Making Tracks Round-up

This past weekend I participated – or rather waddled since I’m seven months pregnant – in the 9th annual Making Tracks for Celiacs 5K/10K. Because this was my first Making Tracks event, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. As I waited in line to register – quite a few of us registered the morning of the race -- I chatted up several veteran participants and learned that this year seemed to draw an even larger crowd than past years. One thing I noticed was the number of kids there, and the significant distances many of their families had traveled for the event.

From the results tally, it appears that more than 500 runners and walkers participated. Impressively, the Making Tracks website says over $37,000 was raised. Proceeds help support the programs at the University of Maryland’s Center for Celiac Research (several other cities also have their own 5K’s in conjunctions with Baltimore’s).

As for the race itself, I got a kick out of many of the t-shirts in support of ‘silly-yaks’ and ‘gluten-free cuties’ that I passed (or rather, that passed me). I also enjoyed checking out the Canton waterfront and Patterson Park.

But of course, my favorite part had to be all the gluten-free goodies at the end. I started with powdered doughnut holes from Celiac Specialties, then enjoyed a bagel from Against the Grain Gourmet, nibbled on a mini blueberry muffin made with Jules Gluten Free flour mix, snuck a black and white cookie from Katz’s gluten free and savored a pastry from Tenzo Artisan bakery. It was decadent and gluttonous, but I am eating for two -- something a few generous vendors noted as they gave me seconds.


See you out there next year!
Christine


Making Tracks for Celiacs: Celiacwalk.org

Some of my favorite vendors:

• celiacspecialitiesshop.com
• againstthegraingourmet.com
• Julesglutenfree.com
• Katzglutenfree.com
• tenzoartisan.com

Making Tracks for Celiacs - 2010

We are only 8 weeks away from the 2010 Celiac Walk/Run in Baltimore, MD!  Grab your shoes and get ready for a 5K run/walk or a 10K run.  If you don't think you can do the full walk, there are many other ways to participate as well.  Join in the other activities: a silent auction, gluten-free refreshments and vendor fair, a raffle, and some great kids' activities.  Of course, they are always looking for volunteers to help the event run smoothly.

This walk is a big deal to us because Baltimore is home to the Center for Celiac Research at University of Maryland Medical Center.

Click Below for Detailed Information.

A Starbucks on Every Corner

I loved the Valencia Cake from Starbucks.  It made me feel 'normal' to say: yes, I'd like a cake with my coffee.  Well, bah hum bug... Starbucks is no longer serving their gluten-free cake.  They claim that it wasn't nutritious enough and have replaced it with a nut-type bar.

Thanks to that, now I'll have to make my own cake... when will I find time to do that?!

I'm off to eat a pint of ice cream.

Monica

Training & Competing Gluten Free

This spring I competed in my first Duathlon and the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer (40 miles of walking) I wanted to be prepared for my events.  And, as any athlete knows, part of the training is food choices.  There are many choices, but it's important to ask the right questions:  what will work for me? What will hold up on long bike rides and hours of walking? AND what will taste the best? 

I scoured the Internet for athletes with Celiac Disease and found very little.  As my housemate pointed out, the problem with looking for Celiac athletes is that they are most likely hardcore athletes and their food choices are less than desirable.  I did,  however, find some very nice products that are Gluten Free, taste good, and provide the needed fuel for training and competing.  

Monica's Suggestions...

When you go to an athletic event, BYOF Bring your own food!!! 

I found these products at Whole Foods, REI, or the local grocery store:

- Stingg fruit chews
- Powdered Gatorade

   I'm allergic to glycerin also... 

- Nature Valley Roasted Nut Crunch

   Almond flavor 
- Lara Bars – any flavor 
- Cliff Bar Nectar - any flavor 
- Gu – apple cinnamon 
- Bagels by Glutino

- Hamburger buns: Whole Foods Bakehouse. 
- Trail mix, whatever you like but this is what I use:
      Enjoy Life – cinnamon granola 
      Salted Cashew pieces 
      Raisins 
      Raw Almonds 
      Dried cherries 

- As toppings for bread products I use peanut butter & honey or meat & cheese.  

Training Gluten-Free

• The Iron Celiac
• Training Is Fun
• NY Times on athletes with Celiac Disease

Go Team Gluten Free!

-Monica

Take Action: Educate & Advocate for Celiac Disease

As we head into the final days of May, we here at Gluten Free in Baltimore would like to urge you to Take Action!

To meet the needs of patients with celiac disease Congress needs to know how many Americans have the condition.  What else?  They need to know the symptoms and treatment and the concerns or problems affecting those with the condition.  In just 60 seconds, you can give this important information to your Representative.  Educate and Advocate --  Do it TODAY!

