Camp Kanata

What a week we had at Camp Kanata, serving our gluten free campers this past week. GIG's East Coast Camp hosted campers from Colorado, Florida, Virginia, South Carolina, Washington DC, Kansas, Washington, and North Carolina! We served 17 gluten free meals and lots of yummy snacks to campers and volunteers. A special thanks goes to several vendors and volunteers under the direction of GIG Camp Director, Alanna Conder. Serving as Camp Nutritionist for the week is easy when working with such great volunteers and the wonderful kitchen staff at Camp Kanata. We appreciate all those that walked and donated to the GF team at the recent Susan G Komen race which provided $915 to help with the expense of camp and to Zach for his efforts and donations of the green "gluten free" bracelets that all our campers and volunteers wore during our week at camp.

I had the opportunity to ask kids what they liked best about their week at camp; comments included:
"I love the food"
"I love the fact that I don't have to pack all my own food!"
"I am glad I don't have to go to a special allergy camp, but have the opportunity to go to a normal camp and not worry about my food."

Highlights of the week:
-Pineapple upside down cake made by a grandma of one of our GF campers
-Watching the smiling faces of the GF kids come through our serving line each meal.
-Zach and Trevor cooking and serving pizza to the kids for lunch
-Twins Cake Bakery "Camp Kanata" Chocolate Cake
-Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones on a hot summer afternoon
-Rosie's Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies
-Making homemade ice cream with the campers under the direction of Karen, from the Whole Foods Bake House.
-Working along side our teen volunteers to fill bags with samples of products and information for our campers to take home with them.

Plan to be a part of camp next year. Remember there will be one week designated as gluten free week and our spots fill up quickly. Although dates have not been determined yet; dates and registration information will be posted on the GIG website and Camp Kanata website as they become available.

Gluten Free Raleigh Special Event: GF Cooking Demo w/ Jules Shepard

Click here for more information about an upcoming Gluten Free cooking demonstration with famous Celiac author Jules Shepard. The event will be held at the Earth Fare in Raleigh on July 12, 2009 @ 10am. Please sign up soon as only 40 spaces are available.

prep4md.com: Celiac Disease - A Podcast,useful resource

Check out this podcast on Celiac Disease featuring Dr. Alessio Fasano, MD,
from the University of Maryland. It is about 10 minutes long and features some good concise information.


prep4md.com: Celiac Disease - A Podcast

Angel Food Ministries-Allergen Free Box

I have recently learned of a program that helps individuals by reducing their foods costs and offers assistance for those with food allergies including gluten intolerance. The following is an explanation of the program from the Angel Food Ministries website:

Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief and financial support to communities throughout the United States. The program began in 1994 with 34 families in Monroe, Georgia (between Atlanta and Athens), and has grown to serve hundreds of thousands of families every month across 35 states. Angel Food Ministries crosses denominational lines and has spread the good news of the gospel of Christ through salvation tracts that are placed in each food order.
Blessings by the box

Angel Food is available in a quantity that can fit into a medium-sized box at $30 per unit. Each month's menu is different than the previous month and consists of both fresh and frozen items with an average retail value of approximately $60. Comparison shopping has been done across the country in various communities using a wide range of retail grocery stores and has resulted in the same food items costing from between $42 and $78.

Generally, one unit of food assists in feeding a family of four for about one week or a single senior citizen for almost a month. The food is all the same high quality one could purchase at a grocery store. There are no second-hand items, no damaged or out-dated goods, no dented cans without labels, no day-old breads and no produce that is almost too ripe.

Also offered are specialty boxes such as steaks, chicken and pork. Many participants in this bonus program appreciate the expanded choices. Additionally, there is no limit to the number of units or bonus foods an individual can receive, and there are no applications to complete or qualifications to which participants must adhere. Angel Food Ministries also participates in the U.S. Food Stamp program, using the Off-Line Food Stamp Voucher system.
It's both a Bargain and a Blessing!

The Allergen Free Box for the month of June includes:
ALLERGEN-FREE BOX

Processed to eliminate the eight top serious allergens: Peanuts, Soybeans, Milk, Eggs, Fish, Crustacea, Tree Nuts and Gluten (wheat, rye and barley). Great for children and adults.

1 lb. Breaded Chicken Tenders


1 lb. Breaded Chicken Breast Chunk
(Boneless Wing)


1 lb. Breaded Chicken Nuggets


1 lb. Breaded Chicken Patties


1 lb. Breaded Steak Fingers

Battered with water, white rice, brown rice, modified tapioca starch, flax seed, sugar, salt, spices, dehydrated garlic, spice extractives and oleoresin paprika.
Breaded with white rice, brown rice, modified tapioca starch, flax seed, sugar, dextrose, salt, spices, dehydrated garlic, spice extractives and oleoresin paprika.
Breading is pre-browned in Canola oil.

$25.00

You can see the entire menu for June by clicking here
According to the website Durham has five different churches that serve as host sites. Once on the Angel Food Ministry website you enter your zip code and you will then be directed to locations near you.
In today's economy and with the increased cost of gluten free products this seems like an awesome ministry.

Gluten Free Cafe' frozen meals

I am always on the lookout for new products to make living the gluten free lifestyle easier. I have recently found a line of frozen dinners in the freezer section of Whole Foods and the dedicated freezer section for foods in the Natures Market section at Kroger. *Note the Kroger Store had the widest variety. The Gluten Free Cafe offers four different entrees. The company mission statement reads: "Gluten Free Cafe is dedicated to improving the quality of life for gluten-sensitive consumers by providing delicious certified gluten free foods that meet their dietary needs by being rich in taste and nutrition." Follow the link to their website for coupons. Some of their selections are both gluten and dairy free. I like to keep a few of these "emergency meals" on hand so that when we are short on time there is something quick to grab.

