Lauren is a gluten free teenager living in Canada, with a passion for good food and a care in her heart for those in Haiti! Lauren may be a teen but she is now deemed a humanitarian in my eyes as well as many others. As a children’s author, writer, humanitarian I do know how much time this must have taken to organize and get all this gathered to a completion. A lot!
Here is what Lauren has to share: “After all, that is what this is about: selling ebooks to donate money to Haiti. All proceeds will do to the Red Cross. The Canadian Red Cross that is. You see, I am Canadian so it only makes sense to donate to this one. Also, it has been in Haiti for many years, so they will be able to use the funds to help as in the best areas possible. And here’s the really important part: the Canadian Government will match all donations received by February 12th, that are marked for Haiti Relief (as I will be doing to these). They are matching donations made by individuals as well as those made from fundraisers for Haiti (like this ebook) by schools, businesses, social groups (that is what I believe we are, as blogging is a community of people, in this case coming together around food), etc.”
Going back in time, Lauren started this project in January 2010- ”I don’t know how long it will be, or how much work it will take, but it will happen. Relief is being sent there in bundles now, and in a few weeks, they will still need clean food and water. Medical support will still be saving lives. Currently, some of the “big” bloggers are getting together to make a cookbook, but I’m sixteen. With that said, if you’re a blogger, send me your favourite, most loved recipe that makes you feel at home with an email subject line of “Haiti Ebook” to mail at celiacteen. com. Please also include a picture! The recipe does not have to be gluten free. It can be a baked good, a meal, a breakfast, a treat, anything. Whatever it is though, make sure it makes you think of home. They lost theirs, so a comforting dish is the best way in my eyes!”
The project is complete- Help support Lauren’s Cause.
http://www.celiacteen.com/2010/02/haiti-ebook.html
Tina Turbin
Good news ! We have gluten-free options at Starbucks.
When Starbucks announced the cancellation of their cake via Twitter this started a petition to bring back the cake. They listened and acted upon this petition and the many calls they received.
All of the gluten-free items they now have offer a longer shelf life. This they hope will lead to less waste and less profit loss. For the full Starbucks gluten-free product list, check out Gluten-Free Philly’s post. There are nut free and dairy free options this time around too.
Starbucks has shared that after the discontinuation of their Valencia Orange cake the gluten-free consumers really expressed a desire for more healthy snacks so they decided to accommodate this need. Yay Starbucks!
It’s is a smart move for Starbucks to accommodate gluten-free, vegan and organic minded consumers with these new food options. Many people will enjoy these products.
I have stopped at a few Starbucks to check them out. I have found ones that do not have the GF items yet. I was told they are getting them, the one in Texas airport told me that it has to do with the heightened security on getting new products in and the one in Clearwater, Florida at Barnes and Noble just did not have them delivered as of yet.
Let me know what you guys find out and if they have Oats or not as I know that Lucy’s ( above) does have oats, be it gf oats though. I still prefer to stay off the oats as much as I can.
ENJOY! Tina Turbin
Viitals Bakery
Ivan Nikolov
Tampa, Fla. October 7, 2009 Viitals owner, Ivan Nikolov announced the opening of its new retail storefront, which offers gluten-free healthy choices for those trying to live a healthier lifestyle. The bakery had been strictly wholesale until its grand opening.
This bakery offers gluten-free, hypoallergenic, high in protein, organic ingredients snacks, such as muffins, crackers, cake-bars, loafs, and more.
The Bulgarian bodybuilder, Ivan Nikolov and NPC Tampa Bay Classic overall winner and his wife started this bakery to service the needs of the growing community with allergies, celiacs and the general public looking for higher protein and nutritious snacks.
The opening of his new storefront, Niklov said, now makes him not only a wholesaler, but also a retail gluten-free cafe.
Ivan states that his products are made in a dedicated gluten-free facility, and they are hypoallergenic, vegetarian or completely vegan, all-natural with many ingredients that are organic. He balances his products by adding protein, making them a complete meal.