Celiac Controversy

May 4th has come and gone.  "What?" You ask was so special about May 4th? (Reminder).

Controversy is surrounding Elisabeth Hasselbeck's new book The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide  (Click Here to Read an Excerpt).  To look at the book in depth, we suggest a trip over to its website.  We're going to leave it up to you to decide how you feel about this book, and would love for you to comment.  Below you will find several viewpoints so you can piece together your opinion.  

From Gluten-Free Bloggers:

• The Crispy Cook
• The Savvy Celiac
• Strawberries are Gluten Free
• Sure Foods Living

Book Reviews from Paid Editors and Unpaid Readers

• Ali M. Shapiro, a reader from Philadelphia
• Nancy Franklin, a reader from Kentucky
• Nancy Lapid: About.com
• Nutrition Unplugged
• People.com

From the Medical Community:

Celiac Colleagues:

I am writing to call your attention to the current publicity surrounding the new book, The G-free Diet:  A Gluten-Free Survival Guide by Elisabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of The View.  While it is important to call attention to celiac disease, the information must be accurate - the inaccuracies in this book are potentially dangerous and detrimental to celiacs and to those yet to be diagnosed if people self diagnose and start eating GF.  Our mission is to assist in getting people accurately diagnosed and the message in this book could defeat this mission.  It appears that this book is being marketed as a fitness diet - eat g-free and feel so much better.  Celiac is incorrectly referred to as an allergy not an autoimmune disease.

The GF diet is the medically mediated prescription that controls the condition for a diagnosed celiac.  Several items in the book are misleading and inaccurate and place further limitations on the GF diet.  The gluten-free lifestyle is a lifelong commitment for the diagnosed celiac, not an option, not a fad diet - adhering to the GF lifestyle requires patience and persistence.  This lifestyle can not be trivialized.

Thank you.

Elaine Monarch

Founder & Executive Director

Celiac Disease Foundation

Elizabeth Hasselbeck discusses G-Free on Good Morning America:

So what do you think?

Take Me Out to the Gluten-Free Ball Game!

Gluten Free and Take Me Out To The Ball Game rarely coincide, but on Thursday, May 14th, the Bowie Baysox are hosting Food Allergy Awareness Night.  In addition to this great event, you can find Noah's gluten-free pretzels at Orioles' games at Camden Yards.  (For those Nationals' fans out there, you too can enjoy Noah's gluten-free pretzels!  Check out where to find them by clicking here.)

BOWIE, Md. - The Bowie Baysox are getting ready for Food Allergy Awareness Night on Thursday, May 14. The team is taking the necessary precautions so that fans affected by food allergies, anaphylaxis and celiac disease can see the Baysox take on the Erie SeaWolves at 7:05 p.m.

The team is proud to work with the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, the University of Maryland School of Medicine's Center for Celiac Research, Allergy & Asthma Network: Mothers of Asthmatics and Johns Hopkins Children Center to offer two sections to fans with food allergies.

There will be a FOOD-FREE ZONE in the lower reserved section of Prince George's Stadium with an exclusive entrance on the third base concourse. The section will be cleaned extensively prior to the game and absolutely no food will be permitted in the section during the game. However, fans sitting in the food-free zone will be allowed to bring soda and bottled water into the section. Tickets in this zone will be $11.

In addition to the food-free zone, the Baysox are offering a GLUTEN-FREE SECTION. Seats in the gluten-free section will include a voucher for a hot dog on a gluten-free bun, chips, a regular size soft drink and a gluten-free cookie. Seats in the gluten-free section with the food voucher are $13.50.

To help protect fans, the Baysox will not sell peanuts on the third base concourse during the game. The team will also list every ingredient of every item sold on signs at each concession stand. The Baysox will also raise awareness for food allergies throughout the night with tables on the concourse level.

To purchase seats in the food-free zone or the gluten-free section, fans can contact Promotions Manager Chris Rogers at (301) 464-4855. To guarantee seating within the designated areas, seats must be purchased at least 48 hours before the game.

The Baysox 17th season as the class AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles is underway! Don't miss a moment of the action as the Baysox attempt to bring home their first Eastern League championship. Individual game tickets and ticket packages are available now at www.baysox.com or by calling the Baysox box office at (301) 464-4865.

(Many Thanks to Monica.)

A new gluten-free read: “G free diet”

There’s another book about to hit store shelves on the topic of living the (good) gluten-free life, “The G free diet: Gluten-free Survival Guide.” This time it’s penned by a celiac celebrity: Elisabeth Hasselbeck, View co-host and former Survivor: Outback participant.

