16,860

In March 2009, I wrote a blog post entitled 15,900.  The post was an explanation on the estimated number of Triangle residents with Celiac Disease.  See below for my new estimate - almost 2 years later and we've added approximately 1,000 Celiacs to the count.  We're almost to the capacity of the RBC Center.

Useful Resources - EZ Gluten At Home Test Kits

Looking for validation that the Gluten Free products you consume truly are Gluten Free?  Looking for an easy at-home test you can easily perform in a matter of minutes?  Then, you may be interested in EZ Gluten test strips from Elisa Technologies.  Elisa Technologies is based in Florida and was created in the early 90s to develop enzyme immunoassay technology for use in the food industry - or more simply stated - to create tests to validate what is actually in the food we consume.

EZ Gluten test strips are easy to use, at home test kits that detect the presence of Gluten in food or beverages.  I've personally used some of these in the past to help determine the status of Great Specialty Products bread items. Of course, the tests I conducted on those products came back as High Positive.  The application of these tests could really help folks determine what is safe and what is not safe if they are in doubt.  In light of the fact that the FDA still has not made a ruling on what a Gluten Free label claim means, along with the lack of enforcement (it's up to each company), leaves us wide open to gluten filled foods to be incorrectly labeled Gluten Free.  EZ Gluten tests are sensitive enough to detect down to 10 PPM.  In the EZ Gluten Test, a food sample is ground to a fine consistency, added to the gluten extraction solution, and then mixed. A few drops of the sample extract are placed into a test tube. The EZ Gluten® test strip is placed into the test tube and allowed to absorb the sample extract. After 10 minutes, the test strip can be read visually for the presence of gluten in the sample.  Click here for a brochure with some more details.  Click here to see the product usage instructions.

The other common application of these tests is for food manufacturers.  I've seen several local companies employ these tests to verify the ingredients they are being supplied as well as testing the final products before delivery.  Companies that perform this kind of testing (due to the expense involved) should be treated differently than companies that don't in my opinion.  Nothing in your Gluten Free life is 100% all the time, but this is a great step in the right direction if companies perform this kind of testing.  If you are not sure if a company tests, you should ask them directly and refer them to this blog post if they are not aware of the EZ Gluten product.

So what's the downside you might ask?  Well, obviously it's the price of this product.  If you were to simply order 2 kits (smallest package for sale), you'd be set back $25 ($12.50 each).  Did I mention that the kit can only be used once?  The price per test gets a little better the more you order but even ordering a package of 10 will cost you $110 ($11 each), a package of 25 runs $262.50 ($10.50 each) and a package of 100 runs $950 ($9.50 each).  I guess the real question is this - what price do you put on knowing your GF products are safe?  A simple $10 - $12 test back in November when I first wrote about Great Specialty Products would have saved a lot of people (including me) time and trouble.  I personally am still being affected with a DH rash (and who knows what other more hidden health problems) from the products I ate from GSP almost 4 months ago.  I'd venture to say the $12 is worth it.  I'd especially employ this test if the product had not formal packaging with an ingredient statement.  I've also now incorporated these tests in a Product Testing Policy here at GFR.

On that note, I had the idea that maybe if we pulled our resources together and ordered a large number of these test kits, the cost for each of us would be minimized?  I am planning on ordering some of these kits anyway but thought I would offer up the opportunity for you to jump in.  So, if you are a GF consumer out there and want to test some of the products you eat regularly and might be worried about or if you are local company looking to begin a new Product Testing Policy of your own, please let me know via email or a comment on this blog post.  I'll gather feedback on the order until the end of March and then will place my order.  We can also establish some way to share the results with each other so that duplicate tests are not done - still thinking about this...we could really test a ton of products if we did this in a well organized fashion.

Click here to email me with your order.

UPDATE 3/7/2010
So far I have emails from folks requesting a total of 45-65 test kits.  Please keep your emails coming.  If we get enough folks, we can really organize a mass testing of the Raleigh market - something I don't think has been done before anywhere in the US!  Also, the current batch of kits expire in November 2010.  If you want to order but would rather wait for a fresh batch of kits (they have expiration dates of 1 year when they are first manufacturered) please let me know.

Renewed Motivation To Strictly Follow Gluten Free Diet

I wrote this blog post a little more than a year ago which detailed my main Celiac Disease side effect, Osteopenia (or lowered bone density). The post goes into great detail about the bone scan process and my resulting test scores which indicated a severe impact to my bone density due to Celiac Disease and it's subsequent nutritional deficiencies. It's pretty clear to see that if you are not correctly absorbing nutrients then there will be a multitude of effects on the body, include loss of bone density.

