Going Gluten Free: Understanding the Diet Craze Community Lecture at UNC Wellness Center

To kick off  Celiac Awareness month I have been asked to provide a community lecture at UNC Wellness Center located in the Meadowmont area of Chapel Hill.  This is a free lecture that is open to the public but the center does ask for pre registration.  You may do so by calling: 919-966-5500.  You can access the lecture information here.

May 2, 2013

6:30-8:00 pm

Topic:  Going Gluten Free:  Understanding the Diet Craze

Location: UNC Wellness Center

 
Description:  Many people are turning towards the gluten free diet recently. Gluten-free products are popping up all over. Is gluten free right for you? Debbie Jongkind, RD,LDN will discuss the dynamics of the gluten free diet. Find out if it is hype or help.

Directions:
The UNC Wellness Center at Meadowmont is located in the Meadowmont community, just off Highway 54 in Chapel Hill.

100 Sprunt Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27517

Meelos Restaurant

We recently enjoyed a great dinner at a quaint neighborhood spot: Meelos Restaurant. This friendly restaurant is located in the newly renovated Croasdaile Commons (the former Loehmann's plaza) on Hillandale Road. Meelo describes itself as
 " Italian cuisine with Spanish influences". They offer a lunch, dinner and tapas menu.   I was very impressed with the service, atmosphere and the staffs ability to accommodate gluten free requests. While the restaurant does not have a specific gf menu it does offer gf pasta, and many of the items on the menu are naturally gf or can be prepared to be gluten free.  I was surprised when the waiter even brought me gluten free crackers with my salad!  I enjoyed salad, salmon, mashed potatoes and vegetables.  The quality of the food, the attention to details and the kind staff made for an enjoyable evening. Reservation are suggested; we visited on a Saturday night and they were very busy.  I look forward to returning and trying some items from the tapas menu.

Hours of Operation include:

Lunch	Monday to Friday	11:30 AM to 2:00 PM
Dinner	Monday to Saturday	5:00 PM to 9:00 PM

1821 Hillandale Road #3

Durham, NC 27705

Get directions

‎

(919) 384-9080

Page Road Grill, Restaurant Review

The Chapel Hill Restaurant Group has opened another cool restaurant that offers a gluten free menu: Page Road Grill.  Located near the airport at: 5416 Page Road, Durham, NC 27703. This is just a few blocks to the left of MEZ, another great spot for gluten free eating, see my MEZ post here.  I had the opportunity to visit for lunch on Friday and enjoyed a yummy bowl of Chili which was featured on the gluten free menu.  Other gf diners at my table ordered the homemade veggie burger (which was made with quinoa) and served with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and sweet potato chips.  Our server checked and double checked with the chef that the homemade sweet potato chips were gluten free and prepared in a designated fryer. We did not see this noted on the menu, so I would always recommend asking your server about this detail upon ordering. Other menu items included: chicken, burgers, shrimp and grits salads, fish ,etc.  This was a busy place at lunch.  We did call ahead and had a reservation for four people and were able to get in and out in an hour. Reservations can be made by calling PRG at 919-908-8900  or by Open Table.The average cost for lunch is around $10.00 and $20,00 for dinner. I could not pull up their gluten free menu on line but just asked for it when we were seated at the restaurant.  Nice to have another restaurant offer a gluten free menu!

Options for a Gluten Free Diet, January 9, 2013

The Teer house in Durham will feature the topic : Options for a Gluten Free Diet tonight January 9th, 2013 at 6:30.  According to staff at the Teer House Lesley Stanford, MS, RD, LDN will be presenting tonights topic.  Lesley is a great source of information, if you are looking for some reliable information and some new menu ideas I would recommend attending.  Leslie is the dieititan that works at with the Duke pediatric GI clinic.

Teer House is located at 4019 N Roxboro Road, Durham, NC, near Durham Regional Hospital.  As of this morning there were 14 spots left for this free seminar. For more information and to register you may click here or call the Teer House at 919-477-2644

Evaluating Your Gluten Free Diet for 2013

This is a repost of an article I first wrote in January, 2011.  I feel that it is worth asking ourselves these questions on an annual basis....
As the New Year begins it is always a great time to evaluate your health and your gluten free diet. Speaking from my perspective as a dietitan and health and wellness coach I encourage readers to ask yourself the following questions:

Am I satisfied with my current diet?

Are there areas in my eating patterns that I should improve?

What foods do I miss from my previous diet? Have I found adequate substitutes? Do I need to find a new recipe?

How did I feel about eating during the holiday season? What could I do now that would make me more prepared for holidays 2013?

Am I satisfied with my current weight, is it within a healthy BMI (body mass index range)?

Besides being gluten free how nutritious is my diet? Do I consume enough calcium? What about fiber? Other nutrients?

How many servings of fruits and vegetables do I eat each day? What are some ways to increase the amount?

What new foods would I like to try?

What resources do I need to better equip me in navigating the gluten free diet?

When is the last time I had a physical? If I have Celiac Disease does my doctor check my celiac labs on an annual basis?

In addition to following a gluten free diet, what other steps do I need to take to maximize my health?

