All about Gluten Free (Boxed) Cereals

posted on March 1, 2012 by

 

Nothing brings back fond memories of 1980’s childhood quite like that morning American staple known as “breakfast cereal.”  I’m not sure at what point we co-opted the term “cereal” to basically convey a mostly sugar-laced, artificially colored bowl of glutonium, but the word has found its way into the American lexicon…so be it.

The Saturday morning cartoon ritual was always interspersed with vivid advertisements for the latest and greatest mouthful of empty carbs and wasted calories, as if the leprechaun or rabbit or cookie crook would jump out of our box and play games with us the way they did in the commercial.  If not, we at least got a glorious plastic trinket of some sort.

How vividly do I remember being part of the test group (in first grade, ca. 1981) for Smurf-Berry Crunch (the school actually allowed our corporate overlords to march us down to the cafeteria to sample the latest concoction brewed up in a chemistry lab that our parents were made to believe was part of a “balanced breakfast”).

 

And who could forget Strawberry Shortcake Cereal?

 

Oh how times have changed.

Now for those of you who remember that “Trix are for kids,” or who have ever been “Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs,” the long lost days of watching Looney Tunes in your pajamas while your cereal actually changed the color of your milk (really?…REALLY?) may seem a distant memory.  And for those of us who need to be gluten-free, those days of yesteryear may seem lost forever.

There is hope.

Notice I said hope…not healthy.  This is all about nostalgia and convenience, for those mornings when you just want to share some of your childhood memories with your kids or hit the snooze button one too many times and are scrambling to get your family out the door.

I told you up-front that the Gluten-Free 101 series would not be about optimum health, but would be about surviving the g-free whirlwind you may find yourself trying to navigate.  With that in mind, here is my take on some mainstream, red-yellow-blue-green-orange-purple dye #14 (did the first 13 attempts make the rats glow in the dark or what?) breakfast cereals.  And have you noticed that MANY of the truly yummy glow in the dark cereals have come in the shape of little balls?  General Mills sure has gotten good use out of their little ball-shaped cereal machines, haven’t they? ;-)

Okay, I could go on and on over cereal nostalgia but let’s get moving on the important stuff. 

Which boxed cereals are safe to eat when you are gluten-free??  (We’ll address hot cereal in another post)

Before I share a list of all the gluten-free cereals I can think of…I would like to address a couple issues first.

To be or Not to Be (gluten-free), That is THE Question!

When I was first diagnosed with celiac disease in 2005…grocery shopping was a 6 hour endeavor.

No kidding.

From reading labels (or trying to read them anyway), calling Mike on my cell phone to have him Google words like Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and then Google if BHT was gluten-free…only to give up and call the 800 number on the package and after sitting on hold for 20 minutes, giving my name and number to put me on their “list,” only to have the company representative read me an official script saying something to the effect of, “read the ingredient label, if an ingredient is derived from wheat it will be listed on the label, the same thing goes for barley (a.k.a. malt or malt flavoring), oats and rye.” There was no such thing as “gluten free oats” back in 2005, they were still on the 100% forbidden list.  After roughly 9,998 exasperated phone calls and scripted responses, I gave up and just started reading labels to determine if a product was “gluten-free.”  With the help of Gluten-Free Living Magazine of course.

When one is newly diagnosed with a gluten induced illness, I think it’s natural that most of us will initially search for the foods we already eat and try to figure out which of those are safe.  Unless you’re in the meat or produce section, you won’t find much, which can cause a mini-nervous breakdown of its own!  But every so often you will find something you previously enjoyed that is either officially deemed safe (outright labelled gluten-free) or seems safe “enough,” (as in no obvious gluten ingredients listed).

This is where followup blood testing is very important, especially if you have celiac disease.  I thought I was doing great on the gluten-free diet once I finally committed to it (3 years after the fact) but low and behold, it wasn’t to be.  After a series of unexplainable infections, it was clear that my immune system was in outright mutiny.  After doing my own research, I stumbled across The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center’s page about followup blood testing.  Funny, my gastroenterologist never mentioned this to me before!  After the results came back, it was clear that gluten was still getting into my diet.

Time to rethink my definition of “gluten-free.”  And as it turns out, things aren’t always what they seem.

