Breakfast Food Review: Chex Cereal and Van's Gluten Free Waffles
So you've been diagnosed. You've walked out of the doctor's office (or, in the case of self diagnosis, away from the computer screen) and wondered, "If I can't eat gluten, what can I eat?" You've mourned, you've denied, but now it's time to transform your diet to gluten free. And it sure ain't easy.
Gluten free products by Chex and Van's make the transition a little less of a challenge, however. With breakfast covered, only two meals remain to change.
Chex is the perfect gluten-free alternative for cereal lovers. In fact, the awesome part about it is that for the majority of people, it's not a huge change. Many have already been crunching down on Chex's original corn squares for years! What makes Chex even better, though, is the variety of cereals to choose from. Constantly munching on the same cereal every morning can kill a person's taste buds and mood, but with seven flavors to choose from - ranging from vanilla to honey to chocolate - any celiac can open their cupboards and have tons of choices.
Personally, my top favorites are rice chex and cinnamon. Rice Chex tastes like a better form of the Rice Crispies I gulped down during my childhood, and the cinnamon is perfect for those people who want a shot of sugar in their morning hours.
As much as I love cereal, though, since I've been trying to avoid direct dairy, Van's Gluten Free Waffles have dominated my morning routine for weeks now. They offer tons of different gluten free (as well as egg and dairy free) flavors, including totally natural, apple cinnamon, flax, ancient grains, and buckwheat with berries.
For me, though, the blueberry flavor stands out as an obvious winner. Compared to other brands that mix in chunks of berries in the batter, the blueberries in Van's waffles are very discreet slices or flakes. This causes the waffle to taste like blueberry instead of batter with a burst of blueberry flavor every odd bite.
I always toast mine at a higher setting than regular waffles, because these have a tendency of being cold at lower settings. Once cooked, though, and covered with a little bit of syrup and, my preference of banana (though other fruits, nuts, and yogurts also taste delicious) Van's waffles are divine! In my mind, they taste eerily similar to regular waffles. The texture is light and fluffy, but they still retain a satisfying crunch.
Overall, I give Chex a 9/10 (only because cereal in the morning isn't my first choice) and Van's Waffles a perfect score! Gluten free doesn't mean tasteless, and these products epitomize that. I always say that celiac disease needs to be conquered in baby steps, and by checking the box of one gluten-free meal, Chex and Van's definitely help.
Gluten free products by Chex and Van's make the transition a little less of a challenge, however. With breakfast covered, only two meals remain to change.
Chex is the perfect gluten-free alternative for cereal lovers. In fact, the awesome part about it is that for the majority of people, it's not a huge change. Many have already been crunching down on Chex's original corn squares for years! What makes Chex even better, though, is the variety of cereals to choose from. Constantly munching on the same cereal every morning can kill a person's taste buds and mood, but with seven flavors to choose from - ranging from vanilla to honey to chocolate - any celiac can open their cupboards and have tons of choices.
Personally, my top favorites are rice chex and cinnamon. Rice Chex tastes like a better form of the Rice Crispies I gulped down during my childhood, and the cinnamon is perfect for those people who want a shot of sugar in their morning hours.
As much as I love cereal, though, since I've been trying to avoid direct dairy, Van's Gluten Free Waffles have dominated my morning routine for weeks now. They offer tons of different gluten free (as well as egg and dairy free) flavors, including totally natural, apple cinnamon, flax, ancient grains, and buckwheat with berries.
For me, though, the blueberry flavor stands out as an obvious winner. Compared to other brands that mix in chunks of berries in the batter, the blueberries in Van's waffles are very discreet slices or flakes. This causes the waffle to taste like blueberry instead of batter with a burst of blueberry flavor every odd bite.
