I discovered recently that there are varieties of Lucky Charms that are safe for me to eat. I was very excited as Lucky Charms was one of my favorite childhood cereals.
I can’t remember exactly when I had run across one of the corn-based Lucky Charms varieties. I may have seen a box at the store but decided not to get it when I saw that it was high in both iron and zinc but had no balancing amounts of vitamin E and copper. What I do remember is being at my sister’s house and seeing a box of Lucky Charms sitting out on a table in her kitchen. I picked it up and began looking at it. I read through the ingredients and didn’t see anything that would be problematic! I then looked at the list of vitamins and minerals. I did see iron and zinc listed but not vitamin E and copper. I then decided that I could top the cereal with some almonds. I keep 100-calorie packs of almonds in my pantry, and I could easily add one of those to a bowl of Lucky Charms cereal. I decided then that I would buy a box to try myself.
At the store, I didn’t see the exact variety that my sister had. She must have bought it at a different store. However, the store where I shop did have other varieties. I ended up buying a box of the chocolate Lucky Charms. I keep my cereal in plastic cereal containers, so it lasts for a pretty good while. I’m still working on that box but have had several bowls. It’s really good, and the almonds work just fine with it. I’ve enjoyed having it and hope to try the other corn-based varieties. I’m a very happy girl right now! I enjoyed Lucky Charms as a child and was disappointed that I wouldn’t be able to eat it on a gluten-free or wheat-free diet due to the potential for the oats to be contaminated with wheat. The corn-based varieties remove that problem.
With my wonderful discovery came thoughts about why General Mills created Lucky Charms varieties that were not oat-based. Perhaps the reason General Mills decided to make corn-based varieties of this cereal is the problems they’ve been having with their gluten-free oats. I’m not sure about people with wheat allergies, but I’ve heard plenty about people with celiac disease getting sick from the gluten-free Cheerios. Even though General Mills processes their oats to remove gluten, enough can remain to cause symptoms in some people with celiac disease. I would be surprised if the Lucky Charms have not caused similar problems. Since the claim to fame for Lucky Charms cereal is the marshmallows, General Mills could probably get away with changing to a corn-based cereal for some of its varieties. Cheerios for a long time has been touted as a healthy cereal due to the oats, so it wouldn’t make much sense to make Cheerios varieties without oats. This, however, is just my theory.
I’m very excited that I can enjoy Lucky Charms again. Whatever reason General Mills has for creating corn-based varieties of this cereal, I’m glad they did it. I hope that these corn-based varieties will continue to be available. Even with a wheat allergy, I’m once again able to enjoy a childhood favorite!
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