If you have time to bake some treats to share with everyone, that’s great. The Betty Crocker gluten-free cookie, cake and brownie mixes are available nationwide, according to General Mills. There are many other mixes available – for every sweet treat you can think of. Simply Organic makes a carrot cake mix and Namaste makes the best spice cake mix in the world! Adding ½ cup of unsweetened applesauce gives that cake the perfect texture. We add raisins and nuts as well and if you like rum, replace the water with rum for an outstanding rum spice cake!

For those who don’t have time to bake, there are several ready made desserts that are gluten-free. Whole Foods has various frozen gluten-free desserts nationwide. In the Southeast region, there are the Gluten-Free Bakehouse cupcakes, pies and cookies and French Meadow Bakery Brownie Bites. The World’s Best Carrot Cake (gluten-free version) and They’ll Never Know Cake gluten-free mini cakes are also sold at Whole Foods in Atlanta.

Also, in the Atlanta market is a terrific gluten-free bakery line called Shabtai Gourmet. Natural Foods Warehouse in Duluth now carries several cookies from the line (found in the cookie aisle) and several of the dessert treats (in the refrigerated foods). We recently picked up our favorite treat from Shabtai – the Apricot Roll. This moist flavorful cake reminds me of the holidays for some reason. Return to Eden has both the Raspberry Roll and the Swiss Chocolate Roll and they will have a few more of these delicious sweet treats coming in during the holiday season. Return to Eden also carries the They’ll Never Know Cake gluten-free decorated cakes.

Trader Joe’s has two outstanding gluten-free desserts – creme brulee and Chocolate Mousse Collaboration. The Trader Joe’s creme brulee is truly decadent – the delicious custard is in a thin dark chocolate shell. The mousse dessert is totally amazing. There is a thin flourless cake layer on the bottom, a creamy and rich mouse middle and a thin layer of dark chocolate on top, dusted with cocoa powder. This dessert is gorgeous, tastes better than it looks and will impress the most finicky gluten eater you know!

There is something about the sharing of food that is comforting. It connects us in a way that is difficult to explain. If you attend party after party and don’t find one thing to eat, you will likely not enjoy yourself as much as other party goers. By making sure you have something to enjoy at such events, you can stop dreading having to go to them and actually join in the holiday fun. ‘Tis the season to eat, drink and be merry which is totally possible - even if you have to do it gluten-free!

What are your favorite gluten-free treats to share (or not) during the holidays?

You are reading Enjoy Gluten-free Treats This Holiday Season. This post is the property of Celiac-Disease.com © 2009.

In Atlanta, the Atlanta Metro Celiac group will host their famous  annual Thanksgiving Potluck on November 14th. The group provides drinks, meats and dressing and the guests bring dishes to share with others. Since many people have more than one food intolerance, an  ingredient list accompanies each dish to help everyone enjoy their meal without worry.

The first time you walk into such an event and see dish after dish of gluten-free food, it’s a bit overwhelming. It’s sort of like being in a dream that you never want to wake up from. Most people will not experience such a meal again during the holidays and that is why this event is so very special. From turkey and dressing to sweet potato casserole to pumpkin pie – there is gluten-free food galore. There are even gluten-free cream puffs from Jamie’s GF Kitchen at this event!  

The very first time I attended the AMC Thanksgiving event, I remember a beautiful young girl (young woman actually) asking me if I’d made the mini pecan pies. Based on her smiling face, I knew it was safe to admit that I had. Before I knew it, the girl gave me a huge hug and thanked me. She explained that she’d always loved pecan pie and she really loved my mini pies. Several years later I attended that young lady’s wedding – complete with incredible gluten-free food and cake!

Support groups are not something to be feared, but to be treasured instead. You will not only find help from others, you’ll likely make new friends in the process. It’s been proven in study after study that people who join any type support group fare much better than those who don’t. This is particularly true when it comes to those living gluten-free. Think about it. You don’t have to drink or take drugs to survive but you do have to eat – every single day of your life.

