Be Free For Me Blog

Q: I’m usually running late in the morning so I often skip breakfast. Can you give me some healthy and quick breakfast tips?

A: I’m sure you have heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It literally means break the fast. In order to jump start your day both mentally and physically you need to fuel your body with food. Healthy breakfast foods provide key nutrients such as protein, iron, B vitamins, carbohydrates and fiber. Many traditional breakfast items are made with gluten-containing grains, especially wheat and barley. But not to worry- there are plenty of great gluten-free breakfast options in the chart below.

The chart includes examples of products from various companies. There are many more products available, especially baked items from gluten-free specialty bakeries across North America. The Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide by Shelley Case, RD, features over 3100 gluten-free products listed by company name, product name and package size and a directory of more than 270 American, Canadian and international companies. The book has a chapter on gluten-free specialty bakeries in North America. It also contains detailed information about the gluten-free diet including safe foods/ingredients and those to avoid; meal plans; recipes; cooking hints; substitutions; nutrition information and practical strategies for healthy gluten-free living and resources. See www.glutenfreediet.ca

The above information was excerpted from Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide by Shelley Case, RD. See www.glutenfreediet.ca

Being nut-free sometimes means having to forgo some of the simpler things in life.

Things like the excitement of being at a major league baseball park with family and friends on a warm Sunday afternoon.

That is why I was so very, very excited to receive an email from the folks over at the AAFA (Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America– New England Chapter) and Fenway Park announcing 2010 games that will have a designated peanut-free section at this season’s Red Sox games.

And for those that are nut-free fans of teams other than the Red Sox, check out this website from Food Allergy Buzz that lists peanut-free baseball games around the USA and Canada that have peanut-free sections at select ballparks throughout the 2010 season, as well as information about attending these games.

Because the seats are limited at the Fenway Park games, make sure you call right away and find out the availability for the peanut-free sections at the games on May 30th, July 18th and September 19th (at last checking standing room only was available at the 09/19 game).

The contact info to get seats for these games ($75 per person for seats and $25 per person for standing room only) is Mike Lawlor at the Red Sox by email (mlawlor@redsox.com) or phone: 617-226-6027.

When you contact Mike, please leave the following information,
1. Your Name
2. Phone number(s) where you can be reached day and evening
3. Date of game you want to attend
4. Number of tickets you want
5. Specify Seats or Standing Room. Tell Mike if you will accept Standing Room if all seats are sold out.
On the email your subject line should say: Game Date (the date you want tickets for) – Peanut Friendly
Mike will call you back to confirm your tickets and take your payment by credit card.  Please be patient, it may take him about two weeks to respond to your request.

Tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis.  

In an effort to find the safest and most enjoyable area of Fenway Park, Fenway Park has decided to use the Coca-Cola Left Field Pavilion. This is the same section the Red Sox used last year for peanut-allergy-friendly games. This seating area is highlighted by its majestic view of the game and the city, as well as its proximity to the Green Monster. This section will ensure a comfortable visit to Fenway Park with many amenities close by in one of the more private areas of the ballpark.

Enjoy… May the best team win… and as always…
Be Free!

Passover is a fantastic time to scoop up some phenomenal gluten-free products at some great prices!

What distinguishes food that is eaten at Passover? During this religious holiday observing the Hebrews’ exodus from Egypt, observers eat matzo instead of bread. They also refrain from eating “chometz” during the weeklong holiday – that includes barley, wheat, rye and oats (plus leavening).

I found a blog, Gluten-Free Nosh, run by a gal named Eve, whose youngest daughter was diagnosed with celiac disease three years ago. In her blog Eve shares how to create gluten-free versions of her family’s favorite and traditional Jewish foods, along with tips and pointers to navigate your way through a gluten-free lifestyle.

Just recently Eve wrote a blog post that includes a comprehensive list of gluten-free foods found during Passover.  Her blog posting is a must read for everyone! So make sure you check it out, and bring it with you during this week’s grocery shopping trip.

P.S. I also am dying to try Eve’s Gluten-Free Matzo Ball Soup recipe.

Thanks Eve for this great blog post!