Ivan said customers will be served gluten-free bread, cookies, brownies, cakes, VIITALS smoothies with organic fruit and protein, gluten-free sandwiches and gluten-free soups.
For more information about VIITALS Bakery visit:http://www.viitals.com
View their awesome menu they updated this month: http://www.viitals.com/VIITALS-Menu.pdf
Tina Turbin
Laura contacted me to ask to do a review on me and my site and of course we got into the conversation of celiac and gluten-free, some of my favorite subjects. I have a new friend who loves food as much as I do and she is a phenomenal reviewer and writer on foods and restaurants. We have so much in common.
She previously reviewed Deerfield Bakery in the Schaumburg, Illinois and it just so happens that I just had a terrific conversation with Tim Schmitt, the owner and will be reviewing his products and his 3 bakeries next month!
Laura wrote and published an article released today about me and my website http://GlutenFreeHelp.info , the article is entitled Entrepreneur spreads the word about wheat allergies.
You are even treated to my gluten-free flourless chocolate cake recipe!
Thanks you Laura!
Tina
There are many ways we with celiac or gluten intolerance can help others. One way is to head a group. Janet is an exceptional woman with her story and running a group for many years now. Here is her story and a link to a news article about her and her experiences. Really worth reading. Janet has recently attended my GF taste testing party to assist in my Reviews. She is FUN!
Janet Heitler joined a pre-existing group (Tampa Bay celiac Support Group) in 1995 two weeks after she was discharged from the hospital with her celiac diagnosis. She had a long time of misdiagnosis and no diagnosis. Things did not look good up to that final day of being correctly diagnosed.
Two women initially founded the group and Janet ended up in the group after they resigned from being Co-chairs. A husband and wife team took it over and I wanted to contribute because everyone was so wonderful – so Janet said she would be the Treasurer, easy to do. Everything was fine until two months into their “reign” I got a call that they were moving to Nevada. Bam – she got in 1998 and I has had it ever since.
The meeting calendar was all over the chart and the first thing she did was announce to meet on the second Saturday of every other month – Feb/Apr/Jun/Aug/Oct and Dec. We meet at 1 – 3 PM at the Jimmy Keel Library on Bears Avenue in Tampa, unless a luncheon is arranged.
They have done 2 GF Beer and Pizza Parties, when Pei Wei first opened they had a luncheon, and a luncheon at Trang’s Viet-Nam Cuisine — 90% of the menu is GF – it is not a GF restaurant it just works out like that, she says.
There are 200 people on her mailing list, but the most she has ever had at meeting (Beer/Pizza luncheon) was 70 people yet normally there are 20-25 people attending.
According to Janet, a lot of times newbie’s come once and think they know everything there is then fall aside. Then she gets a call and they talk as they are in trouble. She reminds them of the meetings and she tells them the new things that are out there and having the emails has helped people to reconnect and stay connected.
Janet’s email – jchtbc42@tampabay.rr.com
Janet’s latest article:http://www2.newsadvance.com/lna/lifestyles/food_cooking/article/sifting_through_the_options/4033/
Thank you Janet! Tina Turbin
At my Gluten-Free taste-testing party on Sunday the 17th, we tested 42 Gluten-Free products in the course of 2-1/2 hours. I had everyone take diligent notes on their feedback for each and every item I presented. The results have already been put together in my various reviews which my team in LA and FL worked hard on.
I want to thank Janet, Head of the Tampa Area Celiacs; and Brian Kelly, Founder of the Pinellas County Celiac Support Group and Secretary Susan Wilson for attending and lending their support and time. A special thanks goes to all those who attended: children, doctors, nutritionists and friends. You are all wonderful and I know you all left with a belly full of delicious food.
From this point forward I will be sharing with you the written and video results. Please check the Review sections located on the lower right hand side of my Gluten-Free home page starting on January 28th. Every week I will be releasing more!
Tina
I am sharing a lovely acknowledgement from a mom-to-be, that wrote in to me.
