Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you have a great GLUTEN FREE Thanksgiving tomorrow!

Here is a list of a ton of Thanksgiving related GF articles & blog posts.

This ought to keep you busy for a while!

1. Previous Gluten Free Raleigh posts
   
2. http://celiacdisease.about.com/b/2008/11/22/35-gluten-free-thanksgiving-recipes.htm
3. http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/desserts/a/PieCrusts.htm?r=9F
4. http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/desserts/a/PumpkinPies.htm?r=9F
5. http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/faqs/f/TurkeyStuffing.htm?r=9F
6. http://www.befreeforme.com/blog/?p=154
7. http://www.befreeforme.com/blog/?p=145
8. http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-pumpkin-tarlets-recipe/
9. http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-sausage-apple-stuffing-recipe/
10. http://celiac-disease.com/tips-for-a-gluten-free-thanksgiving/
11. http://www.celiac.com/articles/21705/1/Favorite-Fall-Stuffing-Gluten-Free/Page1.html
12. http://www.celiac.com/articles/21690/1/Gluten-Free-Thanksgiving-Planner/Page1.html
13. http://www.celiac.com/articles/21672/1/Tips-for-a-Gluten-Free-Thanksgiving-and-Safe-Holiday-Season/Page1.html
14. http://glutenfreeda.blogspot.com/2008/11/two-perfect-turkeys.html
15. http://glutenfreeda.blogspot.com/2008/11/thanksgiving-dinner-game-plan.html
16. http://surefoodsliving.com/2008/11/24/a-gluten-free-and-dairy-free-thanksgiving/
17. http://thesavvyceliac.com/2008/11/05/thanksgiving-coming-heres-a-gluten-free-stuffing-idea/
18. http://thesavvyceliac.com/2008/11/05/get-ready-for-your-gluten-free-thanksgiving/

In Case You Missed It: 11/20/08 Support Group Meeting Recap

Here is the agenda from last week's North Raleigh Celiac Support Group meeting held 11-20-2008, used with permission by Pat Berger. See my previous posts about the Support Group here.

Agenda

1. Rosie's Plate Special Tour, December 3rd. Open to our group and our Cel-Kids group. 15 spots available. RSVPs by Tuesday, Nov. 25th. Contact Pat Berger to RSVP.

2. Gluten-Free Guides Review

(a) The Essential Gluten-Free Guide, from Triumph Dining

(b) The Ultimate Guide to Gluten-Free Living, from Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University

(c) The CSA Gluten-Free Product Listing, from Celiac Sprue Association

3. Printed Material: Questionable Ingredients; information from October Meeting

4. Celiac Poem, (by Diane Craig), Lifeline, Vol.III, 2008

5. "The Usual..."

6. Michelle and Lori Corso, Twins Kitchen

7. Next meeting, December 18th, Cookie Exchange

If you missed the appearance by Twins Kitchen you should just go ahead and kick yourself now.

Useful Resources: Easy Eats GF Magazine

Thanks to the Triumph Dining Blog, I discovered a new GF Magazine. This one, called Easy Eats - The Magazine for Gluten Free Living, is actually free!

Check out their Web site here to subscribe and learn more. They apparently plan to feature a different city in each issue of the quarterly magazine. Let's hope they can feature Raleigh!

Useful Resources: Triumph Dining's Gluten Free Grocery Guide

I recently received a copy of the latest Triumph Dining The Essential Gluten Free Grocery Guide for my review from Ross Cohen, the President of Triumph Dining. I had seen their 1st edition and was already considering purchasing the 2nd edition when it became available.

Triumph Dining was founded in 2005 by Mr. Cohen and originally published GF Dining Cards (translated to 10 languages) for people to take to restaurants to help get a GF meal. In just 3 years time, Triumph has blossomed into a full fledged publishing company and added publications like The Essential Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide (updated annually) and The Essential Gluten-Free Grocery Guide (also updated annually). In that time frame, the company has sold over 40,000 copies of their products. They also offer a newsletter available via email and also write information on a Blog.

The Grocery Guide
The 2nd Edition Grocery Guide is a 230+ page book which features nearly twice as many Gluten Free products as the 1st Edition. The guide has 30,000 products covered and includes over 1,000 brand name products. The Guide is smaller than the size of a sheet of paper and can easily be taken along with you to the grocery store. We all know that navigating a typical grocery store (usually has over 40,000) products can be a daunting task. My first trip after going Gluten Free cost me about 3 hours. The experience is better now but a guide can be very helpful. Personally, I use the guide to make notes on the grocery list (before I leave the house) about which brands I should look out for while shopping. Like if bacon is on the list, I would make a small note beside that item on my list for Oscar Meyer.

