Category: Gluten-Free Products


Mar
2014

Triple “Free” Cosmetics

categories: Food Allergy Tips, Gluten-Free Products

It’s not just food that needs to be gluten-free, folks! You have to make sure your cosmetics and personal care items are free from allergens too.

However, it doesn’t just stop with being gluten-free. Let’s make sure our makeup and creams and shampoos are really safe.

Cruelty Free.

Toxic Free.

Gluten Free.

Free three times over.

Now this approach is a lot more time-consuming and research-heavy than just walking into a store and picking something pretty or nice-smelling. But you’ll live with peace of mind and heart, so it’s totally worth it. How do you do this? Here’s my three-step process:

 

Step 1: GLUTEN-FREE – Check the “Gluten-Free Make Up Gal” List

Here’s the link to the website, which has the latest list. This lady’s great–she updates the list every year. However, most of these product are not available in Malaysia. So you’ll need to order online or get a friend to buy and bring. Good news is that most of these brands satisfy criteria in Steps 2 and 3 (still good idea to check, though!). Say you can’t get what you need in Malaysia. You’ll have to do Steps 2 and 3, and then Google whether it’s gluten-free.

 

Step 2: CRUELTY-FREE – Check the “Beauty without Bunnies” Site

Here’s the link to probably the most comprehensive and reliable cruelty-free database around. Brands available in Malaysia can be found here.

 

Step 3: TOXIC-FREE – Cross check against Skin Deep Database

Here’s the link to that database. Cross check the items you want to purchase with the list generated in Step 2 above.

Good luck!

Peace,

Daisy


Feb
2014

Update: Daisy’s Staple Hummus

categories: Eating In, Gluten-Free Products

On 14 May last year, I posted my hummus recipe. Now, I’ll give you this much: it’s some work, especially when it’s a staple! (And in my house, it really is.)

So, I always look out for store bought versions that are budget- and tastebud-friendly. I have finally settled on the best one: Cedar’s Hummus. It’s not organic, which is a bummer, but it is “all natural.” I’m hoping that this means it actually is organic but the company didn’t want to bother with certification. However, if you look at the ingredient list, all their hummus products, aside from the sundried tomato and basil flavored hummus (which seems to have some junk in it), are pretty wholesome.

Cedar's Hummus is tasty, smooth, and authentic. All flavors have wholesome ingredients, except for the Sundried Tomato and Basil.
Cedar’s Hummus is tasty, smooth, and authentic. All flavors have wholesome ingredients, except for the Sundried Tomato and Basil.

At RM16.00, it’s pretty affordable. There’s a fully organic hummus available at Village Grocer in Bangsar, but at RM30.00, it’s really not budget-friendly. There’s another local company called Hummus Co. that makes a hummus priced at RM16.00 also, but it’s nowhere as good as Cedar’s. Hummus Co.’s hummus is not smooth (the way good hummus should be) and doesn’t taste very good at all! (It’s also available at Village Grocer.)

Cedar’s is tasty! I especially love the roasted red pepper flavor. Goes great with cut up veggies, used as dipping crackers. My only gripe against them is that they use sunflower oil as the primary oil ingredient. I wish they’d use a good quality olive oil! Oh well. Rather than complain, I should just get crackin’ on making my own hummus. ;P

Peace,

Daisy