Sure Foods Living – gluten-free and allergen-free living

Treat your child to a week of gluten freedom at a special summer camp! There are two California camps – Camp Celiac in northern California, and the new Children’s Celiac Camp in southern California.

CAMP CELIAC

In northern California at Camp Celiac, “campers, counselors, and volunteers eat delicious gluten-free food and do camp activities such as a ropes course, rock climbing, ziplining, boating, swimming, and outdoor sports. Three meals a day without having to ask if any of the foods are gluten-free is life-changing for many campers and staff!” Ages 9-17.

There will be two weeks (each with a different group of campers):

Week 1:  Tuesday, July 24 – Saturday, July 28, 2012
Week 2:  Saturday, July 28 – Weds, August 1, 2012

To register:

Priority is given to campers from Northern California. All campers from Northern California who register between Feb 1st and Feb 14th will be given equal priority if all four registration steps (see below) are completed by February 14 (and received if paying by mail); i.e. there is no advantage to registering on February 1st rather than February 14th. After February 14th, available space will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis after all four registration steps are completed (and received if paying by mail).  At all times, space availability will depend, in part, on the camper’s age & gender since cabins are segregated by sex and age. For more information about how to sign up for this camp, visit the registration page at CeliacCamp.com.

CHILDREN’S CELIAC CAMP – New!

In Southern California’s San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear, campers will enjoy “a week with their peers, filled with fun activities and adventure in an environment dedicated to their dietary needs. Attend Camp Nawakwa in the beautiful Barton Flats area of the San Bernardino Mountains and enjoy archery, arts and crafts, canoeing, cookouts, drama, hip hop dance, nature lore, swimming and wall climbing.” Ages 7-15.

There will be one week:

July 30, 2012 to August 3, 2012

To register:

Spaces are limited…Plan ahead…Reserve now. Call the CDF office at 818.990.2354 or follow the registration steps on the Celiac Disease Foundation website.

Our next meeting of the Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin will take place on Monday, February 6th at 7:00.

What Does a “Gluten Free” Label Really Mean?

Products labeled “gluten free” fill supermarket shelves in ever increasing numbers, but the lack of standardized labeling laws means that shoppers cannot be sure of what exactly the label “gluten free” means.

At our next meeting on Monday, February 6, I will discuss the current issues surrounding labeling and then we will learn from the manufacturers themselves what it takes to produce a gluten-free product.

One of the hottest gluten free products showing up in bay area stores are gluten free potstickers from Feel Good Foods. We are delighted that Feel Good Foods will be with us to share samples of their delicious product, as well as other manufacturers such as Kind Bars, The Inspired Cookie, Attune Foods, and Mary’s Gone Crackers. Other vendors will be represented with samples.

Please come, find out more about the foods you buy and show your support for manufacturers’ efforts to meet the needs of gluten free shoppers. This meeting is sure to be informative and delicious!

Please let your gluten free friends and family know about this fun event. The meeting is free; however, we appreciate a donation of $5 or more to cover the costs of renting the meeting room, printing the handouts, etc.

Whether you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or are learning more about gluten free living for yourself, family or friends, we welcome you to the GIG of Marin. New members, friends, and loved ones are always welcome.

As always, we request that you RSVP to this event by emailing us at: glutenfreemarin@yahoo.com.

The Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin will meet:

• Monday, February 6th
  
• 7:00 to 9:00pm
  
• Community Room at Corte Madera Town Center (upstairs at PF Chang’s end) 770 Tamalpais Dr. Suite 201, Corte Madera, CA, 94925

We look forward to seeing you!

Our next meeting of the Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin will take place on Tuesday, December 6th at 6:30.

Like our past holiday meetings, we will have a special guest and a potluck. This year we will welcome New York Times best selling author and award-winning blogger, Stephanie O’Dea.

Stephanie O’Dea’s websites and books have reached more than 12 million people from all over the world. Her award-winning blog, A Year of Slow Cooking, spawned two cookbooks: Make it Fast, Cook it Slow and More Make it Fast, Cook it Slow. Because one of her three daughters has celiac disease, all the recipes in both cookbooks are completely gluten free and her family lives gluten-free.

In her appearances on Good Morning America, The Rachael Ray Show, and in Real Simple Magazine, Woman’s World, and Oprah.com, Stephanie is known and loved for her down-to-earth, and often hilarious, style.

