A few years ago, I accidentally came across Glutino Original Crackers. I live in Florida, and I was driving to the nearest port to take my son on his very first cruise. Since my son was diagnosed with autism, I put him on a strict gluten-free, casein-free (GF/CF) diet. Although the cruise line assured me they would cook to serve his needs, I was extremely uneasy about feeding my child while sailing the seas for four days. On route to the ship, I encountered a health food store I had never been to… over an hour from where I lived. If you’re like me, you hit EVERY health food store, hoping to make that next amazing discovery of a “safe” food to add to your repertoire.

That’s where I spotted them- Glutino Original Crackers. I had never seen them before, so I grabbed a few boxes. Like many new foods, I can’t wait to see how my son reacts to trying them. Hoping we found a new, easy snack, I opened them right in the car and let him try them. Instantly, he loved them! What a rare event that is- I was elated! Crackers I attempted in the past seemed kind of cardboardy, and sat in my pantry, uneaten. If I had a dollar for every box of crackers he tried and hated, I’d definitely re-invest those dollars in Glutino crackers!

Glutino Crackers have two sealed bags inside each box- it took my son about 10 minutes to devour half of them! Considering freshness wouldn’t be a concern with these, I took the box from him so we would have some left “just in case” on the cruise. When you’re a kid, it’s pretty important to have foods that look like the real deal. It was so excited for him to eat a cracker that actually looked like the ones we see at every party, the ones I couldn’t let him near. I know that was a major part of the appeal.

When we finally got onboard the cruise ship, it didn’t take me long to realize just what a lifesaver these crackers were! Although, as promised, there were gluten-free pizzas, pastas, and pancakes offered to my son- he basically turned his nose up at everything served to him. I guess he was a little spoiled by having a mommy that mastered GF/CF cooking, not just anyone’s cooking would do.

For the next few days, my son’s meals consisted of fruit, and Glutino crackers with peanut butter. As my stash got lower and lower, I feared my son would be starving by the time we finished our vacation! Fortunately, we had just enough to get us through, and I knew these would be something I purchased often. Unfortunately, back then, I couldn’t find those crackers anywhere near my house! I called around to all the local health food stores, finally ordering a case of them online (I actually considered driving over an hour to that original health food store, but they had run out anyway).

Years later, I’m thrilled to see these crackers everywhere. They’re always in my outing bag- my son still loves them with peanut butter! It’s so nice to have a go-to snack that’s mindless and convenient. I highly recommend them!

4 stars