The Guide starts out with a Easy Reference Table of Contents which clearly shows which page in the guide has more information about the particular type of product you are looking to buy. Looking for Sour Cream, check out page 37... Taco Shells - page 110. You get the idea. You can then just flip to that page and find more details about the brands that make the GF product you are looking for.

Some products in the details section have little symbols beside them. The symbols let you know if the product is made in a facility with GF lines, equipment, environment of facilities or if testing is done to determine the level of gluten. There are also symbols to let you know if Cross-Contamination is a possible issue. Some products are also more closely reviewed by Triumph staff to determine the gluten content of the ingredients.

Next comes an eight-page section with general tips for grocery shopping, an overview of Food Labeling Laws and a helpful reminder about the limitations of the guide (always read the label before you put the product in your cart).

The last section is the meat of the guide which features over 200 pages of detailed information about GF products. The categories are as follows: Dairy & Eggs, Beverages, Baking Aisle, Canned & Pre-packaged goods, Packaged Sides, Meals & Meal Helpers, Condiments, Sauces & Dressings, Cereal & Bread, Snacks & Convenience Foods, Baby Food & Formula, Frozen Foods and finally Meats.

Click here to purchase your Grocery Guide for about $20. Triumph also offers a money back guarantee if you are not happy with your purchase.

A Good (Scary) Read

See below for the Chicago Tribune's investigation into Allergy Threat: Mislabeling, lax oversight threaten people with allergies. This makes me feel pretty sick. This should be a call to action for those of us unlucky enough to suffer from a food allergy. Why do the food companies and not the FDA decide when to do a recall? Why does the food company get to write the recall information press release which often times looks more like an advertisement than a safety recall? Sometimes the food companies never even issue a recall (about 50% of the time) even though the FDA knows about the issue and considers the products as "likely to cause serious harm or death". Why is there no standard for labeling your product "Gluten Free"?

What is going on with the FDA and USDA (click the links to contact them)?

Part one - "Children at risk in food roulette"

Part two - "A recipe for disaster: Whole Foods' handling of chocolate bar shows how warnings fail" (A warning about Whole Foods' "good manufacturing practices [were] used to segregate ingredients in a facility that also processes milk, wheat and soy ingredients." Label).

The Chicago Tribune has also created an Allergy Recall tracking database where you can search all allergy-related food recalls from the last 10 years by product, allergen, recalling firm, kind of food or by using multiple fields. The Tribune found that nearly 2,800 recalls have occurred in the last ten years (an average of 5 per week) due to hidden allergens.

ALSO - Wellshire Farms is a company featured in the first article. Here is their official response statement. It includes the words"Our Wellshire products are tested at a level of 200 ppm or less, which is equivalent to 99.98% gluten free." Most Gluten Free people I have spoken with aim for zero ppm while Europe and the new proposed FDA regulations suggest 20 ppm. Feel free in joining me in writing a letter to Louis B. Colameco, III President of Wellshire to share your concern.

Anybody else have an uneasy feeling in their stomachs?
What are you going to do about it?

UPDATE- See the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network Web site for information about Allergy recalls. You can also sign up for email alerts.

UPDATE - See Enjoy Life's CEO response to the Tribune investigation - "Long Overdue"

Rosie's Plate - Thanksgiving Order Reminder

Just a friendly reminder that today (11/20) is the last day to order Thanksgiving items from Rosie's Plate.

See my previous post here.

Useful Resources: GFree - Gluten Free Menu Planning

Based on a tip from a reader, I decided to check out another Gluten Free Menu Planning Web site... this one is called GFree. I posted about another service last week.

GFree is a Gluten Free menu planning service similar to MealPlansWithout.com but is a little easier on the pocket book at $10/month. You can also purchase a year's worth of menu planning for $79 (30% discount).

GFree offers simple and delicious gluten-free recipes, every day. GFree is a menu planning service providing all of the tools so you can prepare healthy gluten-free dinners. Whether you’ve been diagnosed with Celiac, have an autistic child or you are looking for a healthier lifestyle, GFree will help you answer “what’s for dinner?” You choose your weekly gluten-free recipes and the automatic grocery list is tabulated. Shop once a week and have all of the ingredients needed for five meals.

