gluten free vancouver: personal care products

Showing posts with label personal care products. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

the winner of our anniversary giveaway is…

kari! you are the winner of our one year anniversary giveaway!

please send us an email to discuss how you would like your desert essence organics shampoo and body wash sent to you. thanks for your comment, and I also dont like having to make my own lunch for work all the time, and andrea can attest to how difficult it is to eat gluten free at UBC. thanks to all who entered and for providing such great feedback on our blog! we have enjoyed talking to many of you about living gluten free in vancouver and we look forward to posting about some great new topics this year!

there were definitely two common themes in the challenges you have described in the comments. the availability of gluten free products, and awareness of cross contamination, and with the gluten free diet in general, were the most common challenge areas for all of you. andrea and I agree that these are serious challenges facing those with celiac disease and gluten intolerance, and we hope that the information we provide on our blog ultimately make it easier to be gluten free.

robyn + andrea

Sunday, November 14, 2010

gluten free vancouver turns one (+ giveaway)

when andrea and I started our blog last November, our goal was to provide a gluten free resource for those with celiac disease and gluten intolerance that focused on lifestyle rather than simply recipes or medical research. we knew there was little to no resources on how to live with celiac disease day to day.

it's amazing to look back on our previously gluten filled lives, such as my third birthday party, pictured here. andrea cant wait to eat the cake! we knew what we were missing when we were diagnosed with celiac disease, and it is with this perspective that shapes our discussion on topics like where to find gluten free personal care products, where to shop, and where to find great tasting gluten free food on the go.

our year in review includes some of our most favorite gluten free topics and I will start with our most popular, gluten free beer! ironically, this was also one of the first posts of 2010. we wanted to start the new year off with a sweet cupcake recipe in January and gluten free hot chocolate for Valentines Day in February. in March, we had the pleasure of working with the Wallflower Café’s Lisa Hewlett on their new gluten free menu. some long overdue taxes were finally paid in April after researching how to claim the incremental cost of gluten free food on your tax return.

May was a busy month discovering not only Homestead Specialty Baking but the most divine gluten free pancakes at Brown Dog Café. in June, I enjoyed writing celiac in the city about the challenges of dating with severe food allergies (thank you to all of our readers who provided such positive feedback on this topic!). gluten free vancouver was also featured on Global TV’s One Bite at a Time with Registered Dietician Melodie Yong. our excitement continued when we found gluten free ice cream cones in the August heat wave.

this fall we explored gastown, and found gluten free tacos at La Taqueria on west hastings, and then recently enjoyed taking an extended vacation to palm springs, california.

over this past year while working away on our new blog, we have both experienced many personal life changes. Andrea went back to work after her maternity leave, she moved into the new Woodwards building to accommodate her growing family, and recently started daycare for my niece Pilar...a heart wrenching experience for any new mom! for me, I started a new job shortly after launching the blog that has kept me busy learning and traveling. I was heartbroken earlier this year after the end of a long term relationship, and while I felt positive when I wrote 'celiac in the city' back in June, my healing process took many more months. I also moved into Olympic Village at the end of the summer, and love my new space!

Andrea and I are both in new creative workspaces, and are excited for the year ahead...we will be launching our www.glutenfree-vancouver.ca website shortly, and expanding our ideas further into the community. we also plan to make a gluten free gingerbread house next month, as well as start a weekly gluten free cookie review on the blog. gluten free giveaway...

to celebrate the success of our first year of gluten free vancouver, we want to offer one of our favorite gluten free products to one lucky reader! we are giving away a desert essence organics unscented body wash and shampoo! all you have to do to enter the giveaway is comment on our blog and tell us what challenges or obstacles you face living gluten free day to day. the entry deadline is midnight on tuesday november 30th. the winner will be announced on the blog on wednesday december 1st.

together, and through our blog, we hope to create more awareness of celiac disease and hopefully make gluten free foods more accessible to those that need it most.

thank you for supporting our blog! Robyn + Andrea follow us on twitter | follow us on facebook

Thursday, May 20, 2010

the healthy shopper: 2010 edition in stores now!

