By Nancy Smith, member, Missouri Farmers Union
For many people, wheat bread is still the “staff of life”. But there is a growing segment of the population who must avoid gluten in order to have a healthy digestive system or to avoid allergy issues ranging from respiratory symptoms to behavior disorders.
Individuals who have learned that they have a sensitivity to gluten are always in for a difficult transition time as they learn about what they can safely eat, and where to find it. If you walk through the grocery store, reading labels, you will discover wheat in many surprising places. Conventional prepared foods are especially prone to use wheat as an ingredient. Almost all conventional grocery store baked goods and grain products like pasta and cereals are likely to contain wheat. Shoppers who must avoid gluten often become extremely frustrated as they try to find products that enable them to continue a semblance of the diet they have become accustomed to.
Determining what to eat on a gluten-free diet can be a time-consuming and difficult task. In recent years, many natural foods companies have begun to come to the rescue with clear labeling that will enable the gluten-sensitive person to eat in a way that will maintain good health. The St. Louis area has an excellent company that has gone the distance to provide really tasty fresh and frozen baked goods and doughs to take the deprivation out of the gluten-free diet. Customer loyalty has quickly made Andrea’s a household word for families that have gluten allergies and/or celiac disease.
Andrea’s opened their commercial kitchen in 2005, and the many gluten-free folks in the St. Louis area quickly made the company successful. The opportunity to enjoy an occasional baked treat that actually tastes like old-fashioned baked goods means a lot to those who must constantly deprive themselves of old favorites. Andrea’s doesn’t just make gluten-free baked goods, they make them really tasty. The texture is the amazing thing about Andrea’s products. Family members of gluten-free folks often remark that they can’t tell the difference.
Andrea’s has a complete line of baked goods which they sell at their Chesterfield location, as well as a complete line of brownies, cakes, cookies, cookie dough and other yummy specialty items available at Sappington Farmers Market.
If you’re struggling with a feeling of deprivation this holiday season, try these delicious treats and feel like “normal” again.
Sappington Farmers Market is located at 8400 Watson Road, between Elm and LaClede.