Celiac-Disease.com » Resources http://celiac-disease.com Celiac News, Tips, and More! Fri, 10 Sep 2010 05:30:49 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Gluten-Free Emergency Kits http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-emergency-kits/ http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-emergency-kits/#comments Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:10:45 +0000 Kimberly Bouldin http://celiac-disease.com/?p=8609 Do you have a gluten-free emergency kit? Has the thought ever crossed your mind in the case of a disaster of some sort? Tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes or even summer storms can wreck havoc and leave destruction in their wake. If your power was out for longer than 12 – 24 hours, what would you do?

After 9-11 I really began to freak out about being prepared for an emergency. I live no where close to NYC, but what if some kind of disaster were to strike close by to our home and we were unable to get food for whatever reason. This was all before we had to eat gluten-free, too. Sure, keeping gallons of water, flashlights, batteries and blankets is easy whether you are gluten-free or not. Keeping food around may not be as easy, unless you plan ahead.

There are checklists available here to outline the most important items to have on hand. Included in the link above are basic lists and then suggested additions. A three day supply is suggested for food and water. Make sure to take into account that water is per person. If you have pets, do not forget to plan ahead for them. Here are some basic gluten-free food items that can be included in an emergency kit:

  • Lara Bars, Pure Bars, Zing Bars or other fruit/nut bar
  • Canned meat – tuna and salmon are good choices
  • Canned beans – good source of protein/carbs
  • Nuts
  • Non-perishable, pasteurized milk (Horizon Organic makes individual boxes)
  • Vitamins
  • Gluten-free crackers
  • Gluten-free cereal
  • Peanut Butter (other nut butters are good, too, but some need to be kept in the refrigerator)
  • Dried fruit

Gluten-free Emergency Kits sells pre-packaged emergency kits for 24 hours, 72 hours or 30 days. The 72 Hour Kit feeds a family of 4 and has a shelf life of 5 years. A description from the site:

The kit is shipped in boxes, has a shelf life of four to five years if stored properly between 68 to 70 degrees. The products are packaged in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers.

Mixes From The Heartland Inc. has developed a complete gluten-free emergency food kit that supplies the necessary ingredients to provide meals for a family of four to six people for seventy-two hours. The purchaser of the kit needs only to add water to have savory, gluten-free meals that can be consumed by the whole family.

In addition to food and water, make sure to set aside any medications that family members may need in case of an emergency. Extra glasses or contact lenses, extra batteries for hearing aids and information on any medical devices, if used.

After you get the emergency kit figured out, be sure to make a plan. Making a plan includes things like subscribing to alert services, informing all family members how to contact one another and including pre-paid calling cards or money in the kit.

The last bit of information is to be informed. What kinds of unexpected situations could require your family to put an emergency plan into action? Forms and publications on the plans and some of the links provided above can be downloaded or ordered here.

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]]> http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-emergency-kits/feed/ 1 Gluten-Free Travel Site & Gluten-Free Faces Join Forces http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-travel-site-gluten-free-faces-join-forces/ http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-travel-site-gluten-free-faces-join-forces/#comments Mon, 10 May 2010 19:53:34 +0000 Kimberly Bouldin http://celiac-disease.com/?p=7308 Gluten Free Travel Site and Gluten-Free Faces have joined forces to expand the reach of gluten-free dining and travel reviews. Gluten Free Travel Site helps people find gluten-free restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, resorts & cruise ships around the world, so forming a partnership with Gluten-Free Faces, a site that helps join people together to share information, makes perfect sense.

Gluten Free Travel Site was launched in 2008 and not only provides a wealth of information for traveling, but allows for users to input their reviews of restaurants, hotels, etc. Some of the information that can be found on the site includes menus for numerous chain restaurants across the country, contacts for gluten-free cruises, Disney vacations and resorts. While Gluten Free Travel Site doesn’t have a lot of user reviews in the areas I looked through today, it seems like the partnership with Gluten-Free Faces can only make this idea grow & help many people out. The ability to get real feedback on safe restaurants, grocery shopping options, etc while traveling is priceless. Having a list of places is great, but if you don’t know the kind of service that you will receive or options that you will have, it can quickly turn into a very frustrating time. I know that I have been there, as I am sure a lot of you have been as well.