On Monday, January 11, 2010 from 8:00 – 9:00 PM (EST) Glutino Foods (a brand we all know and love!) will be hosting a Gluten-Free Twitter Party… and you’re invited!

I am excited to be a part of this Glutino Twitter Party alongside Elisabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of “The View”, fellow celiac, and author of “The G-Free Diet”; the folks over at Ian’s Natural Foods, that make all natural, organic (plus allergen-free and gluten-free!) meals for kids; and Chad Hines, from GlutenFreeFaces, the gluten-free and celiac social network. During the party we will “chat” about living the gluten-free lifestyle, ways to make living gluten-free more manageable, tips & tricks, and also have some phenomenal gluten-free give-aways and prizes.

In order to RSVP to the party check out the invitation from Glutino. The hashtag for the party is #GF. (Note: A few days before the party, I will post another blog regarding specifics & tips on joining this Gluten-free twitter party).

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Twitter, or just haven’t gotten around to checking it out, NOW is the time!

In a nut-shell, Twitter is a free social networking or micro-blogging service that allows you to “tweet” or chat, back and forth, with other like-minded people (or “peeps” as they are know as on Twitter!). These tweets can conveniently be up to 140-characters – so they are short, but are packed with tons of information, links, ideas and thoughts. Those that subscribe to, or “follow”, you receive your tweets. In return, tweets from anyone you “follow” are delivered to your twitter account. You are able to send and receive tweets from the Twitter website, SMS messaging, or from other website applications (like tweetdeck.com or Twhirl.com).

Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos, the on-line shoe superstore, says that although twitter seems a bit awkward at first, it will eventually be as common place as text messaging in your life. In fact, he goes on to say that if you and your friends all use Twitter for a 2 week period, it will “change your life”, and you will “wonder how you ever lived without it”. By the way, Tony has over 1,639,877 followers!

If you aren’t sure where to start join once you join Twitter, log on and start following me!

If you want to find out more about Twitter, how to join and tips on getting involved, check out the website and blog links listed at the end of this blog post. Get tweeting today!

On January 11th, crack open a bag of Glutino gluten-free pretzels, log-on to your Twitter account and join us for the first ever Glutino’s Gluten-free Twitter party! See you then!

Good Twitter Resources:

Zappos.com’s CEO, Tony Hsieh, “Beginner’s Quick Start Guide and Tutorial to Using Twitter”

PurpleCar.com: Great blog on “How to Start Using Twitter”

About.com: Information on Twitter

Since starting BeFreeForMe just a little more than a year ago, I have been amazed by the outpouring of warmth, sharing and compassion of the BeFreeForMe members. There have been members who have been diagnosed with celiac disease for over 15 years that have contacted me to offer their mentoring and support to the newly diagnosed. I’ve been contacted by a grandmother that has children, and grandchildren, with numerous food allergies, as well as years and years’ worth of tried-and-true recipes that she offered to share with a young, scared Mom whose toddler had been recently diagnosed with numerous food allergies. I’ve had teachers contact me asking where they could find the best resources to educate themselves about food allergies and celiac disease, since they had children in their classroom with these diagnoses and they wanted to educate themselves in order to make these children feel as welcomed and involved as possible.

One of the things I hear over and over from people that have food allergies and celiac disease is their amazement over the sense of community and goodness that has come from others that share in the same diagnosis.

I am amazed myself.

This positive energy from the celiac & food allergy community, often through the support groups, has provided me with a positive and more manageable diagnosis, and I will always be grateful.

That is why I want to share with all of the BeFreeForMe members, Show Us Your Goodness, a program sponsored by riceworks® brown rice crisps that will donate $20,000 to an inspiring nonprofit organization or charitable cause.

During this holiday season, I encourage all of you to check out the Show Us Your Goodness website and nominate one of your favorite nonprofit organizations or charitable causes. Your charity can be local or national. Grassroots or established. Recognized or not.

Also, once the three finalists are picked, I encourage you to vote for one of the nominated groups (the voting between the three finalists will take place between March 16th to April 30th . I will also blog about the three finalists once they are picked!).

