Celiac Disease affects 3 million Americans. 1 Celiac Disease affects more Americans than Epilepsy(2.8M), Crohns(500k), Ulcerative Colitis(500k), Multiple Sclerosis(333k), Cystic Fibrosis(30k).  1 1 in 133 people have Celiac Disease. 1 1 in 22 people with celiac disease have a first degree relative diagnosed. 5 1 in 250 in Italy; 1 in 300 in Ireland.  3 500,000 new Celiac diagnoses are expected to occur in the US by 2012 — thanks to efforts to raise public awareness of the disease.  6 1 in 4,700 people are ever diagnosed. 1 97% of Americans estimated to have CD are not diagnosed. ...

As you have probably heard by now, Betty Crocker released gluten free dessert mixes! You can now make your own brownies, cookies, and cakes with mixes from a very respected company. I have a few of these boxes in my kitchen that I have yet to bake. I’m not much of a baker or dessert eater, so I have yet to attempt these. I’ll post a review once I try them… the chocolate chip cookies are now looking pretty tempting. Anyone can call General Mills Consumer Services at 1-800-446-1898, then select option #4. Tell them you are interested in trying their new gluten free mixes, answer...

I love contests and giving away free things! Purchase a Gluten Free Bumper Sticker and you will be entered to win an iPod.  We decided to use an increasing prize scale for this contest.  The more awareness that is spread, the more we have to give back to the gluten free community.  Each gluten free bumper sticker purchased gets you an entry into the drawing.  Buy them for your friends and family! The prize starts at a 1GB iPod Shuffle, increases to a just released 4GB iPod Shuffle, and ends with an 8GB iPod Nano.  You will have your choice of color… but we recommend green!  If we so...

1. I don’t like coffee!  I don’t like the smell, the taste, or the prices… I’d rather buy a top-shelf gin & tonic for those prices! 2. They took away free wifi!  …at least I think they did.  I haven’t tried recently. 3. They got rid of their gluten free Valencia Orange Cake!!! WTF! Triumph dining has put together a petition they are going to send to Startbucks to let them know how upset we are.  It’s like a slap in the face to the gluten free community. “Dear Starbucks, I am writing to request that you bring back the gluten-free Valencia...

Being diagnosed with a disease is never a good thing. BUT, being diagnosed with a curable disease is not something to be depressed about. With celiac disease, you can cure yourself by eating a gluten free diet. Not only be happy because it is curable without medication, but you are changing your overall life for the better! I frequently see, and used to do it myself, a bad attitude towards having to eat gluten free, especially from those newly diagnosed. There are two ways to tell people about being gluten free. DON’T Do This: “I have celiac… it sucks… I can’t...

This was too funny not to share.  I think we all can relate. GLUTEN FREE The Movie from Tyler Isaacson on Vimeo.

This looks like it is going to be an awesome event this year! I already have an event I need to be at in St. Louis on Saturday night, but I am scoping out flights to get me in and out on Saturday. Even just the vendor fair on Saturday morning make it worth going.  Check out the website for all the information. . . . . The Expo Includes: Two full-days of gluten-free/dairy-free cooking demonstrations by notable chefs, cookbook authors and nutritionists Printed recipes so you can follow along, take notes and ask questions about successful replacement ingredients for common allergens such as soy,...

Here is Debra’s personal story via her answers to my list of gluten free questions for the Mary’s Gone Crackers contest. 1. What are your favorite restaurants? Are these different than before you followed the diet? I’ve always liked different ethnic foods so many of the same restaurants are fine (e.g., Indian, Mexican, Japanese, Thai). I now also go to steakhouses since they tend to have the fewest dishes with gluten. 2. Are food industry workers knowledgeable about Celiac disease? Not very many are but I always ask for recommendations from the chef and often the chef will even come out...