Video: High School Tennis Star with Celiac Disease

Watch this video of an award winning high school tennis star recently diagnosed with celiac disease. Brooke Ferslov-Jensen is a freshman who is the top player on the varsity tennis team at Sultana High School in California. She was diagnosed with celiac disease when she was in 8th grade.

Large Recall of Many Products Made with Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein

Check this FDA list daily for the latest products added to the hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) recall. Some of the recalled products may be gluten-free. On March 10, there were 149 products listed.

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is actively investigating findings of Salmonella Tennessee in hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) manufactured by Basic Food Flavors, Inc., in Las Vegas, NV. HVP is a flavor enhancer used in a wide variety of processed food products, such as soups, sauces, chilis, stews, hot dogs, gravies, seasoned snack foods, dips, and dressings. It is often blended with other spices to make seasonings that are used in or on foods.

At this time, no illnesses associated with this contamination have been reported to the FDA."

WOW Cookies and Brownies: Review and Free Cookie Promotion

WOW cookies and brownies are certified gluten-free and made with all natural ingredients. After hearing so many good things about WOW products, I emailed the company to see if they wanted to send me free samples to review. They sent me samples of all of their individually wrapped cookies and brownies.

The gourmet cookies and brownies are very moist and not crumbly. Each thick large cookie and brownie contains two servings, and one serving is very filling. My daughter and I enjoyed sharing these products, which taste homemade. All flavors were great, except for the Ginger Molasses, which I didn’t like. My daughter’s favorite was the Chocolate Brownie and then the Peanut Butter cookie. Here is my ranking of the products I liked.

1. Oregon Oatmeal – It contains apricots and cranberries, but tastes simply like a fantastic oatmeal raisin cookie.
2. Snickerdoodle – A perfect version of a classic cookie.
3. Peanut Butter – A strong peanut butter taste and very sweet. This was the first cookie we tried, and I said to my daughter, "WOW, that is sweet!"
4. Chocolate Brownie – It contains large chocolate chips and is not too rich.
5. Chocolate Chip – Also contains many large chocolate chips and tastes good, but the texture wasn’t as good as the other cookies.

"Because WOW Cookies are made from all natural ingredients without the use of preservatives we recommend eating them within 2 weeks of their arrival, if left out at room temperature. To save some for later simply place them in the freezer; their high freezer grade packaging will protect them from freezer burn for up to 6 months. To thaw leave on the counter for 30 min."

You can receive a free WOW cookie in the flavor of your choice by completing a brief form on the WOW Baking website. The cookies and brownies can be purchased online in a 6-pack for $9 or a 12-pack for $17. Tubs and boxes of mini cookies are available as well as cake mixes. WOW also makes gluten-free cookie dough. WOW is not sold in stores in the DC area, but is available at many retail locations throughout the country.

Celiac Disease Information in the eVitamins Blog and Health Encyclopedia

I am guest blogging on the eVitamins blog. Read my first post called “Surprising Symptoms of Celiac Disease”, and read my other posts about vitamin K and iron. The eVitamins blog has many informative articles from several health experts on a variety of topics. They have a health encyclopedia, which has information about celiac disease.

Also, eVitamins sells many gluten-free products, including Kay’s Naturals products at great discounted prices. They offer flat rate shipping for only $4.95. Follow them on twitter @evitamins and become a fan on Facebook.

My Fundraising Article in Gluten-Free Living Magazine

This issue of Gluten-Free Living magazine has two articles that I wrote. You can find my articles in the features section called "Widespread GF giving," which begins on page 38. I wrote a long and inspiring article that is four pages called "10 ways to raise money for celiac research" and a one page article called "First GF food bank opens."

Learn about an easy gluten-free fundraising alternative to selling Girl Scout cookies, an innovative way a celiac support group raises money instead of charging dues, and many things that YOU can do to raise money for celiac research! I really enjoyed writing this article and interviewing so many people by email. The issue has a fantastic eye-catching cover with lipstick tubes, and the table of contents can be viewed on the Gluten-Free Living website. You can still subscribe to Gluten-Free Living and receive this terrific issue in your mailbox soon.

Update June 2010:  I am now writing New for You in every issue of Gluten-Free Living.