According the publisher this “all-inclusive” book covers topics like creating “G free” shopping lists, reading food labels and managing “G free” living with family and friends (who are presumably gluten-eaters). I’m interested in the latter issue. I still find it clumsy and awkward to deal with family gatherings and holidays where gluten is the centerpiece.

“G free diet” comes out May 4.

2009 International Walk for Celiac Disease

Start stretching because on Sunday, May, 3, 2009, Baltimore will host the International Walk/Run for Celiac Disease.  This is a great event that has raised over $1,500,000 since the first walk eight years ago. 

Click Here to Register as a Participant.

Click Here to Register as a Volunteer.

Click Here to Sponsor a Participant.

Still not sure if you're interested?  Look at the incentives offered:

• T-shirt to all entrants and volunteers
• Water and time splits on 5K and 10K courses
• Gluten-free refreshments and vendor fair after the race
• Special children's activities also after the race
• Silent Auction
• Raffle for a variety of prizes (tickets on sale at the event).

*Thank you to "Anonymous" for the date correction!  (The link to the official site has the date listed incorrectly.)

From the Baltimore Sun: Study Reveals Piece in the Celiac Puzzle

Study Reveals Piece In The Celiac Puzzle

"Maryland researchers have identified a key receptor in the intestine that can trigger celiac disease, and they hope their findings can be applied to other autoimmune disorders, such as Type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis."

Take a look at the article.  This is good news not only for the celiac community, but for the whole autoimmune disorders/disease community in general.  It is likely that once a "cure" for Celiac Disease is discovered, many other autoimmune disorders may also be cured as well.  

Now, don't start salivating over that croissant quite yet, this is still in the works, but this is GOOD news!

Philly Swirl

Check out Philly Swirl Products...not only do you get a delicious gluten-free ice cream treat, you get the benefit of a helping a company to help fund Celiac Disease research!

Beware: Not ALL of their products are gluten free...but a lot are!

The Baltimore Sun: "Body Wars"

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder.  In the June 5th "Heath Today" section of The Baltimore Sun, there is an article titled "Body Wars".  There is a little rectangle that highlights the key aspects of Autoimmune disorders:

• In these ailments, the body mistakenly attacks its own tissues.
• Key autoimmune disease include[, but are not limited to] rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, Type 1 diabetes, thyroiditis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and celiac disease.
• Twenty-four million Americans have an autoimmune disease, more than double the number with cancer.
• Diseases strike women more often; four of five patients in this country are women.

Know the facts!  The most interesting thing about autoimmune disorders is that once they are able to fully grasp one of them, and create a cure, the rest will follow suit.  So keep your fingers crossed!  Or if you'd like to be more proactive, get out there and make some noise about the state of medicine and its lack of attention to curing autoimmune disorders.

Maybe You've Heard About it; Maybe You Haven't...

Making Tracks for Celiacs

While this year's Baltimore Celiac Walk/Run has already taken place, you better start stretching for next year's!  The total donations they have accepted so far have been listed on the website at $57,438. 

So get ready, get set, go!

What's The Status of Gluten in Baltimore?

"Food for Thought"

Baltimore Business Journal

Before I begin, I would like to say, that I fully support this good news in the Baltimore Business Journal; however, I want to remind everyone with Celiac Disease, that you do not have a food allergy to gluten.  You have an autoimmune disorder.  Your body attacks itself when gluten enters it.  Gluten to a person with Celiac Disease is like a poison, and your body is trying to eliminate the poison.  In the process, it ends up attacking itself (which is where all the nasty symptoms come from)

Now, I have used the old explanation technique at restaurants: "I have an allergy to gluten, and since it's not good business to have an ambulance in front of a restaurant, please do check with the chef to verify that the food will be gluten free..."  To most people the words "food allergy" make sense and demonstrate that I mean business.  No restaurant wants to have their food kill someone.  Now, I won't die immediately upon ingesting gluten (they don't need to know that); but my risk for dying from colon cancer and other horrible things increases exponentially if I do eat gluten.  Also, I just don't like to feel nauseated, have diarrhea, severe pain in my abdomen, etc...  It's not worth the gluten.

"Avoiding Gluten Is Not A Fad"

"For Most People, Gluten Isn't a Diet Enemy"

NPR.com Listen Here

I came across this posting on NPR.com, and probably got way too excited about it.  When I was first diagnosed -- years and years and years ago -- It felt as though I was the only one, or maybe (if I was lucky) one of four who had to cut gluten out of my life completely.  Now, I find news articles talking about Gluten, morning TV shows with segments about gluten, Servers at restaurants who don't have an aneurism when I explain that "I want the hamburger without the bread, and are your french fries cooked in the same deep fryer as anything with flour?"

We're coming a long way, but we still have a while to go.