My pal Emily recently sent me second complimentary GlutenTox Home test kit - you can see Wendy, Shelby (of Celiacs in the House) and my previous test results for Fruity Pebbles, Honey Nut Chex, Crunchmaster Crackers and Annie’s Bunny Cookies here), so I seized this opportunity to test Kix, Trix and Cocoa Puffs with GlutenTox so here we go!

I started with Trix, the one with the new Wildberry Red Swirls and guaranteed genetically-modified whole grain complete with box top mail in (why don’t they offer frequent flyer miles too?).

 

Corn, corn, and more corn.  Chemical, red, blue, yellow, “other”…doesn’t really sound good.  BUT…no obvious gluten.  And the whole “preserve freshness” claim…hmmm…doesn’t really sound fresh to begin with, but we’ll go with it.

Gotta grind it up for GlutenTox!

Negative.  Now on with our show.

Kix: Kid Tested, But are they Gluten Free Mom Approved?

More guaranteed GMO whole grain, more box top giveaways, but at least the box color doesn’t foreshadow the ingredient list.

Compare the Kix ingredients to the Trix ingredients.  Notice how eerily similar the ingredients are (minus the colors of course).  It seems to me that a Trix is mostly just a Kix that has been spray-painted and preserved with an extra-special chemical to “preserve freshness.”

Have your hubby help with the grinding…men seem to like smashing things.

No surprise here…a Kix is basically a Trix afterall!

Can Gluten Free Kids be Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs?

This box goes out of its way to promise even MORE whole grains…this can’t be good.

Again, basically the same ingredients as Kix and Trix, but with “disclaimer of death.”  Now surely this one will not pass the test…

Grind and waft the smell (it will bring back memories of Saturday morning, I promise).

In this particular case, “may contain wheat” means “does not contain wheat” (at least not alpha-gliadin 33-MER…we’ll discuss this more later).

Guess what?  I didn’t even catch this…but both of my kids did (so I must have done something right!). ;-)

Checks and Balances

Now, I was beginning to wonder if I was conducting the GlutenTox Home test kits properly, so just to be sure…I crossed over to the dark side.

Yep, the term Glutadoodle (gluten + wackadoodle) encompasses much much more than just gluten free goldfish crackers! :mrgreen:

 No worries though…no celiacs were harmed in the making of this blog post…

Yep, we took all the necessary precautions… I ain’t THAT crazy!

oops! :oops:

Questions to think about:

1) Why doesn’t General Mills add Cocoa Puffs, Kix and Trix to their list of labeled gluten-free cereals?

I remember thinking to myself, “this doesn’t make any sense.”  Why are some cereals that contain virtually identical ingredients in their list labeled gluten-free and others are not?  I waited and waited and waited for the gluten free label to show up on Kix, Trix and Cocoa Puffs – afterall, the ingredient label itself didn’t show any gluten-containing ingredients.  But it never happened and here’s why:

January 9, 2010

Dear Ms. Kelly:

Thank you for contacting us about gluten in Kix cereal. General Mills offers several products that are labeled gluten-free.  Please check the package label for the gluten-free statement on the front/side/back of the package.  Only products that can be verified to be gluten free will be declared as gluten free on the label.  It is important to check the product label each time you purchase a product because it has the most accurate information about the product in the package.

Because we constantly strive to improve our products′ quality and nutritional value, the most up-to-date product information is on the package the product is purchased in.  For that reason, we do not distribute product information lists as they could quickly become outdated.

For products not labeled gluten free, we will always declare gluten containing ingredients if they are added to the product.  If the ingredient declaration lists wheat, oats, barley, rye, or derivatives of these grains, then the product contains gluten.  Examples of derivative ingredients include: malt, barley malt, organic malt, semolina, Durham, triticale, and spelt.  We do not include gluten containing ingredients in the ′Natural Flavors′ or ′Spices′ on the product ingredient list.  If there are gluten ingredients in our products, those ingredients are always clearly listed.

If there are no gluten- containing ingredients listed in the product ingredient label, but the product does not make a gluten free claim, it is because we cannot fully assure that this product is gluten free.  While we have not added gluten-containing ingredients, factors such as sourcing, conditions of manufacture, etc. do not allow us to provide the full level of assurance that a gluten free claim requires.

