Gluten Free Shopping - Wegmans, Buffalo, New York (NY)

Being new residents of Toronto, my wife and I decided to take our first trip down south of the border to Buffalo and check out the shopping digs down there.

Best Nachos? Sneaky Dee's - (431 College St Toronto)

I often look for Mexican options when eating out as you can find things that do not contain wheat flour like pupusas or the standard Nacho fare.

I've used BlogTo as a reference for getting some ideas about places to eat in Toronto.  (So far it's been hit or miss in terms of reliability)  I was in the mood for Nachos and after filtering out existing reviews, I decided on Sneaky Dee's on College St.  Apparently they won the "King of Nachos" title last year, so I was tempted to see what this enviable title was all about.

Gluten Free Oatmeal - $3.49 at Longo's (Toronto)

Everybody enjoys something nice and warm for breakfast especially in these cold and dreary mornings.  There's no easier way than to boil up some water and add it to some quick and easy gluten free oatmeal.

Now generally, regular oatmeal is quite affordable, but for people suffering from celiac/gluten intolerance, this may not be a viable option.

I've compared the price of Glutenfreeda's variety pack from different stores in both Ottawa and Toronto, and so far Longo's sells it for a regular price for $3.49 (6 packs) which is not too bad.

Gluten Free Pasta from Costco

Great news for Celiacs and Gluten intolerant out there.

You can now find a decent GF pasta at Costco.  1KG should be enough to serve a few meals for the cost of $8.99.

Unlike other GF pasta out there it is not just solely Corn flour or Rice Flour.  There is a mix of Quinoa and Amaranth added to the mix which changes the texture up in a good way.

I also like Tinkyada pasta, but it isn't easy to find.  More importantly, it's a little on the costly side.

So the next time you're at Costco, you may want to give this pasta try. 

Gluten Free Hanoi: Restaurant 96

Vietnam in general is quite a gluten friendly country and you won't be hard stricken to find something decent to eat that's for sure.

I went to this fantastic restaurant called Restaurant 96 in the Hoan Kiem area of Hanoi.  If you do a Google search, you will find that it is centrally located and not hard to find.

I ordered a lovely mango smoothie and sauteed chicken on lemon grass sticks.  With the "ngoc nam" (fish sauce), this is a simple yet delicious meal option for those who are gluten intolerant or celiac.

Gluten Free Soba (100% Buckwheat) - Osaka, Japan (Namba Parks)

 Travelling to a different country can be a delightful experience especially when exploring for new eating venues.  Osaka has a wealth of selection and looking for a restaurant to satisfy your hunger is as easy as closing your eyes and pointing to a particular direction.

Noodles are almost staple in most Eastern Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, and China.  For the most part, noodles are wheat derived since this type of flour is the most mass produced making it cheaper for consumer consumption.

In Japan, you will find many little noodle shops and restaurants serving Udon, Ramen, and Soba.  Udon and Ramen both contain gluten, but Soba can be made gluten free because it is comprised of primarly Buckwheat flour. 

A word of caution though, many shops serving soba indeed layer some regular flour to contain texture, so you will have to ask the server whether it is 100% buckwheat.

Yesterday, I went to a restaurant that serves 100% buckwheat Soba right next to Namba Parks.  Go to the ground level and you will see a skateboard shop, surf shop, and even a gym along a path way that surrounds Namba Parks.  You will have to check out the menu display in front of the restaurant to see if they are serving soba.  I believe there is only one restaurant in that section.  So you will know it when you see it.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Soba is commonly served with Tempura.  Tempura is a sort of deep fried vegetable or meat that is battered with regular flour.  You can opt out of eating this item or you can see if the restaurant will supplement it with something else.

I have found that most restaurants are more than willing to meet your requests.  Japan is very accomodating in this sense.

Japanese Breakfast Health: Natto, Probiotic Yogurt, Onigri

Convenience is everywhere in Tokyo.  You have access to healthy breakfast items right at your doorstep -- well close enough.
Tokyo is saturated with convenience stores that have an array of healthy food options for health conscience individuals.  The best part about it is that it's quite affordable too!

Kick start your day with a probiotic yogurt, natto, and onigri (rice ball with seaweed and a variety of fillings such as fish, meat, vegetables).  I ended up paying less than $5 for this trio of goodness.

What would $5 get you back at home? 

Gluten Challenge : O'Hare Chicago Airport

One of the biggest challenges is finding gluten friendly food in an airport. In my experience there are not a whole lot of "Gluten Free" options, so one needs to take caution when chosing what to eat.  Afterall, nuts and GF snacks won't always kick it.

