Anyone From Missouri?

[ohsroac]

I live in a small town in Missouri.. it takes at least 45 mins to go the movie theater better yet almost 2 hours to go to a speciality store.. anyone else feel like everything takes forever to get too? Its so hard!

[Amyleigh0007]

I am also from a small town in MO. No one knows what gluten is or celiac disease (until I educate them!). Luckily we do have a small store that sells gluten free staples like pasta and flour. I have to drive almost an hour to get to a Whole Foods.

[GFGrandmaBNC]

I live in Kansas but am in Missouri a lot (originally from St. Louis). There are some great resources in Missouri, depending on where you live. There is Nature's Pantry in Independence, MO. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's in St. Louis. Not sure what else. Have not really looked other places.

[jennyj]

I am from Missouri, a very small town. That is why I started selling gluten free foods in our store because I was tired of havint to drive an hour to get my foods.

[bbuster]

I live in Springfield, so we have some good resources, but am originally from a very small town in Southeast Missouri. I am finding that things are slowly getting better over time.

What town are you from?

[Switch2GF]

I grew up in St. Louis, went college at MU, and am now in KC. I've been all over the state looking for gluten-free goodies!

[sunnybabi1986]

I'm in Springfield, MO also. We have some good resources, but I'd be so much happier if we had a Trader Joe's, Wegmen's, or Whole Foods within an hours of here. We have a couple natural foods stores here that carry gluten free foods, but the prices are unbelievable. Their prices are 3 times higher than the same gluten free items Wal-Mart carries.

Anyone else from Springfield??

[WW340]

I am in a small town in NW Arkansas. We have a very limited selection of gluten free items here. I go to whole foods in Tulsa (2 1/2 hours away) and stock up. I order a lot of my flours and mixes from the internet.

I primarily buy my frozen foods and bread from whole foods.

I would love to have a whole foods or trader joes here. I feel really isolated being in a small town with very limited choices. Even Fayetteville does not have much that I am aware of, except an italian restaurant that serves gluten free pasta, and that is an hour away.

[Swimmr]

My husband is from KC, MO and we go there to visit every Christmas. I know there is a whole foods in Overland Park, which is the optimal choice amongst sever small places in KC that don't have ANYthing.

Even here in town I have to drive clear across to get to a store and it's the ONLY store besides Harris Teeter (which is expensive too) that has gluten free stuff.

[luvs2eat]

I live in a teeny town near Mountain Home, Arkansas. Trips to Springfield, MO, (2 hours away) are trips to the big city for us... we always make sure to visit Chik-fil-A for french fries when we're there.

I order my Pamela's bread mix and Tinyada pasta from (Company Name Removed - They Spammed This Forum and are Banned). If I can coordinate those purchases, shipping is FREE.

My local health food store offered to get Pamela's bread mix for me, but buying it in bags of 6 and Tinyada pasta in bags of 12 bags saves me lots of $$.

[LoraW76]

Troy, MO here. We drive into Chesterfield for Trader Joe's and we have a small market with gluten-free products. Kroger's has a pretty good selection as well. I was diagnosed just 2 weeks ago and we are facing sticker-shock as to the prices. What can you do? LOL... I get my biopsy next Friday- can't wait! (yeah right!!)

[TabLooney]

I live in a small town in Missouri.. it takes at least 45 mins to go the movie theater better yet almost 2 hours to go to a speciality store.. anyone else feel like everything takes forever to get too? Its so hard!

I totally understand you! It's almost an hour to any specialty store from where I live. Very hard! The local, small town, grocery stores don't carry much that is gluten free. It's very frustrating! You would that the "low-price" dept store would sell more than they do but they really don't sell much. I'm really not looking forward to having to make a special trip to town just to buy groceries. I'm newly diagnosed and that's the part that I'm least looking forward to.

[TabLooney]

I'm in Springfield, MO also. We have some good resources, but I'd be so much happier if we had a Trader Joe's, Wegmen's, or Whole Foods within an hours of here. We have a couple natural foods stores here that carry gluten free foods, but the prices are unbelievable. Their prices are 3 times higher than the same gluten free items Wal-Mart carries.

Anyone else from Springfield??

I'm from the Springfield area - it takes me almost an hour to get there. The Wal-Mart near me doesn't sell much gluten-free at all. It stinks! I'm newly diagnosed and making first special trip to Springfield this weekend to stock up...where should I go?

