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Ingredients
and Nutrition
Q:
Are Perky’s cereals wheat-free or gluten-free?
Q:
Are your cereals nut-free?
Q:
I’m confused, your cereals are called Nutty
Rice and Nutty Flax but are they nut-free?
Q:
What do you fortify your cereals with? Why?
Q:
What are Omega-3's?
Q:
What is sorghum flour?
Gluten
and Celiac Disease
Q:
What is gluten?
Q:
Are your products made in a dedicated gluten-free
facility?
Q:
How can I tell what foods include gluten?
Q:
What grains are really gluten-free?
Q:
What is Celiac Disease? How is it diagnosed?
Q:
What other health conditions can benefit from
a gluten-free diet?
Other
Information
Q:
Where can I buy your products?
Q:
How can I find out more about Perky’s cereals?
Q:
How long will the cereals stay fresh?
Q:
Why is there no “best by” date? How
do I interpret the manufacturing code on the carton?
Ingredients
and Nutrition
Q:
Are Perky’s cereals wheat-free or gluten-free?
A: Both! Our Perky’s cereals are made without wheat
or any other source of gluten (i.e., barley and rye). While
they are made in a facility that also manufactures products
containing gluten, our cereals are routinely batch-tested
for gluten. In addition, strict manufacturing and sanitation
practices are employed to prevent cross-contamination.
Q:
Are your cereals nut-free?
A: Yes! Our cereals are free of nuts and are made in a dedicated
nut-free facility.
Q:
I’m confused, your cereals are called Nutty
Rice and Nutty Flax but are they nut-free?
A: Yes! All of cereals are free of nuts and they are made
in a dedicated nut-free facility. They are called “nutty” because
they have the same great crunch and flavor that you’ll
find in other nut-containing cereals.
Q:
What do you fortify your cereals with? Why?
A: We fortify our Perky O’s cereals with Calcium, Magnesium,
Vitamin C, Niacin (Vitamin B3), Iron, Vitamin B6, Thiamin
(Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) and Folate. We chose
these vitamins and minerals because they are either found
in mainstream foods that gluten-intolerant people can’t
eat and/or because they are common sources of deficiency
for many people requiring restricted diets.
Q:
What are Omega-3's?
A: Omega-3's are essential fatty acids that our bodies are
not able to create unless first obtaining them from food.
The primary source of omega-3's is linolenic acid which can
be found in a variety of fats, oils (including fish oil),
nuts soybeans and flax seeds. Our Nutty Flax cereal contains
425mg of omega-3’s per serving.
Omega-3's are vital for normal brain development, communication
and vision. Beyond the basics, these essential fatty acids
have been demonstrated to have a number of positive health
benefits including, but not limited to: acting as an anti-inflammatory
agent to decrease symptoms of chronic conditions (i.e., arthritis,
lupus); removing cholesterol plaque from arteries; boosting
brain cell production; slowing cancer growth; lowering blood
pressure; helping to prevent heart disease and various autoimmune
diseases; lessening severity of menstrual cramps; and making
hair shiny and skin soft.
Q:
What is sorghum flour?
A: We use sorghum flour in our Nutty Flax and all three of
our Perky O’s cereals.
Sorghum is also known as milo and grest millet. A grain-like
grass, this up-and-coming whole grain, gluten-free ingredient
is a major human food source in Africa and India. It adds
great taste and nutrition to our cereals. Sorghum is high
in insoluble fiber, which, combined with protein and starch
in sorghum endosperm, makes it more slowly digested than
other cereals. The slower rate of digestibility of sorghum
products may be beneficial to diabetics. We are proud to
be among the first products to market in the U.S. that uses
sorghum as a main ingredient.
Gluten
and Celiac Disease
Q:
What is gluten?
A: Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley.
It is in most mainstream bakery and prepared foods, including
such unsuspecting items as soy sauce and licorice (both made
with wheat). People with celiac disease and other forms of
gluten intolerance need to avoid gluten-containing foods
or else suffer from short- and long-term health complications.
Gluten is highly contaminating, that is why it is important
for people with related health conditions to eat foods that
are tested for gluten-content and proven to be gluten-free.
In the great "gluten debate" oats are a controversial
grain, once thought to be a substantial source of gluten.
Recent research has suggested that oats do not contain the
reactive peptide sequence known to be problematic for gluten
intolerance. However, most oats in this country are grown,
processed or stored near wheat, and are thought to be contaminated
at levels too high to be considered safe for people with
celiac disease. Therefore, we have chosen not to include
oats in our products at this time.
Q:
Are your products made in a dedicated gluten-free
facility?
A: No, our Perky’s cereals are made in a facility that
also manufactures products containing gluten; however, all
Perky’s cereals are routinely batch-tested for gluten.
In addition, strict manufacturing and sanitation practices
are employed to prevent cross-contamination.
Q:
How can I tell what foods include gluten?
