Monday Review- Olinda Ridge Olive Oil

This Monday Review is brought to you by Olinda Ridge Olive Company, a family-owned and operated producer of extra virgin olive oils. Based in northern California, the company manges over 9000 olive trees, each over one hundred years old. Using organic farming methods, olives are hand-picked when ready and pressed immediately to preserve freshness.

We use a lot of olive oil in our kitchen. It is my oil of choice for sauteing and as an ingredient in breads, pizza dough and baked goods. I tried Olinda Ridge's Estate Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. It's fruity flavor is evident as soon as the bottle is opened. It smells really good. Uncap your store brand of olive oil and take a sniff. How does it smell? Olive oil should smell good- who knew? The olive oil tastes better too. It can be used right out of the bottle as a dip or as part of a marinade or for sauteing.

According to a representative at Olinda Ridge, "We've had several customers purchase our organic olive oil because it is depitted. For people who are allergic to olive pits, this olive oil is safe as we don't crush the pit in with the olive meat. It is the pit they are allergic to, not the oil itself."

Check out the Olinda Ridge website. You'll find recipes and an informative article about "the art of tasting olive oil". Their olive oils are available at some Whole Food stores in the U.S. or can be ordered directly from their website. If you sign up to receive their newsletter, you'll get a 15% discount on your order.

One other great thing about this company. They give back to the community by supporting fundraisers through sponsored events. They also hire locally for their picking, processing, bottling and sales functions. Love that!

For more information about food allergies, see the Food Allergy Assistant's website.

Monday Review- Nature's Path

This week's Monday Review is brought to you by Nature's Path, makers of organic cereals, bars, snack foods, waffles, breads and baking mixes. They offer a line of gluten-free products for those with a wheat allergy or celiac disease.

I sampled the cereals and found them to be very tasty. Their new Crispy Rice bars are quite good too. Please note, that both varieties "may contain peanuts, tree nuts or dairy ingredients".

I sent a note to the company about "may contain" statements on their products. I received this response:

Nature’s Path is committed to producing exceptional products and holds the health of their customers along with quality and food safety as their top priorities. The gluten free products are made on shared lines that are thoroughly cleaned between runs, though there are not currently specific dedicated days for gluten free production. We have several tests in place to ensure food safety:

· All raw ingredients that might be used in gluten free products are tested for gluten prior to production.

· All equipment and tools must also pass an ATP and gluten test (production is not allowed to run until the equipment passes both tests.)

· The product undergoes a gluten test at the beginning and is retested once every four hours.

· After the products have been packaged, samples are sent to a third party lab for gluten testing.

Nature's Path will be updating their website in the coming months. I suggested the addition of a "food allergy" section (along with their current celiac/gluten-free section) to help food allergic customers make healthy choices when choosing Nature's Path products. I'll keep you posted on food allergy specific updates from them.

The Nature's Path website is packed with information about their products, as well as definitions of organic farming and the company's dedication to sustainability in terms of resources.Their EnviroKidz™ EnviroFund has raised nearly $300,000 for endangered species and environments since 2000- love that!

For more information about food allergies, visit the Food Allergy Assistant.

Monday Review- ZenSoy Puddings

This Monday Review is brought to you by the makers of ZenSoy puddings and soy milks. How interesting that a family of dairy farmers should set out to make soy products that are safe for those with milk allergies. They point out on their website, though, that the cows didn't mind when they added soy products to their dairy farm.

ZenSoy puddings and soy milks are organic, gluten-free, and lactose-free with no chance of cross contamination to nuts. That said, I must point out that they manufacture their soy puddings and soy milks in a plant that also produces dairy products. However, the machines are cleaned and sterilized before the manufacture of soy products. I am awaiting further clarification about their sterilization process and testing of the product to ensure there is no cross-contamination.

So, how do the puddings taste? ZenSoy puddings have the same consistency and texture as regular milk-based puddings. They are just as flavorful and satisfying. The puddings must be kept refrigerated, and they're perfect for a school lunch or an at-home treat. I once tried to make Jell-O brand instant puddings with soy milk. It didn't work. A call to Jell-O confirmed what I observed. Only cows milk is recommended to make their puddings. If you substitute with a soy or rice milk, the pudding won't "gel". Basically, you're left with a runny mess.

Back to ZenSoy. I love that they donate 5% of their profits to international wildlife organizations.

To find out where you can buy ZenSoy, go to their website and click on "Product Locator". There is also a request form on their site to fill out and submit to your favorite grocery store manager, asking them to consider carrying ZenSoy.


The same family owned company has recently introduced a new product, Evolve Kefir. This is a dairy product containing live probiotic cultures. I liked the fruit flavor of the Evolve Kefir. It was almost like drinking a yogurt and has the benefits of promoting digestive health and enhancing the immune system. This product is not safe for those with a milk allergy. Regarding other major allergens, a spokesperson from Mountainside Farms, makers of Evolve Kefir states “We do not have gluten, nuts, eggs or peanuts in our Evolve Kefir. ”Learn more at their site.


For more information, check www.foodallergyassistant.com.