The Ultimate Guide to Gluten-Free Back-to-School Eating

Back-to-school season can feel overwhelming for families managing a gluten-free lifestyle. Between packing lunches, reading ingredient labels, navigating classroom parties, and finding foods kids actually enjoy, parents are faced with new challenges every school year.

PACHA is making gluten-free eating a little easier with practical resources, educational guides, wholesome recipes, and nutrient-dense baked goods made with simple, recognizable ingredients. 

Created by co-founder and gluten-free mom Maddie Hamann, these resources are designed to help families feel more confident throughout the school year.

Managing a gluten-free lifestyle during the school year comes with unique challenges. PACHA created these free resources to help families feel more confident from the first day of school through the last.

Created by co-founder and gluten-free mom Maddie Hamann, PACHA's Gluten-Free Back-to-School Guide is a free downloadable resource inspired by her own experience raising a gluten-free family. It offers practical, real-world advice for everyday situations parents face, including:

• Building quick, gluten-free breakfasts
• Packing lunchboxes that kids will actually eat
• Navigating classroom parties and school events
• Reading food labels and spotting hidden sources of gluten
• Stocking a clean-label pantry with family-friendly staples

Need a quick reference? Families can also download PACHA's Gluten-Free School Year Cheat Sheet for easy meal planning, shopping reminders, and everyday gluten-free tips throughout the school year.

Not all gluten-free bread is created equal. Many products rely on refined starches, gums, binders, and fillers to recreate the structure of conventional bread. PACHA encourages families to read ingredient labels closely and look for products made with simple, recognizable whole-food ingredients.

PACHA's Original Sourdough Buckwheat Bread and English Muffins are made with just sprouted buckwheat and sea salt. The products are also USDA Organic and GFCO Certified Gluten-Free, giving families added confidence in what they are serving.

Healthy eating is easier when families have practical inspiration as well as products they can trust. Throughout the back-to-school season, PACHA is partnering with like-minded brands that share its commitment to clean-label ingredients and better-for-you food, including:

• Fourth & Heart
• Rumiano
• Jovial Foods
• The Vanilla Bean Project
• Willa's
• Big Picture Foods
• Bionaturae

Together, these collaborations feature recipes, meal inspiration, giveaways, and educational content designed to help families discover new breakfast, lunch, and snack ideas using wholesome ingredients they can feel good about.

Breakfast is one of the most important meals during the school year, but it can also be one of the busiest.

Launching August 10 exclusively on PACHA's website, the Limited-Edition High Protein Hemp Loaf was created to make busy school mornings easier while staying true to the brand's commitment to simple, whole-food ingredients.

Made with whole hemp seeds rather than protein powders or isolates, the loaf delivers:

• 7g of protein per serving
• 5g of fiber per serving
• 0g added sugar
• Whole-food ingredients
• Gluten-free nutrition families can feel good about

Like the rest of PACHA's lineup, the loaf reflects the brand's philosophy of creating nourishing foods with recognizable ingredients instead of highly processed additives.

Maddie Hamann

Co-Founder, PACHA

Maddie Hamann is the co-founder of PACHA and a mom raising a gluten-free family. Her personal experience navigating school lunches, birthday parties, grocery shopping, and everyday meal planning inspired PACHA's simple, whole-food approach to gluten-free baking.

"As a mom whose family eats gluten-free, I know back-to-school can feel overwhelming because we've been there ourselves. Parents managing gluten-free diets don't just need another product—they need ideas they can trust. We created this guide based on our own experience as a gluten-free household, from packing school lunches and reading ingredient labels to navigating birthday parties and finding foods kids actually enjoy. Alongside our new High Protein Hemp Loaf and collaborations with brands we love, we hope it gives families practical tools they can come back to all year long."

• Build a breakfast rotation. Keep a few gluten-free breakfasts you know your family loves. PACHA toast with butter, nut butter and jam, eggy quesadillas, yogurt with homemade gluten-free granola, and buckwheat pancakes are all staples in Maddie's home.
• Think differently about lunch. Instead of trying to recreate traditional sandwiches, build lunches around foods that naturally hold up well, like griddled quesadillas, antipasto boxes, rice bowls, cold noodle salads, and rice balls.
• Keep an emergency gluten-free snack ready. Pack something familiar for classroom parties, unexpected celebrations, or days when safe options aren't available. Having a backup helps take the stress out of school events.
• Read every ingredient label. Even products you've purchased before can change. Pay attention to hidden sources of gluten like malt flavoring, soy sauce, deli meats, seasoning blends, and oats that aren't certified gluten-free.
• Focus on whole foods whenever possible. Many gluten-free packaged foods rely on added sugar, refined starches, and fillers. Maddie recommends stocking your pantry with simple, recognizable ingredients and choosing clean-label products whenever you can.

PACHA takes a whole-food approach to creating breads and tortillas that support everyday wellness.

Every loaf begins with sprouted buckwheat, a naturally gluten-free seed that's rich in fiber and is a complete plant-based protein. After sprouting, the buckwheat is gently fermented, a traditional process that develops flavor while improving nutrient availability and creating foods that many people find easier to digest.

Unlike many gluten-free breads made with refined starches, gums, fillers, or preservatives, PACHA products are made with simple, recognizable ingredients and traditional fermentation. The result is clean-label, nutrient-dense food that fits seamlessly into everyday meals.

Families can download the Gluten-Free Back-to-School Guide, the Gluten-Free School Year Cheat Sheet, and access recipes, meal inspiration, and educational content throughout the school year.

Launching August 10 exclusively on PACHA's website, the High Protein Hemp Loaf is made with whole hemp seeds—not protein powders or isolates—and delivers 7 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, and 0 grams of added sugar per serving.

PACHA products begin with sprouted buckwheat, which is gently fermented using traditional methods. They are made with simple, recognizable ingredients instead of refined starches, gums, fillers, or preservatives.

Look for breads made with simple, whole-food ingredients rather than refined starches, gums, binders, and fillers. Reading ingredient labels carefully and choosing certified gluten-free products can help families feel more confident in their choices.

Sprouted buckwheat is a naturally gluten-free seed that's rich in fiber and is a complete plant-based protein. Combined with traditional fermentation, it helps create nutrient-dense foods made with simple, recognizable ingredients.

Families can visit livepacha.com to download Maddie Hamann's Gluten-Free Back-to-School Guide, access the Gluten-Free School Year Cheat Sheet, browse recipes and meal inspiration, explore PACHA's seasonal collaborations, and learn more about the brand's lineup of regenerative, gut-friendly, allergen-free foods, including the Limited-Edition High Protein Hemp Loaf.

PACHA's lineup of sprouted sourdough breads, English Muffins, and Sourdough Buckwheat Tortillas is also available through select retailers nationwide, with additional products available online.