A number of years ago, I suffered from what had been diagnosed as gallstone pain and visited a naturopath after experiencing pain even post gallbladder surgery. I remember listening to him talk about some very interesting ideas including his theory that the pain I experienced could have been related to lack of digestive enzymes. A test later confirmed that I was severely lacking. I also underwent a food intolerance test and discovered that I should avoid gluten among other things. The naturopath mentioned that gluten is high on the list of foods people should avoid because it takes a long time for the body to process. (Please note, I am no expert in the area of nutrition and I am retelling my experience that happened over five years ago so details are a little fuzzy. You can read more about it here.) In any case, I made a mental note of avoiding gluten as much as possible even though I still love my pasta.

When it comes to my own children, I think it's especially important to be weary of what they are fed. When I read things like "one in every 133 Canadians suffers from Celiac Disease" and that "71% of Canadians are looking for more gluten free options on grocery store shelves," it makes sense to see more and more products labeled as "gluten free" popping up everywhere. Enter Chex. Newly launched in Canada, Chex is available in two varieties: Honey Nut and Rice (saveur de miel et de noix et au riz).

Je préfère ajouter des bleuets. Miam!

The kids went to town on the honey nut flavour and I'll be honest in saying that it is my favourite, too. It is sweet and crunchy, great with milk or on its own as a snack. I have even used it as a comfort food since it gives me comfort knowing that it's sans gluten! Just yesterday, I opened up the rice variety which tastes great with fresh blueberries on top. I personally need a little sweetness in my cereal and the blueberries are perfect for that.

If you haven't yet checked out lifemadedelicious.ca, they have an entire collection of gluten-free recipes for you to try, including Chex Apple-Almond bars which look quite tasty. I also found a coupon on webSaver.ca that will save you $1.00 on any one Chex cereal. Have you tried Chex yet? And, I'm going to throw another question out there... do you look for gluten free options when you're out grocery shopping?