If you nominate your favorite charity, or you support one of the previously nominated groups, make sure you comment on this blog post and tell us what charitable group you support. Six (Yes…6!) BeFreeForMe members that post a comment will win a FREE CASE of riceworks® brown rice crisps!  The winners will be picked on February 16th, 2010.

Some of the charitable non-profit groups which I have volunteered for and supported are listed at the bottom of this email. All of these charities have in some way helped my health and touched my soul.  I look forward to hearing about your favorite charities too!

Happy Holiday… Be Charitable… Enjoy the Spirit of the Season… and, as always…

Be Free!
———-
Some of My Favorite Charities:

* Michael Carter Lisnow Respite Center
* Food Allergy Initiative
* National Foundation for Celiac Awareness
* Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
* Canadian Celiac Association
* Celiac Disease Foundation
* Celiac Sprue Association
* Healthy Villi
* Project Just Because

How many times have you called a large food manufacturer to ask if a product is gluten-free? And how many times has the customer service line been closed and your questions have been left unanswered?

According to Katie Lay, from General Mills Health and Wellness Division, “One of the most frequent inquiries our customer service department receives is ‘What products are gluten-free?’”.

To assist those of us needing to eat gluten-freely (and easily!), General Mills has created a new website, LiveGlutenFreely.com (yes… available 24/7!), for their customers living a gluten-free lifestyle. Easily navigated, crisp and packed with information, the website’s goal is to help those living a gluten-free lifestyle determine which General Mill’s products are gluten-free, find out where they can be purchased, as well as discover simple and tasty recipes that can be made with many of these products.

My thoughts? This informative website, along with General Mill’s clear and bold “gluten free” wording on the labels of their 200+ gluten-free products is going to be a hit with the gluten-free set. The path (or should I say supermarket aisles) are now clear for those on a gluten-free diet to easily determine which readily available and affordable General Mill’s products are gluten free. It is important to note however, that all of us living a gluten-free lifestyle must always take responsibility to read the ingredient listing, or look for the words “gluten-free” on a product label, prior to purchasing or eating any item. (This is true for any allergen or dietary concern as well).

While on the website I also signed up for the LiveGlutenFreely electronic newsletter containing recipes, and any new gluten-free product information. These newsletters will be sent directly to my inbox every other month. I can’t wait to get my first edition.

Hopefully this website will be the benchmark of how large conglomerate food manufacturers share their product’s gluten-free information.

And to General Mills… thanks.  Your commitment to the gluten-free community has not gone unnoticed!

Be Free!
Kathleen

P.S. See BeFreeForMe’s recipe section for a Sour Cream Coffee Cake Recipe I made  using Betty Crocker Yellow Cake Mix and Cinnamon Chex Cereal… delicious!

When I heard yesterday that Eggo Waffles were in short supply due to flooding damage at one of their manufacturing facilities and repairs to another, my heart, honestly, didn’t even waffle.

I’m loving my Van’s Gluten-free Waffles; and as long as those Eggo-eating folks lego of my Van’s, and don’t leave them in short supply – my gluten free world is good.

But today I heard that canned pumpkin is now in short supply. This, my friends, causes a bit of gluten-free concern, since the Pumpkin Pie is one of the best all-around, gluten-free Thanksgiving desserts.
Pumpkin Pie can be a quick and easy dessert to make gluten-free, especially if you buy a pre-made gluten free pie crust. Pumpkin Pie is also an “I made this from scratch” masterpiece if you decide to tackle making your own gluten-free pie crust.

But what to do if you have no canned pumpkin? No worries. As long as you have access to a sweet pumpkin, the kind found in most grocery store’s produce departments, you can make your own pumpkin puree.

Watch out Libby’s.

Sugar pumpkins, or often called pie pumpkins, are different than the traditional jack-o-lantern pumpkins. First off, sugar pumpkins taste better than traditional jack-o-lantern pumpkins. Also, sugar pumpkins are more “meaty” on the inside, with a thicker pulp-filled shell; while jack-o-lantern pumpkins are hollower.

