The Excitement of a Box

As hilarious as it might be, I always get just giddy when I get a new box of gluten free products to try. Yesterday, I got a box from one of my favorite companies, Katz Gluten Free. As soon as I saw the label on the box, I went inside and ripped into it. Inside the box was all the products that I wanted to try. Some of these products were their new Apple Pies, a Coffee Bundt Cake, and the Sugared Snack Poppers. I have to say Katz couldn't have picked better products for me if they had tried. My favorite kind of pie is apple, and I am addicted to coffee! Over the next few days, I will be sending reviews on all of these products, plus there will be a chance for you to win a box of 5 Katz Gluten Free products of your choice. Check in tomorrow to see how you can win!

The Wonder of Food

When I was younger, I was quite a picky eater. I think most of us can say that as children. As I got older, I started trying some new things, but still fell under the picky eater category. When I started the gluten free diet, I realized that limiting myself to the foods I knew I liked was just crazy. There was so much food out there that I could have, but didn't want to try. At that point I came to realize that the gluten free diet was picky enough without me helping. About a year after going gluten free, I adopted a new policy on food. If it's gluten free and doesn't eat me first, I'll try it. The truth is, you never know what your missing unless you give it a shot. If you try something and don't like it, you can at least say you tried it. But, not giving something a try just because you think you won't like it is cheating yourself. You never know when you'll miss out on something amazing.

Lessons Life Has Taught Me

Every now and then we have to take a break from out usual to look at things we seem to ignore most of the time. For me, that would be the part of my life that doesn't include working all the time and always doing something. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we're working toward that we forget to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Don't get me wrong, it is great to have goals to work toward and the feeling of accomplishment when you get there.  But it's those little things along the way that make the journey worth it, and if we are too distracted by what we're doing to notice we miss out on all the wonderful things. As we get older, we start to wonder about what we would do if we could go back. Would we change the way we handled things? In a simple word, no. While some experiences in my life have been painful, or awkward, or just downright depressing, I learned something important from every one of them. I learned that sometimes people aren't what they seem, you have to be careful who you trust, and that bad things happen. What matters is what you learn from it and how you handle the situation next time. I firmly believe that we all have room for improvement and as we go along, we get better. Becoming gluten free after being diagnosed as a Celiac was part of my self improvement. It was awful at first and I didn't want to deal with it at all. But as time went on, I learned to deal with it and eventually decided to stop feeling sorry for myself and turn my diagnosis into a way to help others like me. The hardest thing to do is fight something when you feel all alone. Realizing that you aren't alone changes everything. It makes you realize there are other people out there going through the same thing as you. That simple little fact makes it easier to deal with. Without Celiac Disease, I would not have grown to be the person I am today. I wouldn't have this need to help others like me however I can. In a way, I am actually thankful for my Celiac. It made me realize a purpose I never would have seen without it. Everything in life happens for a reason, I believe that now more than ever. As hard as it may be at the time, you just have to stop and realize what that reason is.

Gluten Free Rice Krispies

There has been a lot of hype the past few months on the gluten free Rice Krispies that were to be released in June. Of course this news had the gluten free community patiently awaiting the arrival of the cereal, and still has me waiting. 

Every time I go to any store that carries cereal, I have to go look and see if it has made it to the shelves yet. When you stop and think about it, it really is funny that a person can get so excited about cereal. The truth is, it's really like a new toy to a child. Something new and different than what we have every day, and hopefully, something better than what we have had before. I'll say this about my Celiac Disease, it really has made me appreciate the little things in life. It has also made me a lot less picky about the foods I'll eat. My basic rule now is this..if it's gluten free, I'll try it. I guess that can be chalked up to one more thing the gluten free diet has done for me. 
For now, I will continue waiting patiently for the Rice Krispies to make it to stores here in my hometown. Hopefully they will make it soon.

A Weekend of Gluten Free Discovery

This weekend I made several fantastic gluten free discoveries. More than likely, these discoveries are not new to everyone, just new to me.  While at my grandpa's house today, I happened to notice that Worcestershire Sauce is labeled gluten free.  I haven't used the stuff in years, but am actually thrilled that now I can.  In addition to this fantastic discovery, I also noticed today that Frito Lay products are labeled gluten free as well.  After making these discoveries, I couldn't help but wonder if these were recent changes, or I have just been completely oblivious to them.  Do we get so used to knowing that something is safe or not safe to eat, that we just begin ignoring the package completely? If so, we really need to start paying attention and stop missing the amazing discoveries to be made. My wonderful weekend of discovery continued with finding out that the grocery story here in my little town is now carrying some gluten free items again.  It is a strange assortment of items, but a step in the correct direction.  I also discovered that the grocery store I usually buy my gluten free items at is now carrying some breads from Canyon Bakehouse. So of course, I bought one of them to try.  I am really looking forward to trying the product and seeing if it lives up to the hype. I really hope the selection of gluten free items I can get my hands on locally continues to grow, because I love trying new things.

Gluten Free Food Labeling Summit

On May 4, 2011 gluten free finally became an issue to the FDA, thanks to a group called 1 in 133 that personally took on the fight to get the FDA to make standardized gluten free labeling. To those that started the group, thank you.  To everyone who signed the petition like I did, you are helping to make this happen. This is one of the biggest movements in the gluten free community and proves that we will fight for what we need. It seems that the message got across to the FDA, but now we just have to wait and see. Hopefully things will change now and life will get easier for the gluten free community. 

Celiac Awareness Month

May is Celiac Awareness month! This year, the month is all about changing the way people look at gluten free. Just a few days away the first Gluten Free Food Labeling Summit will be held in Washington, DC.  Most of us can't go out to the event, but there is still a way to help with the cause. You can go to 1in133.org and sign the petition to get the FDA to finally set standardized labeling for gluten free products. Anyone that is on the gluten free diet knows how important it is to have a standard for gluten free labeling. It would make our lives much easier, and ensure that all gluten free products are indeed that. I really hope this summit makes the FDA see that we are going to fight for what should have already been done, and make them finally take action.  I guess we'll just have to see.