Are multiple people in your family on gluten free diets?  Or maybe sometimes you get sick of all the homemade cooking that is required for a gluten free diet and just want a break?  No matter what your situation is, there is a new service now available that I think pretty much all of us can find a good use for.

The service is GFMeals.com, and they specialize in providing you frozen, ready-to-cook, entrees, sides and baked goods that are both gluten free and casein free.  That means their service is designed to cater to families dealing with autism, aspergers, ADHD and of course celiac disease.

If you’re interested in purchasing some gluten free food ahead of time to keep on hand for times when you need it, I definitely recommend gluten free meals!  They also allow you to purchase by the case if you prefer to buy in bulk.

In order to maintain a completely gluten free diet, it is essential that you do a lot more than just look for gluten in foods.  Did you know that gluten can also be found in all sorts of other things?  Did you know stamps contain gluten?  Certain medicines?

It would be to difficult to compile a complete list of these products, but here are some things you should look for if you are living gluten free:

• Lotions, creams and cosmetics (primarily for those with dermatitis herpetaformis).
• Stamps, envelopes or other gummed labels.
• Toothpaste and mouthwash.
• Some medicines contain gluten.
• Some brands of rice paper.
• Laxatives.

Can you think of any non-food or drink items that contain gluten that I might have missed?  Let me know in the comments below!

Remember that labeling law the FDA approved specifically to help people with Celiac Disease?  I noticed Atlanticville has written a quick reminder about the change and thought I would pass it along. Here is a portion of their post:

Currently, U.S. food-labeling laws require that the eight most allergenic foods (milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts and soybeans) be listed by their commonly recognized name on ingredient labels of packaged foods sold in the United States. The labeling requirement, which took effect in 2006 under the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, helped consumers identify ingredients they needed to avoid as a result of various allergies and intolerances; however, for individualswith celiac disease, the labeling requirement was only partly helpful.

A definition of “gluten-free” has been developed for voluntary use on product labels, effective in August. Meat, fish, poultry, eggs and highly refined oils are not included, but any other processed food may put “glutenfree” on its label if it contains less than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. There will also be new retail labeling guidelines in the fall regarding the country of origin of beef, lamb, pork, fish, shellfish, fruits, vegetables and peanuts. The information must state whether a product comes from the United States only, foreign sources only or is of mixed origin. Restaurants, cafeterias, food stands, and a few other small entities are exempt from this regulation.

Foods not governed by these guidelines may result in misleading labels that do not accurately reflect where individual ingredients are grown and processed. For example, a candy bar that is labeled “Product of France” may actually contain peanuts from Argentina.

Most people that are living gluten free lives are doing so for health reasons, and in particular, due to being diagnosed with Celiac Disease.   What many don’t know, however, is that the gluten free diet has gained some popularity in many areas of the United States among many health conscious people, who see the diet as a good way to eat well and improve their lives.

As you’d expect, Los Angeles is one of the places where this trend has picked up, and the L.A. Times recently wrote a post about the gluten free lifestyle:

Judy Beckett, a retired educator, was diagnosed with celiac disease two years ago: Her gut cannot tolerate gluten, and switching to these foods has improved her digestion and quality of life. Claudia Lopez, a housekeeper and mother of four, is looking for gluten-free food for herself and her family. She recently switched to it at the urging of a health expert she heard on Spanish radio.

Beckett and Lopez have plenty of company as more and more consumers embrace the gluten-free trend. Users run the gamut: There are people like Beckett with celiac disease who must be on the diet; others who believe the diet can alleviate chronic intestinal complaints and boost energy; still others who believe the gluten-free diet may help in the treatment of autism and a host of other disorders, including schizophrenia, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis, attention deficit disorder, migraine and even fertility problems.

And some people are trying the diet simply because they’ve heard it is healthful.

“A lot of people are going gluten-free . . . but they really don’t know why,” says Suzy Badaracco, president of Culinary Tides, a company that forecasts food trends. “It’s just like, “Quick, it’s gluten-free, it must be good!’ “

Click over to check out the rest of their post!

For those of you with Celiac Disease or some form of gluten intolerance, you are not alone.   Many have heard the figure 1 in 133 people are believed to have Celiac Disease, but could it possibly be even more?

As the diagnosis continue to grow, so does the attention focused on the disease by doctors, so I wouldn’t be surprised if even more people than previously thought have some form of gluten sensitivity.

Another benefit that comes with the disease getting more attention is the attention provided by cooks, restaurants, and even large corporations, who are looking to capitalize on this with gluten free products.  Here is one story of how far things have come in the last decade (from the Current Argus):

Once considered a rare condition, celiac disease or gluten intolerance is becoming one of the most common genetic conditions in the world, with a wide range of symptoms that can range from digestive problems to depression.

The disease cannot be cured, only controlled through careful diet.

For sufferers in Carlsbad, there is much help to be found through the local Celiac Disease Support Group.

The group offers good information on alternative food choices as well as recipes and general information on how to cope with the disease and diet. However, members agreed, the emotional support is probably the most important offering at the meetings.

Angie Madl was diagnosed eight years ago. For her, the support group has meant a great deal as far as the sharing of important information she might not have found on her own. What keeps her coming back is the camaraderie of knowing others who suffer from the same disease.

“I was diagnosed too late,” Madl said, noting she wasn’t given any information or told what to do.