Click here for a sample menu.
Click here for a sample grocery shopping list.
Click here for the FAQ section.

More from the Web site...

Freezer
The most popular feature with GFree is the freezer tab. Each month we offer recipes, grocery list and freezer labels. Cook for a few hours and stock your freezer with perfect dinners that you can just pull out in the morning. GFree has you covered!

TEAM MEMBERS
Ann Bender & Karen Hutcherson
Both marketers by profession, Ann and Karen both have a fondness for good food and healthy cooking. They understand the importance of the nightly family dinner and developed Relish! a premier menu-planning service (relishrelish.com). Relish! received hundreds of requests to offer the same type of service but to make it gluten-free. Because of the complexity of the product, they solicited the help of gluten-free cooking expert, Carol Fenster, to provide all of the recipes and many of her famous bread and dessert recipes!

Carol Fenster
Carol has a Ph.D. and is truly a pioneer of gluten-free cooking. What began nearly 20 years ago as a solution to Carol Fenster’s own gluten intolerance grew into a thriving position as a leading expert on gluten-free cooking. The author of 8 gluten-free cookbooks, she also develops gluten-free products for leading manufacturers and consults world-wide on issues related to gluten-free cooking.

All of the recipes you see on GFree are developed Carol Fenster. She’s an expert in gluten-free baking and offers simple recipes that allow you and your family to savor breads and baked goods like you never thought possible.

ENJOY!

GF Pizza Update: Uno Chicago Grill

More Gluten Free Pizza news - looks like Uno Chicago Grill has plans to roll out it's new GF Pizza nation-wide in 2009. The pizza has been under research & development for over a year and is being piloted in the chain's Northeastern stores (Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and parts of Massachusetts). If you've ever been to Uno you know that they already have a gluten-free menu with over 12 items ranging from entrees, salads, sides and desserts. For guest convenience and safety, Uno clearly labels menu items with ingredients that are linked to the most common food allergies, such as fish/shellfish, soy, tree nuts/peanuts, egg, milk and wheat/gluten.

Uno Chicago Grill has 1 Raleigh location at Brier Creek. The chain was voted America's Healthiest Chain Restaurant in April 2008 by Health Magazine.

See the following article for more information.

Gourmet Frais Update

In October, I wrote about a new local company called Gourmet Frais, which is creating tasty gluten-free snack food items. See that post here. The French word Frais is defined as cool, crisp, fresh.

A few days ago, I received a taste testing package in the mail from the owner of Gourmet Frais, Susanna Wilde. It included the following items; Not Really Cheeze Krackers, Cherry Walnut Brownies, Cherry Walnut Hemp Brownies and Cacao & Creme Cookies.

All of the snack items made at Gourmet Frais are "Living Foods" which consists "primarily of fruits, vegetables, sprouted beans & grains, nuts and seeds. The nutritional value of the food is maintained and enzymatic activity preserved by baking below 115 °F".

I have to say that the snacks provided to me for taste testing were pretty tasty. I would recommend that we support (or continue to support) local companies who are catering to our GF needs. To see more of the products offered, click here.

More information from the Gourmet Frais Web site...

Gourmet Frais Snacks can help with:
-WEIGHT LOSS – without giving up snacks like brownies or crackers
-HEALTH CONCERNS such as heart disease or high cholesterol (& triglycerides)
-CUTTING sugar, chemicals, preservatives, artificial colors & flavors out of diet
-GLUTEN ALLERGY or CELIAC

Gourmet Frais snacks contain:
-NO Wheat
-NO Dairy
-NO Eggs
-NO Peanuts or other Legumes
-NO Shellfish
-NO chemicals
-NO preservatives
-NO artificial colors/flavors
-NO Sugar – sweetened with Dates, Raw Agave Nectar or Raw Honey

Gourmet Frais snacks are:
-All Natural & Healthy for You
-Organic (most ingredients)
-Made from “Living” ingredients from nature: Tree Nuts, Seeds, Fruits, Vegetables, Sprouted Grain (gluten free), and “Super Foods” like Cacao

Gourmet Frais snacks are NEVER baked above 115°F
-To preserve nutritional value
-To maintain enzymatic activity and aid in digestion
-To provide "living" food for living bodies

Gourmet Frais Brownies and Cookies are made w/ Raw Cacao - a "Super Food"
-Feed your body healthy ANTIOXIDANTS which many health experts say can help prevent many diseases, such as cancer.
-Help lower your “bad” LDL cholesterol to reduce risk of heart attack & stroke
-Help raise your levels of serotonin, phenylethylamine, and anandamide (known as the “bliss chemical”) all of which can both help elevate mood, reduce depression, and reduce PMS symptoms.
-Help your body produce endorphins giving you a "runner's high" like a jogger feels after a run.

