Gluten-free fans of the Atlanta Braves can enjoy gluten-free fare while at Turner Field this year! Read More »

One of the most difficult challenges that people with food intolerances (or allergies) face is staying safe while traveling. Finally, someone figured out that there was a huge need for small, individually packaged gluten free food items. They even went a step further and put together both snack and meal packs for those on the go.

comes to our rescue with nutritionally dense meals and snacks that will sustain anyone in need of protein and carbs, when safe food options are not available. Read More »

Almost everyone who plans a trip the first time after they start living gluten-free has the same question – “how am I going to eat safely away from home?” The answer is simply – by doing some gluten-free home work. They need to do research about gluten-free dining options where they’re headed, and they need to pack some food for the trip.
Here is a list of things that are easy to find and are not likely to be confiscated by airport security. Most of these item can be used for a plane ride and upon arrival to your destination. Brands listed are not the only gluten-free options. Read More »

Most U.S. hotels do not offer gluten-free bread products for breakfast (or other meals). They might have bacon, eggs and potatoes but they are not likely to offer gluten-free muffins or waffles. It’s annoying to get a “free” breakfast that offers you only a piece of fruit, or if you’re lucky, a hard boiled egg.

Now the search for the perfect shelf stable breakfast treat is over. Sorrella Bakery Biscotinnes are handmade gluten-free biscotti type cookies. They are crunchy but not as dense as regular biscotti. There are several flavors but we only tried the “Cinnamon Swirl” which is phenomenal. Read More »

We are very lucky to have Dr. Cynthia Rudert, MD practicing in Atlanta. She is the only nationally recognized celiac specialist in the Southeast.

Recently I was fortunate enough to interview the very busy Dr. Rudert about celiac and her thoughtful answers were so informative that the interview will be posted in several parts. Unlike many doctors I’ve encountered, Dr. Rudert is always learning as much as she can about celiac so can help her many patients with the condition, as well as those with severe gluten-intolerance. I boldfaced some of the most crucial comments in Dr. Rudert’s reply below.

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Dr. Rudert, you have been treating people with celiac for many years now, but it seems that many doctors still think the condition is rare. Since we now know the condition affects almost 1 out of every 100 Americans, it is far from rare. What do you consider the main problem is, in getting the word out to the medical community about this greatly under diagnosed disease?

“Celiac Disease is the most common autoimmune illness of humankind. If one were to take all the patients with Crohn’s Disease and all the patients with Ulcerative Colitis and add in all those with Cystic Fibrosis and then triple the numbers that would be equal to the number of individuals with Celiac Disease. For my Math friends: 3X (Crohn’s +Ulcerative Colitis +Cystic Fibrosis ) = Celiac Disease. Approximately 98% of those with Celiac are not diagnosed or misdiagnosed. Read More »

If you read my pages on Examiner.com regularly, you might have noticed that I do not include prices on many products that I review. While I’d be happy to list prices for everything if my audience was limited to Atlanta, over 95% of my readers don’t even live in Georgia. About 2% don’t live in the U.S.

There is another reason I don’t like listing prices on my reviews though, besides the fact that most people reading them don’t live anywhere near Atlanta. Prices on gluten-free products fluctuate greatly depending on where they are sold. Atlanta has the largest gluten-free community in the Southeast. The panhandle of Florida might have the smallest. It is common for patients down there to come to Atlanta to see Dr. Cynthia Rudert because many doctors down there don’t know much about celiac disease. Read More »

It seems that almost everyone has on opinion about Elisabeth Hasselbeck’s book “The G Free Diet”. People tend to think one of two things about it. They think it’s great that a celebrity finally spoke out about having celiac disease since we desperately need the publicity. Or they feel that it’s extremely unfortunate that the book contains quite a bit of inaccurate information, thus setting us back on our quest instead of forward.

In the back of the book the author lists some of her favorite things like Flax Crackers from Sami’s Bakery in Tampa, FL. However, the only things that the bakery owner will confirm are gluten-free are the cookies and brownies made in a sealed off room. The millet/flax items are not considered gluten-free. There is a disclaimer on the packaging of their “no gluten ingredients” products, due to how/where they are processed. Some stores are pulling the products from their shelves in response to the information in Hasselbeck’s book stirring up a controversy about the product line. Read More »

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 »