Gluten-Free Faces was launched in 2009 by Chad Hines, who has been living with Celiac for over 20 years, and is an interactive social network that allows members to share all kinds of information. The site is user friendly and even has a live chat feature to allow users to quickly gain answers to their questions. In addition to the ability to exchange information with other people, there are recipes, blogs, maps and resources listed. Gluten-Free Faces currently has over 4100 members and is free to join. Once you join, the welcome center has all kinds of helpful information to help you get started. Another fun feature of Gluten-Free Faces is the ability to post your own blog. If you currently have a blog, you can re-blog over on Gluten-Free Faces, or if you don’t, you can just blog there. Groups are small forums and are started and monitored by the members of Gluten-Free Faces. There are 92 groups on Gluten-Free Faces. A wide variety of gluten-free topics can be found in the groups area, such as GF Recipe Exchange, Gluten-free in Michigan and Southern Celiac.

If you aren’t familiar with Gluten Free Travel Site or Gluten-Free Faces, take some time to check them out. Add your reviews of local establishments or places you have experienced on a recent trip. The more people that participate in this new partnership, the better it will be for us all.

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]]> http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-travel-site-gluten-free-faces-join-forces/feed/ 0 Gluten-free Gifts http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-gifts/ http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-gifts/#comments Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:37:29 +0000 Kimberly Bouldin http://celiac-disease.com/?p=6648 Sending a food-related gift for someone that is gluten-free is tough. There are many non-gluten-free options – Cookie Bouquets, Cheryl’s Cookies, Harry & David, Hickory Farms, etc. It is always tough when we get a gift from one of the aforementioned places & Jon can’t have any of the treats. While there may be a piece of fruit from Harry & David or cheese from Hickory Farms, the gluten-free options just aren’t as plentiful.

There are some gluten-free options out there. Edible Arrangements is a great option for gluten-free gifts. The main ingredient is fruit and the fruit, if not dipped, is gluten-free.

Mariposa Bakery has gift sets you can order. I did a review of Mariposa’s products that can be seen here. All of the gift baskets are under $40 and would make an excellent gift. Some of the options include several varieties of brownies, coconut lemon squares, coffee cake, biscotti & more. There is a dairy-free gift set as well. Other fun options are the brownie-of-the-month club, biscotti-of-the-month club & a gluten-free sampler club.

Illinois Nut & Candy has many gluten-free gift ideas. Some of the wonderful options include shaped chocolate bars & lollipops, popcorn balls & shaped sprinkles. I love all of the holiday options for Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah and more.

Live Gluten Freely has a wonderful new option. For $24.99 plus shipping LGF will include a gluten-free, full-size assortment of General Mills gluten-free products. This would be perfect for the newly diagnosed or for saying thank you or congratulations. The box includes:

  • Betty Crocker® Gluten-Free Brownie Mix
  • Betty Crocker® Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix
  • Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy Chocolate Frosting
  • Honey Nut Chex® Cereal
  • Betty Crocker® Create-A-Bug® Fruit Flavored Snacks
  • Betty Crocker® Fruit Flavored Snacks Variety Pack – Fruit Roll-Ups®, Fruit Gushers®, Fruit by the Foot®
  • Peanut Butter Cookie Lärabar® Snack Bar
  • Betty Crocker® Potato Buds® Mashed Potatoes
  • Betty Crocker® Red Serving Spoon
  • Coupons and More!

GlutenFreeMall.com has gift vouchers that can be purchased from their site in as low as $25 increments. You can get a $25 Gluten-Free Mall Gift Voucher here. This allows the person you are shopping for to choose from the hundreds of items that are sold at the Gluten-Free Mall.

Last but not least, gift certificates to one of the many restaurants that are now offering gluten-free menus. If there is a local restaurant, placing a phone call is a great way to see if gift certificates can be purchased. If the person is newly gluten-free, consider sending along a set of gluten-free dining guide & cards, such as those made by Triumph Dining to help ease some of the confusion of eating out gluten-free. Some of the chain restaurants that have gluten-free menus are:

  • P.F. Chang’s
  • Bonefish Grill
  • Pei Wei Asian Diner
  • Z Pizza
  • Red Robin
  • Cheeseburger in Paradise
  • Outback Steakhouse
  • Carraba’s
  • Olive Garden
  • Chik-fil-a
  • Chipotle

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]]> http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-gifts/feed/ 1 My Gluten Facts – A Guide to Gluten-free Products http://celiac-disease.com/my-gluten-facts-a-guide-to-gluten-free-products/ http://celiac-disease.com/my-gluten-facts-a-guide-to-gluten-free-products/#comments Thu, 21 Jan 2010 18:58:05 +0000 Kimberly Bouldin http://celiac-disease.com/?p=5398 I received an email the other day that mentioned a website called My Gluten Facts.  I had never heard of the site, so off I went to investigate it.  I am always on the look out for new tools and products to help make the gluten-free diet easier.  I found My Gluten Facts very easy to read & navigate.  I went ahead & emailed the site for some more information.