Useful Resources: The Sensible Celiac

Anytime I come across something useful on the Web pertaining to Celiac Disease or being Gluten Free, I like to pass it along to the readers of GFR. I had seen The Sensible Celiac site before when I was first diagnosed over the summer and was reminded of it recently when I received an email from Steve Rider, the owner of the Sensible Celiac site.

Here is a copy of the email which sums up what they do over at The Sensible Celiac...

The Sensible Celiac was founded in May of 2004 with the intention of promoting a scientific, reality-based approach to dealing with Celiac disease.

We seek to promote the use of medical science to understand and inform people affected by Celiac disease, while at the same time debunking disinformation that comes from less scientific sources.

The main feature of our website, SensibleCeliac.com, is a discussion forum. Because of our 30 year background in the computer industry and experience with web hosting we have been able to configure and install certain custom tailored 'bots that search the web for gluten-free recipes and news about Celiac disease, posting summaries of each recipe or news item found in forum boards created for that purpose.

We are tracking 3 pharmaceutical research projects world-wide currently testing possible medical treatments for Celiac disease. Another board in our forum exists just for this medical science information.

To further expand our support for medical science and reality-based thinking we sponsor the Celiac disease news feed at the UK website Medworm.

We also use news aggregation techniques to present a news page, with links to stories about Celiac disease from various sources.

In another area of our website a small PHP script has allowed us to create a web page that includes a default listing of YouTube videos about Celiac disease along with a list of canned searches that will let you locate more specific subjects related to this autoimmune disease and the diet it still requires.

Another feature of the Sensible Celiac is our store, in partnership with Amazon.com, but with search criteria we have very carefully designed to make it much easier to find gluten free food items. You can add various items to your shopping cart at our web site, even GF cookbooks, rice cookers and bread machines, then proceed to Amazon for order fulfillment. Shopping at our store supports our ongoing efforts to help the Celiac community and dispel myth-based thinking about medical care.

Over 300 people have already chosen to join the discussion forum at the Sensible Celiac. Your participation is more than welcome, it would be greatly appreciated. Our very fast and expertly maintained dual-core dedicated web server can easily handle thousands more users.

Here are links directly to the areas of our website mentioned in this message:

Medical Science News:
http://www.sensibleceliac.com/discuss/index.php/board,18.0.html

Automated Celiac News Bot:
http://www.sensibleceliac.com/discuss/index.php/board,16.0.html

Gluten Free Recipe Bot:
http://www.sensibleceliac.com/discuss/index.php/board,6.0.html

Current Celiac News Page:
http://www.sensibleceliac.com/news.php

YouTube Videos Script:
http://www.sensibleceliac.com/videos/index.php

Gluten Free Food:
http://www.sensibleceliac.com/store/

Please accept our invitation to visit the Sensible Celiac today. We hope you will decide to join our community.

Steve Rider
the Sensible Celiac

http://SensibleCeliac.com/
http://AllAboutCeliac.org/
http://MyCeliacBlog.com/
http://TheGFStore.com/

More of our many, many websites about celiac disease:
http://celiacpages.com/
http://celiac.me/
http://glutenfreepro.com/
http://gluten-freestore.com/
http://glutenfreesearch.org/
http://glutenfreelive.com/
http://celiacshop.com/

ENJOY!

Reminder - Greater North Raleigh Celiac Support Group Meeting

Just a friendly reminder about this month's Greater North Raleigh Celiac Support Group meeting. The meeting is Thursday, November 20th at 7pm at Rex Hospital. The owners/chefs from Twins Kitchen/Twin Cakes Bakery will be in attendance to share gluten-free samples and talk about their company.

Please email Pat Berger to request more information about the group or if you are interested in attending this month's meeting.

Useful Resources: MealPlansWithout.com - Allergy Free Menu Planning

I saw a new Interactive Diet Planning Web site had launched today called MealPlansWithout.com. What's interesting is that the menu planning caters to people with food allergies and Celiac Disease. Click here for the press release.