The Healthy Shopper is a coupon book for natural and organic products, many of which are gluten free! if you haven't heard of The Healthy Shopper, it's really worth checking out. it is available for free at participating retailers in Canada, to find your nearest store click here. you can also order it online free of charge, but you do need to pay for the shipping. if you register online you will have access to the e-coupons, which you simply print as many as you need, and then go shopping!

we first told you about the 2009 Healthy Shopper back in January, and since then, the 2010 edition has become available. the e-coupons have been available for download since Arpil, however I managed to get my hands on my first physical booklet today from Choices on Cambie. I was at Whole Foods on Broadway a few days ago, and they didn't have any left. it isn't a big deal, because as I said you can simply register and download as many e-coupons as you like. in fact, that might be the more environmental approach since you are only printing the coupons you will actually use.

the products in the 2010 edition are slightly different from last year. I have noticed that Glutino, for example, is no longer participating, too bad. there are still many great products with good savings in this latest edition. some of the gluten free products you will find are:

So Delicious lactose free frozen desserts (save $1)
Blue Sky natural sodas (save 50¢)
San-J asian cooking sauces and tamari sauce (save 75¢)
Simply Natural organic salad dressings and condiments (save 50¢)
Pamela's Products baking mixes and cookies (save 75¢)
Barbara's Bakery cereals (save $1)
Liberté conventional and organic yogurts (save $1)
Olympic organic yogurt, sour cream, and cream cheese (save 75¢)
Nature's Path and Envirokidz cereals and snacks (save $1)
Blue Diamond Growers nut-thins crackers and almond breeze almond milk (save $1)
Tom's of Maine toothpaste (save $1)

please note that some of these companies are exclusively gluten free, while others are not. please check with the product websites to verify which products are gluten free. we have already posted on several of these, Simply Natural Organic Mustard, Pamela's Products Classic Vanilla Cake Mix, Envirokidz, and Tom's of Maine.

in addition to savings on gluten free food and beverages, there are some great savings as well on vitamins and supplements, household cleaning products, cosmetics, and diapers! that's right moms and dads, there is a coupon for $2 off the purchase of any package of Seventh Generation diapers.

combine these savings with other grocery store reward programs, like at Choices Markets and Greens Organic & Natural Market, and you can really make a difference in your grocery bill. and if you are Celiac don't forget to save your grocery receipts this year to claim the incremental cost of the gluten free food you purchase on your 2010 taxes. Andrea.

the healthy shopper | choices markets | greens organic & natural market

Thursday, March 4, 2010

tom's of maine toothpaste is gluten free

photo credit tomsofmaine.com

is it possible that toothpaste could contain gluten? the answer is yes. although toothpaste seems an unlikely source of gluten, it is important to check the ingredients or contact the product manufacturer to be certain. Tom’s of Maine is a natural health care company that produces a range of personal care products including natural toothpaste that does not contain gluten. Tom’s of Maine toothpaste comes in a variety of flavors and caters to various health needs including children’s fluoride free and anticavity with fluoride. flavors include peppermint, spearmint, fennel, and even silly strawberry for children to name a few. spearmint is my personal favorite!

aside from their liquid hand soap and body wash, which contain wheat protein, all of the other Tom's of Maine products are gluten-free. the Tom’s of Maine website says that all of their products are alcohol free and do not contain casein or caseinate, wheat, oats, barley, rye, malt, spelt, kamut, or hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP). in addition, none of their flavor oils are grain-distilled and no flour of any kind is used in the manufacturing process. the containers used for Tom’s of Maine products are also not dusted with wheat flour before they are filled (yet another innovative reason for using wheat…).

withoutthewheat.com has a great dental product directory that lists a range of brands with a description as to whether or not they contain gluten. for example, all of Colgate's dental products are gluten free, but Sensodyne cant guarantee that the raw materials used in the toothpaste are gluten free.

happy brushing! Robyn.

tom's of maine

Thursday, February 25, 2010

hyland's calms not gluten free

keep calm, originally uploaded by croma.

personal care products such as toothpaste and vitamins would seem an unlikely source of gluten, but there are many brands that may, or do, contain gluten. and even if a product is gluten free, it is not always labeled as such. some products such as desert essence organics carry gluten free products including shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion. read our recent post here.

the symptoms of celiac disease are varied but it is not uncommon to experience anxiety and insomnia. I learned recently that Hyland’s Calms, a homeopathic treatment for nervousness and insomnia, is not gluten free. Calms are made with oatseed, and oatseed contains gluten. ironically, oatseed extract acts like a natural sedative and can treat depression, anxiety and insomnia! several vitamin brands that are gluten free are Nature Made, Centrum, Caltrate, L'il Critters gummy bear vitamins, and Sesame Street complete vitamins and minerals.

