NOTE FROM ALICE
NFCA Executive Director

Back to school!

What an exciting time for everyone—kids, parents and teachers. For the families that have children with celiac disease, this also can be a time of some concern.

Many parents wonder how their elementary school child will fare with school lunches, classroom snacks and birthday parties. High school students entering the bustling world of the school cafeteria will cope with the possible temptations of group pressure to join that gluten-filled lunch or party. And, college students will be required to sign up for the mandatory meal plan, possibly with limited options.

The hints found in this month's Beyond Rice Cakes column of the newsletter offer some valuable suggestions for navigating the waters in the "back to school" environment. Telling the school and other families about your needs, engaging friends as support, and employing alternatives that enable the student to stick with a gluten-free diet are all good approaches that anyone can use. Most students report that they have found wonderful help and understanding when they simply tell their friends and the school what they can eat, what they can't eat and why.

Many elementary school parents send along extra gluten-free cupcakes and snacks for the school to have on hand for those in-class parties. Some parents address the child's class at Back to School night telling them about celiac disease and what this means to their child. We know one teenager who keeps a potato in his backpack "just in case". (Read A. J.'s story on the NFCA website, www.CeliacCentral.org for other tips that this high school student employs.)

NFCA's goal is to improve the quality of life for all who have celiac disease. This means helping people find a way to maintain a gluten-free lifestyle while living a "normal" life and enjoying all of the same everyday activities as others.

Because awareness of celiac disease has spread and institutions such as schools and colleges are becoming more aware of the gluten-free menu, it is becoming easier each year for "back to school" to bring with it all of the same joys and challenges for those with celiac disease as it does for others.

All of us at NFCA wish you the best school year ever filled with healthy gluten-free meals and fun for everyone!

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BEYOND RICE CAKES
Back-to-School: Navigating the School System with a Celiac Child
Plus a special interview with Congressman Steve Kagen

By Vanessa Maltin
NFCA Director of Outreach & Programming

It's back-to-school time again! I remember being a little girl and getting all dressed up for the first day of school. My mom would braid my hair and together we would pack my lunch in a bright pink lunchbox. I usually packed a sandwich, crackers or pretzels, a piece of fruit and one of my mom's famous homemade oatmeal raisin cookies. For years I packed this type of lunch, and for all of those years I felt sick. Little did we know, the reason was celiac disease?

Just when you thought you'd figured out how to manage your child's diet at home, it's time to find a way for them to head off to school and eat lunch with their friends in the cafeteria. This may sound daunting, but these new guidelines will help ensure that your child is safe and healthy at school, and learns to manage his or her own gluten-free diet!

First of all, some basic reminders about celiac disease:

What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac disease is a hereditary autoimmune disease that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. What does this mean? Put simply, the body is attacking itself!

Celiac disease is triggered by consumption of the protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, barley and rye. When people with celiac disease eat foods containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the fingerlike villi of the small intestine. When the villi become damaged, the body is unable to absorb nutrients into the bloodstream.

Treatment:
The only treatment for celiac disease is a 100%, life-long gluten-free diet, which means avoiding all forms of wheat, barley and rye.

Despite these restrictions, people with celiac disease can eat a well-balanced diet that consists of healthy and delicious foods. Even though it may seem impossible to maintain the diet at school, these simple guidelines will ensure that your child has the best possible experience throughout their school years.

Going to School:
Most children with special dietary needs tend to bring their own snacks and lunch to school to ensure that the food they eat is safe. This is a good thing! As a parent, you can work with your child to educate them on how to pack a nutritious and delicious gluten-free lunch! This teaches your child early on how to manage his or her own diet.

For help with making gluten-free lunches, download the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness Celiac Survival Guide at www.CeliacCentral.org. It includes meal and snack ideas and suggestions for products that are easy for children to take to school.

Understanding Your Rights:
Even though you may love to make your child's lunch everyday, it is very important as a parent to understand what the federal government requires participating school districts to do to accommodate children with food allergies and intolerances.

To help you better understand the federal requirements, I contacted Congressman Steve Kagen from Wisconsin's 8th District. Dr. Kagen founded the Kagen Allergy Clinics, which are located throughout the state. He has served as an assistant clinical professor of Allergy-Immunology at the Medical College of Wisconsin and is triple board certified in Internal Medicine, Allergy-Immunology, and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology. He was also voted one of the "Best Doctors in America," and CNN named him their Allergy Consultant. kagen.house.gov

In addition to representing his constituents in Washington, D.C., Dr. Kagen tries to keep regular appointments with patients at his clinics in Wisconsin, many of who are dealing with celiac disease and other food allergies at school.

"The best advice I have for parents is to speak up and become a vocal advocate for their child," Dr. Kagen said.

When Dr. Kagen diagnoses a child with celiac disease or other life-threatening food allergy, he helps the child and parent develop an action plan. The first step involves educating the family on how to manage a special diet at home and at school. He also help the child and parent with writing a letter to the school detailing the exact condition the child has and what he or she can and cannot eat.

Over the last 25 years, he has found schools to be "very responsive," especially at the elementary school level. To learn more about Dr. Kagen's work in Congress and legislative priorities, visit his congressional website at kagen.house.gov. If you live Wisconsin, please visit www.kagenallergy.net to make an appointment or see one of the clinic's specialists. Maybe you'll run into Dr. Kagen!

