An email that I received this morning from Amazon inspired me to write this post today.  The email was about Gluten-free items on Amazon being up to 40% off.  The one item in particular that caught my eye was the Dr. Kracker Flatbread Krackers – Sunflower Cheddar.   Not only were these listed in the email ad as gluten-free items, but on the item description page, “Great for gluten-free diets”, is highlighted.  Then you scroll down to the ingredients:

Ingredients
Organic Whole Grain Spelt Flour, Filtered Water, Organic Cheddar Cheese (Organic Pasteurized Milk, Hannilase Enzyme, Salt, Cultures), Organic Sunflower Seeds, Organic Flaxseeds, Sea Salt, Organic Sesame Seeds, Organic Spelt Bran, Yeast, Organic Barley Malt Syrup.

And then safety information:

Safety Information
Contains milk and wheat.

And then, the CYA disclaimer:

Legal Disclaimer
Actual product packaging and materials may contain more and different information than what is shown on our website. We recommend that you do not rely solely on the information presented and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before using or consuming a product. Please see our full disclaimer below.

Ultimately we are responsible for ourselves & the food we put into our mouths.  If the product is labeled correctly, the information is there for use to protect ourselves, even if a company is calling the product “gluten-free” by putting it in an ad or on a shelf that says so. 

This is just a reminder to read labels every.single.time. you buy/eat a product.  I know how easy it is to become complacent when buying and eating the same products over & over.  I am very loyal to the brands I know I can trust, however, I always double check.  You never know when a recipe or a supplier has changed. 

On another note, Hannah said something today to me regarding my having to follow a gluten-free diet.  She said “Mom, I am so sorry that you have to eat gluten-free.”  I looked at her and smiled and then said “Thank you, but I am thankful for being able to eat gluten-free.”  I went on, “I feel better than I used to feel and I am thankful that if I have to have a disease, that it is Celiac Disease and not something more serious, like Cancer.”  I think that too often, when the going gets tough, we start to feel sorry for ourselves & mourn the loss of what we thought was our beloved gluten-filled foods.  Little did we know that those foods were damaging our bodies and all we had to do to change that, is change our diet. 

Have a wonderful, gluten-free day!