Gluten-Free Pop Tarts and Other New Products to Check Out in 2013

“I hate this gluten-free stuff…it has no taste to me!” thus spoke the teenager in the backseat of the car.

It is not uncommon for young people who must abruptly adopt the gluten-free diet to notice the distinct absence of artificial flavors and sweeteners that tend to make up the most popular and common (gluten-filled) snacks.

Because this same teen has celiac disease, his ongoing diet of gluten-dense foods was causing him many problems, and the diagnosis was like a ray of light in terms of his chronic fatigue, malnutrition, and bouts of anemia.

The problem, as he so clearly stated, was that he “hated” the gluten-free foods. Naturally, they did have plenty of taste; it was just that the teenager had a palette that had long been cultivated to prefer modern junk food.

Because he could not return to “this sort of food” and remain healthy, he was facing a dietary dilemma. In other words, how would he get his “fix” of snack foods without consuming gluten?

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Well, that teenage boy was me back in high school, and unfortunately for me, I just had to suck it up and find some new and inventive ways to get my daily junk calories.

For the snack-food-seeker in 2013 though, things are looking a LOT better. Here are three of the best new products appearing in 2013:

• Eco-Planet has released their entirely gluten-free toaster pastries. Available in blueberry, strawberry, or brown sugar & cinnamon flavors, they are bound to be a hit with the kids, teens, and snack-happy adults of the world.

• Many people (including teens) want meals that need no preparation and that can be enjoyed on the go. Enter the Go Picnic Black Bean Dip & Plantain Chips Ready to Eat Meal. Yes, that is a mouthful, but what a wonderful mouthful. It has a healthy black bean dip, plantain chips, a fruit and nut mix, a bit of chocolate, and a seed blend for energy.

• Though the unhealthy potato chip makers like to claim that their foods are irresistible; you will disagree once you taste the Baked Lentil Chips from Mediterranean Snack Foods. Full of fiber, protein, and flavor, they are a wonderful vehicle for gluten-free dips, but also hard to stop eating on their own. Available in a handful of savory flavors, including Dill, Parmesan and Garlic, and Sea Salt, they are a wonderful treat.

If you know an unhappy gluten-free teen, child, or adult, we are sure these new products will turn their frowns upside down!