9 of the Best New Gluten-Free Foods to Check Out

Remember the days when finding gluten-free food meant buying a bag of vacuum-sealed bread that tasted like cardboard? Well, those days are long gone!

There’s never been a better time to be gluten-free! It seems like every week there’s a fabulous new gluten-free product on the shelves. Increasingly, new gluten-free products can be found not only at health food stores but at national grocery chains.

Not sure where to start? We’ve gone ahead and compiled a list of the 9 best new gluten-free foods to check out this year…

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Here they are in no particular order:

• Bold Organics’ Gluten-Free Pizza – Frozen gluten-free and dairy-free pizzas? Yes, please! For those on a GFCF (gluten-free, casein-free diet) or for vegans, these pies can’t be beat. They also contain no eggs, which makes their vegetarian pies vegan (some of them do contain meat).

• Wholesome Kitchen’s Gluten-Free Couscous – Traditionally made of semolina wheat flour, couscous is normally NOT a gluten-free food. However, this couscous substitute is millet-based. Millet is tremendously nutritious and underappreciated for its place in the gluten-free diet. These mixes are vegan, kosher and high in protein. The various couscous mixes are redolent with spices, nuts and dried fruit. Wholesome Kitchen also makes flavorful quinoa mixes.

• Amy’s Kitchen Gluten-Free Wraps – Long a gluten-free favorite, Amy’s Kitchen has shown devotion to the gluten-free market by constantly rolling out new vegetarian, gluten-free frozen products. The newest products are frozen wraps, ranging from a gluten-free Indian aloo matter wrap to a gluten-free tofu scramble breakfast wrap.

• Udi’s Classic French Dinner Rolls and Classic French Baguette – Crusty bread with European flair, sans gluten! Udi’s has entered the national gluten-free market with a bang, popping up in mainstream groceries in towns large and small. These are just two products in their 2012 line of gluten-free goodies.

• Omission Lager and Pale Ale – Two new gluten-free beers from the Craft Brew Alliance are creating quite a stir. Portland’s Widmer Brothers Brewing uses a unique brewing process that includes barley but also includes a substance that effectively breaks down the proteins in the barley grain as confirmed by their independent laboratory test results.

• PureFit Nutrition Bars – This top-selling gluten-free protein bar tastes like candy but fuels even a heavy workout with quality protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Free of high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweetners and hydrogenated fats.

• ThinkThin Crunch Fruit & Nut Bars – These energy-packed bars are available in flavors Cranberry Apple and Mixed Nuts, Blueberry and Mixed Nuts, and Cherry and Mixed Nuts. According to the company, these bars contain 60% less sugar and twice the protein of other fruit and nut bars. High fiber and rich in antioxidants.

• Namaste Seasoned Coating Mixes – Known as a leading maker of gluten-free baking mixes, Namaste is back with a new line of products. Their Gluten-Free Seasoned Coating Mixes are vegan and are available in Homestyle, Barbecue, Hot ‘n Spicy and Italian Herb flavors. Use any of these in place of bread crumbs in all your favorite recipes!

• Cookies from WOW Baking – Growing in popularity and availability, these cookies are delectable. WOW Baking’s Lemon Burst cookies are a Silver Finalist in the competition at the 2012 Summer Fancy Food Show. Other flavors, such as Ginger Molasses and Chocolate Chip, get rave reviews. Their gluten-free bagged cookies are semi-soft, which makes them stand out from the crowd. They are made with only “real” foods, no artificial or highly processed ingredients.

What new products have you noticed on your local store’s shelves? Which soon-to-be-released gluten products are you looking forward to?