I checked out the FAQ and Demo sections of the site and it looked pretty good. They are currently offering a 14-day free trial and the service normally costs $24.95 per month. If you sign up for an entire year, you can save 33% of that price.

Basically, the idea is that one day on the weekend you log into the site and look at your "Next Week's Menu" section. The menu is already created for you by their staff which includes a Chef and Nutritionist. You can make some small changes to it by adding side dishes or increasing the number of servings. Also available is the ingredients you need for the meal along with cooking instructions/tasks. A nice feature is that you can make your entire week's grocery list on one screen and print it out to take with you during shopping. One trip to the grocery with all the ingredients and quantities you need.

Pretty neat idea if you ask me.

Useful Resources: Celiac Disease Test improvements coming?

Check out the following article about Celiac Disease blood tests from Medical News Today.

The scientists describe development of a new sensor that detects antibodies to the protein gliadin, a component of gluten. Laboratory tests showed that it is superior to the so-called enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), now the standard test for gliadin. It took the new test barely 90 minutes to detect gliadin in the parts per billion range, compared to 8 hours for the ELISA test. Although both tests were equally accurate, the new sensor would be easier to use at food manufacturing plants, the researchers note.

Interesting.

UPDATE
Here is an article about this from WebMD.

Holiday Cards to benefit UC Celiac Disease Center

I'm not big on sending out Holiday cards but I am big on raising awareness and funds for Celiac Disease research. If you are big on both of the above, then check out The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center's professional holiday cards. Cards purchased will benefit the Center and the research they are doing for Celiac Disease.

Check out the available cards here.

Rosie's Plate Update - Thanksgiving Menu now Available

I received an email from Rosie's Plate about their Thanksgiving Holiday menu which is now available. "You make the TURKEY, let Rosie's Plate do the REST!" is what the email states. Looks like they are offering Side dishes, Pies & Desserts, Soup & Gravy and some yummy extras.

If you attended the Open House and Food Tasting last Friday, you may have sampled some of these items. I was there and everything was really tasty. I plan on ordering Green Been Casserole and Gravy from Rosie's to make things easier this Thanksgiving.

Click here for the menu.

NOTE: Thanksgiving orders must be placed 4 days in advance and must be placed by calling (no online orders) 919-833-0505 by Thursday November 20th.

Celiac Disease and Thyroid Disease

Great! - Something else to watch out for...

From the The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism...

Risk of Thyroid Disease in Individuals with Celiac Disease

Background: It has been suggested that celiac disease is associated with thyroid disease. Earlier studies, however, have been predominately cross-sectional and have often lacked controls. There is hence a need for further research. In this study, we estimated the risk of thyroid disease in individuals with celiac disease from a general population cohort.

Methods: A total of 14,021 individuals with celiac disease (1964–2003) and a matched reference population of 68,068 individuals were identified through the Swedish national registers. Cox regression estimated the risk of thyroid disease in subjects with celiac disease. Analyses were restricted to individuals with a follow-up of more than 1 yr and with no thyroid disease before study entry or within 1 yr after study entry. Conditional logistic regression estimated the odds ratio for subsequent celiac disease in individuals with thyroid disease.

Results: Celiac disease was positively associated with hypothyroidism (4.4 times more likely), thyroiditis (3.6 times more likely) and hyperthyroidism (2.9 times more likely). The highest risk estimates were found in children (hypothyroidism 6.0, thyroiditis 4.7 and hyperthyroidism 4.8).

Conclusion: Celiac disease is associated with thyroid disease, and these associations were seen regardless of temporal sequence. This indicates shared etiology and that these individuals are more susceptible to autoimmune disease.

Symptoms of Thyroid Disease include...
* Fatigue
* Abnormal menstruation
* Weight gain or loss
* Dry and coarse skin & hair
* Depression
* Intolerance to cold
* Irritability
* Muscle weakness
* Tremors
* Vision problems (eye irritation)

NFCA Celiac Central Newsletter - November 2008

For those of you who do not subscribe to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness "Celiac Central" Newsletter, here are some highlights and a link to the newsletter for November 2008.