At the time of my previous post last year, my score of -2.4 was technically Osteopenia, but right on the border of osteoporosis. I was pretty anxious heading into a recent follow-up bone scan to see if my scores had improved after being on the Gluten Free Diet and supposedly curbing the Celiac Disease induced damage to my body. My doctor had told me that correctly following the diet could lead to a recovery of my bone density. For some reason, you never really know if you are following the GF diet correctly or is some small portion of Gluten still contaminating you, anyone else feel like this? I guess tests like this along with repeat antibody tests can really go a long way to building your confidence level that you really are Gluten Free.

I'm happy to report that my bone density scores did improve. While still having Osteopenia, my scores were more toward the middle range, instead of the high/border-line Osteoporosis range. The results were much better in my smaller bones (like forearm) as these are the first to recover while improving only a little in my bigger bones (like hips). These results have definitely renewed my motivation to keep going.

As I have mentioned before, a Celiac Disease diagnosis is the beginning of your journey to healthy living - it's not the beginning of the end of your life. For us, our diagnosis is really our cure... not very many diseases are like that. If you are not getting follow-up care like repeat antibody tests or bone density scans, please check with your doctor or use my Health Network to find a doctor who is familiar with treating those with CD.

Gluten Free Halloween 2009

Halloween 2009 is just a few short days away. Doing a Gluten Free Halloween can be a little tricky (no pun intended), especially for kids who have little patience mixed with a huge amount of candy to eat.

I've put together a few articles I found which include helpful hints and updated GF candy lists so you don't end up like the pumpkin pictured to the left! If you are extremely worried about your little one getting Gluten filled candy, then I would suggest preparing your own candy bags to give to your neighbors in advance. When trick or treat rolls around, just go to those select houses.

Also, make sure you pay attention to those little mini versions of candy handed out. Often they do not contain ingredient listings or allergen statements. I've also seen where the mini version of something may not be GF while the bigger version is GF because they are made in different factories or on contaminated production lines. The best rule is "When in doubt, don't eat it".

See below for more information on having a GF Halloween this year.

• ABC News article on GF Trick or Treat
• Updated GF Candy Lists from Sure Foods Living - here, here & here
• Always helpful Nancy Lapid's About.com info - Candy List, fun ideas & recipes. Severed Finger cheese sticks anyone?
• A good summary from BeFreeForMe.com.
• A 2009 update from The Gluten Free Mom.
• Good info from the Raleigh Cel-Kids support group.

GOOD LUCK!

~ Last Updated August 10th, 2011
There are many great companies, restaurants, doctors and others who cater to the Gluten Free Community here in Raleigh. I believe in supporting these local companies as much as possible, so here is a single location to find all the information about them. I have added this to the top menu bar so it can be easily found as this post moves off of the first page. If you would like to be included, please email me with your information.

Local Companies
*Brigitte's Bakery - Reviews Web site

de'Lure' Dessert and Bakery - Reviews Web site

Moonlight Bakery - Reviews Web site Facebook
Closed June 2011

*8th Sin Coffee Company - Reviews Web site

*Bella Monica Flatbread Company - Reviews Web site Twitter Facebook

*Bone Suckin’ Sauce - Reviews Web site

*Rosie’s Plate - Reviews Web site Facebook
Closed as of 3/4/2011

Gluten Free Galley - Reviews Web site Twitter Facebook YouTube
* 
Twin Cakes Bakery - Reviews Web site Twitter Facebook
Bakery moved to Charlotte but orders still available online

*Juno Nutrition - Reviews Web site Twitter Facebook

*Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakehouse - Reviews Web site

*Custom Choice Cereal - Reviews Web site Twitter

*Sweet Loralee Pastries - Reviews Web site

*Pepper Dog Salsa - Reviews Web site

Happy Tummy Baking Company - Reviews Web site

Local Yogurt - Reviews Web site Twitter Facebook

Restaurants
Gluten Free Raleigh Restaurant Reviews
Raleigh Restaurant Listing
Gluten Free Dining Card


Grocery Stores
*Whole Foods - Reviews Web site GF Product Listing Twitter Facebook