I received an email back from Josh, the co-founder of My Gluten Facts.  My Gluten Facts was started by Denis & Josh.  I love the story of how it came to fruition.  Denis was diagnosed with gluten intolerance and was finding it difficult to eat, especially while away from home.  During this same time, he & Josh were taking a business course together.  The professor assigned a project to the class; to create a solution to an unmet need in the market place.  My Gluten Facts was born.

For the past 2 years, Josh & Denis have been contacting companies to gather information to determine what was safe in the gluten-free diet.  Currently, there are over 12,000 products listed on My Gluten Facts.  The list is updated every 90 days so the most current information is available and up-to-date.  The products are classified in 3 different ways – DF = Dedicated Facility, DL = Dedicated Line, & CL = Cleaned Line.  More information about how to use My Gluten Facts can be found on their website.

Coming soon to My Gluten Facts – gluten-free grocery shopping is about to get a whole lot easier for everyone.  My Gluten Facts will be  introducing a new way for you to track which stores carry your favorite products. Adding a product to any store will be as easy as 1, 2, 3. With the help of other My Gluten Facts members, you’ll efficiently plan your grocery route so you spend less time traveling around to buy food, and more time enjoying it.

My Gluten Facts is a free service.  Once you sign up & start browsing the product list, you can compile a grocery list & save, print or email.  Friends & relatives can also sign up and research food to make sure what they buy or prepare is safe for you.  Not only is there a wealth of information to be found product wise, but there is information on Celiac Disease, gluten-free living, tips and many links to other Celiac websites.

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]]> http://celiac-disease.com/my-gluten-facts-a-guide-to-gluten-free-products/feed/ 2 Introducing Our New Gluten-Free Forums http://celiac-disease.com/celiac-gluten-free-forums/ http://celiac-disease.com/celiac-gluten-free-forums/#comments Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:34:11 +0000 Kyle Eslick http://celiac-disease.com/?p=3807 Over the past couple months as this website has continued to grow, we’ve been hard at work on building some new resources for the Celiac community.     A couple of weeks ago Tiffany Janes introduced Gluten Free Questions, a website that answers your gluten-free diet questions.   Some of the questions already tackled include the following:

If you have a question you’d like answered, you can submit your questions here and they may be answered in a future post! 

One thing I’ve learned since launching this website is that people have a lot of questions and need a place to ask them where they can get a quick answer.   Here on the main website we attempt to discuss the major issues and allow you to contribute and provide feedback in the comments, but where do you go when you want to start a topic? 

It was with this in mind that we created our newest resource, a forum called the Celiac Board.   The Celiac Board is a completely FREE forum for discussing celiac disease and the gluten-free diet.   

As of launch we’ve already got 15 forums built for various types of discussions, but your feedback is encouraged so the forum can best accommodate the communities needs.    You can register for your completely free account here and then begin using the forum right away!

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]]> http://celiac-disease.com/celiac-gluten-free-forums/feed/ 0 Gluten-Free Foods at Sports Venues http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-foods-at-sports-venues/ http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-foods-at-sports-venues/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:53:15 +0000 Kyle Eslick http://celiac-disease.com/?p=2582 Over the past few years, thanks to some solid efforts from various Celiac support groups, a growing number of sports venues have started to make an effort to accommodate the Celiac community by offering gluten-free foods and drinks at their stadiums, arenas, and other venues.   Based upon information I’ve been reading, the selection can range from a gluten-free beer and a few standard pre-packaged gluten-free foods all the way to a large variety of gluten-free foods.   A couple baseball stadiums (the Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves) even offer a completely gluten-free concession stand!

In the below post, I’ve gone out and collected as much information as possible about the various sports venues and posted them below, sorted by sport.   As more sports venues add gluten-free accommodations, this post will be updated.