[bbuster]

I'm from the Springfield area - it takes me almost an hour to get there. The Wal-Mart near me doesn't sell much gluten-free at all. It stinks! I'm newly diagnosed and making first special trip to Springfield this weekend to stock up...where should I go?

The Wal-Mart on East Kearney (just east of Glenstone) has a gluten-free section in one of the aisles. It's not marked as such, but it is maybe 25% of a grocery aisle. They have breads, pasta, pretzels, cereals, several types of flour and mixes. I would go there first.

There is an Asian Market on West Sunshine (a little east of Kansas) and also one on South Campbell (South of Battlefield next to Sonic). Both of these sell very cheap rice flour, potato starch and tapioca starch. Most of these you can buy for less than $1 per pound.

I shop at Akins (Battlefield and Fremont) for things I don't find elsewhere.

And I don't know which direction you are coming from, but there is a restaurant called Bud & Walt's Pizza & Pasta in Nixa which recently began offering gluten-free pizza. We ate there last weekend and my son really enjoyed it.

[kareng]

I don't know if there are HyVees outside the KC area, but they have a lot of gluten-free items.

[bbuster]

I don't know if there are HyVees outside the KC area, but they have a lot of gluten-free items.

No HyVees in Springfield, but the Price Cutter Plus (their bigger stores, they have several) have a gluten-free section. Also Smillies IGA on Glenstone - they have a pretty good selection, I just forgot about them because I'm not often in that neighborhood.

[Darissa]

In Joplin, Mo there is a health food store called Suzannes off of 32nd street inbetween Main and Rangeline that carries a selection of gluten-free items. We shop there when we are in town visiting family. There is a Fox Whole Foods..not sure the name is right...also in Joplin that I've heard has gluten-free baking items and foods. I have not been to that store yet.

[blondiedar052]

I'm in Springfield, MO also. We have some good resources, but I'd be so much happier if we had a Trader Joe's, Wegmen's, or Whole Foods within an hours of here. We have a couple natural foods stores here that carry gluten free foods, but the prices are unbelievable. Their prices are 3 times higher than the same gluten free items Wal-Mart carries.

Anyone else from Springfield??

Hi! I am from Springfield Missouri also! It is nice to meet everyone....do we have a support group in our area? Sunnybabi do you find te gluten free items at walmart as good as the higher prices whole food stores? I am new to this today so any and all help would be appreciate!

[blondiedar052]

Hi everyone! I am from Springfield Mo. and am new at this as of yesterday...are there any support groups in town? Also how long before you started feeling better after going gluten free? Any and all information is really appreciate! Have a blessed week!

[bbuster]

Hi everyone! I am from Springfield Mo. and am new at this as of yesterday...are there any support groups in town? Also how long before you started feeling better after going gluten free? Any and all information is really appreciate! Have a blessed week!

There is a support group run by Roxanne Mason, a dietician at St. John's. They meet every other month, usually in the Women's Heart Room at Hammons Heart Instititute. Email her at

Roxanne.Mason@mercy.net

The meetings are very low key - usually the "experienced" people bring gluten-free goodies that they made or a good product they found. We share tips on restaurants, etc. Roxanne usually shares info on medical or other topical subjects. Sometimes we have a guest speaker - have had cookbook authors and doctors in the past. Even if you don't want to come to a meeting, get on her e-mail list, as people will pass along local tips to her and she sends them out to everyone. For example, we recently discovered Bud & Walt's Pizza and Pasta in Nixa now offers gluten-free pizza.

[sunnybabi1986]

Bummer, I was going to go to the Support Group meeting in February, but had a night class that night and couldn't skip. Roxanne sent me the email letting me know it was coming up, does she email for each meeting?

I was going to ask if anyone knew anything about Bud and Walt's Pizza...I'm kind of worried about cross contamination, have you eaten there or know anybody who has?

Blondie: It took me about 2-3 months until I really started feeling better after going gluten free, how long have you been gluten free? Bbuster is right about the Walmart on Kearny and Glenstone. We live right down the street and get things there sometimes. However, Am@zon has better prices on many of the products if you don't mind buying in bulk. If you need rice flour, cornmeal, or flours, the Kearney Walmart has several flours for much less than Mama Jeans and Akins. They also carry Glutino Pretzels, which are amazing!!

On another note, I just found out last night that Mama Jeans on Republic Road carries Kinnikinnick Pizza crusts and Pita Bread. I had a pizza last night on one, and it was honestly the best pizza I've had in my life!! No kidding.