On my trip to Vegas, I had a stopover at the Chicago Airport. 

Confronted with the gluten challenge my choices were limited.  It was either eat salad or fruit which are usually the safest choices.

Since I was running on an empty stomach I decided to go for breakfast at Wolfgang Puck's.  Understanding that I should avoid toast, I requested no bread and more potatoes.  Well clearly someone didn't follow the instructions and to my surprise my gluten filled friend was staring at me whispering "eat me, you know you want to."

 So I strategically found some space on my wife's plate and got rid of the enemy.

** I don't suggest that anyone who has  Celiacs or is highly gluten sensitive to do this type of thing.  So take precaution and be smart.

Process of Elimination - Gluten Free or Not?

I spent the whole morning researching gluten free options in Las Vegas, since I'm heading there next month.


Assessing what can be eaten under strict guidelines can be very challenging, especially when travelling. I like to break down food categories based on ethnic groups.   Indian and Ethiopian food (my favourites) tend to rank high in gluten and vegetarian friendliness.  Daals and chickpeas are high in protein and contain a good amount of fiber that aid in digestion.   Curries are also a wonderful way to stimulate the salivary glands while spicing up your palette.

Gluten Friendly Factor- Base it on the Noodle!

The next category includes Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese food.  Vietnamese ranks higher than Japanese and Chinese because the noodles used for dishes like Pho are rice derived.  Even though the Chinese also use rice noodles, variables such as soy sauce, MSG, and wheat from other dishes can contribute to cross contamination.  Additionally, although the Japanese have engineered noodle types such as Soba (buckwheat), it is commonly assimilated with wheat flour.   Korean food ranks equal to Vietnamese in my books since the emphasis on using wheat or gluten containing ingredients is low.  In fact, I give Korea an extra star for coming up with something very unique and creative through the use of sweet potato flour for what I consider to be one of my favourite noodle dishes - Jap-Chae.

(Jap-Chae or pronounced Chap-Chae)

Soy Sauce - Gluten Free or Not?

I've been under the assumption that Soy Sauce is a big nono since it contains wheat. But there seems to be a contradicting study that I stumbled upon on Google. 

In general, Soy Sauce is created through fermentation, but can also be made through chemical hydrolysis.

A study  was done on two different soy sauces (that contained wheat) for gluten composition.   It was found that the amount of gluten after the fermentation process was lower than the amount used to label a product as gluten containing.  In  Europe, anything under 20ppm, can be considered gluten free.  Interestingly enough, the study found that there was less than 5 ppm of gluten in the soy sauce used for testing.

What is the West without Wheat?

The final category includes all the americanized foods that I generally can't eat.

One of the most fundamental ingredients in Western food is wheat.  Wheat flour is used to make pasta, breads, desserts, and almost everything else in the world - atleast that's how it seems.  You just can't replicate the same texture of  a hot dog bun with rice flour.  It just doesn't work!

My less than perfect picture includes the breakfast combo without the toast.  The hamburger without the bun.  The poutine without the........ gravy?! (FML moment)

Well the good thing is that gluten awareness is growing in the Western world and restaurants are beginning to use this to their advantage.  I managed to find a select few restaurants in Vegas that I'm willing to try out.

The Plan

Vegas is full of buffets and I'm sure I can find some creative ways to be safe and satisfied.

Most of the dishes I end up eating will likely be more Eastern themed since the probability of me getting glutenated has a much lower chance of occurring. 

I look forward to sharing my experiences in Vegas!

Gluten Free Breakfast @ Wild Oat - 791 Bank St., Ottawa

Everyone has those days when they just don't feel like cooking.  This morning my wife and I had breakfast at one of Ottawa's "hippy-esque" establishments on Bank Street in the Glebe.

Since it is difficult to find gluten friendly options in Ottawa, Wild Oat stands out as they are able to satisfy the gluten conscious eater.  They have gluten-free bread available, so most of the sandwiches on the menu are available. 

My wife and I opted for the Wild Oat plate which included veggies, potatoes (both sweet and regular), two eggs, and two slices of gluten free bread (upon request).  They also had fresh organic juice available so we got the Hemaglobin which had organic beets, celery, apple, ginger, and carrots in it.

 The atmosphere at Wild Oat is very relaxed and generally you will find that it gets very busy especially in the morning.  They have signs suggesting that customers should limit their time to 30 minutes during the rush to allow others to sit down.