Making pumpkin puree as a substitute to canned pumpkin is as simple as baking a butternut squash. Below is a quick and easy recipe for making homemade pumpkin puree:

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cut a medium-sized sugar pumpkin into small 3”-4” pieces, remove seeds and pith. In a large baking dish, place the pumpkin pieces skin side up in about ¼” to ½” of water.

Place the baking pan in the oven and bake the pumpkin for about 1 hour or until soft. Let cool; then carefully peel away the skin and discard. Place the pumpkin pulp in a bowl and mash with a potato masher, or pulse in a food processor, being careful not to over process.

Halloween doesn’t need to be a boo-hoo type of holiday. While doing research on gluten and allergen free candy, I discovered so many resources that can assist you in contacting the retailers, gluten and allergen free candy lists and also direct links to manufacturers.

Check out these sweet resources and make sure your Halloween treats aren’t packed with gluten and allergens!

About.com – Gluten-free candy
http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/glutenfreefoodshopping/a/GFcandies.htm
Nancy Lapid blogs about a very comprehensive list of gluten-free candy items, as well as the manufactures contact info.

AvoidingMilkProtein.com: http://www.avoidingmilkprotein.com/candy.htm
A list of candy free of gluten, nut and milk.

About.com – Nut-free candy
Lists manufactures that offer nut-free candy.
http://specialchildren.about.com/od/foodallergies/qt/nutfreecandy.htm

GFCFDiet.com
Lists a complete list of gluten and casein free candies.
http://www.gfcfdiet.com/Chocolatecandy.htm

For those of you who did not have a chance to tune into riceworks teleseminar with dieticians Shelley Case & Tricia Ryan, here’s your chance to check out all of the tremendous wealth of information that was shared!

The teleseminar, “The Gluten-free Diet: What Everyone Needs to Know”, answered questions that were submitted via email. It was a great source of information for gluten-free newbies and old-pros alike. Some of the questions answered included clarifying the difference between an allergy, intolerance and celiac disease; discussing whether oats are off-limits on a gluten-free diet; explanations about gluten-free labeling; as well as sharing many great gluten-free / celiac disease resources.

The teleseminar was so popular that they are planning many more in the near future. I can’t wait to see what ricework’s lines up for the next teleseminar!

To check out the information featured in “The Gluten-free Diet: What Everyone Needs to Know” teleseminar check-out the links below:

Medical Facts
Contains a definition on celiac disease; the prevalence, symptoms, associated conditions and treatment.

Celiac Disease and the Gluten-Free Diet
Discusses gluten-free food labeling, nutritional concerns and a listing of gluten-free resources.

Gluten-Free Guidelines
Includes the concerns of cross-contamination, and listing of foods that are safe to eat and not safe to eat while on a gluten-free diet.

Also, if you want to listen to the actual audio of the program a link has been added to the glutenfreesnacksforme.com and glutenfreediet.ca websites.

I want to spread the word about the New England Celiac Conference that taking place in Marlboro, Massachusetts on Saturday, October 3, 2009 from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

The Healthy Villi Support Group and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are sponsoring this fantastic event.   The conference features speakers, workshops, cooking demos, vendor sampling and product sales.

I have been asked to speak at the conference and will be providing a workshop on “Saving Money while Shopping Gluten Free” – besides being excited about speaking, I can’t wait to meet you all “face to face”! Other speakers include physicians that will be speaking about managing celiac disease, what is involved in participating in celiac research and a newly diagnosed workshop. There are also many cooking workshops.

I have been an attendee at the Healthy Villi meetings in the past, but this larger, regional conference is going to be the biggest and most interactive yet!

And don’t worry about toting along your gluten-free snacks … Along with a delicious 100%  gluten-free lunch and snack breaks, there will also be vendor tables that will showcase tons of gluten free samples and info!

I hope to meet as many BeFreeForMe members at the conference as possible!  Note: Marlboro, Massachusetts is right on Route 495, and just exits away from the Route 495 / Route 90 (Mass Pike) interchange. It is a quick and easy ride from Western Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

For more information and to register, checkout the Healthy Villi website or the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center website.

I hope to see all you Northeastern celiacs in Marlboro on October 3rd!
Be Free!
Kathleen