Major League Baseball Teams (MLB)

  • Atlanta Braves (Atlanta, Georgia) – Now a gluten-free dedicated concession stand located in section 106 (at field level).   Featured at the stand are all beef franks, sirloin beef burgers, chicken sandwiches, chips, popcorn, brownies, cookies, soda, water and gluten-free Red Bridge beer!
  • Arizona Diamondbacks (Phoenix, Arizona) – Chase Field offers gluten-free beer and snacks. Larabars and gummy bars are available and the gluten-free beer is available wherever liquor is sold (sections 109, 114, 122, 129, 136, 311, 324).
  • Baltimore Orioles (Washington D.C.) – Gluten-free pretzels are available from Noah’s Pretzel
  • Chicago White Sox (Chicago, Illinois) – US Cellular Field offers gluten-free granola bars, candies, and gluten-free beer at the Southside Grill.
  • Colorado Rockies (Denver, Colorado) – Coors Field has an entirely gluten-free concession stand behind section 147 on the left field.  This concession sells burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, cookies, pretzels, chips, brownies, beer, and soda! [Learn More]
  • Los Angeles Dodgers (Los Angeles, California) – Gluten-free beer (Redbridge) is available at many concession stands.  [Learn More]
  • Philadelphia Phillies (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) – Section 128 of Citizen’s Bank Park offers gluten-free hot dogs/buns and gluten-free snacks.  Redbridge Beer is also available at many stands throughout the park, including Sections 139, 204, and 323.
  • Washington Nationals (Washington D.C.) – Gluten-free pretzels are available from Noah’s Pretzel

National Football League Teams (NFL)

  • Baltimore Ravens (Maryland) – You can read more about gluten-free options at Ravens games here.
  • Philadelphia Eagles (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) – Lincoln Financial Field offers a “Philly Stand” at Section 117, where gluten-free hot dogs/buns and gluten-free snacks are sold.  Redbridge beer is also available next door in Section 118. [Learn More]

National Basketball Association Teams (NBA)

  • Philadelphia 76ers – Redbridge beer ($6.75) and Woodchuck hard cider ($6.75) are available in the “Fan Favorites” stands at Sections 104, 110 and 116.  You can also get grilled chicken sandwiches ($6.00) and hot dogs ($4.00), both on gluten-free buns, which is located on the concourse level at Section 122. This stand also sells Redbridge beer.  [Learn More]

National Hockey League Teams (NHL)

  • Carolina Hurricanes (Raleigh, North Carolina) – According to Gluten Free Raleigh, the RBC Center offers both Redbridge beers and a few food items, including popcorn and garden salads (sections 126 and 314). You can read more here.
  • Philadelphia 7Flyers – Redbridge beer ($6.75) and Woodchuck hard cider ($6.75) are available in the “Fan Favorites” stands at Sections 104, 110 and 116.  You can also get grilled chicken sandwiches ($6.00) and hot dogs ($4.00), both on gluten-free buns, which is located on the concourse level at Section 122. This stand also sells Redbridge beer. [ Learn More]

College Teams (NCAA)

  • Sprint Center (Kansas City, Missouri) – Gluten-free beer and some gluten-free foods (pizza, brownies, and candies) [Learn More]

Note: Levy Restaurants caters to a large number of stadiums and other sports venues.  You can see a full list here.  Aramark also caters to a number of stadiums, but they offer limited information on their website about any of their gluten-free concession stands (however you can view the stadiums that they have contracts with in the drop-down menu).

Sadly, that is as complete as I could get the list.   I’ve found a few other similar lists around the internet and am confident this is the most complete one available, but there has to be quite a few that the above list is missing.

With that said, I’m going to turn this over to our readers since you guys are scattered throughout the United States (and the world!).   Know of a sports stadium, arena, or venue with gluten-free accommodations which we are missing from our list?  Please leave a comment below or contact us with information about your local sports teams!

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]]> http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-foods-at-sports-venues/feed/ 10 More Exciting Gluten-Free Apps for the iPhone! http://celiac-disease.com/more-exciting-gluten-free-apps-for-the-iphone/ http://celiac-disease.com/more-exciting-gluten-free-apps-for-the-iphone/#comments Sat, 29 Aug 2009 18:14:34 +0000 Tiffany Janes http://celiac-disease.com/?p=2356 Kim Koeller and the team at Gluten Free Passport have done it again! Living with celiac disease and other food allergies does not slow Kim Koeller down one bit. Her busy career keeps her hopping around four continents and she eats over 80% of her meals in restaurants.

If someone like Kim can eat out safely then people that only need to avoid gluten absolutely can! In her quest to help people do just that, Kim and her amazing team have created three valuable iPhone apps – the latest of which was just released!

