I know I have been following this diet for 2 years now, but it still seems like it hasn't been any easier to follow. I still have the  temptations, cravings and I feel like there is nothing for me to eat. My doctor has told me to stay away from greens and the gluten because not only do I have celiac disease, but I now have IBS. They go great together! (sarcasm) Some days I feel like there is nothing for me to eat. I am the only one in my family that has to follow this diet and they never quite understand how to cook for me. So for this past holiday I ended up with some olives, pickles, turkey and mashed potatoes! I guess I don't have to worry about that 5 lbs over the holidays!

Though I know it sounds like I'm complaining, I just wonder how do you go about repeatedly telling a person what you can and cannot eat with out getting so frustrated every time? The worst is when you have to go through a fast food place and they look at you like your crazy because you say "Sorry there is nothing for me to eat here!." I guess Celiac disease has more to it then not only being able to eat much! Frustration...

Wow,  I cannot believe that it is time to move onto 2010.  Where the heck did 2009 go?  What a year.  I personally am glad to see it go and good riddance to it.  It was a year of 3 brain surgeries for me and a celiac diagnosis for my husband.  Honestly, I think I won out in the deal.  The holidays have been hard in that it is difficult to replace all the g-full food.  And let's be honest, my husband did not try too hard.  He has fallen off the proverbial wagon big time.  But with the new year comes new resolutions to fail at...I mean to try.  What will yours be?  Mine, the same 10 pounds to loose from last year.  Only I think a few friends have come to live with those 10. And as always to exercise.  But my resolution for my hubby (he is not allowed to make his own LOL) is to be more g-free in the new year.  Hope you all have a prosperous year and free of trauma!

It has been a busy decade for celiac disease. I even think non-celiacs would agree we heard more about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet in the last 10 years than ever before! Including me. We had it in our family for 40 years before I had any idea this disease even existed – with my daughter Emma’s diagnosis in 2000.

With the end of the decade now just days away, I got to wondering what were some of the more significant moments that had an impact on celiac disease. While I certainly have my own thoughts on this, I felt like this needed responses from the greater celiac community.

And you delivered! Starting on December 16th, I opened the unscientific survey asking “What do you think has had the greatest impact on the celiac community in the last ten years?” 94 people responded with their top three answers to my survey which closed on December 27th. Your answers and comments are very interesting. So here are two of the top three vote-getters…

3rd choice for top impact on the celiac community in the last decade: More selection at restaurants

61 percent of respondents chose dining out as their third choice in this survey. It is true. This boom has made eating out with celiac disease so much easier! Really with the exception of Outback Steakhouse’s nationwide gluten-free menu (it’s had the gluten-free menu for as long as I can remember), most other restaurants didn’t even venture into the gluten-free options until about 2006.

Then with the advent of the websites like glutenfreeregistry.com, celiachandbook.com, glutenfreeonthego.com and glutenfreetravelsite.com we all are now able to go on long-distance trips (or even just a local date-night) and have a starting point with which to find a gluten-free meal at a restaurant. One respondent commented, “Awareness at restaurants and with chefs has grown quite a bit. Gluten-free menus are a great way to start a conversation at the table and show others that it can be easy to fulfill a ‘special needs’ diet.” A parent reflected on the change in the last ten years…including finding a place “where we can go to eat out and eat safely.”

Admittedly, there is work to be done. While some restaurants really have a solid understanding of the diet and cross contamination issues, others do not. But in an interview I did with Sheila Weiss the National Restaurant Association consultant on food and nutrition policy earlier this year, she mentioned the interest restaurateurs and chefs have in pleasing patrons with special requests. “We strongly encourage customers to explain their food intolerances to their server so that the appropriate staff member can be notified in order to accommodate the special requests. Restaurants are happy to work with the customer to find menu items that work for a gluten-intolerant guest,” Weiss said. “The lines of communication are very important so that a restaurant can ensure a safe meal for their food-intolerant guest from start to finish. This personalized attention is of utmost importance to all parties involved.”