Sara is a gluten-free employee at the wonderful company, Bio-K Intl. in Quebec.
SARA Gluten- Free Mom-To-Be
Though never officially diagnosed as Celiac, I discovered with my naturopath that I was wheat intolerant. After struggling to eliminate this staple from my diet (it took me more than a year to kick it completely!), I finally started to recover from the migraines, lethargy, chronic pain, fatigue, extra weight, and “brain fog” that had plagued me most of my life. I have now been wheat free for 5 years, and strive for a gluten free diet whenever possible.
Now, as an expectant mom-to-be with a new family (Spouse and stepson), feeling good and eating well are more important than ever. Resources like GlutenFreeHelp.info make living with a restricted diet much less overwhelming. A lot has changed in the 5 years since my diagnosis, and there’s more information and GF food available than ever before. This gives me great hope for my unborn daughter, as she is likely to inherit the same condition. Knowing that people like Tina are working hard to make the GF lifestyle attainable, stress free, and even enjoyable gives this pregnant lady one less thing to worry about.
Sara Lomas 32
Sara Lomas
Bio-K+ International Inc.
www.biokplus.com
I have an immense interest in the area of families, children, education as well as research and write about gluten-free issues and celiac disease. At thimes I have people write to me and share a story, This is one I am passing on:
Hi Tina,
I just thought I would forward to you a letter a wrote
and sent out to any and all CD research centers and organizations I
could! I guess if you read it, it tells it all, but I will briefly
recap for you.
We just got back form a road trip in which eating was
just way TOO hard! Mostly fruit and cheese ad nauseum—with the kids
eating a lot of candy. I guess I should have researched for weeks
before our trip to see what and where we could eat—but give me a
break. It shouldn’t be this hard! And my sister in law shouldn’t be
having SUCH a hard time getting a test for her daughter who is
suffering daily. Sheesh! I dont’ have much mobility in my life
right now—but I want to help. I want to help get the word out to
people, doctors and the nation—even the Govt so food companies start
complying too and there is MORE non-gluten filled food to eat in a
10,000 sq ft grocery store than just fruits and cheese!!! Katie
To Whom It May Concern,
I am writing this letter to you to perhaps get some commentary from you as
to the state of CD in the USA. I personally have CD, along with my
husband and 2 children. Conventional testing through the doctor’s
office didn’t tell us much. We started with the Prometheus Labs
complete celiac panel for my husband and daughter, who had the most
obvious symptoms. Our daughter’s blood work suggested Celiac, but
said HLA testing would basically confirm it. My husband’s blood test
was completely negative. Since we have no health insurance coverage
due to the cost as self employed persons, we decided to test further
with Enterolab for the whole family, including HLA testing. Those
results showed 3 of us with DQ8 and our son with DQ1. I know that
apparently this test is not verified among the standard medical
community, but it was the test that showed us clearly what was going on
with our bodies. After those results came back glaringly positive in
2005, our entire family went GF with COMPLETE resolution of ALL
symptoms! Complete resolution of joint aches and pains, bloody noses
in the kids, headaches, bone pain, GERD, gas, stomach pains, eye
problems, psoriasis patches, bloating, brain fog, extreme crankiness in
the kids. But apparently, we don’t actually have ‘verified’ Celiac
Disease because of our testing lab—even though going GF completely
resolved us of our symptoms and now inadvertently eating even minute
amounts of gluten can bring back those symptoms very severely!
