Posted by Grocery shopping for gluten-free foods is so discouraging because it’s much more expensive than buying their “normal” counterparts. But when I look at this iherb haul and think about how easy it was to shop, I feel like it takes the sting out a little. No one shop is perfect for finding gluten-free food and we often have to shop at MULTIPLE stores to satisfy our gluten-free needs. Luckily, iherb has a range of gluten-free options (though no gf bread!) to choose from.
iherb has saved our lives in Japan, especially during a pandemic when we aren’t as willing to travel to get our favorite gluten-free foods.
Today we are going to break down:
- iherb ordering basics
- Why we choose to shop with iherb
- How you can get a discount and help us out at the same time
- What a great haul you can get for $100
What is iherb?
iherb is a company that has adapted to an international market. You can shop in 10 languages, 45 currencies, and from over 150 countries. You can shop from their app or website and choose your location and language easily.
The app is especially useful for searching for gluten-free options. You can use the search area of the app to find the gluten-free category and after that, filter under subcategories to “grocery” which should show you ALL 1300+ options!
Though there are quite a few gluten-free options sold out due to the demand during the pandemic, you can choose to get emails to notify you when things come back in stock. Also, as you will see below, I didn’t have a problem finding enough gluten-free goodies to spend $100 on.
For shipping, there is a newer option available that allows you to get free INTERNATIONAL shipping for orders over $20 including tracking and a max 30lbs (13kg). There are very few (if not any) websites available that offer free shipping to Japan at such a low rate.
Note: iherb shipping policies and product prices can change at any time and we are not responsible for those changes. Please check with iherb for the most current rates.
(Products subject to change)
Why we choose iherb for our gluten-free shopping
If the free international shipping (on orders over $20) and ease of shopping weren’t reason enough, we have a few more.
- Generally the prices for gluten-free foods on iherb are much lower than what you will find at any shop in Japan.
- There is a HUGE range of products. Did you know iherb is also famous for cosmetics and beauty supplies?? Where else can you find your favorite foreign household cleaner, children’s sunscreen, gluten-free brownie mix, teas, vitamins, and makeup in one website?
- There are often sale periods or discounts for your entire cart or specific categories.
- The rewards system is designed so that everyone benefits.
- There are MANY gluten-free brands that are unavailable on Japanese shelves.
iherb Rewards and why we love them
After your first purchase with iherb, you are given a personal rewards code that you can share.
When someone uses your code, they get 5% off their purchase and YOU get $5 in credit.
Sob story warning! As many of you may not realize, Gluten-Free Guide Japan has been running for over a year with countless hours of work on our part to deliver the most helpful information possible.
HOWEVER, at this point we are still doing it all out of pocket. If you like our content and want to help us out, please use our coupon code at checkout! Our code is: CFH6311.
Thank you for your support!
So what gluten-free greatness can you find on iherb?
This was my order from July 2020. I know, I know, there are not so many healthy options here! But really, I cook our lunches and dinners from scratch that are pretty healthy and fill in the gaps with these awesome products!
Gluten-free snacks are also some of the hardest to find in Japan. We often recommend when people visit Japan to bring their own bars or bread or crackers to hold you over in between meals.
The snacks! (and I ended up ordering A LOT this time)
I usually stock up on bars and snacks for after dinner dessert or for when we are out of the house.
I definitely needed some chocolate in my life during this purchase and got chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip bars, brownie brittle, chocolate pudding mix, AND chocolate peanut butter bars. Wow.
I also tried the freeze dried apples and granola bars for my daughter along with my favorite crackers.
As for salty snacks, the Snyder’s pretzels and vinegar chips are such a rare treat that I always feel back at home when I eat them.
Breakfast foods
Gluten-free granola sells out FAST on iherb. But it’s so so so worth buying compared to the prices and limited selection here in Japan.
I’ve also recently started to mix it up and have been ordering the massive box of Cheerios and crispy rice cereal.
In my family we eat Japanese food (including rice) 80% of the time for lunch AND dinner. So for breakfast I like to try to diversify the grains my daughter and I are eating by finding multi-grain or oat based options.
Household and other ingredients
For the first time I ordered this great hand soap and mini hand sanitizer bottles.
I also absolutely love the Edward & Son’s bouillon cubes and use them in my cooking often.
Warning! The corn grits aka polenta are NOT certified GF so please double check if they are up to your standards and eating preferences.
I am a peanut butter powder convert! I often find myself in the kitchen thinking, “can I put peanut butter in this?” The answer is almost always yes.
To sum it up, for 10,700yen ($101) I got:
- KIND Bars Cinnamon Oat Clusters x2
- KIND Bars chocolate peanut butter bars
- Enjoy Life Foods mini chocolate chip cookies
- Enjoy Life Foods breakfast ovals x2
- Happy Family Organics oat bars
- Brothers-All-Natural fruit crisps
- Natural Simply Delish instant pudding, chocolate
- Cheerios (12oz)
- Sheila G’s Brownie Brittle
- Edward & Sons bouillon cubes x2
- Snyder’s gluten-free pretzel sticks
- Bob’s Red Mill Organic corn grits, polenta
- Kettle Foods sea salt & vinegar chips
- Mary’s Gone Crackers real thin crackers, sweet onion
- Nature’s Path organic crispy rice cereal
- PB2 Foods powdered peanut butter
- Huangjisoo Hand sanitizer (1.01 fl oz) x 2
- Kirk’s rosemary & sage hand wash
Have a favorite iherb item?
Have an iherb item that wasn’t quite what you expected?
Want to know more about iherb?
Let us know in the comments, Instagram, or FB page what you’d like to see more of!
Happy hunting!
Disclaimer: All items on iherb are subject to change including being sold out our discontinued. We hope to provide a general view of the types of gluten-free foods you can buy on iherb, and are not responsible for any discrepancies between our site and iherb. Please check iherb for the most current information.
Gluten-Free Guide Japan 