2nd choice for top impact on the celiac community in the last decade:
A tie: celebrities with ties to celiac and blogging/social networking

Respondents chose these two categories for their #2 selection 50% of the time in the survey.

Celebrities with ties to celiac disease started with Rich Gannon who was an NFL quarterback when his daughter Danielle was diagnosed with celiac disease. He and his wife Shelley have been very active in raising awareness over the last decade. Most recently the additions of Heidi Collins (CNN anchor) and Elisabeth Hasselbeck (The View co-host and author of The G-Free Diet) have really added to the awareness. In some cases it seems too bad that it takes a public figure to get people interested in a cause, but it has helped here. I am thankful that they’ve used their celebrity to bring awareness to this cause.

Blogging and social networking about celiac disease seems to be the current equivalent to a support group. It is so easy to throw a question on Twitter and get several responses within a few hours (or even minutes). I believe bloggers have made people with this disease not feel so isolated not just because there are many out there, but many of the stories they are telling are very relatable.

One respondent acknowledged the importance of bloggers and social networking, but that person worries that most of the impact has been negative. “[Blogs] allow all the kooks and nutcases free rein to promulgate their belief systems as if they were backed by solid scientific research.” This is an area in which readers need to be careful. I hope that when people start searching for celiac-related blogs, they can eventually deduce which ones are right for them. Some blogs only focus on gluten-free cooking, others are more about the celiac lifestyle. This blog, thesavvyceliac.com, is about education, research and lifestyle. Either way there must be hundreds of us out there…I would like to think that we are all trying to achieve one goal – raising awareness as accurately and honestly as we can.

The top spot will be posted on Tuesday!

For years I’ve only purchased big brand names of ibuprofen and cough/cold medicine for my gluten-free daughter, because I couldn’t guarantee the generic, store brand version sitting right next to the big name brand  (and  about a third less in cost) was gluten-free.  Now it appears that’s about to change — in a bold way.

In a news release Monday, the Perrigo company says it will begin labeling gluten-free products appropriately beginning in January of 2010!  Wow!  Those Sunday 2:00 a.m. trips to my local 24-hour drug or grocery store looking for a pain reliever for my feverish child may not be so bad.  Now I’ll actually be able to find out a medicine’s gluten-free status — right there in aisle 9!  “Now, consumers will be able to identify whether a Perrigo-supplied product is “gluten-free” simply by reading the product label,” the Perrigo news release said.

Perrigo is the “world’s largest manufacturer of OTC [over-the-counter] pharmaceutical products for the store brand market.” It certainly is showing it’s progressive side by not only adding the gluten-free label, but also putting together a plan to ensure gluten-free claim on the medicines is true; which is a bit reassuring:

“To support the gluten-free labeling initiative, Perrigo has instituted a gluten-free assurance program. Perrigo’s program is based on the acceptable thresholds of gluten (less than 20 parts per million) identified by the FDA for the food industry. It is comprised of a gluten testing methodology for raw materials and products, as well as ongoing quality assurance for ingredient and formula changes.”

The Perrigo website doesn’t list which companies it prepares store-brand OTC medicines for, but it did briefly make mention of WalMart, Walgreens and Kroger as big name examples on one of the company’s web pages.  So you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled at your local store.

But in the meantime, this appears to be the list of generics they create. I can’t wait to check them out!

Recently, noticing that the Mt. Olive pickles contain flavoring, or natural flavoring, I wrote a letter asking whether their flavoring contains any derivatives of rye or barley, even if it doesn't contain any wheat.

Here's the letter I got back from them:

__________________________________________

Hallie, thanks for your note. Our QC folks followed up with our flavorings supplier, and our flavorings do not contain rye, barley or any of their derivatives.

 

Thanks for contacting us.

 

 

Lynn Williams

Community Relations

Mt. Olive Pickle Company, Inc.

Corner of Cucumber & Vine

One Cucumber Boulevard / P.O. Box 609

Mount Olive, NC 28365

800.672.5041, ext. 3628

_______________________________________________

So I will continue enjoying the Mt. Olive Pickles!