*Earth Fare - Reviews Web site GF Product Listing Twitter

*Harmony Farms - Reviews Web site GF Product Listing
Cafe Harmony - Reviews Web site

*Trader Joe's - Reviews Web site GF Product Listing

*Kroger - Reviews Web site GF Product Listing

*Lowes Foods - Reviews Web site GF Product Listing

Health Network

Other
*Support Groups
Greater North Raleigh Celiac Support Group - Email Web site
Raleigh Cel-Kids Support Group - Email Web site
NC FACES Support Group - Reviews Email Web site

*Camp Kanata – Gluten Free Week

*Carolina Hurricanes

Useful Resources: Juno Nutrition

Allow me to introduce a brand new resource for those living Gluten Free - Juno Nutrition. Juno Nutrition is creating "the largest living database of gluten information." The concept is pretty simple, catalog EVERY food product out there and then use multiple methods to determine the Gluten status. Sounds great right? Let me just say there are already some great products out there which clearly let you know the Gluten status of many foods. For example, the Triumph Grocery Guide has 30,000 products in it that are GF. But what happens when you don't find something in that guide? Is it not GF or is it just not listed for some reason? Who knows. What about 3 months after you purchase the book - is the information still valid? Juno Nutrition takes this concept one step further by first cataloging ALL food, then classifying it's GF status. We are talking about up to date information on MILLIONS of products, not 30,000. We are also taking about products such as packaged food purchased from a grocer, meals purchased at a restaurant or personal care products including shampoos or pharmaceuticals - the Gluten Free Lifestyle.

Juno Nutrition is a searchable database Web site that can be utilized by the following folks.

• People on a Gluten Free Diet due to Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance


• People with children who are Gluten Free


• Physicians


• Nutritionists/Dietitians


• Chefs or Kitchen workers


• Restaurant Owners

Juno Nutrition offers a Google-like Search function, simply type in what you are looking for and you are instantly presented with what is GF and what is not GF - allowing you to make a safe choice. Additionally, Juno offers the unique ability to share your GF experiences with the rest of the community - a Gluten Free Wikipedia if you will. Standard users can basically vote on the food products provided by Juno as to whether an item is GF or not based on their experience. Additionally, they can provide their feedback for others to read. No more searching a message board thread that was last updated in 2007. The end result is a growing level of feedback directly from the GF community that changes as the food product changes - all in one place. There are also Editors on the site that can add products and locations and moderate user provided content.

In addition to all of this, restaurants are also present in the system. You'll be able to browse for a location and see the number of GF food items vs. non-GF food items vs. unknown (yet to be ranked by Juno and the community). Juno's goal is summed up in the following statement - "There are 1 million restaurants in the US, another 1 million packaged goods – if we are systematic as a community we can identify and label every product as safe, unsafe or unknown."

How Juno determines Gluten Free Status

The gluten status of a product determines how safe it is to consume at that time. There are three ways we can identify a product’s gluten status: a product manufacturer can make a statement, someone can ask a question about a product’s gluten status, or we can use a commercially available gluten test to determine the gluten status. We make gluten status observations over time, and aggregate their score at the product level. A product that is continuously safe over time, no matter the method of obtaining their gluten status, is safer than one where the gluten status fluctuates over time, or where the gluten status is consistently unsafe. Manufacturers or restaurants that are careless in their food production will show greater fluctuation over time.

Juno Nutrition - A Local Company
One of the best things about Juno Nutrition is that it is actually a Triangle based company which was started by brothers Fred and Will Lybrand. Fred developed the idea after living Gluten Free for many years due to a Celiac Disease/DH diagnosis. Their intent is to first focus on the state of North Carolina (lucky us!) and then spread throughout the US and the rest of the world. The name Juno comes from the Roman Goddess of the State whose epithet was, “Juno Warns” and in that same vein they want to be sure their customers are warned about what foods they should avoid. Click here to read more about the company along with their impressive board of advisers. I have had the opportunity to meet with Fred on numerous occasions and have learned a great deal about his dedication to solving this problem of successfully living GF. I look forward to working with Juno in the future in conjunction with what I do on this blog as well as becoming an Editor for Juno.

Interested in seeing more of what Juno Nutrition can do for you? You can check out the subscription based service for free for 30 days - the service normally runs $10 per month. Also, be sure to check out the Tour here. Juno Nutrition will also be a vendor at the upcoming Whole Foods Raleigh GF Vendor Fair on October 17th. Stop in for a demo of the product and a chance to ask questions directly to the company owners.