Additional information regarding gluten may be obtained by contacting your health care professional or:

Celiac Sprue Association/United States of America, Inc.
PO Box 31700
Omaha, NE  68131-0700
402-558-0600
Or toll free:  877-CSA-4-CSA  (877-272-4272)
www.csaceliacs.org
We hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,
Leah Giovanni
Consumer Services

2). Why does General Mills list MAY CONTAIN TRACE AMOUNTS OF WHEAT on the package of Cocoa Puffs but NOT on the packages of Kix or Trix?

If you happen to know the answer to this, please let me know! :-D

The moral to this story?

Nowadays there are many reasons why someone might be on a gluten free diet BUT if you have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, please use extreme caution before buying any product that is not labeled gluten free.  I am living proof that simply because you may not exhibit any “obvious” symptoms when ingesting gluten, it doesn’t mean the same thing as no immune reaction (and subsequential autoimmune diseases in my case).

Is it really worth the potential consequences?  For me and mine, that is an unequivocal NO.

Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom’s Top Kid Cereal Picks

Have a newly gluten-free toddler screaming for Cheerios?  Try Nature’s Path Whole O’s:

Do they taste identical to Cheerios?  No they don’t but I found with my boys (ages 5 and 1 at the time of introduction) that the SHAPE was much more important that the taste and they both took to this cereal.

Have a child mourning the loss of neon colored cereal (or cereal with the mini dehydrated marshmallows)?  Go with Post’s Pebbles cereal, three varieties are now labeled gluten-free:

Does your child need to make a “Fruit Loop Necklace at school?  Go with Freedom Foods Tropic O’s cereal:

You can read my review here and you can also buy Tropic O’s on Amazon.

Missing that Snap, Krackle, and Pop?  Good news, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies now has a gluten-free version (note: it is NOT the classic blue box!)

Have kids (or a husband) who are cuckoo for Cocoa puffs? Try CerealVit’s Choco Stars!

You can read my review of Choco Stars here.

More Great Packaged Cereals that are Labeled Gluten Free:

EnviroKidz:

Gorilla Munch is a great alternative to Kix and I think the Amazon Frosted Flakes Cereal give Tony the Tiger a serious run for the money.

More Nature’s Path Gluten Free Cereals:

Back when I still ate cereal, Mesa Sunrise was my favorite.

Erewhon:

Before Gluten-Free Rice Krispies hit the market, I discovered that Erewhon’s Crispy Brown Rice Cereal were nearly identical to the Rice Krispies I remembered from my youth and this is the brand I still choose to buy my for kiddos.

CerealVit:

 

Enjoy Life Foods:

The Nutty Flax and Nutty Rice *remind* me of Grape Nuts (at least in the small nugget crunch category).

Gluten Free Chex:

**I do recommend reading Shirley’s post over at Gluten Free Easily about her visit to General Mills.

Glutino

 

 

Barbara’s:

*Barbara’s Multigrain Puffins do contain “pure” oats and Kim over at Gluten Free is Life shares her correspondence with Barbara’s about the oats they use in this post (and we’ll discuss oats in an upcoming post).

What’s Your Favorite Gluten Free Cereal?  

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32 Comments
Filed in: Breakfast, Featured, Gluten Free 101, Gluten Free 101: Recipes, Resources and Other Fun Stuff, Kid Favorite Gluten/Allergy Free Products, Kids
  • http://glutenfreesimplygood.blogspot.com Erin Gaines

    love this post Heidi! I just discovered the Nature’s Path Mesa Sunrise and LOVE it! Cutting up some fresh strawberries on top makes it even more delicious! Question for you, I just got my new celiac profile back that I had drawn a couple of weeks ago, and the numbers were MUCH improved…all but one registering negative! I did have a question about one though, would you mind if I emailed you the numbers for a little help understanding it?

  • http://themommybowl.com Deanna

    Personally, I’ve given up cereal entirely. But, the kiddo still loves it, and his favorite is definitely Mesa Sunrise. Though, if I’d let him eat Fruity Pebbles, I’m sure he’d be all over it. :)

    Great post with lots of good info. I’ve wondered about Kix myself.

