Shopping with a Gluten-Free Vegan

One of the basic parts of any recipe is ingredients, correct? And unless you're a vampire or have magic powers, going to the grocery store is necessary to obtain ingredients. But where do you shop when you have a restricted diet and how do you even go about finding the ingredients?

In learning to cook and aiming to figure out how to cook healthier things, I've talked a lot with my co-worker and friend, Kassandra Kimball about ideas since she's one of the healthiest eaters I know. She used to work at Sound Health Inc. where they can diagnose health problems through the sounds in a person's voice. They told her she was allergic to dairy and gluten so as a result she cut them out of her diet. Furthermore, she was already a vegetarian.

Kassy really enjoys growing her own food, creating new meals and deserts, as well as trying to modify regular foods to fit her diet and still taste relatively similar. One of the places she spends most of her money is Kroger in Athens, Ohio.

This week I accompanied her to Kroger for my first official visit to see what she looks for when buying foods that fit her diet.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

The first thing I noticed was that this Kroger was stocked exceptionally well with fresh produce. As I expected, this was the first area she went to.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

When buying fresh produce, Kassy said she generally looks for things that say organic because they are the fruits and vegetables that haven't been genetically modified or been smothered in pesticides.

As we moved through the aisles, I was very amazed at just how many products actually existed as substitutes, organics, gluten free, vegan/vegetarian friendly, etc.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

She showed me that most products have "Gluten Free" written on the packaging, like these Gluten Free English Muffins.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

Things like cheese, can be substituted with "Veggie Shreds," which she says taste pretty similar to real cheese, but are made from vegetables.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

One aisle that I really thought was the coolest was the self-serve dispensers of various nuts, grains, dried fruits and other ingredients.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

One of the last things she showed me was fake ice cream, which she says tastes pretty close to the real stuff.

Photo Credit: Anna Hartenbach

One thing though about a lot of these products is that they seem pretty expensive when you do not really make much money. However, it probably just depends on how you weigh it, and whether the benefits outweigh the cost.

The Verdict: I was pretty impressed with Kroger and I'm really excited to go back and figure out what I might like to try out. Though I don't think I'll ever be vegetarian or dairy free, there are so many health benefits to removing as much gluten as possible and just shopping organic in general, so I'd like to learn ways that I can modify my own diet to make it healthier.

Best Paired With: A Kroger card for discounts and the movie Food Inc. It is such an informative movie. It really makes you think about the modifications that are made to our foods now days and consider what you can do to help change things. One thing Kassy recommends is a Vegan, gluten free cookbook called The Flying Apron.