Categories: Gluten and Dairy Free

Nine Resources for Living Gluten and Dairy Free

Find Me Gluten Free

This is an app to find gluten free friendly restaurants near you, or when traveling to other cities. You can locate gluten free and celiac friendly restaurants including chains such as Chili’s and Cheesecake Factory. You can also search by the “Dedicated GF Facility” filter. View menus and ratings and even submit your own. It’s free on Apple, Android and their website.

National Celiac Association (NCA)

You don’t have to have celiac disease to use this valuable resource. NCA is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating and advocating for people with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivities. You can find gluten free restaurants, access recipes and subscribe to their free eNewsletter. Most of the resources are free, but you do need a membership to access their magazine, Gluten-Free Nation.

Celiac Disease Foundation

The foundation’s mission statement is “Since its founding in 1990, the Celiac Disease Foundation has funded and executed international initiatives in three principal areas to bring an end to the suffering caused by celiac disease: medical research, patient and healthcare provider education, and public policy advocacy.” Their website has a section on Gluten-Free Living, with information on label reading and the FDA, as well as recipes, and trending topics.

FARE

FARE stands for Food Allergy Research & Education and they are the world’s largest private funder of food allergy research. One mind-blowing statistic they provide is 85 million Americans are impacted by food allergies and intolerances, including 32 million who have a potentially life-threatening condition.

Their site has sections on common allergens, research and innovation. Their initiative, the FASTER Act, was signed into law by President Biden on April 23rd. It’s a new food allergy bill requiring sesame (to which nearly 1.6 million Americans are allergic) – to be labeled on all packaged foods beginning January 1, 2023. The act will also require food allergy research be given greater priority by the federal government. 

FoodMaestro

FoodMaestro is an app that searches and recommends food to meet your lifestyle and dietary needs. It’s free to download and available on iOS and Android. You create a profile, scan a barcode and see if the product is suitable to your dietary needs.

Gluten Sniffing Dog

Ok, this one is a bit extreme, but it is too fascinating to not include. I’ve heard of cancer sniffing canines but never knew there are dogs trained to detect gluten. Training a service dog can take approximately one year and be expensive, between $10,000 and $20,000.

Nourished Festival

This expo has helped me go gluten and dairy free. It’s the gluten free, allergy and specialty diet festival. The specialty diets include nut free, keto, paleo and plant based. They travel across the country for a two-day expo, but currently do not have any festivals planned for 2021. I miss visiting booths to get samples, discovering new brands and watching cooking demos. However, there is good news. Classes and presentation from previous festivals are available for viewing. You can also sign up to receive coupons. Hopefully we can attend in person next year.

Alternatives

Miss pizza, ice cream and bread? There are gluten and dairy free versions of most foods. Having substitutes for your favorite meals and snacks makes a huge difference and helps avoid falling off the wagon.

Support

Chris Rock joked “most people don’t realize this, but you can eat organic, all natural, gluten-free food without telling everyone around you.”

I disagree. Tell your family and friends even though it may take some time for them to get on board. In the beginning I heard, “you can have a little piece; it won’t kill you,” and “I couldn’t live without pizza!”  

Keep turning down their food and reminding them of your new lifestyle. Don’t worry, they won’t be offended and will stop enabling you. Trust me, after a while they will tell you all about the gluten and dairy free foods they have come across – “did you know there’s gluten free Oreos?” And some may even join you in your journey, whether out of curiosity or being inspired to eat healthier.

Conclusion

We all need help with going gluten and dairy free. These nine resources can help, whether it be with reading food labels, finding restaurants or learning about the latest allergy news, including pooches who can sniff out gluten.

Fun Food Fact

According to Forbes, the number of Americans going gluten free has tripled since 2009.

Did You Know

Casein, a protein in dairy, can mimic gluten and create an inflammatory response because of the similarities. 

Quote

“After I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I said yes to food, with great enthusiasm. . . . I vowed to taste everything I could eat, rather than focusing on what I could not.” ― Shauna James Ahern

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Gabriela Velazquez

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