Follow up post: Mislabeling on "gluten free"

"Enjoy Life", leader in allergy-free foods, has said that the investigation done by Chicago Tribune was LONG OVERDUE. 

Please read up on this informative article.

~Laura

Looking out for MORE than just "Hidden Gluten"

A recent article in The Chicago Tribune shed light on a disappointing topic regarding our trusted Whole Foods Market. 

According to an investigation done by the newspaper, Whole Foods brand "365: Organic Everyday Value" chocolate bars had misleading labeling on their wrappers. The wrappers stated that "good manufacturing practices" were "used to segregate" potential allergens such as tree nuts, soy, and milk. However, in 2007 a child who ate the candy, which had traces of tree nuts, had a reaction. The bars were then recalled and lables were changed.

However, the same label still exists on many other products of the 365 brand. Many customers like you are left wondering if the brand can be trusted.

There is no definition in the FDA regarding "gluten free";  yet they have proposed adopting the "20 parts per million" standard. An article on Celiac.com explains the benefits of this for Celiacs.

 

For example, the FDA just recently found gluten in 3 WELLSHIRE FARMS gluten-free products: Chicken Bites, Chicken Corn Dogs, and Beef Corn Dogs. Scary stuff!

The culprit: CROSS CONTAMINATION!

Alright, please read the full article from the Chicago Tribune in order to get the entire scoop. 

Take a deep breath: inhale and exhale slowly. 

Now, on a much happier note, you can rest assured because GLUTEN FREE & FABULOUS PIZZA products are made in a DEDICATED GLUTEN-FREE FACILITY!

That's right: all of the GLUTEN FREE & FABULOUS pizzas are made in a completely gluten-free facility. There will never be "wheat dust" floating around looking to contaminate our dough! We are the ONLY gluten-free pizza that we know of that can claim this.

Amy's, a well known gluten-free pizza brand, has high risks for cross contamination. As you know, they not only make gluten-free pizza, but regular pizza as well. They make gluten-free entrees, and regular entrees. Therefore, there is no way that their products can be guaranteed gluten-free. Their website FAQ clearly states this.

Although all of this cross contamination news is disheartening, please remind yourself that there are companies who care about the health of those with food allergies, and go above and beyond with their precautions. You can feel safe with Gluten Free & Fabulous!

THE THANKSGIVING CHRONICLES: CHAPTER ONE- GLUTEN FREE STUFFING

Within the past month or so, I've found myself really enjoying food.

To some, this may not seem like such a bold statement, but as a Celiac, it is. 

From the time I have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I have turned into a picky eater- almost paranoid- and enjoyed everything on the plain side. I realized that it was out of fear. Knowing that my entire life thus far has been a painful one, thanks to GLUTEN, I developed a fear of food. I did not want to take the chance again of going through the pain of ingesting gluten. So for the past year or so while I've been trying to heal my intestines, my main diet consisted of plain quinoa, bananas, plain steamed veggies, sushi (vegetable rolls) Lactaid milk, cereal, plain rice, EnviroKidz rice bars, etc. You're probably thinking, "How boring!"- but to me, I actually grew to really enjoy those plain things because deep down, I was scared to venture out again. Perfect example: my boyfriend and I go to PF Chang's because they feature a gluten-free menu with plenty of choices. He orders a decadent shrimp dish, I order Buddah's Feast (plain steamed veggies) with a side of plain brown rice.  This has been my life for the past year.

Yet recently, my diet has become more colorful! I've been enjoying different wines, pastas with veggies and italian sausage, pizzas with garlic (I've become obsessed with garlic!) tomatoes and basil, quinoa with diced tomatoes and garlic, and most importantly DESSERT! 

With that in mind, I am SO excited for Thanksgiving this year. I can't wait to enjoy all of the flavors! I will be making my own gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan pumpkin pie (more to come on that one) and also this FABULOUS Gluten-Free STUFFING!

Supplies:

(If you're stuffing a chicken or turkey it's best to double the ingredients so that you have plenty)

• 2 packages of GLUTEN FREE & FABULOUS Sweet Savory Bites (a delicious bite filled with brown sugar, flax seeds, pumpkin and squash kernels, & rosemary)- which I recommend buying in your local store
  
• 1/2 cup of chopped celery
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped mushroom
• 2 oz. butter (use Smart Balance if you don't do dairy like me!)
• 6 oz. gluten-free Italian sausage (I prefer Aidell's Sausages)- make sure you cook this before you add to the stuffing
• 1 tsp. sage
• 1 tsp. Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup gluten-free chicken broth (can be found at your local grocery/Trader Joes)

First of all, watch the video to your right while you're cooking! It's a cooking tutorial done by Shari Cole of Gluten Free & Fabulous!

