Celebrating 10 Years of Gluten-Free: 10 Things I’m Thankful For

As Celiac Awareness Month ends, this is the perfect time to reflect on how gluten-free life has improved in the past 10 years. It was 2007 when I was first diagnosed with celiac disease. At the time, I remember how hard it was to find gluten-free products in local stores, let alone delicious tasting ones. I remember family members helping me to research online about celiac disease and buying products for me to try.

In December 2008, I started my blog to focus on the positive side of gluten-free life. I never could have imagined then that starting my blog would ultimately lead to a new career for me in social media. You may remember the reviews my daughter did of gluten-free books for kids when she was in elementary school. Now, she is a freshman in high school and has her own blog where she reviews books for teens! 

10 Things I’m Thankful For

 

1. Being Diagnosed with Celiac Disease – That’s right, I’m thankful that I was diagnosed with celiac disease. After five years of health problems and countless doctor visits, it is great to finally have a diagnosis and treatment that resulted in improved health! 

2. FDA Standard for Gluten-Free – It is fabulous to finally have a standard for gluten-free labeling and to see many more products labeled gluten-free as a result. 

3. More Celiac Disease Awareness – I remember how exciting it was years ago to simply see a news story about celiac disease or a mention of gluten-free on TV shows, like Emeril or Cupcake Wars. Now we even have Olympic athletes with celiac disease!

4. More Gluten-Free Products in Local Stores – While I still shop at many different stores, it is great to be able to do my weekly grocery shopping at one major chain.

5. Generic OTC Meds Labeled as Gluten-Free – I remember how happy I was when I could finally buy a gluten-free generic pain reliever. No more paying for brand names!

6. Udi’s Gluten Free – Before Udi’s Gluten Free was even available on the East Coast, they sent me a big box of their delicious products to review. I still remember the first time I saw Udi’s in a local store, and now they are everywhere! We especially love their hamburger buns and cookies.

7. Wegmans – I’m so thankful that Wegmans finally opened in my county, as it truly is a gluten-free mecca. I have discovered many new gluten-free products there, but my favorite is the Wegmans generic gluten-free Rice Krispies. When Kellogg’s first announced gluten-free Rice Krispies, I immediately blogged about it, and it became one of my most popular blog posts. Unfortunately, the excitement was short-lived as Kellogg’s eventually discontinued them, and I desperately sought a replacement for what had become a staple cereal for me. Thank you Wegmans!

8. Not Your Average Joe’s – This restaurant chain has one of the largest gluten-free menus I have seen, featuring a variety of delicious entrees and even a gluten-free bread basket! 

9. Gluten-Free Bloggers – It is truly fantastic to now see so many passionate gluten-free bloggers spreading celiac awareness and sharing gluten-free reviews and news! I fondly remember the gluten-free bloggers that supported me when I first started blogging.

10. My Job at NuGo Nutrition – Teaching myself gluten-free blogging and social media led to my wonderful job as a social media specialist at NuGo Nutrition. When I first started working for NuGo six years ago, they made less than 10 gluten-free bars. Now, they make 27 certified gluten-free protein bars. While I eat several NuGo Dark, NuGo Slim, and NuGo Family flavors, my favorite is NuGo Dark Mint Chocolate Chip, which tastes like Thin Mints! 

I can’t wait to see the gluten-free and celiac disease advancements in the next 10 years!

 

60 Easy Ways to Raise Celiac Awareness

Join me in celebrating Celiac Awareness Month this May. Beyond Celiac, formerly known as the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, has put together a super list of 60 ways to raise celiac awareness. This year’s campaign is focused on raising awareness in 60 seconds (#60forCeliac), and I’m happy to be part of their blogger force. Here are five of my favorite ideas from the campaign. 