Gluten Free Fair at Whole Foods-June 2

I have just learned that Whole Foods in Durham will be hosting a Gluten Free Fair. Amy, the marketing team leader asked if I could help spread the word about this opportunity. The following is from the Durham Whole Foods Web Site:

Gluten-free Fair
Tuesday, June 2
3:00 - 6:00 pm
FREE

Does someone in your household live with a gluten allergy, wheat sensitivity or Celiac Disease?!?! We understand that feeding a family where different allergies exist can be quite difficult, but we're here to help you find ways to make it easier! Join us for this gluten-free fair to taste lots of different recipes and meet lots of vendors who offer gluten-free products here at Whole Foods Market in Durham. Bring along those with allergies so they can try before you buy to make sure they will like it! Take home recipe cards and feel good about gaining new ideas for how to feed those in your family who can't eat gluten. And we’re always excited to host the kind folks from the Whole Foods Market Gluten-Free Bakehouse as they offer many of their tasty gluten-free baked goods that are out of this world!

I understand Lee Tobin will be on hand. He is the fellow behind all the delicious gluten free bakehouse products in the frozen section at Whole Foods. I'm also hoping to be available for part of the afternoon, to spread the word about the Gluten Free Durham Blog and Gluten Free Guidance Consulting. See you there!


See the Durham Whole Foods website for more information.

Ted's Montanta Grill-Gluten Free Update

I recently inquired about the gluten free options at Ted's Montana Grill. While in the past the restaurant would offer patrons a separate menu that listed menus and nutrition information for various health concerns including gluten free options, THIS HAS CHANGED. I was told by their guest relations representative that"While our restaurants are not gluten-free, we will make every attempt to accommodate our guests with special dietary needs. We are revising our gluten-free information as our products now vary by location. Please notify the manager prior to ordering so that we can check product labels for your guest. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that our products will not come in contact with gluten during preparation." This is a good example of why individuals needing to follow a gluten free diet must make sure information is up-to-date! Look at the date of posts you read on line. Review the copyright date of books that you are reading. Look at the handouts that you were given from your health care provider, are they up-to-date? As the gluten free market grows and research continues we will continue to see more information coming our way, stay informed and stay accurate!


Ted's Montana Grill often offers various specials and coupons you can access their current one for $10.00 here.



Ted's Montanta Grill is located:
6911 Fayetteville Rd., Suite 102
Durham, NC 27713
P: 919-572-1210
Hours: Sun - Thurs 11 AM - 10 PM • Fri - Sat 11 AM - 11 PM

Souper!Salad Gluten Free Menu

I recently was alerted to a Durham restaurant called Souper!Salad. They are an 82 location soup and salad bar chain based in Texas. Click here to check out their extensive Gluten Free menu and here for more information on the Durham location.

Cafe Parizade-Restaurant Review

My husband and I took advantage of the early bird special at Parizade the other evening before going to a play at the new DPAC in Durham. Cafe Parizade is an upscale Mediterranean restaurant located off main street. The early bird special may be a bit of a secret as I do not see it advertised on their web page, but the special is 5:30-6:30 and is $19.95 which includes: salad/soup, entree and dessert. While Parizade does not have a special gluten free menu, they are always very accommodating and careful in providing me with delicious gluten free options. The early bird special time works well, as you can dine in a nice restaurant for a good price and it is not real busy yet, so the wait staff and chef are able to take time to accommodate special dietary needs. I would recommend adding this to your list of restaurants to try.

Hours:
M-F 11:30-2:30 lunch
M-Th 5:30-10:00 dinner
F-S 5:30-11:00 dinner
S 5:30-9:00 dinner

Location:
2200 West Main Street
Durham, NC
919-286-9712

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, author of "The G Free Diet"-Interview on Fox News

There has been much hype and publicity around the publication of Elisabeth Hasselbeck's book "The G Free Diet". You can see her latest interview with Greta Van Sustern here
Elisabeth who suffers from Celiac Disease herself has been using her celebrity status to do a great job of spreading the news on Celiac Disease and Gluten Free Diets. I have read several reviews of the book and would like to share a statement and concern put forth by Elaine Monarch, founder and executive director of the Celiac Disease Foundation, she writes:

Celiac Colleagues:

I am writing to call your attention to the current publicity surrounding the new book, The G-free Diet, A Gluten-Free Survival Guide by Elisabeth Hassselbeck, co-host of The View. While it is important to call attention to celiac disease, the information must be accurate - the inaccuracies in this book are potentially dangerous and detrimental to celiacs and to those yet to be diagnosed if people self diagnose and start eating GF. Our mission is to assist in getting people accurately diagnosed and the message in this book could defeat this mission. It appears that this book is being marketed as a fitness diet - eat g-free and feel so much better. Celiac is incorrectly referred to as an allergy not an autoimmune disease.

The GF diet is the medically mediated prescription that controls the condition for a diagnosed celiac. Several items in the book are misleading and inaccurate and place further limitations on the GF diet. The gluten-free lifestyle is a lifelong commitment for the diagnosed celiac, not an option, not a fad diet - adhering to the GF lifestyle requires patience and persistence. This lifestyle can not be trivialized.

Thank you.

Elaine Monarch
Founder & Executive Director
Celiac Disease Foundation

While a gluten free diet can be a very healthy diet, eliminating whole grains and other foods for those individuals that do not have Celiac Disease, a diagnosed wheat allergy or true gluten sensitivity is not necessarily a healthy life style option. Before heading down the gluten free fad diet road, those with concerns that they may have Celiac Disease should seek appropriate medical testing.