it is always important to read the ingredients of products, even in the personal care category. go ahead and ask the company directly if their products are gluten free or not as well.

more on other personal care products soon! Robyn.

hyland's calms | l'il critters

gluten free kids: body care

I recently discovered the Jāsön Kids Only! line of body care products, which are not only all natural, but also wheat and gluten free! in fact it is clearly written on the front of all the packaging, so there is no guessing here. this is music to my ears as a parent. I have written in a previous post that even though I am the only Celiac in my family (my husband, infant daughter, and I) I still prefer to keep them as gluten free as possible because it means less likelihood of cross contamination to me. this is especially true for my infant daughter, who doesn't know how to keep her hands out of my mouth or keep crumbs on her plate, of course, she's a baby, who can blame her? kids just wanna have fun, and the Jāsön Kids Only! line lets my daughter play to her heart's content around me.

the pump soap couldn't have come soon enough, as her favorite thing to do at the moment is wash her hands at the sink. what we love about the soap, her and I, is that it is a foaming soap, and since she hasn't quite mastered the art of lathering, this is perfect, she LOVES the foamy texture. we bought the Berry Burst, which smells yummy, and it also comes in Tropical Twist. the pump is also oversized, which helps little hands get the pump working.

we have also been using the Extra Gentle Shampoo, and it's the best kids' shampoo I've tried. it lathers well, and rinses fast, just as the bottle claims it does. this is also important to me since my daughter hates having water poured on her head when we rinse her hair. it's actually a two-man operation. my husband covers her eyes with one hand and rinses with a cup in the other hand, while I hold her down with both hands. with the Jāsön Kids Only! shampoo we get her hair rinsed with two cups. with other brands we've needed to rinse with four or five cups of water, prolonging a very unpleasant experience for her. Jāsön also makes an accompanying conditioner, as well as the Daily Detangling Shampoo & Conditioner.

there are also two Kids Only! bath gels, Berry Burst and Tropical Twist. and to round it all off , there are two toothpaste options, Strawberry and Orange. we are using the Strawberry, and it seems ok, I mean it's fluoride, sulfate, and saccharin free, and uses no artificial colors or flavours, yet it still somehow tastes slightly artificial, too fruity maybe? but hey I'm not a kid, and my daughter can't talk yet, so maybe it is great if you're a kid? have any of your kids commented on the taste?

in addition to the benefits already listed, all parents, gluten free or not, will also appreciate the fact that Jāsön Kids Only! products are also free from parabens, sulfates, phthalates, fluoride, glycol, mineral oil, lanolin, and petrolatum.

you can buy Jāsön Kids Only! products online, or at many natural health food stores and supermarkets in the Lower Mainland. rub-a-dub-dub! Andrea & Pilar.

jāsön kids only!

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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

gluten free personal care products: desert essence organics

wheat is a very common ingredient in most personal care products such as body lotion, shampoo and conditioner. if you are highly sensitive to wheat or gluten, it is very important to be aware of the ingredients in the products you are using. for example, wheat germ and wheat proteins are common ingredients in body lotion, and do contain gluten. even though these products are for external use, the concern is that your body is essentially absorbing gluten, and in the case of shampoo and conditioner, has the chance to come into contact with your mouth. extreme, I know, but for people with severe gluten intolerance, or celiac disease, this is a tip you should consider as it relates to your sensitivity level.

we have searched for several years to find a line of good quality, natural and organic personal care products that are also gluten free. our sister heather introduced us both to Dessert Essence Organics recently, a dedicated gluten free line of body lotions and scrubs, as well as shampoo and conditioner that are also free of parabens, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfates, phtalates, artificial colours, silicones, glycol and petroleum based ingredients.

all products come in a range of scents like apple, grapefruit, raspberry, coconut, almond and lavender. as well as unscented for the really sensitive. the Italian red grape smells good enough to eat, and you can!

Dessert Essence Organic products can be found at most natural food and health stores, as well as Save-On Foods, Choices Markets, Capers and Whole Foods.

environment keywords: carbon neutral, no animal testing, supports pesticide free farming practices

desert essence

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