Since launching Celiac Disease, I continue to be surprised at the number of symptoms that can be relieved by simplying following a strict gluten free diet.  My latest discovery is the possibility that bedwetting is a symptom of Celiac Disease!  Who would have thought?

Unfortunately, I have not been able to discover any scientific evidence to support this yet.   I know a lot of our readers have children with Celiac Disease.   Out of curiosity, did your child have problems with bedwetting?   Leave us a comment with your story!

Now that 2009 has finally arrived, it is time for many of us to make those pesky New Year’s resolutions.   I’ve been thinking about a few for myself, both personally and professionally, to help keep me motivated this year.

My professional resolution is to keep doing my part to help increase awareness for Celiac Disease.    We try to do several updates a day and keep everyone up to date on the latest Celiac-related information, but I’m hoping to grow and expand into more “gluten free” related areas in 2009.  I’ve got a plan in place, so I just need to set it into motion.   I will of course make announcements as things are ready to go, so make sure you are subscribed to our feed.

What are your resolutions for 2009?  Let us know in the comments!

Are you one of the thousands of people living in the State of New York with Celiac Disease?   With the size of the population in New York being what it is, you’d expect for someone on a gluten free diet to be able to find suitable places to eat, right?

The Rochester City Newspaper recently shared a large number of gluten free options for people who live or are visiting the Rochester New York area.   It turns out it is quite the list!

Here are the restaurants listed which offer gluten free menu items:

• Portofino Restaurant
• Natural Oasis Ethiopian Buffet and Vegetarian Cafe
• P F Chang’s
• Simply Crêpes
• India House Restaurant
• Gusto

Click here for additional information including to check out their full description of each restaurants offerings!

Most of us know what it is like to live on a gluten free diet, but for children, it is quite a bit more difficult.   Being “different” from the other kids can be very difficult for most children to handle. 

Over at 2 The Advocate, I noticed a story about a woman who has 2 children with Celiac Disease.   She shares her story about how she has dealt with it, how she has helped the children fit in at school, and talks about her starting a support group in her area specifically for children with the disease.  

The story is only a few pages, so check it out if it sounds interesting.

If you’ve been reading this website for awhile, you probably will remember when we wrote about an article that appeared in the Chicago Tribune about how not all food allergy labeling is accurate.   As the fallout began, there were responses from several major companies include Enjoy Life, Wellshire Farms, and the ACDA.

Now, over a month later, we continue to see more information about food allergies in general and food labeling.   Today I was reading a post over at AJC about the fallout from the Chicago Tribune article and ran across some interesting tips that I wanted to pass along to our readers. 

Their five main points are:

1. Labeling Errors Are Common - Parents should know that many product labels contain flaws that mask major allergens.
2. Labels Can Be Confusing - Parents should understand the scientific terms used for major allergens.
3. Oats are Often Tainted with Wheat - Parents of children with wheat allergies or celiac disease should steer clear of oats.
4. Beware of Imported Foods - Parents should know that imports are often unchecked and mislabeled.
5. Avoid Unlabeled Foods - Parents should not guess the ingredients in unlabeled food; common allergens can exist in unlikely products.

#4 is the one that really resonated with me.   Here is what they had to say:

The Tribune found imports with incomplete labels or ingredients listed in other languages — each a violation of the law.

Among the examples: Valencianos Artisanal Crackers, manufactured in Spain and sold at Whole Foods.

The distributor, Forever Cheese of Long Island City, N.Y., initially maintained that the rules didn’t apply to the firm because it imports only a small volume of the crackers.

But the FDA said the rules do apply, regardless of how much is imported.

When told that, Forever Cheese acknowledged that the packages were mislabeled and would be fixed. Whole Foods said it would pull the Valencianos crackers from shelves nationwide.

Over the last 10 years, at least 1 in 7 recalls for undeclared allergens by the FDA and USDA involved imported food, a Tribune database shows. Most products were from China, where, experts say, there are few rules regarding labeling.

Some of this stuff is certainly common sense for anyone with Celiac Disease, but there is some good information in their post, including the information about imported foods which some companies don’t seem to consider when labeling their products.

Here is an interesting video I ran across on YouTube discussing the Celiac Disease Foundation.  If you’d like to check it out as well, I’ve gone ahead and attached it to this post below.