Some people like to pretend they don’t need help or that they don’t need special treatment but in fact, for most of us, that is simply not true. Every single meal, snack, work lunch or even a trip the movies involves preparation about what you can safely eat. It’s like having a second job for which there is no pay. Oh, and when you happen to mess up doing this job – you are likely to get sick. Do yourself a favor and join your local support group if there is one. If there isn’t a group, consider starting your own.

For those in the Metro Atlanta area, there are a few open seats left for the AMC Thanksgiving event. Please follow instructions on their website if you’d like to attend.  They request that people not show up without signing up on the event e-vite. The group leader needs to know the exact head count so they don’t overbook the event. Guests are required to bring a dish to share, complete with a list of ALL ingredients used.

If you’re in the middle GA area, check out the Thanksgiving Feast hosted by the Middle Georgia GIG support group. Details are posted on their website. The mission of this group is my favorite of any I’ve seen. Notice how they are educating health care professionals – priceless!

Our mission is to increase awareness by providing current, accurate, information, and education, as well as support to persons with gluten intolerance diseases, such as celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis, their families, health care professionals and the general public in the Middle Georgia area.

The Alamo Celiac GIG support group in San Antonio is hosting their seventh annual Thanksgiving Dinner event on Saturday, November 21st. Guests are required to RSVP to Anne Barfield – annbarfield(at)satx.rr.com. Please check the calender page on the group’s website for full details.

In Holland, OH, the Gourmet Celiac Group is hosting a Holiday Cookie Exchange on November 17th. Please e-mail Rita at gourmetceliacgroup(at)yahoo.com if you’d like to attend this event.

Special thanks to all the Organizers and Volunteers that make these wonderful events possible!

You are reading Gluten-free Support Group Thanksgiving Events. This post is the property of Celiac-Disease.com © 2009.

The list of main dishes looks really yummy. The cowboy chop, buffalo steak, and striped bass are all listed with a “(G)” for gluten-free.

The Oskar Blues green chili soup is a great gluten-free starter with lots of spice. It has a little more spice than I can handle, so I add sour cream to cool it off a little.

The real dirty rice is another side option that is gluten-free. I expected it to have a lot of veggies, sausage, or add-ins with a name like that, but it was just a seasoned rice. It is good, just not what I was expecting.

Another gluten-free options is the red beans. The red beans are probably my favorite side dish. The spices are perfect! They are really delicious.

If you are local or get a chance to visit be sure to stop by Oskar Blues and check out their great menu. You might want to call ahead and ask about the wait before you make the drive on an empty stomach!

Oskar Blues Brewery

1800 Pike Rd
Longmont, CO 80501-6794
(303) 776-1914

You are reading Oskar Blues Brewery in Longmont, Colorado. This post is the property of Celiac-Disease.com © 2009.

1) An interesting traditional Greek Restaurant can be found in West Sussex, it is the Meze-Meze Restaurant, at 168 – 170 South Street, Lancing, West Sussex.  Click here to see their full menu, of authentic/traditional Greek dishes, with a large proportion of the dishes being gluten-free.

2)  The Cowdray Pub/Restaurant, is also in West Sussex, it can be found on the London Road, Balcombe, Near Crawley, West Sussex, which is close to Gatwick Airport.  Its owners are Alex & Andy Owen, who have completed an extensive refurbishment of the restaurant, today they offer an extensive range of dishes,  including a number of gluten-free meals.

3) Back in Surrey is The Mystica, an Indian Restaurant, located at 147 – 149  Station Road, Addlestone, Surrey, with a chic and cosmopolitan ambience.  Dark wooden floors with contemporary artworks and sofa’s upholstered in vibrant Indian silk. It offers many favourite Indian dishes, many of these are gluten free.

4)  The La Qilla Restaurant is found at 207 Kingston Road, Leatherhead, Surrey and is another well known Indian Restaurant, with its modern decor and the Head Chef Azad Hussain, who has over 20 years experience in South Asian and coastal cuisine. His motto is “cook from your heart”, every dish is freshly prepared on site and the menu includes many gluten free dishes.

