Did you know that currently about 1% of the population suffers from Celiac disease, and as much as 30% of the population is currently avoiding gluten? I certainly didn't - until General Mills sponsored me to dig a little deeper into their new Gluten-Free Cheerios™. The story behind the new Gluten-Free formula is quite interesting: after discovering his daughter-in-law, Joyce, was diagnosed with Celiac disease, engineer Phil Zietlow at General mills set off on a nearly six-year mission to make Gluten-Free Cheerios™. Not only was important to him, but it was important for General Mills to remove gluten from everyone's favorite cereal so that EVERYONE can all enjoy Cheerios™. Who doesn't enjoy hearing their cereal bowl fill up in the morning, as part of a midday snack or even mixed in with a trail mix? Answer: no one.
Now, Cheerios™ have always been made of oats, which are naturally gluten-free. So where does the gluten come from, you ask? Well, I'm glad you asked because I wanted to know too! It turns out that due to the way land is farmed, it's common for gluten grains like wheat, barley and rye to get mixed in with these oats. So the solution was simple: use sifters to sort out the gluten and keep only the good stuff.
So General Mills said goodbye, adios, and sayonara to the stray wheat, rye and barley in its sorting process in order deliver a gluten-free version of Cheerios. By changing the ingredient-sorting process and NOT the ingredients themselves (with one exception for MultiGrain) General Mills was able to keep the same great taste that my family has come to love and expect from classics like Honey Nut Cheerios™, as well as Yellow Box Cheerios™, MultiGrain Cheerios™, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios™ and Frosted Cheerios™.
I personally love the Yellow Box Cheerios™, what can I say; I've been eating them almost my entire life! Angeline prefers the Honey Nut Cheerios™, which I also really enjoy.
You can find Gluten-Free Cheerios by looking for the Gluten-Free seal on the packaging of your favorite flavors. You may need to keep your eyes peeled, it's beginning to appear in stores now, but will be almost fully available in September. I love that General Mills is giving the public so many choices when it comes to breakfast foods that are Gluten-Free. While I don't suffer from Celiac Disease, I really appreciate that I can eliminate gluten from my breakfast and snacking without any hassle! I can't taste any difference in the flavor, which a big bonus!!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gluten-Free Cheerios.
Tamie
I love Cheerios! I always keep a box in the cabinet.
Robin Rue (@massholemommy)
I saw a commercial for this the other day! I love that they are GF now!
Jeanette
I literally just saw the commercial for this about 5 minutes ago! I didn't know they were not gluten free! My friend will be SO happy to hear this. She has to be GF.
Brittany C. @ BSC Media, LLC
So happy that there are a variety of gluten free products out there! I have several family and friends that are on a gluten free diet.
Jennifer
You know, my mom stopped eating cheerios because they hurt her stomach. It will be interesting to see if she can eat them now.
Chelley @ A is For Adelaide
These sound like a great option for those who need GF options. I will pass your post onto my inlaws- my nephew has a gluten intolerance.
Dawn
Yay! I have a friend who's going to be VERY happy about this. Thanks for the heads up!
Kelly Hutchinson
We have always loved Cheerios, as far back as I can remember.. Love that they are gluten free.
Aubrey
Gluten free Cheerios. I like all the new gluten free options now.
Wendy @ ABCs and Garden Peas
I love that Cheerios are now gluten free! I also enjoyed reading the back story behind this (with Phil Zietlow's daughter-in-law being diagnosed with Celiac disease and then his mission to make them gluten free) - very interesting. Thanks for sharing!
Donna
This is great news for those with gluten sensitivities. Good for Cheerios for making this change.
Valerie
This is wonderful news! I have always enjoyed Cheerios and this just makes me like them more!
Shauna
This is so great to hear. I know so many families that struggle with gluten, so this is a great option now. Thanks so much for this info...
Crissy Page
I saw a commercial about this the other day! I love that people on gluten free diets now have this great option.
Cathi
Oh my goodness!! I'm gluten free so I'm over the top excited!
Ann Bacciaglia
Cheerios are so delicious. They are a family favorite. I am glad they are now gluten free.
Tammi Roy
We love Cheerios in our house. We have them with fresh fruit. It is a great breakfast or snack.
LauraOinAK
Cheerios have long been a family favorite and I remember wondering why some of my gluten free friends didn't eat them. So glad they are making changes in their controls so that it is just the oats in the cereal now.
Liz Mays
This is very cool. Now even more people can enjoy the greatness that is Cheerios.
Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert
Everyone should get to enjoy Cheerios! I'm glad they're expanding their potential audience!
dawn
i love cheerios. we used to eat it almost everyday. my mom still buys 2 or 3 boxes at a time especially when they are on sell.
Ourfamilyworld
This is great news for those who are on a gluten free diet. Everyone should enjoy Cheerios!