I must say that I was not at all surprised by the decision made on Thursday by U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Tauro to dismiss a plagiarism lawsuit that was filed by Susan Hassett (author of Living With Celiac Disease) against  Elisabeth Hasselbeck (author of The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide and star of the television show "The View"). I predicted such an outcome in my blog post: Did Elisabeth Hasselbeck Commit Plagiarism in The G-Free Diet?

Apparently the lawsuit was dismissed after Hassett’s attorney, Richard Cunha, failed to file certain paperwork in a timely manner.

According to Bostonherald.com:

"It’s unclear why Hassett didn’t pursue the case. Her lawyer, Richard Cunha of Swansea, yesterday told the Herald, 'I can talk about that,' then hung up the phone."

Just for the record I never received a response from Hassett (I emailed her directly) regarding her book's use of my site's Safe & Forbidden Lists page from May 30, 1997. She used an almost identical copy of my copyrighted list without permission or proper citation. I asked that she correct this in future editions of her book, but she has ignored my request.


Source:
Judge tosses plagiarism suit vs. “View” star Elisabeth Hasselbeck

I'm writing a book about the bladder, and one of the points I came across in my research, perhaps not too surprisingly, is a link between gluten intolerance and/or celiac disease and chronic prostatitis in men.  I've also run across a comment posted regarding this link on the gluten-free forum on this site, but I really want to learn more about this link to document it for the book.  So, what I'm wondering, and asking, is if anyone would be willing to share their story with me?  My guess is that chronic prostatitis often exists concurrently with other symptoms more typical of gluten reactions, and that going on a gluten free diet helps those symptoms, with the added, although unexpected, benefit on the prostate.  Can anyone help me out?  All confidentiality will be protected.

Hello Everyone!  I was diagnosed with celiac disease about six months ago or so.  I was doing well.  I felt a lot better right away.  Then in August I messed up a number of times by eating out.  Now I have been very strict.  Although still a learning curve with hidden gluten/cross contamination.  My number went from 37 to 10. 

 My thing is I have been getting very nauseous for about a month now.  My GI doc thinks it is because I still have gluten in my system (the number being 10 still).  Prior to being diagnosed nausea wasn't the problem.  It was bloating, cramps, bowel issues, migraines (side note: migraines are gone!).  But now I am nauseous daily.  I had bloodwork and an ultrasound done for gall stones, liver and pancreas and all was fine.  It doesn't seem to matter what I eat.  It is usually after lunch, and I normally eat salad, meat and veggies, banana and almonds.   Today I had no lunch and had coffee with milk and I suffering bad with nausea, sweating and headaches.  I don't seem to have trouble with milk but maybe I do.

I am just wondering what other celiacs would have to say.  I am committed to doing this, I just wish I would start feeling better. Any advice is appreciated.

Good Morning Everyone,
It has been sometime since I have checked in and for that I apologize.   The gluten-free diet is going well but a little boring.  I did discover a new product (well new to me).  I was shopping at my local Redners a few weeks back.  I was picking up the cookies my hubby likes.  upon my arrival I noticed 2 men standing right in front of my (LOL) gluten free section of the aisle.  I say mine because I never see anyone else standing there. I became very curious as to why they were there.  As it turned out, Redners was increasing their line of gluten-free items and in doing so now carries Dr. Schar Products. I spoke at length to the sales rep.  The company is European and he informed me that across the pond they are more concerned than the US in getting this stuff to taste good.  I was very excited.  The pasta was fantastic and my hubby loves the shortbread cookies.  Check it out and let me know if you try any of the other products.  Happy Eating!

Last weekend all 5 of us went to Hershey Park. What an experience to have with a celiac! We did search the official website for Hershey Park and was happy to see they offered a page listing all the ingredients of the food at the park.  There was one place that had gluten free hamburger buns.  Over all we did have a good time but worrying about what a person can eat and be at an amusement park is difficult.  Mostly because the one of the best parts to being there is munching on the junk food.  If we go again I will call and see if there is something we can do that would allow us to bring in his food since their offering was so little.  Have a great day and happy eating.