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In case anyone is interested in finding a summer camp that's safe for a celiac kid to attend, I'm working for the next six months at Ballibay Camps, Inc. -- which is one campus with several different fine and performing arts programs (as well as more traditional camp activities). We have a new food program (this is our second year) focusing on sustainable whole ingredients that are locally-sourced and organic whenever possible (we also have a camp garden) -- we've been accommodating the needs of several celiacs over the course of the past three summers without needing the kids to bring any of their own food -- kitchen staff are conscientious about avoiding cross-contamination and using alternative grains and ingredients.

The main camp website with our theatre and performing arts program (which includes further discussion of the food program): Open Original Shared Link

Our shorter, more traditional fine arts camp program: Open Original Shared Link

The rock music program: Open Original Shared Link

Our dance intensive: Open Original Shared Link

I can vouch for how great this place is -- I'm returning to teach here for the summer after 14 years away and kids have an amazing time here!

After about two years of being gluten-free, I still had a lot of fatigue and started seeing an acupuncturist around every other week. Within a couple of months, I had a lot more energy and I have also found that my reactions to cross-contamination are less extreme. Chinese medicine works on different principles, but basically I had what's called spleen qi deficiency -- which was largely caused by having untreated celiac for years. It does seem like my digestion overall is much better as well. So you might consider that if you're looking for ways to encourage the healing process.

My favorite thing to do w/ Quinoa is this vegetarian chowder recipe by Deborah Madison:

Open Original Shared Link

It really took me about a year and a half to begin to put on weight. I went through a nasty breakup right after my diagnosis, which definitely stressed me out and hampered the healing process -- it also made me lose my appetite for a while. Even after a year an a half, I hadn't gained a whole lot of weight - but I'd always been skinny, so I assumed that was the way it would be.

Actually -- that's changed a lot in just the past year -- I've gone from size 0 to size 4 -- and it's a very good thing, let me tell you. I've been gluten free for three years and about a year ago I started to see an acupuncturist every other week. Although I'd assumed that I was "healed" before then, the acupuncture has really accelerated the process even more and I have more energy and feel better than I ever though possible -- I've also gained a really healthy amount of weight since then and my weight seems to have balanced out.

Also -- I've been making a lot of Socca -- which is kind of a chickpea flatbread -- it's all olive oil, chickpea flour and water -- no yeast or dairy -- quite wonderful. I've been using Mark Bittman's recipe, which you can find by googling Bittman and Socca.

I'd like to petition my employer to be able to work from home 1 day a week so that I can work with a pot of soup on the stove or a casserole in the oven. I'll also have a bit more free time to shop those days because I'll cut down on commute time and be closer to stores which carry gluten-free food and fresh produce. I'm an editor working for a large university, so most of my work can be done from home -- and I'm fully confident that I'll actually be more productive with this arrangement.

Has anyone else tried to set up an arrangement like this? I'm the most productive among my colleagues, so am in a good position to make this request. I'm also going to get letters from my g.p. and my acupuncturist to help support my claims. Anything else I might include?

I swear I've eaten the sushi rice at my favorite sushi place since my diagnosis and not gotten sick, but they seem to now be insisting that their sushi rice can't be guaranteed to be gluten free -- I can't really get a detailed answer out of them (they use rice vinegar to season it), but I've run into this at a couple of local sushi places and I was wondering what the likelihood was that they might be being over-careful about the rice vinegar.

Has anyone else run into this?

I like Nature's Path's "Mesa Sunrise" flakes -- they're amaranth and a few other gluten-free things. Not sugary in the least however -- I know that Envirokidz makes some gluten-free sugary-type things.

Since the original article was published in 2004, I'd be curious to know whether this idea ever actually took off.

I've switched to the Creamhill Estates oats with absolutely no problem and I think I'm relatively sensitive -- although I haven't exactly tested that very much. I had been eating the McCann's for a while and I think I occasionally felt a little over-fatigued and such sometimes with them (but there's been a lot of on-off stressful change in my life over the past year -- so it's hard to tell). I can't say that I "reacted" concretely to the McCann's, but I'm not going back, in any case.

Creamhill Estates was either founded by a celiac or someone with celiac in the family and they package the oats with a survey on gluten-free eating, reactions, etc.....

I don't know brand names off-hand, but there are some decent turkey and chicken-based jerkys out there that might provide a decent alternative protein source as well if they don't contain spices you can't consume. Dehydrated veggies and fruits can be cooked as well.