A: Gluten is commonly found in wheat, rye and barley. It
is in most mainstream bakery and prepared foods, including
such unexpected foods as soy sauce and licorice (both made
with wheat). All Perky’s cereals are gluten-free so
they are safe to eat if you are following a gluten-free diet.
Please remember that wheat-free does not necessarily mean
gluten-free.
The FDA's current Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection
Act does not require manufacturers to declare gluten on food
ingredient labels so it can be very hard to identify gluten-containing
foods. The FDA is adopting a common definition for gluten-free
that will make it easier for consumers to find gluten-free
foods.
It is also important to read food labels very carefully.
We have developed a great "Food Allergy and Intolerance
Survival Guide" that provides useful tips and hints.
To request a copy of the brochure, send us an email through
the contact us section of the
website or call 888-4-PERKYS.
Q:
What grains are really gluten-free?
A: According to the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG), the following
grains & starches are allowable for the gluten-free diet:
buckwheat, rice, corn, potato, tapioca, bean, sorghum, soy,
arrowroot, amaranth, quinoa, millet, teff, and nut flours.
Of course, different people have different reactions to each
and every food, so the best way to know if it is okay for
you is to try it in small amounts at first.
Q:
What is Celiac Disease? How is it diagnosed?
A: Celiac disease ("CD") is an autoimmune condition
triggered by the intake of gluten in genetically predisposed
individuals. The only treatment for CD is a strict gluten-free
diet for life. Luckily there are now many tasty and nutritious
gluten-free foods, like Perky’s 100% Natural™ cereals
that make it easier than ever to eliminate gluten from one's
diet.
Once thought to be a rare disorder, CD is now known to affect
as many as 1 in 100 Americans. Symptoms of the disease vary
in nature (i.e. diarrhea, skin rashes, migraines) and severity
(from debilitating to mild to none at all). Gone untreated
CD may result in diseases of malnutrition such as osteoporosis,
infertility and anemia; it also increases the likelihood
of developing other autoimmune conditions and cancers of
the gut.
Celiac disease is the most under-diagnosed health condition
today, often mislabeled as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic
fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, ulcers and anxiety disorders.
It can be diagnosed through a combination of a blood test
and biopsy of the small intestine. We're not doctors so we
suggest that you talk to your primary care physician if you
think you might have celiac disease. For more information
on CD, visit the resources section at our sister company’s
website at www.enjoylifefoods.com for
links to celiac disease organizations, support groups and
research centers.
Q:
What other health conditions can benefit from
a gluten-free diet?
A: The sister disease to celiac disease
is a skin disorder called dermatitis herpetiformis,
also treated exclusively by a gluten-free diet.
Thyroid disease and diabetes are also associated
with celiac disease, and those affected often
benefit from the same diet.
Other conditions frequently seen in persons with gluten intolerance
include anemia, early bone disease, Downs Syndrome, and fertility
problems. People with these conditions often see improvement
when gluten is removed from their diet.
There is great anecdotal evidence that other chronic diseases
benefit from a gluten-free diet (i.e., autism spectrum disorders,
MS, fibromyalgia, ADHD), though research is inconclusive
to date. Many people affected by these conditions have improved
considerably (some have experienced total recovery!) when
gluten - and often casein as well - is eliminated from their
diet.
Other
Information
Q:
Where can I buy your products?
A: So glad you asked! Perky’s cereals are available
in select natural food and grocery stores throughout the
United States and Canada. While it’s very hard for
us to tell you exactly where you can buy our yummy cereals,
we can point you in the right direction. Perky’s
and Enjoy Life Foods are sister companies, so many of the
same stores that carry Enjoy Life® products also carry
Perky’s cereals. For a complete store locator, visit
Enjoy Life’s website at www.enjoylifefoods.com.
If you can't find a store near you, you can also shop online
with our great online partner Gluten
Free Mall.
Q:
How can I find out more about Perky’s
cereals?
A: Visit the contact us section of the website to send
us an email or call 888-4-PERKYS to talk to a member of
our team.
Q:
How long will the cereals stay fresh?
A: If you keep them tightly sealed, most of our cereals
will stay fresh for 9 months from the date the product
was made. The exception is our Nutty Flax which has a 6
month shelf life.
Q:
Why is there no “best by” date?
How do I interpret the manufacturing code on
the carton?
A: There is an embossed numerical code on the top of our
Perky’s cereals cartons that tells you when the product
was made. Most of our cereals have a shelf life of 9 months
from the date the product was made. The exception is Nutty
Flax which has a 6 month shelf life.
The manufacturing code is in the following form:
### (space) # #
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The first three numbers
correspond to the julian date that the
product was produced…001 is January
1st and 365 is December 31st. For a complete
list of julian code dates, click
here
The 4th number corresponds to the
last digit of the year the product
was produced (for example, 7 is 2007
and 8 would be 2008).
The last number relates to the production
shift number. |
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