Come get some crock-pot tips from Stephanie and enjoy our gluten-free potluck celebration! Bring your favorite savory or sweet dish to share, and please include a card with all of the ingredients, as we have members with multiple food sensitivities. OH – and did I mention that Stephanie will be raffling off books… and a crock-pot?! Now I got your attention!

Please let your gluten free friends and family know about this fun event. The meeting is free; however, we appreciate a donation of $5 or more to cover the costs of renting the meeting room, printing the handouts, etc.

Whether you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or are learning more about gluten free living for yourself, family or friends, we welcome you to the GIG of Marin. New members, friends, and loved ones are always welcome.

As always, we request that you RSVP to this event by emailing us at: glutenfreemarin@yahoo.com.

The Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin will meet:

• Tuesday, December 6th
  
• 6:30 to 9:00pm
  
• Community Room at Corte Madera Town Center (upstairs at PF Chang’s end) 770 Tamalpais Dr. Suite 201, Corte Madera, CA, 94925

We look forward to seeing you!

Would you like to walk into a bakery, a real bakery, and find not one, not two, but a whole case of gluten-free treats to choose from? You can — at Miglet’s Gluten-Free Bakery in Danville, CA. The bakery was started and is owned by Katie Alin, whose mother Elaine Taylor has celiac disease (Elaine is known and loved in the gluten-free community for creating Camp Celiac, a gluten-free camp for kids). Katie worked in the Whole Foods bakery before venturing into gluten-free baking, and now her cupcakes and other treats are enjoyed by those who eat gluten-free, and also by those who don’t.

The cupcakes are beautiful, inventive and detailed, and I can attest that the offerings at Miglet’s are delicious! On a recent trip to the bakery I bought a variety of things to try and share with my family: a cinnamon roll (for my gluten-free dad who used to love them), a maple glazed donut, lemon raspberry cupcakes (also dairy, egg and nut-free), a chocolate caramel tart (also dairy, egg and nut-free), chocolate chip scones and some cookies (also dairy, egg and nut-free), and some frozen breadsticks. I then asked Katie what I should get as a splurge for myself and she recommended the Nutella cupcake, which is a hazelnut chocolate cake topped with Nutella buttercream. Oh. my. yum. I actually ate it in my car in the parking lot and felt a little weird as I was shoving it my face and moaning out loud. It was that good. I think it might have been the best cupcake I have ever had. (Notice I didn’t say best gluten-free cupcake.)

Hopefully I’m not building it up too much — I don’t think I am — but let me know in the comments if you have been to Miglet’s and what you thought! I am also grateful to them for making cupcakes and mini-cupcakes that I can buy at Sans Gluten-Free Grocery and put in my freezer for the birthday parties that my kids go to. These are also dairy, egg, and nut-free.

The best way to know what’s happening at Miglet’s is to follow them on Facebook, where they update what flavors of cupcakes they have that day and also what else they are making, like quiche! If you don’t live in the area, you should probably not follow them — you will only be sad and disappointed that you don’t live nearby.

I’m Gluten Free… But My Digestion is Still Not Right

Our next meeting of the Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin will take place on Tuesday, October 11 at 7:00pm.

Are you still experiencing digestive issues even though you have eliminated gluten from your diet? Perhaps you had some immediate relief from symptoms after going gluten free, but after a few weeks or months you noticed that some symptoms persist even without gluten in your diet. Or maybe test results clearly indicated that gluten is a culprit in your ill health but eliminating it has not provided the relief from digestive symptoms you hoped for. The complexities of the digestive system mean that for people with gluten intolerance sometimes eliminating gluten is not the only step necessary to recover digestive health.*

At our next meeting on October 11, Certified Nutritionist Sheila Wagner will talk about digestive function, how untreated gluten intolerance can compromise it, various conditions that can prevent full digestive healing and what one can do–in addition to eliminating gluten–in order to optimize digestive function.

*Please note that gluten intolerance can affect other body systems besides the digestive system, causing many  symptoms other than digestive ones. In some individuals, it can cause no symptoms at all, yet still cause damage to the body.

Whether you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or are learning more about gluten free living for yourself, family or friends, we welcome you to the GIG of Marin. New members, friends, and loved ones are always welcome.