What is the one thing I can do today that will help me improve my overall health and gluten free diet?

Happy New Year, Debbie

Chuck E. Cheese Gluten Free Pizza in Durham!

Great news for young gluten free folks and their parents.  Chuck E Cheese has rolled out their gluten free pizza and cupcake option nationwide.  I first posted about Chuck E Cheese GF trial in Minnesota back on May 17th, click here if you would like to read this post and see the video about the Gluten Free products.  I spoke with the staff of the Durham, NC Chuck E Cheese this morning and they confirmed that they are offering a personal pan size cheese pizza for $5.99 and a gluten free cupcake is $2.99.  I hope to visit soon and check out the quality of the products, if you have beat me to a taste test please post your comments.

The Durham Chuck E. Cheese is located near Target by the old South Square area
3724 Mayfair St
Durham, NC 27707
919-493-6083
919-489-6167

Sun-Thurs 9 am-9pm
Fri-Sat 9am-10pm

Petition FDA for Gluten Free Labeling

We have been waiting and waiting on the FDAs final ruling on gluten free labeling.  The ball started rolling on this topic several years ago, and was supposed to be in place by 2008.  In August 2011 the FDA reopened the comment period on Gluten Free Labeling for 60 days.  Everyone anticipated the ruling on gluten free labeling to be in place by the end of the summer 2012, but we are still waiting.   A petition has been started to bring this concern before the White House. You can read more about the petition at the Celiac Disease Alliance site.  If you would like to see the petition and would consider adding your name you can get more information by following this link ,
Note 25,000 signatures are needed by November 1st, so sign now.

 

Firebirds, Restaurant Review

I think I have visited Firebirds at least three times in the last few months.  The reason I keep going back is that they serve great food in a fun atmosphere and seem to really understand what it means to order gluten free!  They have a gluten free menu with many delicious options from main entrees to salads.  One of my favorite menu items is the strawberry shrimp salad pictured above.  During my visits this summer I had a manager check with me to be sure everything was okay and a server deliver my food separate from the rest of my table, indicating "we took special care of your gluten free order". I really appreciate this level of attention to special dietary needs, but one must remember that you need to remain on your toes when ordering and speaking with your server.  As with most restaurants today the gluten free menu does include the following disclaimer:  "Please note our chefs strive to prepare every one of these dishes gluten free as listed.  Firebirds cannot be held liable in the unlikely event that cross contamination occurs."  If you read my earlier post which suggested the NFCA webinar on dining out, you are equipped with your questions and have considered your options when eating out to reduce your risks of cross contamination.

Firebirds is a chain with many locations. In North Carolina those include: Charlotte, Raleigh, Winston-Salem and the Durham location which is at the Streets at Southpoint.

All locations:
Sunday – Thursday 11am – 10pm
Friday & Saturday 11am – 11pm

Cross- Contamination in Restaurants, Educate Yourself!

You are probably reading this blog because you are looking for some suggestions on places that you can select to dine gluten free.  Those of us who have been living a strict gluten free lifestyle can understand what a challenge this can be at times!  I attended the NFCA sponsored webinar this week entitled: Cross-Contamination in Restaurants: What You Need to Know and highly recommend viewing the archived webinar.  Even if you have been eating out gluten free for some time, this is a great resource and will equip you with good information to help when selecting restaurants and ordering your food. The webinar is archived here and features the following three speakers:

 Ken Schelper, Vice President of Davanni's, Board of Directors for Minnesota Restaurant Association, Amy Jones, MS, RD, LD, Chief Clinical Dietitian and Celiac Support Group Facilitator, Mary Rutan Hospital, and Pam Cureton, RD, LDN, Clinical and Research Dietitan, Center for Celiac Research, University of Maryland

It was very helpful to hear Ken's point of view as one who has been involved in the restaurant business for many years. He gives a "behind the scene" look at food preparation.  The webinar is one hour and then has about 15 minutes of Q and A; well worth your time!  Great job NFCA and panelists!

The Melting Pot, Restaurant Review

Looking for a unique gluten free dining experience? Then I would suggest checking out The Melting Pot Restaurant. The menu is based on fondue type dining and offers a gluten free menu. The restaurant staff including manager and waiter were very familiar with the needs of gluten free dining. I was offered a four course meal which included: an appetizer of melted cheese with vegetables, apples and gluten free bread, a salad, the main course which consisted of shrimp, pork, beef and chicken in a Merlot-broth and finally melted chocolate with fruit and marshmallows. Part of the experience is that you actually cook your food yourself in your table's fondue pot. Because of this your entire table would need to choose the gluten free option, because you couldn't have your friend dipping pound cake in your melted chocolate and ruining it for you! The restaurant offers very private booth seating for a romantic dinner and also larger tables which would be fun for a family or a group of gluten free friends!



Location:
7011 Fayetteville Road, Suite 101, Durham,NC 27713
(Across from Southpoint Mall. Next to Hilton Garden Inn)
Phone:(919) 544-6358
Monday-Thursday:5 p.m. - 10 p.m
. Friday:5 p.m. - 11 p.m
. Saturday:4 p.m. - 11 p.m
. Sunday:4 p.m. - 10 p.m.