Gluten Free City Guide Updated

If you have not seen the Gluten Free City Guide, you can check it out here. It is a helpful tool if you plan on traveling to unknown areas of the USA/Canada. I designed the GF City Guide as a mashup of great Gluten Free blogs or Celiac Disease support group Web sites for various cities out there. These are the local folks in the know for their respective city. I would recommend reading their content and/or even contacting them in advance of your trip so that things can go a little more smooth. I get emails a lot from folks coming to Raleigh and they can easily refer to content on on GFR for their trip.

I spent some time recently updating it to make it a little more easy to use and navigate. Also, I updated some of the cities listed, removed bad links and added new cities. There are now 176 placemarks on the Gluten Free City Guide map.

The Gluten Free City Guide is includes placemarks on numerous cities throughout the USA & Canada. Placemarks have been added to cities where Celiac Disease Support Group Web sites and/or Gluten Free Blogs specifically about those cities exist. Find a city you want more Gluten Free information on and simply click it's placemark. Use the Gluten Free City Guide map to help with traveling to unfamiliar cities or to learn more about your city.

Please email me if you maintain a Celiac Disease support group Web site or are a blogger who writes about living Gluten Free in a particular city/state/region and would like to be added to the network.

Food Allergy Poster & Petition Update

Back in March I created an online petition to the City of Raleigh for a food allergen educational poster requirement for restaurants. The idea was to have a poster detailing the top 8 allergens (peanut, tree nuts, cow's milk, egg, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish) plus Gluten (wheat, barley, rye & oats) posted at each restaurant in the city in an effort to raise awareness of food allergies among kitchen staff. I believe a poster detailing what the major food allergies are along with common ingredients can go a long way in helping folks have safe meals.

Click here to see the original post & click here to see (and sign) the online petition if you have not already. There are currently 278 signatures on the petition - a huge thanks to everyone who is supporting this effort and leaving great comments. My goal was to present this idea to the Raleigh City Council once I received 300 signatures. It is now "Go Time".

I have officially filled out the request to appear before the Raleigh City Council on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 1pm. I supplied a ton of supporting documentation about food allergies from (The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network - FAAN and Food Allergy Initiative - FAI) as well as items about Gluten allergies and those of us with Celiac Disease. I expect to speak before the council around 2pm that day - if you want to come out and support this effort, please feel free!

Here is where I need your help!

1. Please sign the petition if you have not already. The more signatures on the petition when I go in front of the city leaders the better credibility we have as an organization.
   


2. I am launching a contest for my readers to create the actual design of the food allergy education poster. There are some out there I have already found concerning the top 8 allergens but none include Gluten and none have that special Raleigh flavor. I know there are some great design folks out there - here is your chance to get your design in every restaurant in the city while helping those 12 million Americans (3 million children) along the way. Come up with a design, put it in .pdf format and email it to me. I will collect all entries and present them here on this blog for the readers to vote on to determine the winner. Please submit your design via email by Friday, October 16th at 12pm. Please include all the top 8 allergens plus Gluten on your poster with some details about each allergen and what kitchen workers should watch out for. Please also include a process restaurant staff should follow when they encounter someone with food allergies to ensure they can have an educated choice about a safe meal.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that this idea can become a reality and the citizens and visitors of Raleigh can make a huge step towards having safe meals at restaurants. Currently, New York city is the only place in the USA with this requirement. Let's make Raleigh the 2nd!

Useful Resources: Toaster Bags

Venturing outside the comfort of your Gluten Free kitchen can be quite an adventure. Ever been in the situation where you want to toast something but don't have your trusted Gluten Free toaster handy? This happens to me when I go to a cookout or a party and bring my own GF bun. Then I get there and remember just how bad (usually) Gluten Free bread tastes when not toasted. This also happens in hotels as well. You bring a huge cooler for GF sandwiches but then have to choke one down because you couldn't use the hotel or restaurant toaster.

I recently came across a great product called a toaster bag. Several companies make these bags but they basically allow you to keep your GF food uncontaminated while using an unfriendly toaster. They also work in Toaster Ovens and George Foreman style grills. Check out two brands I found below and leave a comment if you've tried this out.

ToastaBags by PlanIt Products - Toastabags run from $3.99 for 30 use to $5.99 for 100 use

ToastIt Bags by Celinal Foods - 1 ToastIt bag runs $6.95 or you can get 5 bags for $30.