 They have a variety of different coffees and teas available as well.  Some of the gluten containing items looked really tasty like the cinnamon buns and muffins. 

 The bottom of my Hemaglobin. It's ironic to think that I hated when my mom made this drink when I was a kid.

Two eggs over easy, kale with cheese, potatoes, a side of jam, and a slice of orange and apple.

The menu includes sandwiches, crepes, breakfast items and salads.

Health Benefits of Beets

This wonder root is known for it's distinct red colour - similar to that of blood.  It contains an array of health benefits containing high levels of antioxidants, folates, and minerals.

Because beets contain high levels of Vitamin A&C, it is said that this wonder vegetable has strong anti-carconegenic properties.

In Japan, beets are commonly known to purify the blood.  When the body is overburdened with toxins from undigested foods, alcohol, pollutants, pesticides, etc., the blood becomes unfiltered and "dirty."

Drinking beet juice is a natural way to relieve yourself from constipation which is a common problem in the developed world.  The abundance of heavily loaded food combinations (ie: hamburgers, pizza, fries, chips) set the course for a digestive slowdown.

Beets can be bought at your local grocery store, but I advise against the canned beets due to the lack of quality and freshness.  I try to make it part of my routine to drink beet juice atleast once a week usually on the weekend.  That way when my body is calm and relaxed, the beet juice is slowly absorbed and digested.  Also, anything juiced should always be organic, otherwise you'll be ingesting pesticides and other potentially harmful chemicals.

Ceylonta - Sri Lankan Goodness

Finding places to eat for someone who can't eat gluten is challenging in many ways.  I've pretty much narrowed it down to a couple places in the city. 

The one place that my wife and I never get sick of is Ceylonta, located on Carling Avenue, Ottawa.

The owner came up with the brilliant idea of opening this restaurant after realizing how many Sri Lankan students were eating in the food court at university.  His goal was to create an establishment that would cater to the culinary needs of this market.

What he didn't realize was that he had managed to create a successful establishment that even the more conservative (it's Ottawa after all) eaters could enjoy.

We have only eaten the buffet there, but I heard that the A La Carte is exceptionally delicious as well. 
More importantly, the fact that the majority of the dishes are gluten free puts Ceylonta at the top of my list. A++!

 An array of food including sardines, chickpeas, lentils, coconut squash, cabbage, chicken and beef.

 What a wonderful way to treat yourself after fasting! (some may disagree with this)

Gluten Intolerant Me

After my "sick" episode in Korea, I stumbled upon an interesting article on Lonely Planet's website.  It had information about fasting retreats in Thailand for those who were looking to detoxify their body.

What particularly caught my attention was the Candida cleanse, which was basically an 8 day fast with no food except for 3 fresh coconut waters, 2 vegetable broth bowls and multiple rounds of fibre concoctions, liver cleanser herbs, and probiotics.  I had been diagnosed with a Candida problem when I was a teenager -- likely due to the excessive intake of antibiotics that were prescribed to me as a young boy. So I thought maybe the fast could help me.

The concept of fasting was to bring my body back to it's "normal" rhythm.  Being raised in North America,  indulging in excessive eating activities seemed to be common place.  The availability of processed and refined foods contributed to my appetite for destruction.


I lost literally 20 lbs after my fast.

As I introduced foods back into my diet, I realized that I became more sensitive to certain foods.
I cut back on my meat and sugar intake and focused more on foods that made me feel better.

In general, the fast taught be to be more health conscious about what I put in to my body.

Everything started feeling great until I began to get sick again. 

A few months ago I figured out a major contributor to my flareups.

One of the major culprits was Gluten. 

According to Wikipedia:


"Gluten sensitivity (GS) encompasses a collection of medical conditions in which gluten has an adverse effect. For individuals with gluten-sensitive enteropathy, removal of gluten generally results in the restoration of villus architecture^[1] or lower lymphocyte densities in the intestine.^[2] With some sensitivities, improvements may be seen in the neurological state, but a clinical finding may not be clear.^[3][4] GS also can affect blood chemistry,^[5] treatability of certain autoimmune diseases,^[6] and/or an untreated improvement in autoimmune conditions"


But what does Gluten do to me?


Well, looking back in the last few years, I've had some horrible episodes of what I would define as "torture" sessions.  Unfortunately, I hadn't the slight idea as to how or why I was being tortured.  Many people around me assumed that it was a simple stomach flu and that I would get better over time.


I learned the hard way. And that was more than 10 dreadful years of intestinal problems that no one had any clue about.

Since I only started being more serious in the last few months, my life has changed, for the better.