As always, we request that you RSVP to this event by emailing us at: glutenfreemarin@yahoo.com or on our Facebook page

The Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin will meet:

• Tuesday, October 11
  
• 7:00 to 9:00pm
  
• Community Room at Corte Madera Town Center (upstairs at PF Chang’s end) 770 Tamalpais Dr. Suite 201, Corte Madera, CA, 94925

We look forward to seeing you!

UPDATE: The class on Oct 12 has been canceled. The Oct 26 is still available at this time.

I am excited to announce that I am teaching a series of classes called Learning, Living and Cooking Gluten-Free along with Sheila Wagner, beginning next month (September 2011). The classes will be held at the Belvedere-Tiburon Recreation Center, located in Marin County, California. The classes are open to the public. To sign up, call (415) 435-4355.

Here is the class description:

LEARNING, LIVING AND COOKING GLUTEN FREE!
A 3 Class Series – Take 1 or Take them all
September 28, October 12 and October 26
Location: Tiburon Community Room, Tiburon Town Hall
Fee: $20 per class or $50 for all 3
All 3 Classes #1708.113
Each class encourages questions and discussion.

Class #1: Is Intolerance to Gluten Ruining Your Health?
Instructor: Sheila Wagner, PT, CN
Could your persistent or unexplained health complaints actually be related to gluten? Learn cutting edge information about common symptoms and health conditions associated with gluten intolerance and how to fi nd out if you, your family members or friends could be intolerant to gluten.
9/28 Wed 6:30pm-8:30pm #1708.101

Class #2: Living Gluten-Free
Instructor: Alison St. Sure

Learn the ins and outs of gluten-free living. Whether you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or are interested in learning more about the gluten-free diet for yourself or a family member, this 2 hour class is packed with essential information about what to eat (and what not to), how to read labels and where to shop, how to travel and dine out, and how to navigate social situations, among other topics.
10/12 Wed 6:30pm-8:30pm #1708.102

Class #3: Simple & Practical Gluten-Free Cooking
Instructors: Sheila Wagner and Alison St. Sure
Are you new to the gluten-free diet? Are you stuck in a glutenfree rut? Come learn how to make practical, nutritious and delicious gluten-free meals, snacks and treats. Sheila and Alison are as busy as you are, and with a combined 20 years of gluten-free experience, they have it fi gured out. From quick appetizers to potluck favorites to basic meals and snacks, you will learn Sheila and Alison’s tricks for preparing easy gluten-free foods that everyone will enjoy.
10/26 Wed 6:30pm-8:30pm #1708.103

Sheila Wagner is a Certifi ed Nutritionist and Physical Therapist and is the co-founder of the Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin. Sheila has a private practice in Larkspur, and is the Founder of Finally Fix Your Health LLC, an educational company devoted to teaching the public what they really need to know in order to take control of their health, feel good again and live a meaningful life. Sheila has been treating patients and teaching for 30 years and is active on the Board of Directors for the National Association of Nutritional Professionals.

Alison St. Sure is the co-founder of the Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin. Since 2007, she has been writing her blog, Sure Foods Living, about living gluten-free. She has taught Living Gluten-Free classes at CPMC and Kaiser in San Francisco, and was a guest speaker at UC Berkeley and at the Bay Area Dietetics Association Conference. She now works for Pamela’s Products and does gluten-free consulting for other businesses and individuals.

Gluten Free Resource Exchange

Our next meeting of the Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin will take place on Tuesday, August 9 at 7:00pm.

What is the “go to” resource that you turn to for supporting your gluten free life? Perhaps it is a book you read when you first were diagnosed. Or maybe it is doctor or other medical professional who has stuck by you through a difficult diagnostic process. You might read –or even write– a blog that connects you with scores of other people living gluten free. Or maybe you have a favorite appliance that makes cooking gluten free easier. Is there a product on your grocery store shelf that you buy and use regularly? Or a restaurant that “gets it” which you frequent? Perhaps your resource is a friend–who eats gluten free or not–someone who listens well, understands the challenges you face and always makes you feel welcome at the table despite your diet restrictions.

At our next meeting we invite you to share the resources you’ve discovered and depend on to make living gluten free work for you. We will open up the floor to exchange our experiences so that each person will leave this meeting with lots of new ideas. You are encouraged to bring along your resource–be it a book, a recipe, a product, or even a person!

