You may have noticed a lack of updates over the past few days.  This is because we have been working hard behind the scenes to get the rest of this website put together and hopefully make it a better quality resource for our readers.  Here is what we have so far and what is in the works:

1. Collection of Gluten Free Resources - As our name suggests, we want to your source for everything gluten free.  In addition to informational posts, Celiac news, and a regular supply of gluten free recipes, we know there are a lot of other things that we don’t offer yet.   That is why we started a collection of gluten free resources from around the internet!   Here you’ll find books, guides, organizations, message boards/forums, and more that are related to living gluten free.   If you have a resource you’d like to see added to this list, please let us know!
2. Collection of Gluten Free Restaurants - We’ve been scouring the internet looking for restaurant chains that offer a gluten free menu or give gluten free suggestions.   We then compiled the information and broke it down by state, making it easier for you to find restaurant chains in your area that offer a gluten free menu!  We also have plans to work on a similar list of grocery stores that carry gluten free products, but that is a little bit down the road.
3. New to Celiac? - Making the transition to a gluten free lifestyle can be quite the shock at first.   This page is designed to help people to make that transition.  We’ve only got a start going, but over time we hope to have a very large and useful resource for people that are newly diagnosed.
4. Gluten Free Recipes - We know that it can sometimes be hard to keep up with the number of recipes we feature here on Gluten Free Resource, Therefore, we decided to create a separate page that features all of the recipes we’ve featured, broken down into categories by food types.  This page will be updated as we feature more recipes, so if you enjoy our featured recipes, you may want to bookmark it for future reference. 
5. Gluten Free Products - With the price of gluten free products in specialty stores so high, people are turning to the internet and buying products in bulk to save money.   This page is still in the works, but once done, will feature a variety of gluten free products that can be purchased online.  

Have any suggestions for resources you’d find useful?  Please drop us a comment below or let us know.

More news today surrounding Celiac Disease and living gluten free. Here are a few you might have an interest in:

• The Baltimore Sun recommends trying flatbreads if you can’t find a good gluten free pizza crust.
• The Chronic Health Blog investigates the cause of Celiac Disease.
• WSLS talks about how gluten free options are increasing.

Got some Celiac related news?  Let us know!

I’ve always felt that the toughest part of being on a gluten free diet is lunch. Whether I’m traveling, at work, or busy with some other activity, it can often be difficult find something you can take that is gluten free and portable.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, I recommend you check out Sure Food Living’s recent post, 4 Gluten Free Lunch Ideas.

Ideas include:

1. Gourmet on the Go
2. Quick Quesadilla
3. Array of Appetizers
4. Piece of Pizza

Click over to get the full details!

Have you ever heard of someone mentioning they were on a gluten free diet, but it didn’t look like they needed to lose weight?   Or maybe you know someone who rarely eats in public?   Even if neither of these apply to you, each day the odds improve that you will come across the term Gluten Free Diet.

So, what exactly does it mean to be on a gluten free diet?  Typically this diet is associated with treating people that have Celiac (Coeliac) disease.   Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small bowel that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages from middle infancy.  While difficult to diagnose, each day doctors are correctly diagnosing more people with the disease based on their Celiac symptoms.  Treatment of the disease typically involves being on a gluten free diet.

What foods contain gluten?

A gluten free diet is a diet completely free of ingredients derived from gluten-containing foods: wheat (including Kamut and spelt), barley, rye, oats and triticale, as well as the use of gluten as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stablizing or thickening agent. Although most patients can tolerate oat products, there is a controversy about including them in a gluten free diet: some medical practitioners say they may be permitted, but the Celiac Society advises against them.

What foods are gluten free?

Several grains and starch sources are considered acceptable for a gluten-free diet. The most frequently used are maize (corn), potatoes, rice, and tapioca (derived from cassava). Other grains and starch sources generally considered suitable for gluten-free diets include amaranth, arrowroot, millet, montina, lupine, quinoa, sorghum (jowar), sweet potato, taro, teff, and yam. Various types of bean, soybean, and nut flours are sometimes used in gluten-free products to add protein and dietary fiber. In spite of its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat; pure buckwheat is considered acceptable for a gluten-free diet, although many commercial buckwheat products are actually mixtures of wheat and buckwheat flours, and thus not acceptable. Gram flour, derived from chickpeas, is also gluten free.

Gluten is also used in foods in some unexpected ways, for example as a stabilizing agent or thickener in products like ice cream and ketchup

People wishing to follow a completely gluten free diet must also take into consideration the ingredients of any over-the-counter or prescription medications and vitamins. Also, cosmetics such as lipstick, lip balms, and lip chap may contain gluten and need to be investigated before use.

Living on a Gluten Free Diet

People diagnosed with Celiac Disease will often become anti-social, prefering the comfort of their own cooking over the hassle of trying to find gluten free foods out in the world.   This also reduces the risk of cross-contamination, which is always something people on the diet need to be wary of. 

As more people are either diagnosed with Celiac Disease or know someone how is, things have steadily been improving for people who want to become more social. 

If you would like to find tasty and affordable gluten free products online, Gluten Free Resource recommends the products available at Gluten Free dot com, Gluten Free Mall, or Gluten Free Online.   I’ve purchased from all three and really enjoy the foods and products they offer.

Welcome to Gluten Free Resource, your one stop source for gluten free news, recipes, resources, product reviews, and so much more! It may take a little time, but once we get set up, we plan to have a lot of useful information for you. In the meantime look around, check out our menu at the top, and if you have any questions, please let us know!