You are reading Gluten-Free Eating in the United Kingdom. This post is the property of Celiac-Disease.com © 2009.

The coating is very light and crispy and with the oven cooking method, there was nothing greasy about it. My husband is not a fan of anything fried, but he really liked this fish. It was kind of shocking that he liked it so much and wanted to make sure that I’d picked up the box marked gluten-free. I had, but the boxes for gluten-free and gluten fish are very similar so read the label carefully if they are next to each other in the freezer case.

The ingredients for the Haddock are: Haddock, water, yellow corn flour, rice flour, modified corn starch, salt, leavening (sodium bicarbonate, sodium acid pyrophosphate), garlic powder, onion powder, zanthan gum, guar gum, canola oil. The only allergen listed is fish and the box is marked nut free, soy free, milk free, egg free, wheat free and of course, gluten-free.

As you would expect with a battered food that has been cooked in oil before it’s packaged, the fish is fairly high in fat and calories. The 10 oz. box states there are three servings, but it was exactly two for us. My share was about 40% of the box contents and my husband had the other 60%. That means my serving was about 240 calories, instead of the 200 stated on the package.

What is really nice about this fish is that the pieces are natural portions of fish – not minced or ground pieces of fish. There are no artificial ingredients added to either the batter or the fish. Of interest to me, the back of the box explains (in very simple terms) what gluten and celiac disease are. Though such information would not seem out of place on a product with ‘gluten-free’ in the brand name, it was kind of odd – in a good way – to see it on this product.

Until the company appeared at the Atlanta GF Vendor Fair, I’d never heard of this product line. This brand is supposed to be available at all U.S. Whole Foods stores and is already in Atlanta area locations. To find out if you can buy this great new product near you – check out the product finder sheet from the Starfish website.

You are reading Review: Starfish Gluten-free Battered Fish. This post is the property of Celiac-Disease.com © 2009.

Thankfully my wife spoke to the manager to get an idea of what precautions have been put in place to avoid cross-contamination, and she was informed that the pizzas are actually made in a gluten-free facility, then shipped out to the stores.   Each participating Godfather’s Pizza location has been educated on the concerns of cross-contamination and have precautions in place when cooking the pizzas (different equipment is used, etc.).   Apparently they also allow people to call and purchase the pizzas (including in bulk) over the phone, then take them home and freeze them or cook them in their own oven!

According to the brochure, Godfather’s gluten-free pizzas feature a rice-based crust and include the following topping options:

• Cheese
• Sausage
• Pepperoni
• Beef
• Classic Combo
• All-Meat Combo

Their brochure also includes the following information:

Committed to Quality

Just like with anything we do, Godfather’s Pizza is committed to providing our customers with a quality product.  Our research and development team went to work to develop a great-tasting, quality pizza that is 100 percent free of gluten.  Realizing that this particular product goes beyond taste and impacts a customer’s health, we took no chances.  Our staff has completed a Gluten-Free Training Program to educate them on gluten-free procedures and to help avoid cross-contamination.

For More Information

Please contact glutenfree@godfathers.com for questions or concerns about our gluten-free pizza.

Godfather’s Pizza also offers some additional information on their official website here.  Overall it sounds like a great idea that you can take the pizzas home and avoid cross-contamination concerns all together and I plan to try this out sometime in the next week.   If you live in an area with a Godfather’s Pizza, you may want to call your local area and give these new pizzas a try!

You are reading Godfather’s Pizza Now Offers Gluten-Free Pizzas!. This post is the property of Celiac-Disease.com © 2009.

First up were the R.W. Garcia 5 Seed gluten-free crackers. There are three flavors and we tried the Rosemary & Garlic variety. The crackers are made with organic corn and contain no gluten or Trans Fats. Even though soy and dairy are not present in the ingredient list, the allergen statement says: Made in a facility that uses dairy, soy, sesame seeds, tree nuts, and flax seed. Surprisingly to me, I can not detect the taste of flax seed in this cracker. Flax is quite healthy but unfortunately I can’t stand the taste of it. It’s a welcome change to find a product with flax that I actually like.     

