Category: News

Are you a gluten free college student? Karis wrote to us that she’s starting a college GF group. Please read the following and pass it on to anyone you may know who is in college,  on the gluten free diet, and who may need some support! The Beyond Celiac has some great info too.

Hello Northeast Ohio Celiac Network! My name is Karis L. and I am student at John Carroll University. I would like to start a college group for those of us following the gluten-free diet. It would not be anything serious just going out to eat or baking gluten-free food together. I know college can be a difficult time for many, and even more challenging for those of us trying to follow a gluten-free diet, but we can help each other. If you are interested please email me through the contact page HERE or EMAIL HERE
Sincerely,
Karis L.

Move over Ralph Nader, there’s an independent voice in the gluten free community.
Tricia Thompson MS RD runs the Gluten Free Watchdog website. She routinely pulls gluten free food off shelves and tests it for gluten.
She has her work cut out for her. The new gluten free labeling law of 2014, although a first step toward identifying safe GF products, is a soft law. It doesn’t require manufacturers to test, doesn’t require a particular type of test or outside tests, and doesn’t regulate the frequency of testing. If labeled GF, the final product simply cannot contain 20 parts per million (ppm) or more of gluten.
Before the new law, only oats certified GF by an outside agency were allowed on the strict gluten free diet. Now General Mills will be mechanically cleaning regular oats and as long as they can prove them to be under 20ppm, they can be labeled GF.

That means GM will be launching SEVEN “new” GF cereals this fall—FIVE flavors of Cheerios, CHEX CLUSTERS FRUIT AND OATS, and even LUCKY CHARMS (which will be labeled GF under the nutrition panel).

Tricia Thompson recommends sticking with certified GF oat cereals. Should we follow her recommendation? Continue reading “The Gluten Free Watchdog Takes a Position on Oats: A review of “GF Cheerios: Take Two””

The Celiac Project is a dynamic, first-of-its-kind hour long documentary about life before and after the diagnosis of celiac disease. The inspiration for this film came after the director and Evanston native, Michael Frolichstein, struggled with a series of “mystery aliments” before finally being diagnosed with celiac disease at age 40. Michael was shocked to learn that this auto-immune disease, which affects 1% of the US population, is 83% undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. His journey to meet others who had suffered, as well as get answers from experts, led him to Kickstarter, a public internet funding site, where he raised $35,000 last summer to produce and take his documentary on the road. He’s already piqued the interest of Boulder Brands (owners of Udi’s and Glutino) who hosted his premier in Colorado this spring and who want to sponsor snacks at future screenings. Then, a couple of weeks ago, his hometown library in Evanston Illinois hosted a screening with the filmmaker and a medical panel for a lively Q&A.

The documentary ultimately explores what we can do individually and as a society to advance the conversation and raise awareness about the disease. See a trailer of the film below or learn more at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/celiacproject