Staying As Gluten Free as Can Be
I’ve made it no secret on Veganland that I’ve had my fair share of issues with gluten sensitivity. As exams are now upon me and my stress levels are beginning to escalate, I’m taking the time to pay special attention to my body and what it (and my belly in particular) are telling me! I’ve been extra careful to eliminate gluten when possible in my diet, purchasing only gluten free pastas, beers, and drinking wine instead of that PBR in the fridge. (Gave that one to Maddie who isn’t so sensitive in the beer department!) We’ve gone through numerous iterations of our favorite dishes trying to find the best gluten free options that suit our taste buds and our wallets. This has been especially important in the pasta department.
A recent creation made by Maddie: marinated tempeh and mushrooms with spinach, garlic, and red peppers in a white wine sauce over Trader Joe's gluten free corn pasta
Pasta is one of the foods that Maddie and I both love immensely so it’s been one of the main targets of my gluten freeing. It’s a food that we simply can’t live without especially in our final few months of college life when both time and money are of the essence. Pasta is cheap, filling, fast, and delicious! Who could ask for more, right? Well, if you’re gluten sensitive like me, it immediately becomes a problem when you’re looking for your favorite noodle. We’ve gone through at least 10 different types of gluten free pasta, trying to settle on the one we liked the best. We stumbled upon what is now our favorite quite by accident.
On a recent shopping trip to Trader Joe’s, I noticed something new in the pasta department. (I’d been buying the brown rice pasta for us, but it was decidedly gooey and sticky and the texture just wasn’t at all right.) Enter this little baby right here:
So far we’ve purchased both the penne and fusilli varieties of the newest member to our Trader Joe’s pasta section. We love the texture and consistency of this pasta but there is always a catch isn’t there? Through my own readings and research, I’ve become painfully aware of the amount of genetically modified foods in our food system. Most of this comes in the form of corn. So I love this pasta, but then again I’m worried. What if my new favorite brand is just a genetic mash up of things I strive to stay away from in the first place? I’m setting about to do some research on this pasta brand and on Trader Joe’s business practices, GMO ethics, etc.
This is perhaps one of my most politically charged purchasing issues. What are your feelings on genetically modified foods? Do they scare you as much as they scare me? What do you know about the stores you shop at frequently and their dealings with GMOs? Please do let me know! I’m on a quest for knowledge!
Bisous!
Rachel
My current fave GF pasta is predominantly corn, and imported from Italy. To be honest, I haven’t check on the GMO status of the corn they use – I will though.
GMOs are terrifying. Not only in the food we eat, but also in the seeds I purchase. It isn’t easy finding tested-GMO-free corn seed! I’ve had great luck with Baker Seed Company on that front.
Thank you so much for your tips, and welcome to Veganland! I am very concerned by the status of GMOs in our foodsources. I feel that it is the root of many of our food-based problems.
That pasta dish looks dreamy! I use the GMO-free brown rice and corn varieties here, and definitely feel better when my wheat intake is reduced. ♥
Corn pasta? That’s a new one for me! Corn is so ubiquitous I guess it should be no surprise to see it used as a form of pasta. I’m with you on GMOs. Isn’t is sad that one has to be such a detective about selecting foods – even healthy foods? What has it been sprayed with, fertilized with; where and how was it grown…Sigh.
I’ve been recently researching GMOs and I believe it was Food Inc that brought to my attention the sheer prevalence of GMOs, especially in soybeans (which, it seems, are an ingredient in damn near everything). It certainly freaks me out and it seems incredibly difficult to avoid altogether, especially when grocery shopping on a budget. If you learn any more about it, I’d love to know! I’m on a quest for knowledge as well
GMO’s are really reallllly scary! Corn is also in EVERYTHING but usually in an unrecognizable form (guar, xanthan gum etc.) most of the corn grown for those types of additives is GMO. You should watch King Corn- a really great food documentary about the corn industry that is on netflix instant!
From what I have read, this pasta is gmo free from Trader Joe’s http://www.traderjoes.com/about/customer-updates-responses.asp?i=4
Hooray! And thanks for the note!