Most of the gluten-free crackers that I enjoy are imported, but the R.W Garcia products are made in the U.S. The small 4 oz. box was over $3, which I thought was pricey for a non imported item, but after tasting the light, crunchy and delicious crackers, I decided they were worth every penny! The other two cracker flavors are Garlic, Onion and Chive, and Tellicherry Cracked Pepper. The chips from this company are sold on Amazon.com so hopefully they will add the crackers as well.

There is no other gluten-free cracker that I’ve tried to that compares to this one – except one served at a Napa Valley winery which contains gluten. It is not like a rice cracker, nor a traditional gluten cracker. The taste doesn’t resemble nut crackers or anything else I’ve tried before. The flavor is intense, but not too much so. It had a fabulous texture and is not too hard for people with lots of dental work. It’s kind of like a cracker chip and I simply love it!

The fiber percentage for these crackers per serving is listed at 8% but that is for 16 crackers, the noted serving size. That seems like a large serving size, even though the crackers are quite small. For me a serving size is probably less than half of that, making this snack fairly healthy in terms of calories and fat.

My other find was the Quinoa Macaroon Cookies by Tree of Life. They are soft, chewy, very coconut-y cookies. As cookies go, these are fairly healthy too, with 6% of your RDA of fiber in one cookie. The cookies are sweetened with fruit juice and brown rice syrup instead of processed sugar. In my opinion, these cookies are too delicate to dip in hot tea or pack in baggies for travel. They are however, extremely delicious! Other flavors include Peanut Butter, Ginger, Shortbread and Chocolate Chip.              

Both of these products are sold at Natural Foods Warehouse in Duluth. The new Nature’s Path cereals are on promotion for $2.50 and buying one gets you a FREE large multi-colored Nature’s Path tote bag while supplies last. None of these items are sold at Whole Foods (in Duluth) presently.

You are reading Delicious Gluten-free Cookies and Crackers!. This post is the property of Celiac-Disease.com © 2009.

The Good Companions Pub/Restaurant, Limpsfield Road Warlingham, Surrey, belongs to the UK Gourmet Society.  The restaurant is known locally as the “Goodies” and is a warm, friendly, family run business. Freshly prepared food is served from noon every day, with a large garden and lots of parking space. The menu has traditional pub food with some contemporary dishes and a range of gluten-free and vegetarian meals.

The Farriers, is at 169 High Street, Guildford, Surrey, it is located upstairs and looks down on the cobbled High Street, with a huge bay window, with views of the Holy Trinity Church. It offers a casual-fine-dining restaurant, which has recently been re-furbished. The brasserie is classic British, but it also includes a good European Continental menu, gluten-free dishes are available.

The Riverside Vegetaria Restaurant, is found at 64 High Street, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. The menu offers a huge choice of dishes, with the vegetarian and the gluten-free options, being clearly marked. This is one of the UK’s top vegetarian restaurants and the food is reasonably priced.   You can view more about this restaurant here.

You are reading Additional Gluten-Free Restaurants in Surrey UK. This post is the property of Celiac-Disease.com © 2009.

It is the best interest of pharmaceutical companies for people to not be tested for celiac disease, at least not until one of them has released a medication for the condition. If you’re wondering why big pharmacy companies care if people are tested and diagnosed with celiac, the answer is obvious – money. I’ve personally met people who were once on prescription drugs for the conditions listed below – all of their symptoms being directly related to their undiagnosed, untreated celiac disease - or gluten intolerance. In many cases, patients who adhere to the gluten-free diet are able to stop taking  medications for symptoms related to their previously untreated celiac condition. This translates to lower prescription medication sales and less money for companies in that industry. Every loss adds up and the industry does not want to lose 1/10th of 1% of their profits.