Table of Contents

-NOTE FROM ALICE
-BEYOND RICE CAKES
At-Home Celiac Test Coming Soon to U.S. Market
-RESEARCH UPDATE
Study Verifies Link Between Celiac Disease & Thyroid Disease
-ALTERNATIVE INGREDIENTS
Malt Flavoring: What is it and how can you avoid it?
-GLUTEN-FREE ON A BUDGET:
Gluten-Free, Fresh & Delicious: Laughing Cow Green Pea Risotto
-ATHLETES FOR AWARENESS
NFCA Launches Athletes for Awareness Program
-TRAVELING ON A GLUTEN-FREE DIET
A Gluten-Free Trip to Washington, DC
-UPCOMING EVENT
2008 South Florida Gluten-Free Cooking Spree
-AWARENESS ADVOCATE
David Milkes: Alcatraz Celiac Swimmer
CALLING ALL KIDS!
Hot Products

Here is a link to sign up for the newsletter if you have not already.

Local Blogger Spotlight: What do I eat now? Living gluten-free Blog

Whenever possible I like to spotlight people in the Raleigh area who are working to raise awareness about being Gluten Free or being a Celiac. I've come across a couple blogs from a husband and wife team who live in Raleigh and are writing about their experiences with CD.

Please check out the What do I eat now? Living gluten-free blog by CeliacQueen and the Celiac Supporters blog by NateQuickster.

Keep up the good work guys!

Sawasdee Thai Restaurant

Thanks to John for finding this information about Sawasdee Thai Restaurant which is located on Capital Blvd in Raleigh.

From: duangsiri@oregonducks.org
Subject: Re: Gluten Free food / soy sauce?
Date: Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:28:29 -0800

Hi,

Thank you very much for your patronage to Sawasdee Thai Restaurant.

I understand your concern about gluten/wheat free food. We also have some customers with this special request. It is also of our interest to provide you with the food you are looking for.

Please make sure that you order your food with a specific request, namely, no wheat or gluten free. Our kitchen crews have been educated to make this kind of order with no wheat products. We do not use any soy sauce or flours on orders with this request. Instead, we use only fish sauce, sugar and salt to season your special dish. Also our servers can also give you recommendation on choice of food with no wheat. Certain items on the menu cannot be prepared without wheat such as curry dishes, soups. If you happen to order a dish which is likely to have wheat or cannot be prepared without wheat, your server will consult with the kitchen crews and let you know. The only thing is that your choices will be somewhat limited and the taste might not be the same with you used to had with our regular preparation with wheat and soy products.

I hope my explanation above helps minimize your concerns about our preparation and choices. Should you need additional help regarding wheat-free food, please feel free to e-mail me.

Regards,
Deanne

ENJOY!

Useful Resources: The Dentist

Most folks go to the dentist twice per year for regular cleanings. I went last week for the first time since being diagnosed with CD. Upon entering I questioned my dental hygienist about the products they use in their office for cleanings. I told them I was looking for ingredient information in the polishing paste they use at the end of the cleaning. They went in the back and pulled out some boxes and found one called NUPRO. Right there on the side of the box was "Gluten Free" and I felt relieved. Word of caution, not all of them are Gluten Free but NURPO mint flavor definitely is GF.

Also, I spoke with my dentist about my condition (he said they learned about Celiac Disease in Dental school) because I was worried that my malabsorption problems could have affected my tooth enamel. I told him that I had also been diagnosed with osteopenia so I figured my teeth would be having problems as well. My teeth seemed OK to the dentist but I did leave with a box of prescription strength Colgate Prevident 5000 Plus. This toothpaste is high in flouride and should be applied (but not rinsed out) after I brush my teeth at night with normal toothpaste. I checked the ingredients for Glutenous items but didn't see any. If you feel you are having a problem with your teeth due to CD, you can ask your dentist about this toothpaste or if they recommend something else.

Twin's Kitchen/Twin Cakes Update: Wedding Cakes & Skirt Magazine

I have received information from Lori over at Twins Kitchen/Twin Cakes Bakery that they are now offering Gluten Free Wedding Cakes! They were also featured in the November issue of Skirt Magazine.

See below for more information...

Twins Kitchen the owners of Twin Cakes are proud to announce that we are now offering Wedding Cakes. Yes, that is right. Twin Cakes is offering 2- tier or 3 –tier wedding cakes. There will be more information on that to come. Please share with friends and family that you may know of that needs an “allergy friendly” wedding cake, big or small!