1. Watch and share this one minute video.

2. Tell a restaurant worker you have celiac disease instead of only asking for the gluten-free menu. 

3. Talk to one new person about celiac disease. 

4. Help someone in the gluten-free aisle at the grocery store. 

5. Ask your grocery store or supermarket to add gluten-free products.

Visit Beyond Celiac to see all 60 ways! What will you do to spread celiac awareness this May and all year?

My Top 5 Celiac Disease Facts

Share these facts for Celiac Disease Awareness Month this May, and leave a comment with what facts you would add to this list. Let’s fight the countless gluten-free myths and insensitive jokes by sharing the facts! 

1. I have an autoimmune disease, not a food allergy.

2. A 100% gluten-free diet is medically necessary for me. It is not a fad, weight loss diet, celebrity trend, or a joke. 

3. Please get tested for celiac disease before experimenting with eating gluten-free.

4. If “gluten-free” food comes in any contact with gluten while cooking or serving, it is not safe for me to eat. 

5. I love that there are tons of delicious certified gluten-free products. I am not deprived or suffering!

How to Get SAFE Gluten-Free Food at a Restaurant

How do you determine if the gluten-free food at a restaurant is truly SAFE for someone with celiac disease to eat? There has been tons of news coverage about Domino’s launching a “gluten-free” pizza that is not SAFE for those with celiac disease.

 

Since May is Celiac Awareness Month, it is the perfect time to implement an easy technique that people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity can follow at restaurants. We need to ensure restaurant employees understand the importance of SAFE gluten-free food, and don’t confuse our order with a weight loss fad!

 

Use my SAFE technique before taking a bite! 

 

Shared cooking equipment, serving spoons, or fryers? Don’t eat it! 

Alert the chef that you will get extremely sick if your meal is not 100% gluten-free.

Follow recommendations and reviews from gluten-free websites, blogs, and support groups.

Examine their knowledge of gluten-free ingredients and cross-contamination.

  

Help keep the gluten-free community SAFE by sharing this blog post!

Celebrate Celiac Awareness Month with NFCA

The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) is celebrating Celiac Awareness Month with several social media activities. In April, they collected approximately 500 photos of people with celiac disease and compiled them in this amazing mosaic. If you are in the Facebook photo, make sure you tag yourself. Also on Facebook, answer the weekly question. "What's one thing you can do now that you couldn't do before going gluten-free?"

On Twitter, NFCA is sharing signs of celiac disease in their #youmighthaveceliac tweets. Join the #gfchats about gluten-free nutrition every Tuesday night in May at 8 pm ET, beginning on May 10. The chats will be led by the Ask the Dietitian Experts.

Each day in May, NFCA will profile a blogger in “A Blogger a Day, the Gluten-Free Way”. I will be profiled on May 6. For a great list of gluten-free blogs, visit NFCA’s celiac bloggers list. Many of these bloggers will be profiled during May. Happy Celiac Awareness Month!

For more NFCA news, visit these links:

NFCA’s Kids Central

What We’ve Been Up To

Where We’re Headed

Buy Unique Celiac Awareness Items at CafePress and Support Celiac Research

I am pleased to introduce the new Gluten-Free Optimist CafePress Shop. Keep reading because you won’t find any items in the shop that promote my blog. The goal is to increase celiac disease awareness and promote positive gluten-free thoughts with fun and unique items. For all purchases made in my shop between now and October 31, 2010, a minimum of $2 per item, except individual buttons and cards, will be donated to the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research.

The donation for an individual button or card will be 50 cents. The highest donation is for this awesome 10 pack of mini buttons, which are perfect for both kids and adults to wear in October. For each pack of mini buttons purchased, $5 will be donated!

This tote bag is my favorite item. This design is also available on shirts and as an individual greeting card, which would be perfect to send to a friend or family member who resists being tested for celiac disease.

My daughter designed this awesome T-shirt. Also, look at the gluten-free tastes so good design, which is available on many items, including aprons, postcards, and shirts. 

