Volunteers Needed

I received an update from Nikki Everett, coordinator for the Gluten Free and Allergen Free Wellness Event, that they are still in need of a few volunteers for the August 17th event at the Durham Convention Center.

Volunteers receive:

FREE entry to event, 

ability to see presentations, 

FREE goody bag with GF products, 

and the ability to help others. 

Please contact the Volunteer Leader, Beth Mincher, at emincher@yahoo.com to sign up.

http://raleighglutenfreeexpo.blogspot.com/

More about the Gluten and Allergen Free Wellness Event

As mentioned in an earlier post, Durham will be hosting the Gluten and Allergen Wellness Event on August 17th at the Durham Convention Center. In addition to vendors, lots of gluten free tasting and support you will have the opportunity to attend various cooking demonstrations and presentations.  I will be there presenting on:

 Living Your Best Gluten Free Life-Evaluating Your Overall Health and Well-being

 

description: Following a restricted diet can impact your life in many ways. Whether you are new to gluten free living or have been eating this way for many years, take the time to evaluate seven different areas that contribute to your overall health and well-being. Participants will leave this session with ideas and practical application to improve their gluten free life.

 

The Line up is shaping up for some very interesting presentations including:

• Gluten Free in Afghanistan
• Eating for Vitality-Gluten Free
• Living Heart Healthy with Celiac Disease
• Personal Journey to Gluten Free and Beyond

 

Chef presentations include:

• Healthy Gluten Free and Vegan Breakfast Made Easy
• Foods That Heal
• Wendy's Simple and Dee-lish Creations

Follow this link to for more details on the speakers.

 

See my earlier post for volunteer opportunities and further details about the event.  

 

Join me for a great gluten free day~Debbie

 







Triangle Raw Foods

I was contacted by Jane, co-owner of Triangle Raw Foods, to share a need with readers in the gluten free community.  Triangle Raw Foods is an  all gluten-free and vegan food truck and catering service that started in May 2011.  They currently share cooking space at the Cookery in Durham, but have the vision of having their own place.  You can find their products in such eateries as LoMoMarket, Bean Traders Coffee, Cocoa Cinnamon, and soon Whole Foods Market in Durham. You can also place custom orders for pick up or delivery.

According to Jane they are planning to open a café that will be located on Garrett Rd, right off of Hwy 15-501. They will have a 100% gluten-free kitchen (right now they use a shared kitchen space (the Cookery), but with  their own kitchen, they will be able to ensure that no ingredients that contain gluten ever enter their kitchen!!

 The owners are in the process of trying to raise money via an indiegogo crowdfunding campaign to start this Raw Food Cafe in Durham and have less than 8 days to reach their goal.  Curious?  Interested in supporting these folks?  See the owners and read more details here: 

 

Update: Gluten and Allergen Free Wellness Event -August 17, 2013

As promised I have an update on the Gluten Free Expo that is coming to Durham on August 17, 2013.  I received  more details from the coordinator of the event, that will be helpful for your planning purposes:

Raleigh/Durham Welcomes

Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event

Many of the hottest and newest gluten-free foods, including products from more than 20 local vendors, will fill the exhibit hall at the Durham Convention Center in Marriott Center City on Saturday, August 17, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event. 

Organized by ECHO Event Solutions (ECHO), the event is sponsored by Udi’s Gluten Free, Glutino Food Group, Enjoy Life Foods, Bone Suckin’ Sauce, Earth Family, Gluten-Free Buyer’s Guide and Earth Fare.  This is the second year for the gluten-free event in Raleigh/Durham, and a crowd of more than 1,000 is expected to attend. 

The event is open to the community, and it caters to those who avoid multiple allergens, such as gluten, dairy, soy, nuts, grains, etc.  Admission is $10 per adult; kids 13 and under are free, and college students receive $3 off admission with student identification.  Those who purchase their tickets online are automatically entered into a drawing for a gift basket from one of the event’s sponsors.

Sampling of gluten-free/allergen-free foods begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m. with guest speakers and cooking demonstrations rounding out the day. Products will also be available for sale, so attendees should come prepared to take advantage of show prices.

The event features lectures from Brandy Wendler, Lisa Stimmer, Certified Gluten Practioner, Certified Natural Gourmet Chef, Certified Nutritionist, Wendy Perry, Taylor Miller, owner of Glutenway blog, and Debbie Jongkind, Registered Dietitian.

Cooking demonstrations are still being scheduled, but one will be taught by Chef Tracey Bloom of FreeCuisine,

2013 vendors from the Raleigh/Durham area include but are not limited to: Bells Monica Flatbread Company, Bone Suckin’ Sauce, Ginger Lemon Girl, Kalo Foods, The Celiac Cakery, Tonya’s Cookie Company, and Virtuous Living.

National vendors attending the event include but are not limited to: Against the Grain Gourmet, Bakery on Main, Earth Balance, Kinnikinnick Foods, Living Without Magazine, Luce’s Gluten-Free Artisan Bread, New Planet Beer, and Simply Gluten Free Magazine.  A complete list of participating vendors can be found on their website. 

A percentage of the proceeds from this year’s event will be donated to local gluten and allergen-free support efforts.  The 2013 Raleigh/Durham Gluten & Allergen Free Wellness Event will be held at the Durham Convention Center.  For more information visit the website at http://raleighglutenfreeexpo.blogspot.com/, or for directions to the event contact the  Durham Convention Center at 919-956-9404.

Would you like to go to the event for free?

Volunteers Needed: Local Raleigh/Durham folks needed to post flyers/posters around town prior to the event on Saturday August 17th.

Volunteers needed for the day of event - Saturday, August 17th.
Times slots 8am-1pm, 9-2pm, and 1-5pm.  Volunteer positions include:
set-up, greeters, registration and clean up crew.
Please email your information (email and phone number) directly to
Beth Mincher  at  emincher@yahoo.com if you are interested in volunteering.

Volunteers receive:  free parking, free admission to the event (and plenty of time to walk around to visit vendors) as well as a goody bag with tons of gluten free goodies!

Gluten Free Expo Coming to Durham

On August 17, 2013 the Durham Convention Center will be the host site of Gluten Free Expo. The event details are still being finalized. But mark your calendar for this 10-3 event.  I have attended the Expo in  Asheville and Charlotte, both were well worth my time. Last year the expo was in Raleigh, (I was on vacation, so missed this one); Organizers decided to look for a bigger and better venue  to reach the triangle gluten free community so they settled on the Bull City!  This event is great support for those following a GF diet.  There will be tons of vendors, speakers, cooking demos and lots of samples!  Stay tuned more details to follow....

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