  • Jackie Emm

    Heidi you crack me up. My kids still love cereal as much as I wish they’d just forget it ever existed. As I look at the boxes I realize we’ve tried most of them (except for the multi-colored ones). I really wish they didn’t vary in price so much! The Envirokids ones are their favorites.

  • http://cookingglutenfree.blogspot.com Cassidy @ Cooking Gluten (& Dairy) Free

    Thanks so much for this post!!! I recently bought my son Kix because I couldn’t find any gluten in the ingredient list. Then I was worried maybe I made the wrong decision since it wasn’t labeled gluten free. Thank you so much for the information! I think I need to buy a GlutenTox kit :)

  • Carla

    As a mother of a GF teenager (for 5 years) – I LOVE your site! I am an intelligent, college educated woman, and the labels make me feel like a 3rd grade drop out! Every time I feel like we have mastered the GF food challenge, the ingredient label on an old trusted food changes & we find modified food starch or caramel coloring has been added. Or – a label adds “Contains No Wheat Gluten” – And…..???? WTH? Another phone call – what about barley, rye and oats??? The paranoia strikes & I think they are trying to slip one past us. (Gatorade Fruit Punch – a classic example. They don’t even bother to respond….)

    In any event – I wanted to share some info. Having an active teenager has its challenges – having an active GF teenager is something that could send any mother into the looney bin! Grab & go foods and snacks are important.

    Before Rice Krispies decided to get smart…I tried different options for easy treats to have for my son – that wouldn’t cost an arm & a leg to have available.

    Marshallow Pebbles is a GREAT alternative for rice krispie treats. You make Pebble Treats the same way you would rice krispies treats – unless you like peanut butter added – then you might want to try a different flavor of pebbles.

    I buy the boxes of ‘cereal’ by the caseload & always have pebble treats available. Although not a ‘healthy’ breakfast – regardless of how fortified it may be – its an EASY & FLAVORFUL GF treat that the entire house enjoys. A box of cereal, a bag of mini marshmallows, some butter…. 5 min later – the treats are in the pan, cooling, on the counter. They freeze well, & can be cut, stored in gallon baggies & go off to sports camps for a safe treat in the dorm rooms.

    (& btw people THIS IS CRITICAL FOR EVERYONE TO DO REGULARLY – Go to manufacturers’ websites (It doesn’t matter if you are interested in a specific product – or not. The more we can ‘campaign’ & put GLUTEN FREE terminology in front of the marketers of these companies, the more likely they will jump on the bandwagon..and those reluctant ‘others’ will have to follow along) Once you get to the websites, find the Contact Us links & simply ask which of their products are gluten free and do they label GF, or force the consumer to interpret the label (make them think about this…). – .I personally decided to take on Rice Krispies…many contact us communications, many calls, etc….asking about GF status.

    I also made sure that when there was a blog or a post of any kind that discussed Kelloggs products, I made sure to mention GF alternatives to rice krispies. Seriously – I may not have had any impact – but I feel like I didn’t waste my time. They now have a GF Rice Krispie option – even if they do lack a bit of flavor….)

    Thanks for your continued GF blogging.

  • Jenny Zilmer

    Just because it says gluten free, however, is no guarantee. My daughter felt sick every time she ate the gluten free labeled Fruity Pebbles. I googled it and found lots of people having a problem with it. I contacted the manufacturer. I don’t really trust the cereals–I just make my own granola and use it for cereal. She does fine with Chex cereal though, and we have that occasionally (because cereal is basically junk food), but that’s the only mainstream cereal we use.

  • Megan

    Another amazingly thorough post Heidi – this one’s going on the CSA facebook page and our newsfeed! Thanks!

    • http://adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com Adventuresgfmom

      Thanks Megan, it’s always a relief to know when you’ve written a CSA-approved post! :-D

  • Niki

    Thank you for this post! I have just found your site this week. We are embarking on a Gluten free, dairy free, soy free, corn free, sugar free, phospate free, nitrate free, artifical additive free diet to monitor how this improves my daugher’s ADHD symptoms. I am very frustrated trying to find a cereal that she can eat, since many gluten free products contain corn. I know you are recently avoiding corn as well, do you have any recommendations for a gluten free dairy free corn free cereal?