Wellsphere HealthBlogger Network

I was recently invited to become a member of the Wellsphere HealthBlogger Network by Wellsphere's Chief Medical Information Officer, Geoffrey W. Rutledge MD, PhD. Wellsphere is a consumer health Web site which is revolutionizing the way people find and share health and healthy living information and support. Kinda like taking the medical information of WebMD and adding a community aspect to it.

The community aspect of Wellsphere is it's HealthBlogger Network which features over 2,500 of the web's leading health bloggers. The Network consists of a highly selective group of the leading minds in medicine, brave patients who daringly share their stories of struggle and survival, and healthy living professionals helping people live healthier everyday. Gluten Free Raleigh is now a part of this network. This is a pretty high honor for this blog! Dr. Rutledge has personally reviewed GFR and has decided it is worthy to add to the network. GFR posts will now be found in the Celiac Disease Community. Wellsphere boasts nearly 6 million visitors per month so that means I can do more to help those with Celiac Disease or a Gluten Free Lifestyle.

You will now notice my Top Health Blogger badge on the right side bar of this blog. Links in the badge will take you over to the Celiac Disease Community pages where you can find a ton of great information from other Celiac Disease/Gluten Free Top Health Bloggers.

So check out Wellsphere today, along with the Celiac Disease Community where you can find all sorts of great information about CD.

Useful Resources: Campbell's Gluten Free Product List 7/2009

I wrote back in March about Campbell's updated Gluten Free product list. I was recently contacted about the company's recently updated July 2009 Gluten Free list as well as the addition of a brand new Web site tracking their GF products. Check out the note I received below from Susan Baranowsky Director of Consumer Affairs for Campbell's. And be sure to check out the new Gluten Free Campbell's Web site at www.campbellswithoutgluten.com.

Thank you for contacting Campbell’s concerning our gluten-free offerings. We understand your interest and are pleased to share with you our most up-to-date list of Campbell’s gluten-free products.

After the FDA issued its proposed regulation about gluten-free food labeling, Campbell re-evaluated its gluten-free product offerings and temporarily removed some products from the gluten-free list. Before any product could be added back to
the list, we rechecked every ingredient in each product and ensured that
manufacturing controls were in place to assure that we could deliver gluten-free
products. As a further safeguard, we analyzed each and every gluten-free product
to ensure compliance with our strict gluten-free standards. We are continuing
our review of new products for their gluten-free status and will update our list
accordingly.

I am attaching an updated list for you and also want to let you know that this list is now available on our website for your convenience. Please visit us at www.campbellswithoutgluten.com where you will find our gluten-free product list. Campbell offers a wide variety of gluten-free products. Our list is always growing, so visit us often.

This is great news and useful information for those of us who are fond of Campbell's many products. It's also nice that the list is published online!

Useful Resources: At Home Celiac DNA Tests

Some cool news from Prometheus Labs which has just come out with a brand new at home DNA test for Celiac Disease. This new test uses a cheek swab collection method rather than a more invasion (and painful) blood sample. The new cheek swab test is called MyCeliacID - check out the Web site here for more information and ordering. The test can be ordered online, taken at home and mailed back to Prometheus. The test runs $329 and results are usually returned within 7 days. Click here for a video about how to perform the test. Prometheus also has a page which provides information on exactly who should be tested.

Here are a couple of articles about this new test.
celiacdisease.about.com
celiac-disease.com
celiac.com

Note - a positive gene test for Celiac Disease does not indicate a diagnosis of CD. This is not an antibody test for active CD and can only be used to rule out the possibility of CD. Bottom line, if the genes are not present, the individual cannot ever develop CD - and if the genes are present, the individual may or may not already have CD. A person with the genes should not immediately begin a Gluten Free diet and should be watched for symptoms and screened using the antibody test in the future. An antibody blood test, biopsy of the small intestine and recovery on a Gluten Free diet are the gold standard for accurate diagnosis of CD.

Just an FYI - Prometheus claims that this is the first test of it's kind but some of us out there may have already used another lab called Kimball Genetics which was already offering a cheek swab DNA test. The cost of this test is closer to $400.

Useful Resources: Whole Foods iPhone App

Check out the following page on WholeFoods.com about their brand new iPhone application. You can use the app to find Whole Foods locations and to get Gluten Free recipes while on the go!

