Gluten Free Food Reviews

If you live in the Chicago area, or if you ever wanted an excuse to visit- this is for you!

The 2008 Gluten Free Cooking Expo will be September 12-13 in Chicago! Presenters from around the country and Canada are meeting to share their gluten free cooking tips, products, and recipes. Attendees will have the opportunity to listen to gluten free chefs, cookbook authors, cooking demos, a vendor fair, dinner outings, complimentary goodie bags, and door prizes. There will be a children’s event as well!

The author of The Gluten Free Bible, Jax Peters Lowell will emcee the event.

If you want to find out more, or register, please visit their site http://ww.glutenfreeclasses.com

If you want to read reviews or check out The Gluten Free Bible before the conference, feel free to click on the link below:

Thanks Jen, for emailing me about this gluten free conference you are involved in!

Be sure to check back this coming week for a new product review and the belated August free give-away!

I know I have been quiet lately. Balancing kids on summer vacation in a new town while trying to sort through the last of our moving boxes is taking a long time. I have been so busy, in fact, that I have opted for naturally gluten free snacks ( cheese, fruit etc) and meals to get me through. Thus, no reviews.

When I write a review, it is usually about a gluten free product that looks good or seems unique or interesting to me that I find in a store or online. Up until today I found almost nothing gluten free to try in my new area, much less review. I was also having a hard time preparing meals without gluten free basics like my favorite gluten free flour or gluten free baking powder. I was starting to feel frustrated. And hungry.

That’s right, today my gluten free sister Kristina and I checked out a new store south of Salt Lake City called Against the Grain. I still think I am in shock, because EVERYTHING in the store is gluten free. No Kidding. I think I almost passed out. I just didn’t think a store like that existed! No more hours of label reading- I could shop freely and easily with no worries of hidden gluten. After loading up on some new mixes, cooking basics and fresh gluten free bread, fresh gluten free hamburger buns and fresh gluten free sugar cookies (that left my picky kids drooling over), I unloaded my goodies in the gluten free pantry section in my kitchen. What a site! I can now cook meals and bake gluten free goodies whenever I want.

Right now I am in the process of testing some gluten free products to write about, but until I am done, Kelly from Triumph Dining sent me the following email to promote their exciting offer to give away FREE Dining Cards to help raise funds to promote awareness for celiac disease.

You don’t have to buy a thing! Just sign up and pass along the news to your friends and fellow bloggers. The email reads as follows:

Hi Karen,

I’m writing you today to let you know about Triumph Dining’s new give-away that we’re doing in August to raise money for Celiac Disease awareness, called the $10k Challenge. I hope this is something you would like to share with your readers.

Triumph Dining is giving away FREE American Dining Cards until the end of August. There’s absolutely no purchase necessary. Your readers can simply visit http://www.triumphdining.com/freediningcard.aspx to participate and get a free dining card.

The purpose of this give-away is to raise money for Celiac Disease Awareness. If 15,000 people to sign up for free dining cards, Triumph Dining will make a $10,000 donation in support of a national celiac disease awareness campaign. When we hit our goal, we’ll ask you and the gluten free community to help us decide which non-profit(s) receives the donation.

We’re trying to build awareness on two fronts: With 15,000 more dining cards on the street, we’ll be educating more restaurants about the gluten free diet faster. And, with $10,000 funding behind a national campaign, we can diagnose and educate more Celiacs.

The FREE dining card offer is available at http://www.triumphdining.com/freediningcard.aspx and we’ll be posting regular progress reports on our blog at http://blog.triumphdining.com.

I hope you’ll tell your readers about this promotion. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks and keep blogging,

Kelly

Kelly, I am more than happy to do so. Good luck with your goal!

Did you know that May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month?

Since my diagnosis just over two years ago, I am amazed at how much more awareness and information is available today for those that either have the disease, or know someone who does. And chances are, you do know someone that has it, because 1 in 133 have Celiac Disease. Surprisingly, since there are hundreds of possible symptoms (or even no obvious symptoms at all) it may be a difficult disease to diagnose. That was definitely what happened to me ( click here for my story).

I received the following press release via email, and felt it may be of interest to many of my readers. Upon reading the abbreviated list of symptoms, I had eight of the symptoms before changing to a gluten free diet.

One aspect that surprised me when I changed to a gluten free diet was that all of my symptoms did not disappear like I expected them to. I assumed that once I went gluten free, I would feel “normal” again. Nope, wrong. I still have some of the symptoms, they are just less severe. I hope with time they will continue to decrease. Now on to the Press Release . . .