    Also thank you so much for your blog, I have found so many great recipes, tips and ideas here in just a few days that are really going to help make this transition easier for my daughter.

  • Nicole

    Thanks for this post, love your site! We’ve been GF for nearly 2 1/2 years. Was doing good but last test results show high ttg levels for my one son but normal for the other. We’re at our wits’ end trying to figure out where it’s coming from. I was pregnant and now have a 2 month old so the kids were eating a lot of cereal. A lot so I was thinking maybe the Kix but I feel reassured seeing your test results. Now we just have to figure out what it is!

    Also, just because it says GF doesn’t mean it is (and that’s a whole nother post). We had that issue with rice milk (Trader Joe’s rice milk which Rice Dream repackaged from what I understood?).

  • http://www.lexieskitchen.com Lexie

    Heidi, Another EXCELLENT post! You are so thorough. And so nice to have visuals of all the GF cereal out there. Boxed cereals used to be commonplace in our home and I won’t lie—we always have a box of something on the shelf for breakfasts in a pinch. No, I do not always make a super nutritious breakfast for my boys of sauteed kale and scrambled eggs. Some mornings I am non-functioning and it’s cereal and a piece of sausage. I fess up! There are a few processed convenience foods in our house and cereal is one of them. That said, our favorites are the honey rice Puffins and Erewhon rice cereals. We love Chex, too but have stopped buying them until they take out the BHT preservative (cancerous only in very high doses … but still we’ll pass). Oh and may they will go non-GMO (ha LOL, that’ll be the day). Again, thanks for all your research and testing!!! xoLexie

    • http://adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com Adventuresgfmom

      I love you Lexie, thank you for “coming out of the pantry” and sharing that you too keep some of the “dreaded” processed gluten free convenience on hand, LOL! In this day and age of uber healthy (and naturally gluten free) recipes and our increasing knowledge of GMO’s, etc., it can be a little nerve-wracking to openly acknowledge one’s “secret” stash of processed foods! ;-)

      This gluten free 101 series has been very healthy for me mentally, getting back to the basics and remembering the most important things:

      1). That the foods I feed to my kids is as close to 100% gluten-free as is possible (as well as their other allergens/sensitivities)
      2). I’m a mom therefore I tend to get very busy at times and just DO.NOT.FEEL.LIKE.COOKING!!!
      3). I’m human and sometimes I just want to sit back and be carefree for a moment or two by allowing my kiddos to partake in a “normal” food activity – besides, I think they’re doing pretty darned good drinking green smoothies 6 days a week!

      Balance baby, it’s all about balance. :-D

      xoxo,
      Heidi

  • http://www.katiechalmers.com Katie Chalmers

    Wow, now THAT was a thorough article! I can’t think of one gluten-free cereal you didn’t mention in this, and it was very interesting to learn about that home testing kit. I bet the boys in your family had a blast with that! I remember those 80′s cereals you mentioned, too — my favorite was “Cookie Crisp” — those tiny little chocolate chip cookies, as cereal! To answer your question, my girls’ favorite cereal is Nature Path’s Peanut Butter Panda Puffs. Thanks for another informative post…..will definitely be sharing this!

  • http://knightsandmaidensgathering.blogspot.com Cinnamon

    What a GREAT post!! I loved it. You see while we are not a big cereal eating family, I do have a one year old sweetie that reacts horribly to dairy and gluten. So Gorilla Munch has been my “cheerios” a one year old best eating friend. Now I see we have lots of other choices. Thank you so much for your fun and informative post. I will come back to it again before my next shopping trip :-)

    One happy reader~ Cinnamon

  • Becky

    I ‘ve been following your blog for awhile now. I have a 5 year old with Celiac. Thank you for this post.. it was a great read! good info.. thanks!!