Whole Foods Market Recipes on the iPhone
Healthy & convenient recipes in your pocket
Cooking with natural and organic foods? Search Whole Foods Market Recipes for delicious recipes that include everything from dinner entrees to breakfast and beverages.

* Filter by categories such as Budget, Cooking with Kids, and Quick & Easy
* Target special diets, including gluten-free, lowfat, and vegetarian/vegan
* Find recipes that use ingredients you already have with our On-Hand Search feature.

Find your nearest store, fast
You can also use our store locator to find the Whole Foods Market locations near you, or search by ZIP code. Each store page includes links to the store's website and weekly specials.

Click here to download the app from iTunes.

Useful Resources: Town of Cary GF Classes

Check out the following 2 classes centered around the Gluten Free Diet being offered this summer by the Town of Cary.

1) Allergy-Free Cooking click here to register
Description:
Here’s help for those of you who are allergic to common foods such as peanuts, soybeans and corn. Or it could be foods containing gluten, which you or a family member must completely avoid to treat celiac disease. Maybe you suspect it’s just a wheat intolerance, so your energy level is higher when you don’t have bread or cereal for breakfast. Or you just feel better if you don’t eat any wheat or dairy products. Perhaps you are trying to help your family kick the sugar habit to ward off obesity and diabetes type II. Mealtimes are especially challenging for individuals facing allergies to any, and sometimes all, of these foods. Learn how to prepare allergy-free alternatives in this hands-on cooking class, and make meal times happy times again!

Meets:
Th 08-06-2009 7:00PM - 9:00PM Kitchen-Herbert C. Young Community Center
Th 08-13-2009 7:00PM - 9:00PM Kitchen-Herbert C. Young Community Center

Fees: resident $56.00 | non-resident $73.00

2) Let's Do Lunch--Beyond the Sandwich - click here to register
Description:
Here's fresh ideas for packing lunch for those of you who would rather not eat bread. Whether you're celiac, wheat/gluten intolerant, watching your weight, or just plain tired of the same old sandwich routine, you'll discover healthful and budget-friendly lunch-to-go options for you and your family.

Meets: Th 8-27-2009 7:00PM - 9:00PM Kitchen-Herbert C. Young Community Center

Fees: resident $28.00 | non-resident $36.00

Useful Resources: People's Pharmacy Discussion on Celiac Disease

In case you missed it, The People's Pharmacy radio program ran a show on June 12 called "Celiac Disease Update". The People's Pharmacy is broadcast locally on WUNC Public Radio on 91.5 FM out of Chapel Hill. The program normally runs each Saturday at 7am and each Sunday at 6pm. They have run several programs over the last few years on Celiac Disease.

The latest program from this past weekend featured Dr. Peter Green from the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University.

If you are interested in listening to the show, click here for the audio available on iTunes, MyYahoo and MP3/4.

Thanks to John & Lee for the heads up.

Useful Resources: Angel Food Ministries

Check out this great post over at Gluten Free Durham about an excellent resource called Angel Food Ministries. Great work Debbie! Angel Food Ministries is now offering Allergen-free food.

Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. The program began in 1994 with 34 families in Monroe, Georgia (between Atlanta and Athens), and has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of families every month across 35 states. Angel Food Ministries crosses denominational lines and has spread the good news of the gospel of Christ through salvation tracts that are placed in each food order.

By buying food from first rate suppliers at substantial volume discounts, Angel Food Ministries is able to provide families with approximately $65 worth of quality nutritious food for $30. Angel Food Ministries does not use out-of-date food or inferior products. Check out the How it Works page here.

Angel Food Ministries has 11 Triangle locations including 3 in Raleigh; Hillyer Memorial Christian Church - 919-832-7112, New Hope Baptist Church - 919-876-5250 x3175 and South Central Church of Christ - 919-231-2174.

Check out the June Allergen Free Menu here.

Update: GFree - Gluten Free Menu Planning

Not sure how many of you actually tried out GFree, the Gluten Free Menu Planning service I wrote about last November. If you are interested in Gluten Free menu planning, the service runs $10/month and are available in three-month subscriptions ($30), six-months ($49), and 12-months ($79).

I received notification that if you sign up now for this service (until August 31st), you'll receive a free Bob's Red Mill product. See here for more details.