Right now, my sister-in-law has a daughter who writhes every day with
stomachaches and constipation, is very cranky, has ‘asthma’ and just
says daily “I don’t feel good. I hurt everywhere.” Because our
daugher, her cousin, HAS CD and had the exact same symptoms that were
misdiagnosed with the same excuses for 13 years, I sent my
sister-in-law to our local clinic with the Prometheus testing
information printed out AND an informational sheet from University of
Chicago Celiac Disease Center about how important it is to get regular
testing in first degree relatives and to do DNA testing. To
date—-this child has had 3 stomach x-rays, has been ordered repeated
enemas but the clinic WILL NOT order the Prometheus testing and
apparently there is a question as to whether insurance will pay for
testing—especially the DNA testing!!! WHY?! Apparently, the
numbers of CD in this country are at about 1/100—–with only 3 of
those 100 diagnosed. WHY?! Why is there STILL so much
misinformation like “CD is extremely rare”, or “She can’t have CD
because it doesn’t show up until. the 40’s”. Why will my
sister-in-laws insurance pay for repeated x-rays, enemas, drugs but NOT
CD testing??? Why will the Doctors test for everything else BUT
CD??? What has to happen in this country to get the word out about CD
and how common it is—especially to doctors?? My family and I
just got back from a driving trip from Idaho to Palm Desert, CA. We
chose to drive because we can bring our food and appliances with us and
use them at our destination because finding hot GF food is VERY
difficult in the USA. In fact, in just about every single town these
days there are all the same strip malls with all the same chain
restaurants that serve pretty much 100% gluten filled foods—-without
any accomodation or understanding or knowledge of not only what GF
is—but how to safely prepare GF foods. It seems ridiculous to me
and my family that as we travel, we can eat only the foods we bring,
and when we run out of those foods the only truly safe foods for us are
cold fruits, veggies and cheese from a grocery store—even though
there may be 10 different restaurants with wonderful smells coming from
them right in front of our faces. Because we know that hurdle we face
trying to educate a manager or food server or cook staff quickly on how
to prepare food safely for us—-especially if they have never heard of
CD. So—on this trip we ate cold food most of the time and finally
took a chance at In N Out Burger, the only place that only has 1 source
of gluten—the buns. I’m pretty sure we all got glutented, but that
was the chance that we had to take to eat a hot meal!! The grocery
stores had NO GF selections and a health food store that we visited
that claimed they could do GF was sadly ignorant that GF isn’t the same
as Vegetarian. So—my question to you is WHAT do we have to do to
raise awareness for those of us dealing with CD?! WHAT is it going to
take to get the word out in this country that gluten in EVERY SINGLE
FOOD ITEM FROM THE FOOD ITSELF TO ALL SEASONINGS AND OTHER
INGREDIENTS is a BAD thing? WHAT is it going to take to get the
Medical Community to understand that gluten is everywhere making most
people sick? WHY is it so hard to get a definitive diagnosis—even
using the “Gold” Standard of biopsy and blood testing due to high false
negative numbers?? Why is there little to no knowledge or
understanding of gluten intolerance—-or even that there could
possibly be Gluten Spectrum Disorders along the lines of Autism
Spectrum Disorders in which doctors understand that before CD actually
occurs—it can start with gluten intolerance that becomes gradually
worse until the damage of CD is visible?? I am a wife and a mother
who is FED UP with ignorance and silence about CD. I want to help get
the word out, I want to advocate loudly and proudly about this
‘disease’ my family suffers from. We suffer because it is SO hard to
eat out and travel in the USA with a food disease—because American
food is all about gluten. I would like to get the opinion of you that
are working in this field as to how to change this and how to advocate
for something that most people still think is a Mental Illness or
Psychosomatic, especially if we are going to have National Health Care!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this long letter. As
you can tell, I am frustrated and am looking for answers.
Katie Berry
We had SO much fun baking to our hearts content, decorating with our imaginations soaring, eating Pamela’s Products and enjoying one another’s company.
I am honored and grateful be able to have incredibly delicious ingredients and fun give-aways for my parties, all from Pamela’s Products as well as Nature’s Food Patches LOADED gift bags , once again.
If anyone is interested in helping to spread the word about making the AWARENESS of celiac much more broadly known, as it should be, please e-mail me and I will share how to bring this about in your area.
We need everyone’s help and support! We need to unite and share each and everyone’s special skills and interests in this area. The profits from this party were all donated to National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.
Thank you, Tina Turbin