Twin Cakes is also going to be accepting more forms of payment through Paypal. We are in the process of updating our website to include more about our bakery and more complete menu for everyone to order off of. For your orders, please call or email the twins. In addition to using Paypal for another source of payment method we are planning on shipping majority of our products anywhere in North Carolina. We plan to expand online ordering and shipping soon, so please stay tuned. The items that are currently available for shipping in North Carolina are muffins, cookies, cookie sandwiches, breads, brownies, and some of our RAW items.

Twins Kitchen was featured in the November issue of Skirt! magazine. Please check it on newsstands now in the Raleigh area. Some locations of Skirt! Are Barnes and Noble, Earth Fare, and small women focused stores.

ENJOY!

Reminder: Rosie's Plate Open House Friday 11/7

Don't miss this event at Rosie's Plate.

See here for details.

Useful Resources: Celinal Foods

I recently discovered Celinal Foods which provides food service solutions for Celiac, intolerance and allergy diets to places like hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and even prisons (coming soon to schools). They offer a product called GF Readiness Kits which are designed for busy kitchens as an inventory backup, emergency supplies, and for occasional gluten free diet orders. They kits have a 2 year shelf life. These would be great to keep around during an emergency (like a Hurricane). They also offer something called "Toast-It Bags" which allows you to use a non-GF dedicated toaster safely by removing the risk of cross-contamination. Here are some of their other products (like Bread, broth, gravy, cake and icing mixes) available.

Ronni Alicea, a consultant dietitian, started Celinal Foods after realizing that her health care facilities could not get their gluten-free diets right 100% of the time. She wanted products that could be kept in stock (shelf-stable), would not be contaminated during preparation (microwave), and within budget (single serve), so, Celinal Foods was born.

Designed for busy kitchens wanting to provide excellent service, Celinal Foods helps make any kitchen allergen friendly, while controlling costs and pleasing diners. The products are food service essentials with preparation to minimize the chance of cross-contact.

Kitchen staff will appreciate having products that are easy to prepare and in stock when needed. Nutritious pasta, fortified breads and cakes, and soup mixes and gravies to keep food warm will meet every kitchen's goals.

• Gluten-free single serve
• Kits and small-case quantities
• Kits come complete with sample in services, select and non-select menus, policy and procedure, and meal identifying cards.
• Order a kit to always be prepared for 1 or 100 gluten free diets a year.
• Customized orders are available.

Check out their Web site here to see more information. This is a really cool company!

You can also contact Ronni at Celinal Foods using the following...
Phone: 908-704-7017
ronni@celinalfoods.com

Enjoy Life Coupons

Saw this on the Sure Foods Living Blog.

Get $5 in Enjoy Life coupons until Nov 7th

Restaurant Review: The Q Shack

I received an email from a reader about their recent experience at The Q Shack. I have eaten there before my diagnosis and thought the food was pretty good. I have not had the chance to go back recently though. Below is an email from Tom Meyer, the owner of The Q Shack.

From: Thomas Meyer
Date: Wed, Nov 5, 2008 at 4:24 PM
Subject: Fwd: gluten allergy

I have had a complete nutritional analysis done on my food and a binder of info is in our office- so if while you are here you have a question, my management staff can get the binder and review any menu item with you.

In general, you can eat here just fine, I think.

Meats: Ribs, Turkey, Pork Loin and Beef Brisket are all just dry rubbed with spices and then smoked. No sauce on any kind. The spice rub has chili powder in it (which is a generic term for a spice blend) and I'm not 100% sure that it doesn't contain wheat flour, but it shouldn't.

Sauces: My tomato based bbq sauce used in my chicken and found on the tables has wheat flour from the adobo sauce that is in with the chipotles I buy. Therefore- stay away from that sauce and from the Chipotle-Blue Cheese dressing I have for salads. My cole slaw dressing has mayo, cider vinegar and spices- so that should be OK.

Sides: Avoid Pasta Salad, Mac and Cheese, BBQ Beans, Hushpuppies, Fries, Okra and Onion Rings. The Black-eyed Peas, Collards, Sweet Potatoes, Potato Salad, Cole Slaw and Side Salad should all be OK. Some have soy ingredients, so if you are allergic to soy, please let us know.

Again- when in doubt, please ask us and we'll do our best to make a determination with you while you are here.

Thanks for the email and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Tom Meyer
Owner

I see a lot of "I think" and "should be" and "not 100%" in the email so that makes me a bit nervous. I would advise anyone planning to eat there to ask for the binder and review the ingredients with the staff before ordering. You will also want to discuss how your food is being prepared if you find something you are willing to order. I would also encourage you to ask Tom about creating a Gluten Free version of his menu (I do this everywhere I go!).