Migraines

IBS

Depression

Anxiety

Thyroid Disease (including Hashimoto’s)

Rheumatoid Arthritis

High Blood Pressure

High Cholesterol

Extreme Fatigue

Infertility

Anemia

Does everyone who has celiac have these symptoms and/or conditions? Absolutely not. Is your doctor going to suggest any of these things could be related to celiac disease? Unless your doctor is a celiac specialist, the answer is most likely no. Our medical system is set up and run by insurance and drug companies for the most part. It’s hard for doctors to practice good medicine these days and if you don’t understand that, you probably don’t personally know a doctor that practices here. It is a very sad – some would say embarrassing – state that we find ourselves in today in the U.S., regarding health care.

It is well documented that it takes many years for someone to get diagnosed with celiac in the U.S., while in many parts of Europe and in Canada, diagnosis’ come much faster. The NIH started a campaign in 2006 to educate U.S. doctors better about celiac. The agency might be trying their best, but so far they don’t seem to be doing a very impressive job meeting their goals. If we all sit around and wait for the government to get the word out about this condition, we’ll be waiting a very long time.

It’s up to us to help educate others (including uninformed or misinformed doctors) about celiac and gluten intolerance. It is only through knowledge that more people will be living gluten-free, assuming they will benefit from it health wise. They’ll be healthier and we’ll have more – and lower priced – options for gluten-free food. By working together, we’ve already made a difference but we still have a long way to go. Please consider speaking up about your condition, if you usually don’t. You never know who you might help by doing so.

You are reading Why is Celiac Disease Still Being Overlooked by Doctors?. This post is the property of Celiac-Disease.com © 2009.

Pizza Fusion

Website excerpt: Based out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Pizza Fusion is a new take on America’s favorite food.  We proudly serve up delicious, gourmet pizza in its purest form – untainted by artificial additives, like preservatives, growth hormones, pesticides, nitrates and trans fats (to name a few). While we’re famous for our pizza, our 75% organic menu features an eclectic variety of gourmet sandwiches, salads, desserts, beer and wine.  Additionally, we proudly offer health conscious alternatives for our friends with selective diets and food allergies, such as our delicious gluten-free pizza, brownies and beer and our tasty vegan selections. Read the rest of Pizza Fusion’s story here.

Pizza Fusion uses organic ingredients when possible and delivers pizza in hybrid cars. The company is highly touted in the gluten-free community because they were the first chain or franchise to offer gluten-free pizza. Pizza Fusion offers a vegan, gluten-free brownie and dairy free cheese for pizzas upon request.

The gluten pizzas are said to be some of the best around, though I can not attest to that personally, for obvious reasons. The gluten-free pizza is very good, offering excellent quality toppings. The brownie could be better, but the salads are outstanding. The fresh basil tastes like they picked it right outside the building. The pepperoni slices are huge and extremely delicious. The Atlanta location of Pizza Fusion also serves Green’s gluten-free beer from Belgium. They also offer organic wines.

When visiting the Atlanta location recently, we enjoyed a lunch special with a gluten-free personal size pizza, side salad and Boylan’s soda for only $12.49. There is no other such value for this type of lunch in the Atlanta market. Though at one time, you could only order a large oval shaped gluten-free pizza here, you can now order a personal size gluten-free pizza for either lunch or dinner. The lunch special if only available at lunch, of course.

Pizza Fusion takes special precautions regarding cross contamination issues. They do make gluten crusts there and serve sandwiches. They even bake the gluten-free pizzas only on the top shelf of the oven so that no gluten crusts can contaminate them. The BBQ sauce is not gluten-free but most other sauces are. Everything that contains gluten is noted on the menu – not the other way around. Very cool indeed!  

The Atlanta location of Pizza Fusion was the first LEED certified building in GA. Whether you eat gluten or not, check out Pizza Fusion is there is a location near you. Any company with the slogan ‘Saving the Earth, One Pizza at a Time’ is worth supporting!    

You can find out if there is a Pizza Fusion near you by checking the location page on the website.

You are reading Pizza Fusion Offers Value Gluten-free Lunch in Atlanta. This post is the property of Celiac-Disease.com © 2009.