The iEatOut app is $8.99 and offers impressive features including, but not limited to:

  • Select from any combination of 10 common food allergens -
    Gluten • Wheat • Corn • Dairy • Eggs • Fish • Peanuts • Shellfish • Soy • Tree Nuts
  • Personalize these allergens for yourself and others
  • Choose from 86 menu items customized to your allergens
  • Prepare yourself with questions to ask for safe ordering

The iEatOut LITE app is FREE but has less bells and whistles than the FULL version.

  • Experience the streamlined design and capabilities available with the FULL version
  • Select and personalize any combination of 10 common food allergens for yourself and others including: gluten, wheat, corn, dairy, eggs, fish, peanuts, shellfish, soy and tree nuts
  • View 6 menu items out of the 86 in iEatOut Gluten & Allergen Free™ with color coded-columns based on your allergen concerns
  • Browse sample questions to ask, associated ingredients and food preparation techniques
  • Work offline with no connectivity required

Last but not least, the brand new iCanEat OnTheGo app is only $4.99 and helps you eat out at many fast food restaurants in the U.S., avoiding any combination of the nine top allergens.

  • Explore 15 menus from top US Fast Food & Quick Service Restaurants
  • View almost 1,600 menu items with color coded-columns to see which items contain your concerns
  • Hide menu items that contain your allergens to see what you CAN eat
  • AND MORE!

There are several gluten-free apps for the iPhone at present and more are in the works. Do you have an iPhone? If so, tell us what gluten-free apps you use in the comments below!

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]]> http://celiac-disease.com/more-exciting-gluten-free-apps-for-the-iphone/feed/ 1 How to Confirm Candy is Gluten Free http://celiac-disease.com/how-to-confirm-candy-is-gluten-free/ http://celiac-disease.com/how-to-confirm-candy-is-gluten-free/#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:44:39 +0000 Kyle Eslick http://celiac-disease.com/?p=2188 Although candy is probably one of the easier foods to find gluten free options available in your traditional grocery stores, ingredients seem to always be changing (especially with candies), so it is important to verify that your candies are and remain gluten free every so often.  

I’ve found the easiest thing to do is to review your favorite candies every year around Halloween time, but each person can find a system that works for them.   To date, the best resource I’ve found is the gluten free candy list maintained by our friend Nancy Lapid of About.com.  

As of todays’ date, her list includes information about the following companies:

  • Nestle USA
  • Wrigley’s
  • Jelly Belly
  • Just Born Candy Company
  • Necco
  • Fannie May Chocolates
  • See’s Candies
  • Let’s Do Organic Gummy Bears

You’ll find more specific information about each company (including which products they are known for), and contact information to contact and verify products are still indeed gluten free.  If you are interested, you can check out the updated gluten free candy resource here.

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]]> http://celiac-disease.com/how-to-confirm-candy-is-gluten-free/feed/ 0 Gluten Free Faces: Gluten Free Social Network http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-faces-gluten-free-social-network/ http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-faces-gluten-free-social-network/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:24:53 +0000 Kyle Eslick http://celiac-disease.com/?p=2056 Although it has been almost a full month since Gluten Free Faces launched, today I realized we haven’t mentioned this new website/service here.   This post is an attempt to make up for this! 

Gluten Free Faces is the creation of our friend Chad Hines, a blogger who decided to create an online, gluten free community where individuals could come together and provide support, information and guidance to one another.  The result is a gluten free social network  of sorts, which hopes to bring the Celiac community together online.  

Once you’ve signed up for your free account, you’ll have the ability to create your own avatar and interact with other members of the Gluten Free Faces community via chat or by joining individual groups.  You can also share your favorite gluten free recipes, search gluten free blogs, and of course discussing news.   In other words, it is similar to a Celiac forum, but with a more private feel to it. 

If you’d like to check out, you can click here to visit Gluten Free Faces!

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]]> http://celiac-disease.com/gluten-free-faces-gluten-free-social-network/feed/ 0 Whole Foods Market Releases iPhone Application http://celiac-disease.com/whole-foods-market-releases-iphone-application/ http://celiac-disease.com/whole-foods-market-releases-iphone-application/#comments Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:19:46 +0000 Kyle Eslick http://celiac-disease.com/?p=2050 If you are a Whole Foods shopper, there is a new iPhone/iPod Touch application that owners of these devices will want to check out (available via search in the iTunes store).

According to what I’ve read about this new application from Whole Foods, it includes a store locator (great for traveling!) as well as the ability to find gluten free foods in their stores, or even browse through their index of gluten free recipes!

whole-foods-market-app

Anyone tried this new application yet?   Leave your review in the comments!

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