  • http://conqueringceliac.blogspot.com Emilytwinmom

    I have tried a good amount of what you posted, and while they don’t make me sick (I react to even a crumb) they taste awful!!! The gluten free Rice Krispies specifically are nothing like the real thing (ok, they pop). I did get sick once from Fruity Pebbles, and I have no allergies, only celiac. I know when it’s gluten… special kind of pain. I love Chex, but tire of them after four or five boxes of the same thing… every day. I have found a few of the Envirokids cereals to be pretty tasty, but at $5 to $6 a box I’ll make eggs, or just skip breakfast. I do have one staple breakfast item – Bakery on Main’s granola. It’s oat free and WOW is it yummy! Of course that is expensive too! Thanks for the great post, you mention a number of cereals I have never seen – time to make my rounds of the health food stores again! :)

  • http://glutenfreeeasily.com Shirley @ gfe

    Excellent post, Heidi, and thanks for the link love, dear! I’m still passing on all cereal, whether it’s passed the GlutenTox test or is even certified gluten free to the less than 10 ppm level. It’s clear I’m much more sensitive than even that level and I get sick any time I try these products. I have not tried all the one gf ones you have mentioned, but I really don’t miss cereal. Back in the day, I LIVED on cereal though. I could eat cereal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (and a few snacks thrown in there) and be quite happy about it! That was definitely my gluten addiction! Mainstream cereals were not good options then and they are still not good now, with all that’s in them, even if they truly are gf. On the rare occasion, I get a “cereal” craving these days, I simply put fruit and nuts in a bowl and pour some almond milk over them, with maybe some coconut sugar or a drizzle of honey. Beats ANY boxed cereal in my book. ;-)

    xoxo,
    Shirley

  • http://www.facebook.com/snowflake96 Heather

    Thanks for this post!! I won a GlutenTox kit a couple months back but only had 2 tests in it so couldn’t test a whole lotta things. I tested my makeup (was gf) and tested my girls oatmeal (which also tested gf & was a store brand). But I have gotten regular store cereals for them since going gf back in July 2007, just out of desperation since we cannot afford all the specialty gf items. They eat Kix, Captain Crunch, Trix (sometimes), Cocoa Puffs (but lately it has had gluten in the labeling around here..believe it was barley malt), and oatmeal. We tried Fruity Pebbles (after it got the gf labeling) & the Fruity Pebble treats (also labeled gf), but they got sick off of them and i also got a ‘gluten buzz’ off of them (before i went grain free) as well so I haven’t bought any recently. I, myself, am grain free right now, but my kiddos still follow a normal gf diet so there are more kid-friendly options for them. I want them to fit in with their friends as much as possible while they’re kids…allowing them to sleep over while still having food options available to them. We may ALL go grain free in the future…still not sure (though i feel it’s healthiest), but it’s nice that you did this post Heidi and the testing to give some of us greater peace of mind when we’ve had to do our ‘best guess’ with what’s out there.

  • http://www.facebook.com/snowflake96 Heather

    Oh, btw..your question regarding how can the same company declare one as possibly ‘cross contaminated with wheat’ and one not…like with Trix & Kix…some of those cereals are made at one facility and the other may be made at another facility that also processes wheat products. I’ve worked at a couple factories before that make food products, and yes, some products may be made at one plant (in one city), while several others are made at another facility of the same company in a totally different city….thus the warning label. ;)

  • http://www.glutenfreeforgood.com/blog/ glutenfreeforgood

    What an informative post, Heidi! My daughter loved Strawberry Shortcake (the doll). She was even Strawberry Shortcake for Halloween, but I would never buy the cereal. I don’t recall her ever caring about it. Those cereals (whether GF or not) are poor breakfast choices. The letter from the General Mills person was interesting, especially this section.

    “Because we constantly strive to improve our products′ quality and nutritional value, the most up-to-date product information is on the package the product is purchased in. For that reason, we do not distribute product information lists as they could quickly become outdated.”

    I have no idea how they “constantly strive to improve their products’ nutritional value” using such low grade ingredients and dumping tons of sugar into the mix, but they are in it to make money, not for health purposes. I’m saying that in an objective sense. GM is a humongous business and the bottom line is the bottom line, not what is best for kids. It’s our job as parents to make wise choices for our kids. And that is no easy task! Did you see the recent list of the top cereals from the EWG with the most sugar? Some are over 50% sugar. I’ve done posts on sugary cereal in the past as well. Your version here is over-the-top detailed and I love the addition of the gluten testing. As always, you did an amazing job sorting it out for your readers. I have to thank my mom for never buying boxed cereals. I didn’t grow up on this stuff, so I don’t have an nostalgic feelings about it. My kids got boxed cereal, but I was very picky about it. The choices are so much worse now. It’s sad.

