McCabe’s Gluten-Free Granola

It’s all over the internet now, wheat is bad for us, or we need to cut down on it because it can lead to a gluten intolerance. There are so many people now that are either gluten intolerant or coeliac that they struggle to find the right foods to eat without feeling bloated or, even worse, sick. That means that standard foods like cookies, pasta, and bread are out the door, but now there are many different products that are catering for the gluten-free market, and it’s a booming business now. We see the “free-from” logos on many different products now, and the gluten-free/coeliac aisle in the local supermarket it getting bigger and bigger. Clearly there’s a big call for these types of foods now.

For those that don’t know, gluten is what makes dough and bread stick together. You find it in flour and lots of different products, from cakes to soups (it’s used as a way to thicken it out) and it’s in most people’s diets. And now there’s talk about it being bad for us, hence so many shops are starting to offer gluten-free versions of common foods. Gluten free cakes, muffins, bread, pasta, and things like pizza bases are all getting the treatment. Even “healthy” items contain gluten, like porridge oats. If you are curious but cynical, you can get an online coupon to buy some for yourself, check out http://www.stay-a-stay-at-home-mom.com/coupon-websites.html or if you do a search, you can find a bunch of coupon sites to suit your needs. As time has gone on, people are starting to make their own versions of these products to remove the gluten and to avoid the processed nature of foods. If you do a random search online you can see many recipes for gluten-free biscuits, cakes, and all sorts of stuff. With diets like paleo being really popular at the moment, we are seeing so many labels that are now paleo, I was curious as to if they are any different to the “normal” versions of products.

McCabe’s do granola products that are all natural and “paleo friendly.” Their Caveman Crunch contains cashews, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened coconut, olive oil, honey, almonds and salt. All natural ingredients, but does that mean it wouldn’t taste very nice? There are so many different natural products out there that just taste so dry or have no flavor, but I was very surprised by it. It’s what you expect from granola, a nice crunch with a vaguely sugary overtone which comes from the honey, and the lightness of the salt gives it a savory punch that makes for a great snack on the go. It is a high hit of protein and very little carbs, which is suitable for anyone following the Dukan (high fat, low carb) diet or just a general low carb diet. In trying gluten-free treats, it has made me realize that you can lead a (generally) healthy diet and eat almost what you want without having gluten in your diet.