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| Even my breakfast plate is happy! |
I always toast mine at a higher setting than regular waffles, because these have a tendency of being cold at lower settings. Once cooked, though, and covered with a little bit of syrup and, my preference of banana (though other fruits, nuts, and yogurts also taste delicious) Van's waffles are divine! In my mind, they taste eerily similar to regular waffles. The texture is light and fluffy, but they still retain a satisfying crunch.
Overall, I give Chex a 9/10 (only because cereal in the morning isn't my first choice) and Van's Waffles a perfect score! Gluten free doesn't mean tasteless, and these products epitomize that. I always say that celiac disease needs to be conquered in baby steps, and by checking the box of one gluten-free meal, Chex and Van's definitely help.
What is your favorite breakfast? Have you tried Chex or Van's Waffles? Comment below!
Recently (9/11) I was diagnosed (biopsy) with celiac disease, so I've been trying out some new things (well, lots of new things).
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you have a way to cook hot ceral or not, but the Bobs Red Mill "Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal" is good, particularly when I mix in a good handful of raisins, add a pat of butter, and slice a banana over it. I've almost used up the first bag. (It was also good with raisins, butter and sorghum syrup.)
I tried some quinoa flakes (also as a hot cereal), but they're too bland for my taste.
I've also tried a cold cereal, "enjoy life" brand "Perky's crunchy flax". It's not bad, but again, not to my taste. With yogurt, raisins and sliced banana, it's okay, so I'll finish the box, but I'll be trying something else (maybe Chex, thank you for the tip).
Chex is very good and Van's has also started a new line of gluten free cereals, which are pretty tasty! Glad I can help and thanks for the tips! More options are always best! :)
DeleteI had very high hopes for this humble blog I found off of Google, and then my heart sank when the first thing I saw was you promoting Chex. I'm sorry to say, Chex is far from Celiac safe. I have over a dozen accounts from a Celiac website I frequent of severe sensitive Celiac's having a huge reaction to varying Chex boxes.
ReplyDeleteIt may tout itself as Gluten free, but that is only certified from a source that they basically did internally, meaning DO NOT BELIEVE IT. I myself have reacted very negatively to Chex in the form up upchucking in the morning ((One of my reactions.))
Please keep in mind that Celiacs Disease has a WIDE variety of SEVERITY between different people. What is safe for you, may still be FAR from safe for others with Celiac. As someone who is trying to start a Blog about this topic, you should keep these things in mind and do FAR MORE research as to how OTHER Celiac's react to what you are trying to promote.
Though the ingredients listed for Chex may SEEM like they are safe, is is the CROSS CONTAMINATION that is the real problem for that "gluten free" brand.
However, VAN'S brand products are certified by a LEGITIMATE company that tests for actual levels of Parts Per Million ((A phrase you should QUICKLY make yourself familiar with))
Enjoy these tips, and please, stop spreading around bad information for people who TRUELY suffer the WORST from this terrible disease. Sending them to bullets like CHEX is almost a crime, especially as it will be trusted by many...coming from an "apparent" Celiac. Apparently you are far luckier than most of us with this disease and can tolerate much more.
Good luck in your journey toward improving.
I am sorry that you felt disappointed with my blog. I put a lot of work into each and every post, and my main goal is providing emotional support, shared experiences, and understanding with people also suffering from similar health issues.
DeleteThat said, I have NEVER claimed to be a doctor or claimed that everything I support on this site will work for every other celiac in the world. If you read through my blog, you would realize that I greatly understand how different each person's body can be.
Unlike many other celiacs, even after going gluten free, my body did not heal. I had to be put on a LIQUID DIET, be hospitalized, put on a nose drip, and am still suffering continual health problems as a result from celiacs. So, please, do not insult me by implying that I do not have celiacs. Trust me - if I didn't have it, I definitely claim to because, honestly, who WANTS to have a chronic disease?
I appreciate your information about Chex and I acknowledge that you have the right to your own opinion. Please, however, keep it respectful. I would have greatly welcomed advice warning me that Chex is known for cross-contamination, rather than an attack on my blog, my character, and my honesty.