I’m a big fan of balancing things out in my diet…even if it doesn’t work out. Since I likes me my soy patties, I try to drink rice, hazlenut, or coconut milks instead of soy milk.

Sometimes, the morning is too rushed to make something so I grab a bagel with Non-Dairy Cream Cheese on my way to work. However, if I then go get a wrap or veggie burger, the gluten packed items start to pile up, especially if I turn around and have something seitan. So, when I saw a coupon in the Whole Foods circular for Udi’s (not to be confused with Rudi’s, which I have yet to try) Gluten-Free breads and bagels, I thought it would be a good chance to try something new and balance the scales. [Note: Udi's is Dairy Free but not Vegan; they use honey and eggs.]

I eagerly bought the Whole Wheat bagels and now I’m eargerly waiting for them to expire. A bit of a sawdust grit to them…about as bland in flavor too. I tried one half straight from the bag with Tofutti Non-Dairy Cream Cheese spread over it. Then the other half the same, just popped in the microwave for a few seconds to warm up the cream cheese. Uh, no. I choked it down, then needed something to get the taste out of my mouth. Another morning, cause I’d checked the code date and figured I should try again, I piled on the Tofutti Cream Cheese on a half and still couldn’t offset the eating cardboard feeling. I put the other half back in the bag. I’m stubborn, I twisted open the bag today and pulled out that leftover half, popped it in the toaster, then spread out some vegan butter and waited for it to melt in. What a waste of some good vegan butter.

Only 4 come in a bag for $5.99…and I’m hoping the last two mold before I get to them so I have a good justification for tossing them in the trash.

So many amazing things are being made  gluten-free for those who have Celiac Disease, it’s almost upsetting to me. Since Celiac is considered a disease, it seems that stricter regulations are being imposed and more restaurants are hoping on the gluten-free bandwagon, than for vegan and vegetarian options. Still, like vegans and vegetarians, those with Celiac shouldn’t have to settle. A morning bagel is not worth this effort. I was tested for Celiac, but don’t have it; even if I had this intolerance, I’d rather skip breads altogether than suffer through this option.