O2 Media's Morning Show "The Balancing Act" Features Celiac Disease

Tune in to The Balancing Act October 25th at 7:00 am (ET/PT) on Lifetime Television to hear Phyllis Kessler, President, Celiac Disease Foundation South Florida Chapter, talk about the efforts the foundation is making to raise awareness of Celiac and provide resources to those who currently suffer from the disease.

"The Celiac Disease Foundation has been raising awareness of this vastly under diagnosed disease for over 20 years," Kessler says. "Celiac is one of the most common genetic disorders in the world, yet most people don't even know what it is. The Balancing Act is a great opportunity to educate viewers about this disease and make them aware of the resources and guidance that CDF provides."

Over the years, CDF has built a community of patients, families, and healthcare professionals whose combined efforts have helped improve the quality of life for people with Celiac Disease. They have also tirelessly promoted early detection of the disease, which can drastically lower the chances of more severe consequences like osteoporosis, anemia and infertility.

"Having Phyllis Kessler from the Celiac Disease Foundation on 'The Balancing Act' has brought yet another great solution to women, one that will have a real impact, and help them balance their lives. This is the essence of solutions-based programming, and we are proud that we could bring this information to our viewers" says Doug Campbell, Founder and Executive VP of Programming for The Balancing Act.

Be Aware Of Foods That May Be Unsafe For Celiac Disease

We'd like to introduce you to Carla Spacher, who writes a wonderful blog called Gluten Free Recipe Box. We are so glad to have found her on Facebook and follow her posts which are chock full of great gluten free information.

Today she posted a very helpful guide of foods celiac patients should avoid including the ever increasingly worrisome MSG and its link to issues like autism. Her post also discusses that rice milk can also contain gluten, reinforcing that buyers should always be concerned about the source of their foods. But even better was a helpful list of foods that all celiacs should avoid or beware of possible issues. Here is that list:

Celiac-Foods to Avoid

•Wheat flour including all purpose flour and whole wheat flour

•Oats that are not marked gluten-free

•Rye

•Barley

•Gluten Flour

•Graham Flour (wheat)

•Semolina Flour (wheat)

•Triticale (a cross of wheat and rye)

•Bulgur (wheat)

•Spelt (sometimes causes a reaction similar to wheat)

•Durum – also known as emmer (wheat)

•Couscous (semolina wheat)

•Kamut (sometimes causes a reaction similar to wheat)

•Seitan (wheat)

•Einkorn (European and Asian wheat)

•Fu (usually wheat if from Asia)

•Gravies and soups thickened with wheat flour

•Foods manufactured in a facility that manufactures any gluten products: wheat, rye, barley and most oats

•Dextrin – may be made from wheat

•Envelope Glue – may be made with wheat, other than vegetable based envelope glue

•Protein – HVP or Hydrolyzed Plant Protein – may come from wheat

•Imitation Seafood – also known as sirimi – may contain wheat

•Modified Food Starch – also found in prescription and over-the-counter medications

•Cosmetics containing gluten

•Veined Cheese – may contain gluten bread

•Postum

•Ovaltine and other flavored milk mixes

•Some alcohol (see gluten-free alcohol list)

•Flavored and instant coffees, some herbal teas

•Root beer

•Tortillas, that are not 100% corn and contain gluten/wheat, etc.

•Crackers (not marked gluten-free)

•Wafers, biscuits, croutons, bread crumbs, doughnuts, graham crackers, (not marked gluten-free)

•Anything with malt flavoring, or Malt syrup, malted milk

•Rice Dream brand rice milk (contains a barley enzyme) (check all labels)

•Certain sour creams, yogurts, ice creams, most all light or fat-free dairy products

•Artificial creamers, processed cheese spreads, some chocolate milk drinks

•Pies, cakes, cookies (not gluten-free), commercial pudding mixes, ice cream cones, cake mixes

•Some commercial salad dressings, some mayonnaise

•Commercial canned fruit with gluten thickening

•Imitation Seafood

•Prepared meats, canned tuna containing Hydrolyzed Vegetable or Plant protein (HVP)

•Self-basting turkeys (often injected with HVP)

•Canned Soups, dehydrated soup mixes, bouillion, and boullion cubes

•Creamed, breaded and scalloped vegetables

•Some baked beans, some prepared salad mixes

•Commercial candies and cake decorations

•Some ketchups and mustards

•Soy sauce (use Tamari sauce – San J makes a great one)

•Some mixed spices such as taco seasonings, etc.