    Once again, great post!
    Melissa

  • zosia

    Why does General Mills list MAY CONTAIN TRACE AMOUNTS OF WHEAT on the package of Cocoa Puffs but not on Kix or Trix?

    so that they can’t be held responsible if a celiac eats it.

    it’s always about covering your a$$ …

  • TammyP

    My favorite is the Honey Nut Chex. Glad to see it passed your gluten test. :)

    On a side note, have you tested Quaker’s Whole Heart cereal? It looks like heart-shaped Cheerios, and I couldn’t find any gluteny ingredients listed. When I contacted Quaker to ask, they gave the typical “we can’t guarantee if it’s gluten free” email, but I was wondering how it would stand up to your test kit or if you’d tried it.

    • http://adventuresofaglutenfreemom.com Adventuresgfmom

      Hi Tammy,

      I would ABSOLUTELY AVOID any product containing oats that have not been certified gluten free.

  • http://thegoodeatah.blogspot.com Liz

    That is so, so interesting! Thanks for doing all that legwork, Heidi.

    My favorite GF cereals are Mesa Sunrise and Cinnamon Chex. I really miss Cracklin Oat Bran and Raisin Bran. Ever try to make your own gluten-free cereal? If anyone could do it, I bet you could!

  • http://lookwhatigotforfree.com Sarah

    I am an adult that is mourning the recent loss of many sugary cereals due to going gluten free. I love the Envirokidz Koala Crisp and Amazon Frosted Flakes. I have always loved Fruity Pebbles. Thank god I can still have those! The Chex and Rice Krispies both worry me because they have the chemical BHT, which some people disagree about whether it is a safe food additive. I hated the taste of the gluten-free Rice Krispies anyway, but the Chex are good. I recently did the Enterolabs testing and found out that I am extremely allergic to corn, so there goes most of my cereals, but I still enjoy them every now and then even if I shouldn’t! Thanks for the helpful post!

  • Andrew

    Thank you for sharing this. This is so interesting. I love Honey Nut Chex.

  • Gretchen

    At least we got an enlightening statement from the manufacturer for that “Product MAY contain Gluten” label.

  • http://fortheloveofcooking-recipes.blogspot.com/ Racq

    It actually scares me to think of how bad 80s cerials were, the only thing more frightening was the lack of education amongst people with regards to how bad they were! Your cerial was usually thought of as good for your regardless.

  • http://www.LifeWithPBC.blogspot.com Tammy

    The problem I have with those strips is that it says right on their website “reacts to wheat, barley, rye and oat”. So it would be totally impossible to have shown the gluten in the corn or rice because it’s not testing for that (each grain has it’s own type of gluten protein). So I think we get a false sense of security with those. True, corn and rice have LESS gluten (As I understand it- corn has about 2.2g of gluten per 100g and rice has .13g of gluten per 100g vs wheat that has about 9g of gluten per 100g). And I do agree that some people can get away with eating rice (most people) and corn (not as many as you think). When people are still feeling sick even though they are ‘gluten free’, many times that’s because they are eating corn products…

    I am, of course, no expert and I am still very new to all this (I have been thrown into gluten free living because I have an auto immune liver disease that will destroy my liver if I don’t fix it), but I can say, just what I’ve learned so far- Corn and Rice are NOT gluten free- lower gluten, but not gluten free.

    • Kaydee

      All grains have “gluten” or protein in them, but those in corn and rice are not toxic like those in wheat, barley and rye.  They are not the same, though we use the same term “gluten”.  Confusing, I know.

  • Matt K

    Glad to see Gluten Free Rice Krispies, they’re so good and I love that I can have my favourite childhood cereal again :)
    http://ricekrispiesbrownrice.ca/

    This message has been shared with you by MTHRTY on behalf of Kellogg Canada Inc.

  • Kaydeeaych

    I know with oats for example, they can get contaminated in the trucks that transport them (one GF manufacturer cleans their trucks with dental tools!).  Perhaps the corn or another ingredient gets contaminated in a similar manner.