Gluten-Free Crunchy-Flax Review : Enjoy Life Perky's Cereal

[by Kate — guest gluten-free blog author] 

Gluten-Free Product Review:
Enjoy Life’s Perky’s Crunchy Flax Cereal

Initial Impressions are Not Always Lasting Ones

I’m not going to lie.  I ate a handful of Perky’s Crunchy Flax Cereal by Enjoy Life and wondered what state of gustatory deprivation the gluten-free eaters I know must be in to actually have gone out of their way to recommend this cereal to me.  But, I kept eating — reluctantly at first — and my palate began to accommodate itself to the potent flax flavor of the cereal until, amazingly, I decided I was on my way to liking these crunchy little balls of flax!

An Improved Gluten-Free Breakfast

My hunch was that Perky’s Crunchy Flax Cereal would taste best not on its own, but either in some nice almond milk or, better yet, used in place of granola in a bowl of yogurt, fresh strawberries, and frozen blueberries.  I gave this latter option a try and absolutely loved it (so much so that I wanted seconds…maybe even thirds)!

The flax adds such a nice hearty and rich flavor to the yogurt and berries, and the crunchiness of the cereal adds an extra layer of texture very similar to that crunchy texture achieved by traditional granolas (many of which are out of bounds for non-wheat and non-oat eaters).  I am very happy to report that the cereal is able to retain its crunchiness even when incorporated into the yogurt for a few minutes, meaning that you don’t have to inhale it in order to keep it nice and crunchy and fresh when choosing to eat it with milk or yogurt.  Frankly, this is even a huge improvement on many “normal” wheat-containing cereals that quickly disintegrate into gross piles of mush when subjected to any semi-liquid substance!

Gluten-Free and Nutritious:
Plenty of Fiber and Protein

Some other very positive things to be said for Perky’s Crunchy Flax Cereal are that it is not only gluten-free (made in a certified GF facility), but is actually advertised as being free of the 8 most common allergens!  For those of you who developed celiac disease and a slew of other food allergies on its heels, this could be one of the few safe store-bought products for you to eat as it’s free from: wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish, and shellfish and also made without casein, potato, sesame and sulfites!

In addition, this gluten-free (and other allergen-free) Crunchy Flax Cereal boasts many nutritional benefits, including 6grams of fiber, 7grams of protein, 8% Niacin, 15% Iron, 425mg of Omega-3’s, and 15% Vitamin B6 per serving (serving size = approximately ¾ cup).  On the flip side, the cereal weighs in at a fairly negligible 200calories and 3grams of fat per serving.  One final dietary hurrah I’d like to note is that the cereal is sweetened with fruit juice and honey, rather than with that awful corn syrup you find in so many products these days.

GF Product Review Summary: Recommended

All in all, I would happily recommend this product, especially to those of you who have allergies to many foods in addition to wheat intolerance issues or celiac disease.  Even if you don’t like the product at the first taste, give it another try or two and I bet it’ll grow on you like it did on me.  Try it, like I did, with a favorite yogurt and some fruit, and I bet you’ll be one happy guy or gal!

[Mike's Comments]

I have eaten this Crunchy-Flax cereal for quite some time and I really enjoy it.  As Kate pointed out, this product truly lives up to its "Crunchy" name: it has extraordinary crunch and texture, especially for a gluten-free cereal.  I too initially found the flax-component to be a bit heavy flavored relative to other flavors in the cereal, but I quickly found the taste quite pleasing — in fact, I find myself grabbing a handful (plain) now and then just for a quick snack, as I find the crunchy, hearty, flavorful cereal quite satisfying.  I normally have the cereal with a bit of rice milk or hemp milk on it (for breakfast), with a sprinkle of cinnamon added too.  I concur with Kate's recommendation: this wheat-free / gluten-free product is worth a try and it is a great way to get some extra fiber and grain-variation into your gluten-free diet (whole sorghum flour being the other grain besides flax in this product).  Enjoy.