Review: Rudi's Gluten Free Bread

I've been meaning to post on a bread I've tried, and I'm finally getting to do it.  In the spirit of curiosity, I tried out Rudi's Gluten-Free Bread after going to the natural foods store with my roommate, who promptly picked up their organic bread.  I tried it last week, and it tasted like really good multi-grain bread - I could see sunflower seeds and a few millet grains in the slices.  My one complaint is with the texture - while it was pretty good (better, in my opinion, then Food of Life's Millet Bread, by far), I prefer Udi's chewiness (which is about as spot on as you get).  The perfect gluten-free bread would use Rudi's flavor and Udi's texture - I'd be hoarding the stuff!

Review: The Clear Skin Diet (Logan, Treolar)

I received The Clear Skin Diet from Inter-library Loan Wednesday and read it through in a night (now if only I could do that in my research!).  It's comprehensive, clearly written for a lay person, thoroughly researched (not that this is a good measure, but just to give you an idea, the bibliography is 18 pages long).  The authors explain acne as a skin process aggravated by other problems in the body, particularly nutritional deficiencies and how to rectify them.  They treat acne as something to be concerned about beyond pure vanity, citing correlations (sometimes anecdotal, sometimes drawn out of logical extrapolation, sometimes supported by hard science) between acne severity and digestive problems while young, and disease in old age.  They also explore the link between acne and stress - validating the link and providing stategies to help.  While I don't want to rewrite the book here (it's an easy-to-follow argument and that would be breaking copyright law), it's an interesting read.  The suggestions made are well in line with the diet I imposed upon myself (and have been writing about since):  I will be adding a regular probiotic supplement (to be taken before each main meal), fish oil capsules (since good fish isn't readily available where I live, with each main meal), and a Vitamin C, Zinc, and Vitamin A supplement to my regimen (temporarily, once a day).

Review: Coconut Aminos

I'm a huge fan of all things soy sauce, so it was really hard to think that I wouldn't be able to dip my sushi in soy sauce on dates with my boyfriend, or make my Thai-inspired peanut butter sauce when I'm in a hurry and want something yummy, or have some of Dad's stir fry.  I tried tamari and that didn't work so well (it just helped open the flood gates for more rule breaking), so I was at a loss.  Then I saw Coconut Secret's Coconut Aminos in the grocery store.  At first, I was wary and just avoided soy substitutes altogether, having read that there really aren't any good soy substitutes on the market.  After missing soy quite a bit, I thought I would give it a try.  I whipped up some Thai-inspired peanut butter sauce this after noon to put on some me-friendly noodles and yum!  Although I've not run it by my flavor discerning boyfriend (he won't touch my green juice, let alone my substitutes), it's close enough to keep me happy.

Review: Turtle Mountain So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt

I was in a hurry this morning to get to church and needed to grab breakfast on the go, so I took the opportunity to try Turtle Mountain's So Delicious Coconut Milk Vanilla Yogurt.  I'll go on record with the shortest review in existence:  yum.  The texture was right; the flavor was great; my only regret is that it's so expensive - $2 + for an 8 oz carton - and that it has carregeenan - a thickener I try to avoid.  Now that I know that it's possible, I'll just have to figure out how to make my own.  In the mean time, yum . . .

Review: Food of Life Millet Bread

I was in the grocery store yesterday and was intrigued by the thought of millet bread.  I like millet, and I've read that adding any pseudo-grain (i.e. amaranth, millet, quinoa) to gluten-free bread helps with texture, flavor, and nutritional punch.  With that in mind, I bought a loaf of Food of Life's Millet Bread and I wasn't impressed.  The flavor wasn't bad (again, I like millet), but the grainy texture wasn't wheat-bread-like at all.  I gave some to my boyfriend (who eats "normally", is a wonderful cook, and is very discerning about food) and he was not impressed either.  While it may be an improvement over gluten-free breads of the past, Food of Life's Millet Bread doesn't hold a candle to my personal "me-friendly" bread favorite from Udi's Gluten-Free Foods.  On the other hand, I do like their brown rice tortillas, which do not fall apart when you try to fold them for burritos and don't taste gluten-free either.