Secondly, Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Sautee vegetables with butter until desired readiness. Add cooked and drained sausage, broth, and combine all together. In a separate bowl, crumble Gluten Free & FABULOUS Sweet Savory Bites slightly along with adding sage and salt. Take first mixture (vegetables and sausage) and pour into baking dish, and add the Sweet Savory bites to the top. Place in oven for 45 mins (or until desired texture is reached).

Voila! A gluten free & FABULOUS stuffing that everyone is sure to gobble up! 

Shari, VP of Marketing for Gluten Free & Fabulous, says that at her Thanksgiving family dinner, everyone eats her dad's turkey instead! Her dad, Larry (CEO of GFF) has Celiac Disease, so this is the recipe that they use for his turkey stuffing.

Formal introduction

2004: The year it all began.

I was finishing my first year of college at University of Missouri Northwest. The whole year I had enjoyed everything that I was supposed to: new friends, sorority life, sleep overs, football games, and my new diet of pizza and beer. Sound familiar? Well, it eventually lead to the dismal "freshman 15"- every nineteen year old girl's worst nightmare! Yet, as final exams rolled around, I started to lose all that weight without any help; I was not dieting and I hardly exercised. I eventually began to sleep through my morning classes and became depressed. For as long as I could remember, my stomach had always hurt, but this was worse. The migraines and sinus infections only came more often too- I was an all around mess. My physical health interfered with my studies, so my parents and I eventually decided that I would come home to California after finishing the year.

 

When I finally came home, I weighed 100 lbs. Everyone said that I looked like a skeleton, yet nobody knew what was wrong with me. Was it stress? Possibly, because doctors now say that a stressful or traumatic event can lead to the trigger of Celiac Disease. This is what I was diagnosed with: Celiac Disease. After handfuls of tests and misdiagnosis, a few trips to the emergency room for dehydration and kidney infections, my mom's endocrinologist had finally diagnosed me.

My mom is one of the most generous women that I know. Immediately after my diagnosis, she took me to Mother's Market and bought me everything that I could find that was gluten-free. At the time, we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into, but we were so relieved to have a glimpse of hope: maybe this gluten-free diet would finally put me on a healthy track. She even joined the Celiac Sprue Association, the largest non-profit support group for Celiacs in America. My dad has also been a huge support, trying all of my gluten-free goodies and assuring me that they taste great :)

For a while I tried the gluten-free diet, with little success, so I got fed up and quit. Now I know that I did not feel 100% better because of all the hidden gluten and cross contamination- you Celiacs know exactly what I'm talking about! I had no idea that gluten was in my toothpaste, my soy sauce, my salad dressing, etc. It was not until another year later that I would fully accept the responsibilities of living with Celiac Disease. I had finally had enough with the chronic sinus infections, painful acne, stomach aches, all of which completely cramped my lifestyle!

I can happily and successfully say that I have embraced my Celiac Disease and have been gluten-free for over a year, which brings me to my internship with Gluten Free & FABULOUS! Almost one year ago, my boyfriend's parents told me about an article they read in their local Arizona newspaper about Larry Schneider, CEO of Gluten Free & Fabulous (GFF). Larry's company had created a new gluten-free (gf) pizza that was also created in an entirely dedicated gf facility: the first pizza company to do so! This was a big deal because one major discrepancy between a healthy and unhealthy gf diet is cross-contamination, which can easily occur if a company makes their gf foods on the same equipment as regular food. When they told me about the article, I decided to check out the website. It turns out that Shari Cole, VP of Marketing for GFF, lived and worked out of Los Angeles, although the corporate headquarters were in Phoenix, AZ (where the pizza factory is). On a whim, I decided to e-mail her and tell her a little about myself and ask if she would be interested in having an intern. I was interested in a career in the Public Relations/Health industry, and I was a junior in college with a major in Journalism and PR and had Celiac Disease, so I thought I'd fit right in. Not 15 minutes after I sent my e-mail did Shari call me back saying, "Laura, I think it's a fabulous idea! That'd be phenomenal!"- later I would learn that those are her two signature phrases!

So that's how the story goes, and leads me to today. I am going into my last semester of college and have been an intern for Gluten Free & FABULOUS for almost one year. 

Curious about how gluten-free food gets in to grocery stores, or how we get the word out about the need for gluten-free food? Ever wonder which products are the best in each category? Want to know some phenomenal tips, recipes, and insights into the gluten-free industry? Or what it's like to be a college kid surrounded by cocktail bars (filled with beer), college food (gluten filled pizza, sandwiches, and everything microwavable) and group outings (mainly to places without gf menus!)? 

You've come to the right place: I am a gluten-free girl, living and working in a gluten-free world- and I'm here to let you in! 

"A girl should be three things: classy, fabulous, & gluten-free!"

-Coco Chanel (with a Laura twist)

Cheers,

Laura