cross-contamination from happening though, because those with extra sensitive systems will not benefit from eating at those places. He also has many links to different organizations and information about Celiac disease, Gluten Intolerance, and Autism. This is a company dedicated to its customers.
http://www.bobsredmill.com/
http://www.glutenfreeregistry.com/index.jsp


The next resource I highly recommend is 1-2-3 Gluten Free, Inc. Their products are not only Gluten-free certified, Kosher, and GMO free BUT ALSO free of gluten, wheat, dairy, casein, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, and soy. In addition, most of their products are corn free, with the exception of their corn bread ;) Their products are so easy to use and you can add whatever you like to their mixes to make dozens of different baked goods, including your own creations! I use 'Sweet Goodness Pan Bar" mix to make apple pumpkin cupcakes! This is the perfect start for people new to allergy free baking. The mixes are easy to use and the recipes included on the packaging and online are easy to follow and require minimal ingredients to add. So, check out their online store and website!
http://www.123glutenfree.com/Page_1.html

My last resource is Swanson Health products. This website is amazing because it offers all sorts of dietary options including: vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, organic, and kosher product. It also sells food product like Bob's Red mill and all other options for gluten free. It is a good resource to find other healthy products for everyone trying to "free" up their lifestyle. You can type in what you want, like 'supplements for healthy joints' or 'gluten free crackers' , and it will show you all sorts of products.  I like to use this site to cross-examine products too and find what is honestly going to be a good option for me. It's great because if I want to know the ingredients of the product I'm looking at, it gives a list of ingredients. There is so much out there that you need to check everything. 
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/
(Always check with your doctor before taking any supplements and vitamins. I believe this is an important advisory because their are a lot of natural ingredients that interact with medications that we already take. Sometimes they even make things worse by preventing another medication we already take from working or even cause it to create nasty side effects. Please do your research and ask your doctor questions before taking anything new.)
Here are resources for more information about drug interactions and herb and vitamin interactions:
http://www.fda.gov/drugs/resourcesforyou/ucm163354.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/default.htm
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/drug-multivitamin/article_em.htm
http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/list-all/

I hope these are helpful resources for those new to eating "free". If there are any questions about recipes, other resources, and even places to shop, feel free to email me or post a comment! Eating healthier and "free" of nasty GMOs, preservatives, allergens, pesticides and toxins, and irritants is my goal and I want to support all those with the same goal!

Let's eat "free" of fear!!

More to Come!
Mary :)