Looking for an item without any cute graphics? Then, there is this T-shirt and button. Want to give a gluten-free kid a special reward for a job well-done? This bear would be perfect!


Here is some information about shipping, returns, and  discount codes.

• Use coupon code 15OFFTEES through September 23, 2010, to receive 15% off the T-shirts. Great new discount codes will appear in a banner at the top of the shop page.

• Economy shipping is $5.25 for any item, and 50 cents extra for each additional item. One exception to this is if you are buying only one button or greeting card, then shipping is only $1.25, and 30 cents extra for each additional.

• "No sales tax when shipping outside CA, KY, NV, NC or WA."

• "100% satisfaction guaranteed. Rest assured, we'll take it back (no questions asked). With our money-back guarantee, whether it's too small, too big, too orange or too (fill in the blank), simply contact Customer Support within 30 days for a full refund or exchange."

Check back often for new products. Leave a comment with any product requests. Wearing a celiac awareness button, shirt, or tote bag is a fantastic way to spread awareness and get people talking about celiac disease!

How to Talk to Strangers to Increase Celiac Disease Awareness

One of the best ways to increase celiac disease awareness is simply by talking to other people. However, for some people, having a conversation with a stranger is not simple. First, we need to let go of what we were taught as children – do not talk to strangers. Furthermore, we need to explain to our children who will see us talking to strangers why it is okay for an adult to do so. I forgot to do this and my daughter said, “Mommy, you shouldn’t talk to strangers!” She also said, “Mommy, mind your own business. You are being rude!” (Okay, maybe I shouldn’t have gotten up to talk to someone at Bonefish when I heard him ordering off the gluten-free menu.)

Next, free yourself from worrying about how others will perceive you. Yes, people might think you are silly to be so excited about a new gluten-free product being carried in a store or they might not be interested in what you have to say, but who cares. Finally, keep the following tips in mind as you engage in conversations with strangers. Whether you are making small talk at a party or in the grocery store, remember you can possibly change a person’s life.

1. Keep it positive. The goal is to motivate someone to learn more about celiac disease, be tested, and for them to share it with others. This is not the time to complain about gluten-free life. Here are some options for what to say.
-“The gluten-free brownie mix from Betty Crocker is great, and people with celiac disease are very happy that soon gluten-free Bisquick will be in stores.”
-“I am excited to try the new gluten-free menu at the Melting Pot.”
-“My health is so much better after finally being diagnosed with celiac disease.”
-When the cashier asks, “Did you find everything you were looking for today?”, you could say the following. “Yes, since I have to eat gluten-free, I am always happy when this bread is in stock.”
2. Hang out in the over-the-counter medicine aisle. Don’t ask people why they are buying medicine, but you could say something like “Since I found out I have celiac disease and have been eating totally gluten-free, my migraines are gone.”
3. Talk to strangers when standing in a line or in a waiting room. Not only will the person who you are talking to learn about celiac disease, but other people will overhear. This is easiest at the grocery store where you can start by talking about an item in your cart.
4. Provide a source for getting more information. If they seem interested, give them your email or refer them to a blog or website, like www.celiaccentral.org.
5. Be appreciative. Thank customer service departments for carrying a certain product or speak to the manager about a great waiter. They interact with many people in a day, but may not understand about celiac disease.
6. Talk to others in the gluten-free section. Don’t assume because someone is debating about buying a gluten-free product that he or she eats gluten-free or is informed about celiac. I always ask, “Do you or a family member eat gluten-free?” If the response is yes, then I proceed to find out if the person is newly diagnosed and needs any assistance. Often, they aren’t gluten-free and are just trying a product.
7. Use a friendly and humorous tone when appropriate. This may be a challenge for some people, and the tone is the key to not sounding rude and making your statement memorable. When the waiter brings me a fortune cookie at P.F. Chang’s, I say, “Fortune cookies aren’t gluten-free (chuckle), and I do tip higher when I’m not given one.”