One issues those of us who follow gluten free diets have is what to eat for breakfast. If you think about it almost all traditional breakfasts are based on gluten ingredients. The obvious one that doesn't is eggs. Don't get me wrong, I like (maybe even love) eggs, but I can not eat them every single day, although I did try for a while! And who has time to cook them every morning? I sometimes eat gluten-free frozen waffles, but not every day. I love to cook gluten-free pancakes, but once again it's time consuming. Fruit? Yes, but it doesn't fill me up.
Lets face it, there isn't anything as quick and easy and satisfying for breakfast as cereal. A stroll down a typical cereal isle will reveal about 50 to 100 types of cereals. Until recently 2 or three of those may have been gluten free, depending on the store. Several stores had no gluten-free options. The problem with most gluten free cereals that are out there is that they are very expensive. A 12 ounce box could easily cost $6 or more. This is not to say that these aren't good values. Typically these cereals are made form high quality ingredients in dedicated gluten free facilities. Also they are produced in small runs, so the pricing is appropriate, but in this day and age I just can't afford to pay that much for breakfast.
So finally one of the big manufacturers with wide distribution has payed attention to the emerging gluten free market. General Mills simply changed one of the ingredients (containing barley) in Rice Chex and it became gluten free. Just like that a tasty, widly available and resonably priced (under $3 for 12.8 oz.) gluten free cereal was available!
Evidentially Rice Chex has been received so well that General Mills has announced that is introducing 5 new gluten free cereals. Corn Chex, Corn Chex, Honey Nut Chex, Strawberry Chex, Chocolate Chex, Cinnamon Chex are not currently gluten free but are in production.
According to Cecile M Davidson, General Mills Consumer Services, "All 5 products should be widely available across the U.S. by June 1, 2009." Make sure that the box says "Gluten Free" before you buy it.
Lets hope that other manufacturers will take notice and start producing more gluten free cereals. There are many products out there, Rice Crispys for example, that have barley as a inconsequential ingredient.
I was actually at General Mills headquarters recently (for a TOP SECRET mission). They didn't simply change ingredients when Rice Chex went GF. They had their entire plant certified. They met really strict standards. That's why there's a bit of delay in these other Chex cereals. It's kind of a pain in the butt for the company, BUT when they made Rice Chex GF, they saw a HUGE spike in sales. So go forth and buy! It's super exciting!!
ReplyDeleteI was very happy when I learned this, and so were all my friends who made a real point to tell me once they found out too. Also, their Corn Chex are soon to be GF as well!!! YAY!!!
ReplyDeleteCrushed up Rice Chex also make an AWESOME substitute for bread crumbs when you want to make a gluten-free version of a recipe that requires bread crumbs! We use them all the time for things like meatballs, crabcakes, or anything that requires breading.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Nature's Path makes an awesome Organic Corn flakes that is gluten-free and has only three ingredients: corn, salt, and fruit juice! Here's some info on that cereal: http://glutenfree-a-z.blogspot.com/2009/01/natures-paths-organic-corn-flakes.html
Just found your blog :) We are very new to gluten free cooking but we bought box of Honey Nut Chex (labeled Gluten free) and I'm so thankful my son loves it. It was $2.89 which is a lot cheaper than other GF cereals. AND there are generally coupons for Chex. Check ebay ;)
ReplyDeleteHey, I just saw your article. Chex has done a great thing and brought relief to all gluten-free cereal shoppers. I also came across an online company that lets you customize your own gluten-free cereal and then sends it to your door. They are called Custom Choice Cereal, and their website is www.customchoicecereal.com. It's good to find out that more companies cater to the needs of consumers who have to be on a gluten-free diet!
ReplyDeleteI don't know about breakfast being that hard on a gluten-free diet. After all, we can still have potatoes (hash browns, home fries anyone?), corn (tortillas), eggs and protein bits. And there are tons of gluten-free cereals at health food stores, including hot cereals. There are also many gluten-free breads (Udi's, Whole Foods) for toast, and even Bagels! The new Chex is nice but not as satisfying as a heartier dish, in my opinion.
ReplyDelete-Sea
It's been a year and a half since I wrote this post and a lot has changed since then. Sea, you make a good point; there are lots of great gluten free breakfast items available now, but at the time I wrote this I was either eating Panda Puffs or Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Hot Cereal 5 times a week. Both are good products, but my breakfasts were lacking in variety. Recently I've been enjoying GF bagels, English Muffins, oatmeal, grits and even Gluten free Bisquick pancakes. But even today when I don't have much time (or much budget) I reach for Chex cereal!
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