Resource for Going to College Gluten Free

Are you sending a gluten free child to college for the first time? Perhaps you are a student trying to navigate the food filled atmosphere of dining hall food, pizza and bagels? This can be an overwhelming feeling but with some pre planning, gluten free food orders and education this transition can go smoothly. My GF daughter will be heading back to school today for her second year and we both have more confidence about this move than we did last year at this time! I have learned of an upcoming web seminar sponsored by NFCA(National Foundation for Celiac Awareness) that may help equip those with needed information on navigating the gluten free diet in college:

Wondering how the gluten-free diet will affect your college experience?Register for NFCA's "Back to School" Webinar
Heading Off to College with Celiac Disease
Sunday, August 29 at 9 p.m. EDT/6 p.m. PT
Join NFCA as Rebecca Panzer, MA, RD, LD, offers professional guidance for college-bound celiacs!

Points covered will include:

Explore the challenges young adults with celiac disease may experience living on and off college campuses.
Answer common questions of college-bound celiacs and gluten-free teens.
Suggest ways to best navigate college administration, dining services and social challenges.
Celiac advocate Deb Mailand, a senior at Tufts University, will also join us to share her firsthand experience and explain how gluten-free can be a success away from home and on campus! Register Now
For more information, visit NFCA's Webinar page.

New Products from General Mills: Asian Chicken Helper Review

It is almost time to send my gluten free daughter back to college. As she was thinking of easy things to cook for herself she came across the new Betty Crocker line of "helper meals" at Kroger. Based on the traditional hamburger helper theme of "one pound, one pan, one tasty meal", this sounded pretty quick and easy for a college student in her first apartment. We tried the Asian Chicken Helper, which called for a pound of chicken and 2 eggs in addition to the mix. The meal was easy to make and tasted pretty good. Although the package says it serves 5, we each ate about a 1/3 of the meal which provided about 466 kcals per serving. You can access lots of great information on products and recipes at the General Mills website Live Gluten Freely.

FYI: Gluten Free Tidbits to Share....

* Chelsea Clinton's wedding was a private event and I read that caterers had to sign privacy agreements. There have been several published news stories that discuss her vegan menu options and her choice of a GLUTEN FREE WEDDING CAKE! I do not claim to know anything about Chelsea's medical history, but some articles claimed she has a "Gluten Allergy." Regardless of the reasons, this high profile wedding and discussion of the gluten free wedding cake, helps to continue to increase the awareness of Celiac Disease and a gluten free diet!

* My GF daughter had the recent experience of dining at Mellow Mushroom in Durham and noted that after she ordered her GF pizzza, the server proceeded to ask her if she had a true allergy to gluten? and when she answered yes, the server then took everything off the table and sanitized the table. She said it was a new procedure to make sure everything is clean and safe. Way to go the extra mile Mellow Mushroom!

*I have written previous posts about Twin Cakes having a booth at the Durham Farmer's market on Saturday morning, but note they are also there on Wednesday mornings!