Despite the snow covered trees, glittering lights, smoke from the chimneys and the overall sense of Holiday spirit that store fronts and houses display, for people living gluten-free there is usually a little bit of gluten-free gloom that hangs over the Holiday season. Don’t get me wrong, we are far from gluten-free grinches, but we cannot deny the nagging sense of anxiety that takes over when considering all of the ways that gluten can complicate even the simplest of Holiday celebrations. Your work may host a Holiday party, you may be staying with extended family members during the Holiday season, there may be a slew of dinner party invitations in your inboxes (or mailboxes if you are classic like that). Don’t let the Holidays overwhelm you! This Gluten-Free Holiday Survival Guide should help make the Holiday season gluten-free and stress-free. Read More »

With Restaurant Week upon us in Washington DC I can’t help but think about how far the restaurant industry has come in the past few years when it comes to serving gluten-free customers!  Between the increase in demand for gluten-free products from the celiacs, the gluten intolerant and the fad dieters to the efforts of nonprofits like National Foundation For Celiac Awareness, Celiac Disease Foundation and the Gluten Intolerance Group, people living gluten-free can enjoy the delicious foodie culture that has spread across the country!

Which star chefs and popular restaurants have joined the gluten-free bandwagon? A lot! Read More »

Gluten free, great-tasting yet filling snacks can be hard to come by. Luckily, KIND Healthy Snacks offers fruit and nut bars that hit the spot every time.  When you are living gluten free, being hungry is a common and frequent concern.  If you miss lunch at the office, you can’t exactly ask around to see if anyone has anything in the office for you to snack on because chances are it wont be gluten free! There are a thousand other scenarios where being hungry yet out of reach of anything GF can come up; KIND Bars may be your answer!

Here are 5 great things to do with KIND Bars:

1. Put a few bars in your desk drawer

There is nothing worse than that creeping feeling of hunger that sometimes strikes at around 4:00pm. You have to stay at the office for at least two more hours but your stomach just isn’t having it. If you have a store of KIND Bars you can easily snack on one of these nutritious and filing bars while you finish out the day.

Bar suggestion: Almond Cashew + Flax (Omega-3). This bar has a lot of Read More »

This year I am taking Celiac Awareness Month a little more personally than years past! In March, I went to the Digestive Disease National Coalition and met with Senators to discuss Resolution 550 that officially makes May  National Celiac Awareness Month.

When talking with the Senate staff I explained that making May Celiac Awareness Month gives members of the gluten free community a great jumping off point for awareness campaigns and projects. For example, the Read More »

With the recent announcement of the merger between American Airlines and US Airways, it seemed a good time to discuss how to be gluten free while traveling.  Based on my customer service experience, it honestly might be preferable if US Airways didn’t save American from their financial crisis.  Being gluten free is challenging even with the many dining options we have on land. If one restaurant doesn’t work, you can always hop in your car and try another. Take us up 30,000 feet into the air and we may be in for what will feel like a very long trip with very few options, if any at all.

Being gluten free means adapting a whole new relationship to food, something that shapes our every day lives, holidays and traditions. Considering how complicated and challenging being gluten free can be, it seems appropriate to make our New Year’s Resolutions at least related to improving our health and gluten free lifestyle.

Last year I had a slue of NYRs all about improving my gluten free lifestyle. You can check out last year’s list here but in summary, I decided to:

1. Be (even more) gluten free – this means making smart, safe choices at restaurants like getting a salad instead of french fries due to risk of cross contamination.

2. Become informed — I vowed to start following GF blogs so that I can stay current on what other GF advocates are up to.

3. Get techy — there are many phone apps out there that make being gluten free much simpler. I decided to start Read More »

It is that time of year again! We have shining lights on all the streets, the fire light of Menorahs shimmering through windows and stars twinkling atop 6-foot tall trees.  The winter holidays are by far my favorite despite the accompanied stress they tend to bring.  Personally, I love when the whole family gets together for the holidays. We don’t have any of the often satirized family drama you see on TV and in the movies about family gatherings during the holidays.  The holidays usually bring around a different type of stress for me: how to avoid gluten during all of the holiday dinner parties.  This year, however, this won’t be an issue because my family has figured out how we can tweak our Italian traditions to be totally gluten free. Read More »

When I was little I loved American Girl dolls. It seems like yesterday that I was picking out my first doll, after my “Twin Doll” sadly lost her head four times. I can remember my mom suggesting I get Samantha because she was the one that looked closest to me. However, the doll I chose was Molly because she had glasses just like me. I loved that doll, I read all the books which went along with her; even dressed up as Molly for Halloween one year.

One year we threw a birthday party for Molly. My mom being the creative person she is went all out! We made homemade headbands; an idea from one of my American Girl Magazines and ate dishes of food that Molly would have enjoy during the era in which she lived. It’s one of those childhood memories I won’t forget.

Over break I received eggs from Pete & Gerry’s Organic Eggs; a company I met at this year’s summer Food Fete. My brother laughed when he asked what was in the package and I excitedly responded Read More »