Whether you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or are learning more about gluten free living for yourself, family or friends, we welcome you to the GIG of Marin. New members, friends, and loved ones are always welcome.

As always, we request that you RSVP to this event by emailing us at: glutenfreemarin@yahoo.com or on our Facebook page

The Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin will meet:

• Tuesday, August 9
  
• 7:00 to 9:00pm
  
• Community Room at Corte Madera Town Center (upstairs at PF Chang’s end) 770 Tamalpais Dr. Suite 201, Corte Madera, CA, 94925

We look forward to seeing you!

Discussing the Challenges of Gluten-Free Dining

Our next meeting of the Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin will take place on Tuesday, June 7 at 7:00pm.

Gluten-free is a hot restaurant trend, but how much do restaurants know about safely serving a gluten-free meal? Alison St. Sure of Sure Foods Living will discuss the issues surrounding, and the challenges of, gluten-free dining. You will also hear from a panel of restaurateurs, including the owners of Amici’s Pizza, Sol Food and Lotus Indian Restaurants, about what it takes to accommodate the gluten-free diner. They will share the difficulties they have faced and the strategies they employ for serving gluten-free meals. Bring your friends and your questions about eating out gluten free.

Whether you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or are learning more about gluten free living for yourself, family or friends, we welcome you to the GIG of Marin. New members, friends, and loved ones are always welcome.

As always, we request that you RSVP to this event by emailing us at: glutenfreemarin@yahoo.com or on our Facebook page

The Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin will meet:

• Tuesday, June 7
  
• 7:00 to 9:00pm
  
• Community Room at Corte Madera Town Center (upstairs at PF Chang’s end) 770 Tamalpais Dr. Suite 201, Corte Madera, CA, 94925

We look forward to seeing you!

Come out for some free gluten-free BBQ sponsored by Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery! The Rudi’s van will be parked at Town Park in Corte Madera, CA on May 21st from 11am to 5pm and will be serving their new gluten-free hamburger and hot dog buns as part of their Buns on the Run tour.

Bring the family to enjoy the food, socialize and play! RSVP to ahanifin@rudisbakery.com (Rsvps are not necessary, but it helps them know how much food to have on hand.)

For other Rudi’s tour dates and locations, visit their Facebook page.

Our next meeting of the Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin will take place on Monday, April 11th at 7:00pm.

An astounding 97% of people in the U.S. with Celiac disease are undiagnosed, according to a breakthrough 2003 study by Alessio Fasano, MD. Though awareness of Celiac has increased dramatically since that study was conducted, confirming a diagnosis of Celiac remains hugely problematic and confusing due to a high rate of negative test results even when the disease is actually present. The intestinal biopsy, long considered the “gold standard” to confirm a diagnosis of Celiac, has recently been questioned as a reliable and conclusive test. And though new research is expanding our understanding of gluten sensitivity and the many body systems beyond the gut that can be adversely affected by gluten, lab tests to confirm Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance have not been reliable.

Sheila Wagner, certified nutritionist and physical therapist, will present the latest information about testing for intolerance to gluten–including recently introduced new testing options that offer expanded possibilities for improved accuracy.

The lecture will aim to clarify the answers to these commonly asked questions:

• Why do the standard lab tests produce so many negative results in individuals who know they are symptomatic to gluten?
• Why do some people continue to suffer with symptoms even though they follow a strict gluten free diet?
• Does someone who tests positive for intolerance to gluten but has no gastrointestinal symptoms have a less severe form of gluten intolerance?
• With the testing for gluten intolerance being so confusing to date, what could be the real prevalence of gluten intolerance (including Celiac) in the US?

In addition to Sheila’s talk about testing, Alison St. Sure will offer Q & A about living a gluten free life. And, as always, we will have samples and a raffle.

Whether you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or are learning more about gluten free living for yourself, family or friends, we welcome you to the GIG of Marin. New members, friends, and loved ones are always welcome.

As always, we request that you RSVP to this event by emailing us at: glutenfreemarin@yahoo.com or on our Facebook page

The Gluten Intolerance Group of Marin will meet:

• Monday, April 11th
  
• 7:00 to 9:00pm
  
• Community Room at Corte Madera Town Center (upstairs at PF Chang’s end) 770 Tamalpais Dr. Suite 201, Corte Madera, CA, 94925

We look forward to seeing you!