2nd on the croissant -- actually, pretty much anything from a bakery involving really good baguettes and/or puff pastry (heck -- I'd buy a package of puff pastry in the freezer section and wrap it around everything I could see...). Asian dumplings -- potstickers. Pizza from the best local pizzeria I knew.

Really good dark beer.

I've heard Colbert on an NPR interview (I think?) talk about having struggled with depression, so I'm not entirely surprised that he's interested in neurological and health issues.

I live in Florida now, but I'm originally from Niskayuna and I've lived in both Albany and Troy -- I'm actually thinking I might move back up there within a year or so!

lol! The mulleteers! Does the guy with the floppy 80's rock hair and gold chain count? Seriously, I don't have any idea what I'm doing. I'm about to retreat back to not-dating until I figure a few more things out. I think I was sick for all my earlier dating experiences, so this is a whole new ballgame and it's overwhelming!

I would also say that it took me a year to feel like I was 100% -- I'd also been sick for quite a while, so I didn't really have much of a sense of what 100% meant for me. So I got to be more and more pleasantly surprised as things got better and better.

Wow -- this thread makes me feel better -- I'm 37 (not old -- I know) and have been getting back on the dating scene after the demise of a long relationship. Of course, I live in a university town and all the guys I'm dating seem to be 29! Now -- I guess they know what they like, but I really thought I was too old.

Oh, I kind of just want to smack them for not mentioning more specifics about why it's so hard to diagnose and what the specifics of the controversy are.

Yes, it was a really good article in a lot of ways. I may just idealize the Times a bit too much and have gotten my hopes up about the extent to which they might be able to call attention to the whole thing in all its complexity. It's just really good that this made the Times! Celiac has gotten so much amazing publicity in a very short amount of time.

They mention latent forms of the illness and they mention depression, which are both very important aspects of the issue.

Oh, I kind of just want to smack them for not mentioning more specifics about why it's so hard to diagnose and what the specifics of the controversy are.

Hey -- if she needs someone to talk about losing a relationship because of celiac, I'll dish about my breakup for celiac publicity!

I'm interested in trying a local sushi takeout place and the only problem I can see coming up is that they make an awful lot of rolls with fish roe -- I've already talked to the manager about cc issues, but I'm uncertain about the gluten-free status of fish roe. Does anyone know?

I tried doing a search, but "roe" seems to fall under the search engine's radar since it's only three letters.

Are people finding this stuff pre-packaged, or are you getting it at the deli? My Publix only has the deli stuff and I've been thinking the only way I could buy it was to go in first thing in the morning when the slicers might still be clean.

I'm always of the belief that accurate education and information is important -- I'm one of those "classic" celiacs who's always been too skinny (um -- except for the bloated belly, at times) and I've gotten some rather dismissive remarks from new acquaintances now that "gluten free" has hit the mainsteam. People assume I'm some kind of vain chick with an eating disorder. Education, however, is often a person-to-person process, so I try to be as patient and informative as possible in such situations.

I'm two months into a new job -- I might add that I'm not only new at this job, I'm new to not being a graduate student, so there are all sorts of professional-world niceties with which I am unfamiliar.

My department has sent out a message about wanting to do something for the non-faculty administrative staff for "Administrative Professionals Day" (what is this, btw? i'm an editor, so i fall into a weird category for an academic department). They're getting each of us a gift cert. to a restaurant of our choice (easy enough for me) and throwing a lunch for us -- they want feedback on what restaurant to pick -- the actual request is pasted below. What should I say?

Forth, would you like to suggest a restaurant for your hosted lunch? In

the last few years we've been to Macaroni Grill, Harry's, Albert's

Restaurant at the Hilton/UF Conference Center. Would you prefer going

back to one of those, or maybe try something new? The advantage of

lunching on May 9th is that we won't be fighting the crowds also out

celebrating Administrative Professionals Day, but we've also found that

many restaurants in Gainesville just can't seem to figure out how to

accommodate a group of 15 to 20 (witness the bizarre arrangement last

years at the Macaroni Grill...). I'll be happy to check out your

suggestions and let you know what the restaurant thinks it can arrange.

I have nothing useful to add here, but I'd be interested in hearing more about the efficacy of Co-enzyme Q10 for such things.

Could it be something else in the bread like soy? Soy and dairy intolerances tend to go along with celiac.