Toothpaste and Slow Cookers... An unlikely pair but two important topics!

Hello!

This will be a quick post, but an important one!! Have you ever wondered if your toothpaste, shampoo and other products contain gluten? I thought I was always really careful about this, but just this morning as I was brushing my teeth I got an allergic reaction... not the normal gluten reaction (which for me is throwing up until you feed me Gravol), but a weird reaction to toothpaste, a sort of rash on my face. Now this got me thinking, how many of our products are packed full of allergens, which led me to some good websites for gluten and allergy free products. I just did a quick google search and this site, although dated came up with a list of products that had gluten in them: http://www.withoutthewheat.com/Dental_Products.html

My advice here is to contact the company that you use and see if they have gluten free products. The more "natural" the product is, is usually the better option but even those products can contain gluten. A safe bet for toothpaste is Tom's of Main: (http://www.tomsofmaine.com/home).

As for other products, is is very important to read the labels. I have come across a lot of conditioners with gluten. All of the Aveda conditioners contain some wheat protein, so be careful! Even though you aren't necessarily ingesting the whole product, you can have a reaction to small amounts getting in your eyes, mouth, or on your skin. I found this fun site with a long list of products that are gluten free: http://www.naturallydahling.com/Natural_Make-up.html

That being said, you don't need to spend a fortune on products. There are good, cheap alternatives out there for gluten free, natural products. The best thing to do is head to your local pharmacy or health food store and ask the customer service people if they know what products are gluten free. In Vancouver, Whole Foods and Choices Markets are a good start.... but we are also spoiled here and have many options for healthy alternatives to just about everything! I would suggest looking in the organic section of your supermarket as well. Most companies that make gluten free products will list it on their products. Check out my link to Green Beaver products, they are Canadian and Gluten Free!

Now on to the slow cooker part of the equation! I just bought a new slow cooker yesterday and thought I would share the easiest recipe I've ever made!!

Vegetarian Ratatouille

- 1 long eggplant (cubed)

- 1 can of tomatoes

- 4-5 carrots (diced or cubed)

- 1 onion

- 4 cloves of garlic

- 1 can of white beans

Saute onions for 3 minutes, until sort of clear. Add garlic and saute for a minute. Put mixture in slow cooker with setting for 6 hours on low. Add remaining ingredients, stir and put on the lid! Seriously its that easy!

Now go to work or do what you need to do, come back after 6 hours, cook up some brown rice or quinoa, and serve!

Its so yummy and comforting!!

Enjoy :)

Until next time,

Your celiac friend xo