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For Immediate Release

Mary’s Gone Crackers and the Celiac Disease Foundation Highlight Symptoms of the Condition in Recognition of Celiac Awareness Month

Gourmet Gluten-Free Snack Company and Non-Profit Support Organization Promote Education, Diagnosis and Lifestyle Changes

Gridley, Calif. (May 7, 2008) – In recognition of National Celiac Disease Awareness Month in May, Mary’s Gone Crackers, makers of gourmet gluten-free foods, and the Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF), have released a checklist of symptoms of the disease, which affects one in 133 adults and children. More than three million Americans are estimated to have Celiac Disease, yet 97 percent of people go undiagnosed. Those with Celiac Disease are unable to tolerate gluten, the common name for the natural proteins found in wheat, barley and rye.

Some common symptoms of Celiac Disease include:

• Recurring bloating, gas, or abdominal pain
• Chronic diarrhea or constipation or both
• Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
• Pale, foul-smelling stool
• Unexplained anemia
• Bone or joint pain
• Migraine headaches
• Behavior changes/depression/irritability
• Vitamin K Deficiency
• Fatigue, weakness or lack of energy
• Delayed growth or onset of puberty
• Failure to thrive (in infants)
• Missed menstrual periods
• Infertility – Male/Female
• Spontaneous miscarriages
• Canker sores inside the mouth
• Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel

Anyone who can identify with one of more of the symptoms listed may have Celiac Disease and should consult a doctor for more thorough testing, which typically starts with a blood test. In addition, anyone who has been diagnosed or has a family member who has been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, eczema, Sjögren’s syndrome, Peripheral neuropathy, thyroid disease, Dermatitis Herpetiformis, or osteoporosis may also be at risk.

The number of Celiacs is in fact greater than those with Crohn’s Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease combined. “We are proud to partner with Mary’s Gone Crackers to help raise awareness of Celiac Disease, said Elaine Monarch, founder/executive director, Celiac Disease Foundation. “We hope this checklist will encourage people to consult their healthcare professionals for proper diagnosis.”

Celiac Disease is one of the most common genetic conditions in the world that often goes undiagnosed because it is a multi-symptom, multi-system disorder. Symptoms vary and are not always gastrointestinal.

“Celiac Awareness Month is the perfect opportunity to shed some light on this widespread condition, and we are pleased to help educate people that there may be a name for the symptoms they thought they had to live with,” said Mary Waldner, co-founder of Mary’s Gone Crackers. “I spent years trying to find the source of my digestive pain and fatigue and my son’s migraines. I want others to know that they can achieve real health when they avoid gluten containing foods.”

Waldner was inspired to create Mary’s Gone Crackers after she was finally diagnosed with Celiac Disease and had scoured store shelves for tasty foods that she and her son could enjoy. Mary’s Gone Crackers is a line of delicious, gluten-free gourmet snacks that unite great taste with satisfying nutrition. Loaded with a variety of exotic whole grains and nutritious ingredients, Mary’s Gone Crackers are organic, Kosher and gluten-free and contain no added oils, trans-fats, sugar or dairy. Current products include the original snack crackers in five delectable flavors as well as the new Sticks & Twigs, delicious stick-snacks that will be available this summer. Mary’s Gone Crackers can be found nationally in grocery food stores and natural food stores, including Whole Foods and Wild Oats.

To learn more about Celiac Disease, visit www.celiac.org. For more information about Mary’s Gone Crackers, visit www.marysgonecrackers.com.

About the Celiac Disease Foundation

Since 1990, Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) has been dedicated to promoting awareness to increase the rate of diagnosis. CDF is constantly expanding the supportive community for patients, families and healthcare professionals. CDF is actively involved in advocating for patient concerns and networking with other national and international organizations to improve the quality of life for Celiacs and their families. For more information, please visit www.celiac.org.

About Mary’s Gone Crackers

Founded in 1999, by Mary Waldner and Dale Rodrigues, Mary’s Gone Crackers manufactures a line of delicious gourmet crackers offering a savory taste sensation and satisfying crunch in five delectable flavors. Loaded with whole grains and nutritious ingredients, Mary’s Gone Crackers are organic, Kosher and gluten-free and contain no added oils, trans-fats, sugar or dairy. Mary’s Gone Crackers are available in natural and grocery stores nationwide. Mary’s Gone Crackers is a proud sponsor of the Celiac Disease Foundation. For more information, please visit www.marysgonecrackers.com.

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Later this month I will also feature reviews of Mary’s Gone Crackers products.

For more information, check out these sites:

Celiac Disease Foundation - http://www.celiac.org/cd-main.php

What is Celiac Disease? - http://familydoctor.org/236.xml

National Digestive Diseases Information - http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/celiac/index.htm

News & Information in the Celiac Community - http://www.clanthompson.com/

General Celiac Information from MedicineNet.com- http://www.medicinenet.com/celiac_disease/article.htm

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness ( news updates): http://www.celiaccentral.org/

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I would love to hear from you- how did you know to test for Celiac Disease? What were your symptoms? Has a gluten free diet helped?