Useful Resources - Naturally Dah'ling

I often get questions about whether Gluten Free folks should care about Gluten in their cosmetics and personal care products. My usual answer is the general consensus is that Gluten particles are too large to be absorbed through the skin. However, if you are showering and happen to swallow some shampoo - that could be an issue. In addition, folks with Dermatitis Herpetiformis, a.k.a DH or Celiac skin would definitely need to stay away from Gluten containing cosmetics and personal care products - unless they want a blistering, itchy rash.

Luckily there are many Gluten Free cosmetic and personal care products out there on the market. And also, we are lucky enough to have a wonderful resource called Naturally Dah'ling to help share information about those products.

Naturally Dah'ling is the creation of Kristen Campbell - who also happens to write for the Gluten Free Asheville and Wilmington blogs. Kristen is also the creator behind the world's only Gluten Free search engine; The Gluten Free Fox. Lucky for us, Kristen just moved to North Carolina from California.

Here is a little blurb from Kristen about Naturally Dah'ling...

I created Naturally Dah'ling after learning about the lack of regulation for ingredients that go into the beauty products that we literally bathe ourselves in everyday. I purchased product after product looking for those that were not only as natural as they claimed to be, but also highly effective.

So when I was diagnosed as severely gluten intolerant, it was a natural choice for me to raid my make-up bag to ensure that all of my products were also gluten-free. It took several more months of researching ingredients, contacting manufacturers, and buying/ trying product after product.

Now that I have a firm list of my absolute favorite--can't live without--natural and gluten-free products, I am sharing them with you! No one should have to buy 10 mascaras to find the one that is the purest and most effective. Or purchase six shampoos to find one that doesn't irritate and performs like a professional.

I hope that you'll enjoy these products as much as I do!

Click the links below for Kristen's favorite and well researched Gluten Free products...
Cosmetics
Skin Care
Hair Care
Nail Care
For Him

Naturally Dah'ling also features videos from Kristen with make-up demos and "Is it really GF" segments. Kristen also does a little blogging at the site as well.

Gluten Myths - Envelopes, Stamps & More...

There are a lot of myths and unknowns out there concerning Gluten and whether or not it is contained in just about anything. For example, did you wonder if Gluten was in the adhesive of that envelope you just licked? How about a stamp? Drywall mud? Can you donate blood?

Here is at least some proof about envelopes and stamps from Nancy Lapid's About.com Celiac Disease Blog (by the way, if you aren't reading this blog you should be).

Question: Is there gluten in envelope glue or stamps?
Answer: No, there is no gluten in envelope glue, according to the international Envelope Manufacturers Association. The Association's website says: "Remoistenable adhesives are derived from corn starch and do not contain wheat or rye gluten."

Furthermore, in the Fall 2007 issue of Gluten Free Living, Amy Ratner reported, "There are actually only a few envelope glue manufacturers in the United States. National Starch & Chemical, a New Jersey company, is one of the largest adhesive suppliers in the world. A company spokesperson says it makes its glue from corn, which is gluten free."

As for stamps, a Post Office spokesman told Ratner there's no gluten in stamp glue either. At any rate, the ingredients in stamp adhesives are much less of an issue, since the vast majority now have pressure adhesive glue and can be pressed onto your mail without the need to lick them.

Nancy also has some other great articles about Gluten myths like...
Can someone get gluten from kissing?
Can You Outgrow Celiac Disease?
Can People With Celiac Disease Donate Blood?
Can There Be Gluten In Breast Milk?
Are maltodextrin and dextrin gluten-free?
Can there be gluten in semen?
Can I eat the turkey if the stuffing has gluten in it?
Are people with celiac disease always thin, or can they be overweight?
Can Gluten Be Absorbed Through The Skin?

Great stuff Nancy!

Useful Resources: Gluten Free Food Lists

Below is a compilation of Gluten Free product lists from some major mainstream US food companies. I tried to include Web sites which either had a compiled GF list of products or that had an FAQ page dealing with the GF status of products. Hope this helps and please comment if you find any others. I'm sure this is not an all-inclusive list but it's a start.

Hormel
Nestle
Heinz
Orieda
Snyder's of Hanover
Emeril
Perdue
Arrowhead Mills
BG Foods
Amy's Kitchen
Burt's Bees
Del Monte
Dietz & Watson
Eden Foods
Empire Kosher
Ferrara Pan
Frito-Lay
Lundberg
McCormick
Necco
Pacific Foods
San-J
Sargento
Spangler Candy
Stonyfield Farms
Tootsie
Utz
Wise
Bush's Beans
Chicken of the Sea

Hope this helps.