Celiac Awareness Day at PNC Park is a special awareness and fundraising event that will help to support awareness and patient programs of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA), the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America (GIG) , and the Celiac Sprue Association (CSA) throughout the region.

Sunday, September 27, 2009
Game Time: 1:35 pm
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. LA Dodgers
Fan Appreciation Day at PNC Park
Outfield Box: $20.00 ($5.00 donated)
L/R Grandstand: $12.00 ($2.00 donated)

BIG NEWS!

The Pirates are going to have a gluten-free portable stand for the Celiac Awareness Day!! This is the food that will be served at this special concession stand. Read More »

For better or worse, the Gluten Free lifestyle is gaining in popularity. While some in the community may bicker over its trendiness, one thing is for certain: bringing GF food into the mainstream is causing more and more restaurants and stores and manufacturers to sit up and take notice. There are more GF offerings at more locations than ever before.

One surprising addition has been The Olive Garden’s Gluten Free menu. Who would have thought that an almost strictly pasta restaurant would have GF offerings? Of course, you can always get their salad sans croutons, but now they have a GF pasta on their Garden Fare options menu. Pennine Rigate with Marinara is a hearty marinara sauce made from tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and herbs served over gluten free penne pasta. Read More »

The Healthy Villi Celiac Support Group, the Beth Israel Deaconess Celiac Center and 24 other support groups in New England are partnering together to offer an all-day New England Celiac Conference.

The day-long forum (8:00 am to 4:00 pm) will be held on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlboro, MA.

The forum will include experts speaking on celiac disease, afternoon workshops, product sampling and product sales and a continental breakfast and buffet lunch. In attendance will be individuals with celiac disease (or gluten intolerance) and dietitians who are eager to learn about the gluten-free diet and the selection of food and beverages available to them. Approximately 600 attendees are expected.

The day-long conference

Serves a full gluten free breakfast, lunch and snack to all attendees.To register: contact info@healthyvilli.org

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Author Information: John Libonati, Philadelphia, PA
President-elect, Celiac Sprue Association (CSA).
Publisher, Glutenfreeworks.com.
Editor & Publisher, Recognizing Celiac Disease.
John can be reached at john.libonati@glutenfreeworks.com.

Many places in the U.S. are not gluten-free friendly and many places are great to visit if you’re gluten-free. New York City and Atlanta are fantastic in terms of gluten-free shopping and dining, while Panama City Beach, FL is horrid. For this reason, many people who can’t eat gluten pack an extra suitcase full of food for any trip.

Taking your own food on trips is often a good idea. It is a terrible feeling to find yourself without something safe to eat – even if it’s just a cracker to nosh on when others around you are dining on gluten filled appetizers. It’s a good idea to keep a survival pack of food in your car, even if you’re not leaving town. There is something comforting about knowing there is safe food available, should a need for it arise.

If you are traveling from the U.S. to some parts of Europe, you might want to rethink your packing habits. Planning our first visit overseas after my celiac diagnosis was scary. Through much research I knew that it seemed easier to eat out outside the U.S. than at home, but until you experience that for yourself you’re a skeptic. Read More »

Food and Wine.

This is an easy-to-make, delicious entree that is gluten-free, inexpensive and fantastic. It’s as good as any dish I have had in any Thai or Vietnamese restaurant in the Houston area. Do not fear the Asian fish sauce…it adds lots of flavor, and it is easy to find in the Oriental foods section of just about any grocery store.

Adapted from

1/2 pound dried rice noodles, about 1/4 inch wide (I used Caravelle brand, available at HEB)

3/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice

2 large garlic cloves, minced Read More »

Although gluten-free eating is not impossible to do in most any restaurant including (but much harder) in Italian settings, there are restaurants and bakeries appearing throughout the City which tailor specifically to the gluten-free crowd. Below is a listing of several of the most talked about places. If you have dined here, or planning to, we would love to hear your recommendations!

Risoterria
270 Bleeker Street, btwn 6th and 7th Ave.
www.Risotteria.com

Everything from pasta dishes, to paninis, to cookie dough All gluten-free.

Friedman’s
75 Ninth Avenue, at Chelsea market
www.Friedmanslunch.com

A great lunch place where all items on the menu (even sandwiches) can be served gluten-free. Read More »

Eating on the run is one of the hardest things to do when you have to follow a strict gluten-free diet. No one likes to have to depend on fast food or food on the go, but let’s face it, in this day & age, it is inevitable. It isn’t always possible to plan ahead & pack something safe to eat. Enter: fast food restaurants. More fast food restaurants are starting to cater to those with special dietary needs. Hardee’s is a great example.

Hardee’s not only has a gluten-free burger, but they have a salad & breakfast bowl option as well. Hardee’s sent me the following email today: Read More »

With Celiac awareness on the rise, more and more people are getting tested and properly diagnosed. Many people have lived with troubling symptoms for years before getting a doctor to order the correct tests and give a formal diagnosis. Once people receive their diagnosis, they can cut gluten from their lives, allow their bodies to heal and feel better than they have in years.

Current studies predict that 1 out of 100 Americans have celiac, that is over 3 million Americans, and of those, 97% are undiagnosed. The longer an individual goes with undiagnosed celiac, the greater their risk to develop other serious illnesses.

On average, a child will visit 8 pediatricians before being correctly diagnosed with celiac disease.

As a result The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center offers a free blood screening every October. This year, it will be held October 10, 2009. Pre-registration is required, and opens September 1, 2009. Please call 773.702.7593 to register. The free blood screening will take place on the 4th floor of The University of Chicago Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine. Read More »

With increasing regularity folks are asking if they should start the “new” gluten free diet to lose weight. They’re serious. Too often eating plans designed to combat specific diseases become money making marketing machines in the form of weight loss fad diet products, usually with poor long term results.

Many people now see the gluten free labels in the health food section of the grocery store, the thin people reaching for them, and well, you see the fore drawn conclusion. What they don’t realize is that the thin person may have celiac disease or other autoimmune disorder, and he or she actually weighs a healthy 20 pounds more since starting a gluten free diet, putting an end to malabsorption problems. Conversely, some people do lose weight eating gluten free, not because they are using the lifestyle as a specific weight loss program, but because addressing their underlying disease resulted in improved body composition.

In the later case, weight loss may be a side benefit of removing the offending food, thus allowing the body time to heal and absorb nutrients normally. However, a gluten free lifestyle is not intended to be the next fad weight loss program. Consider two other dieting trends over the past two decades: Read More »

September 13th marks Celiac Sprue Association’s (CSA) Celiac Awareness Day. This provides a great time for people suffering with Celiac Disease to spread awareness to their friends, family, and doctors. The CSA has an awareness packet that is available for download from their website.

Several possible ideas to promote awareness is to take brochures to your doctor and health/fitness clubs. Host a luncheon with gluten free food to your friends and co-workers. Work with a restaurant to develop a gluten free menu.

This provides an ideal opportunity to teach others about the gluten free diet.

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Author Information: Cara Goedecke

Cara Goedecke – Oklahoma City Gluten free Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/x-22374-Oklahoma-City-Gluten-Free-Examiner
Oklahoma City Celiac Blog http://www.okceliac.com/blog/
e-mail: caralg520@gmail.com
Facebook OKC Celiac: www.okceliac.com