Dillons also carries a decent supply of gluten free items and occasionally they will mark down items, you just have to drop in and check every once in awhile.

Those of us in Springfield should get together sometime!

[bbuster]

Bummer, I was going to go to the Support Group meeting in February, but had a night class that night and couldn't skip. Roxanne sent me the email letting me know it was coming up, does she email for each meeting?

Since the meetings are only every other month, yes Roxanne sends a reminder e-mail a few days before each meeting. She also passes along tips to the copy list as they come in. That's how we heard about Bud and Walts Pizza - a couple of people on her copy list responded that they had been there and liked it.

Our family went to Bud and Walt's the next weekend. My 15-year-old son is the only Celiac in the family, so he had a gluten-free pizza himself, and the rest of us got other stuff. Everyone was well-pleased and we will be back soon. If I got the story straight, the owners have a relative or close friend with autism who is on a gluten-free diet, and that's how they got started. Also, the Godfathers in Nixa is training their staff to offer gluten-free pizza, and last I heard they were hoping to have it late March.

Another comment, there is an Asian Market on West Sunshine and different one on South Campbell (a little south of Battlefield) where you can get white rice, glutinous (sticky) white rice, tapioca, and potato starch all for roughly $1 per pound. We buy those there, and suplement with other stuff from other stores.

[TabLooney]

I'm new to this too....I went to Mama Jean's today on Republic Rd and I must say that I was totally overwhelmed! I live about an hour from Springfield and I've done pretty good with the gluten-free supply at my local Wal-Mart but I wanted to just go see what all the buzz was about. The main thing I wanted to find, that my local store didn't have was pancake mix and flour. I honestly don't understand the flours and why we have to use so many different ones. I also didn't find any flour...I think I must have been missing it . I did find the pancake mix and I'm thinking I must try it out this weekend! Anyone have any ideas on the flours? I found a soy flour at a local to me store, now if I could just figure out what to do with it. HELP Please!

[sunnybabi1986]

Hi TabLooney!

I haven't bought flour at the Mama Jeans on Republic Road, just the one on Campbell. I'm not sure yet if it's a problem, but I bought several bags of "Mama Jeans" gluten free flours and made sure to ask if they were packed separately from the whole wheat flour and such. They told me there was no cross contamination, and the flour was MUCH cheaper than Bob's Red Mill flours. I was really excited and made cinnamon rolls the next day with some Mama Jean's millet flour. I got really sick that night and figured it must have been from something else, as they'd told me the flours were fine.

Then my husband made me pumpkin bites a couple days ago with some Mama Jean's teff flour and I got extremely sick. I haven't been so sick since in 6 or more months. I traced back to everything I ate and it could have only been the teff flour. My advice would be to stick with Bob's Red Mill or other packaged flours, but not the flours Mama Jean's packs.

If you can't find the flour, just ask an employee..they're pretty good about helping out with gluten free stuff.

Also, MAMA JEANS SOUTH LOCATION AND AKINS NOW HAVE UDI'S BREAD!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

I'm a little excited. Can you tell? It's in the freezer section.

Oh Yeah, also, if you're looking for some yummy recipes using gluten free flours, go to recipezaar.com, click on the Recipes tab at the top, click "Open recipe sifter tool" then click on "Free of: gluten" underneath the title "diet"

Search by rating and you'll find a ton of recipes from cookies to cakes to cinnamon rolls. Make a list of the flours you need and then go to Mama Jeans or Akins and ask them where the gluten free flours are.

As far as why so many flours and such, it has to do with the flavor each flour has, how it holds up in dishes, and the texture. Our favorite cookbook is Gluten Free Every Day by Robert M. Landolph. We got it off Amazon and it explains all the gluten free flours, how to use them, how to store them, their texture, calories, and whatnot. He has some reallly good recipes in the book that are definitely worth checking out as well!

[dmetria]

Hi. I am also from Missouri, about 1 1/2 away from Springfield. I was diagnosed with Celiace Disease about 6 weeks ago. I am noticing a big difference in how I feel. I am just looking for friends that understand my excitement over learning something new, making a new connection about things/my condition, or finding a new food I can eat.

Speaking of excitement... I found a recipe today for a rice pizza crust and had pizza again for the first time in 6 weeks. It wasn't perfect, but by gosh it was Pizza! LOL