Celiac Disease Awareness & Fundraising Idea

I recently saw bracelets and magnets for sale on The University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research Web site I thought people might like.

The UM Center for Celiac Research is selling Celiac awareness bracelets (like the Lance Armstrong LiveStrong wristbands) in children and adult sizes for $2.00 each, as well as Celiac awareness magnets for $3.00 each, to raise funds for Celiac research and to continue our efforts in increasing the awareness of Celiac Disease.

The magnets are another great way to increase the awareness of Celiac disease. They can be displayed on your car, refrigerator, file cabinet and/or given to your doctor to remind him/her of the Celiac disease diagnosis. The magnets have our website imprinted on them, so the doctor can easily access our information quickly.

Please continue to spread the word about the bracelets - they are making a difference! Please remember to order a bracelet and magnet for your friends, relatives and colleagues. Children and teenagers love these bracelets and magnets!!!!

See the following Web site for more details.

Celiac Disease Drug Therapy: ChemoCentryx, Inc.

I wrote last week about 2 potential Celiac Disease drug therapies that are currently under development by Alvine Pharmaceuticals (ALV003) and Alba Therapeutics (Larazotide acetate). Then I saw another press release from ChemoCentryx which is currently studying Traficet-EN for use in Celiac patients. The drug is currently in Phase II Clinical Trials.

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of Traficet-EN compared to placebo on the small intestinal mucosal morphology of biopsy specimens taken from subjects with celiac disease on a long-standing gluten-free diet, before and after gluten exposure. Secondary objectives of this study include evaluation of Traficet-EN compared to placebo on small intestinal mucosal inflammation, gluten-induced celiac-type serology, symptom scores, malabsorption parameters and safety and tolerability profiles. If our Phase II clinical trial in celiac disease is successful, we plan to launch further trials to obtain an indication for Traficet-EN in treatment of patients with this disease.

This drug was originally created for use in people with Crohn's Disease but is now being studied for Celiac Disease. It focuses on Chemokines and other chemoattractants which direct inflammatory responses by serving to precisely coordinate the movement of cells of the immune system. Inappropriate activity of the chemokine network is at the core of numerous autoimmune and inflammatory conditions like Celiac Disease. By selectively blocking a given chemokine and chemokine receptor combination, and largely leaving other chemokine-chemokine receptors interactions unimpeded, even aggressive forms of chronic inflammation and autoimmunity can potentially be brought under control in a safe and effective manner.

This page has good information on Chemokines.

Click here for the ChemoCentryx Web site.

Contact:
Corporate Headquarters
ChemoCentryx, Inc.
850 Maude Avenue
Mountain View, CA 94043
voice +1 (650) 210-2900

A Good Read

Check out the following article for a good read on Red Robin and Biaggi's and how they cater to allergy diners. I have not been to either restaurant but plan to in the future. Both have a Raleigh presence. Please comment if you have had good/bad experiences with either of these places.

Poll Results tallied - New Polls added

Here are the results of the second set of Poll questions that have been on GlutenFreeRaleigh since 9-30. I try to put up new poll questions every 30 days or so. I use this information to decide what to research and write about so please vote and let me know what you are interested in!

1)What is your favorite feature of GFR?
Restaurant Reviews - 20 (51%)
Grocery Store Reviews - 3 (7%)
Useful Resources - 12 (30%)
Local Product Spotlights - 2 (5%)
Info on Support Groups 2 (5%)

Votes: 39

2)What's your age?
0-18 - 1 (2%)
19-29 - 8 (20%)
30-39 - 19 (48%)
40+ - 11 (28%)

Votes: 39

I have also added some new Poll Questions to the right side bar. I will continue to put up new Polls often to try to get a better understanding of what readers of this blog would like me to focus on.

Please vote!

Gluten Free Diet for non-Celiacs?

I have been doing a lot of reading lately and have found several examples of other groups of people with diseases other than Celiac who are being advised to go Gluten Free.

They are as follows...
-Crohn's Disease
-Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (GF and Vegan)
-Autism (GF and CF)
-Gall Bladder issues (GF)
-Fibromyalgia (GF)
-Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (GF)
-Migraine sufferers (GF)

Heard of any others? What is your opinion?