This is by no means a complete list, but will give you a good start if you are new to the gluten-free diet. Read your labels and know your ingredients. For other products contact the manufacturer with any questions. Products contain phone numbers for this very reason.

*as posted by Gluten Free Carla

NPR Charlotte Talks Features Gluten Free Show

For those of you who attended the Charlotte Gluten Free Expo, you may remember Chef Peter Reinhart.

Chef Reinhart did a gluten free pizza demo at our Expo and is Johnson & Wales Charlotte Campus Chef on Assignment. He has written many books on baking and is about to release his 9th book which will tackle gluten free baking. Chef Reinhart also is a guest once a month on the NPR(National Public Radio) broadcast show Charlotte Talks.

antique radio

The exciting news is that he has put together a gluten free show with NPR Charlotte Talks which is scheduled for October 21st on WFAE 90.7 at 9 a.m.- 10 a.m.

Guests will include Nikki Everett the lead coordinator for R.O.C.K. Charlotte & the Charlotte Gluten Free Expo and Pat Fogarty, the most referred dietitian & nutritionist in the Charlotte area for gluten free nutrition.

We are extremely honored that he will bring awareness to our community and has invited R.O.C.K. Charlotte to be a part!

Pat Fogarty was also a speaker at the Charlotte Gluten Free Expo and did a fantastic job of helping our guests grasp easier ways to tackle gluten free nutrition. She also has a child she has raised who has celiac disease so her knowledge is vast on deficiency pitfalls and how to avoid them. A voice of experience always helps immensely! Please check out her hour long presentation from the Expo in our previous post: Key Nutrients to a Healthy Gluten Free Diet

We hope you all will tune in to NPR's Charlotte Talks on October 21st at 9 a.m. on WFAE 90.7 for this exciting and informative interactive live show on gluten free living. We encourage you to also call in with any questions you might have for any of the guests or even add your own viewpoint to the discussion!

To call in and join:

704-926-9323

800-603-9323

FYI - We will also be unveiling some exciting news on the show about the Charlotte Gluten Free Expo 2011 which is coming in April!

Halloween Tips For Gluten Free Children

It's Halloween time again soon - And for parents of children with food allergies or sensitivities the anxiety is already rising. School classes offer candy, decorating cookies as an activity, and treats galore. This practice in schools can make the beginning of the holiday season more challenging if you aren't prepared. Here are some ideas you can approach your gluten free child's teacher with or else help you in preparing:

1. Try to find out about any and all extra activities from your child's teacher so that you can plan ahead of time.
2. If the class is decorating cookies, try making some sugar cookies from this Bob's Red Mill Sugar Cookie Recipe or from Gluten Free Mom's Blog(which comes with an icing recipe).
3. You could always make a suggestion to help do a gluten free alternative to cookies like some Halloween crafts. We love Disney's Family Fun website for ideas! Just be aware that some glues can contain wheat.
4. Buy some gluten free treats that can be given to your child in place of questionable ones if the class is getting treats. Place them in a labeled tupperware bin for the teacher to dole out.

Halloween Night
Trick or treating can be a challenge for several reasons. Not only is it disheartening to some children to have to give up their treats once they aquire them. But the added fear of a child eating a non-gf candy before you as a parent checks it can be equally scary. Our family has a golden rule that our celiac child does not eat any candy while trick or treating. She happily obliges as most of her fun is just getting to go to the doors and ask for candy. We also have a standing rule that we go through her horde at the end of the night and if there is any candy she cannot have, we give it to a homeless shelter the next day for the children there to enjoy.

The great news is that even if there is a lot of junk candy out there full of high fructose corn syrup, there are many gluten free candies available. Last year, my celiac child did not have to give up much of her Halloween candy load.
There is a list of gluten free candies on gfreelife.com  and another more extensive list on celiacfamily.com
To see some awesome Gross But Good recipes we have featured at past R.O.C.K. Charlotte Halloween parties try here:
                        Recipes
                        More Recipes
                        Gluten Free Kitty Litter Cake

And don't forget, R.O.C.K. Charlotte hosts a gluten free Halloween Party every year!
To view this year's invitation, click here: Fangtastic Gluten Free Halloween 2010