Here's some basic information that will help you navigate your child's school.

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), celiac disease is defined as a disability. The United States Department of Agriculture Food and Agriculture (USDA) has adopted this definition as well, meaning that all children with celiac disease are included under the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service Guidance on Children with Special Dietary Needs.

The USDA Child Nutrition Division oversees school lunch programs and requires participating school systems to provide substitutions for all students with food allergies and intolerances that qualify as a disability.

What is a Disability?
Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, a "person with a disability" is defined as any person who has a physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities including eating. Celiac disease falls under this definition.

Americans with Disabilities Act
Comprehensive legislation, signed into law on July 26, 1990, that creates new rights and extends existing rights for Americans with disabilities. Title II of the Act is especially significant for school nutrition programs, as it requires equal availability and accessibility in State and local government programs and services, including public schools—this includes school lunch programs.

Basically, this means that students cannot be excluded from school meal programs because of celiac disease. This extends to breakfast, lunch and after school snacks as well at NO extra cost to the student.

To qualify for reimbursable meal substitutions, you must set up a 504 plan. To qualify, your child will need a note from a physician certifying that they have celiac disease and explaining what foods need to be avoided and detailing safe substitutions. For more information, please visit the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service's website at:
www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Lunch/AboutLunch/ProgramHistory_4.htm

Participating schools MUST comply or they risk losing federal funding.

These items are what schools are REQUIRED to do:

1. Review written documentation from physician detailing information on celiac disease and necessary treatment with a gluten-free diet.
2. Identify a team of school officials that will ensure your child's safety. This team may include the following: teachers, school nurse, school administrators, cafeteria staff, etc.
3. Notify all school personnel that interact with your child about celiac disease and how to ensure your child's safety.

First Steps:

• Take initiative!
• Schedule an appointment with your child's physician before the school year starts.
• Ask the physician to write a one-page summery about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet. Include biographic information on your child, what they cannot eat, and what foods are safe.
• Make sure your physician signs the document.
• Present document to school officials.

Second Steps:

• Call your child's school and set up a meeting with the appropriate contacts.
• Once you explain your child's needs, school officials should begin setting up a team for you to meet with.
• At your meeting, make sure to discuss the following:
  • What celiac disease is and how it affects your child.
  • What foods your child can't have (WHEAT, BARLEY AND RYE).
  • How to prevent contamination.
  • What to look for if your child eats gluten and a reaction occurs.
  • Ask for a copy of school menu and discuss modifications with food service director.

These are basic steps to help you get started! If you need more help, please call your physician or the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness.

Best of luck with the new school year!

Resources:

• National Foundation for Celiac Awareness
• United States Department of Agriculture
• Congressman Steve Kagen

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SHOP FOR CELIAC

Donate $5 to NFCA and receive 20% off from Macys!*

Shop for a Cause! Macy's has partnered with the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness to raise funds for awareness and research projects. And, it all involves shopping!

*Here's how it works:
Donate $5 to NFCA and in exchange you'll receive a 20% off card from Macys that is valid on purchases on Saturday October 13. You'll be entered to win amazing prizes such as: a $500 gift card for Macys, home appliances, clothing and other incredible items. To join Shop for a Cause, visit www.celiaccentral.org and click on the Macy's logo on the homepage.

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RESTAURANT RANTS & RAVES
Home Cooked Taste Away from Home—Uno Chicago Grill

By Suzy Schurr
NFCA Volunteer

Back to school always brings mixed emotions for kids, as well as for parents. For me in particular, I'm happy to resume a routine and some sort of order in our lives, yet I also know will come the chore of nightly meal planning and prep. While the summer allows for impromptu dinners of leftovers or a bowl of our favorite cereal with some fruit, when school begins, I'm obsessed with providing nutritious meals for my kids growing minds and bodies. Somehow that bowl of cereal just won't cut it, when I know they have hours of studying ahead of them.

So, September is a time of really good meals and really good intention for the first few weeks at least. Then it hits us; soccer practice, ballet class, piano lessons and the monthly orthodontist appointment which now takes precedence over those well planned meals. When this happens, Uno Chicago Grill is a great substitute for a home cooked meal. It's fast, fabulous and offers a gluten free menu to boot. What could be better? I was pleasantly surprised last week when our family enjoyed an evening out at our local Uno. I hadn't been there since being diagnosed with celiac disease a couple of years ago and had no idea there was a gluten free menu let alone foods other than pizza.

As I scanned the gluten-free menu, I always look first to see if there are items that kids on a gluten-free diet might enjoy. I was a bit disappointed by the single offering of a kid's cheeseburger (no bun) and a side of corn, but I ordered it along with my meal for research... and I was pleasantly surprised. Not only would kids love this burger, but adults would as well. It was the juiciest little burger, perfectly cooked to my liking and quite flavorful. It was delivered in a basket along with a small dish of corn nibblets.

While the burger was great for kids, there were several other items on the menu that a child might enjoy as well. For example, my husband's meal; the Simple Chicken arrived as a tender grilled chicken breast with very little seasoning. It was a little larger than a deck of cards and he ordered the red bliss mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli as his sides.

Children also might enjoy what I ordered. For my appetizer I tried the BBQ Pork Stick. I didn't love the name, but I loved the taste. It was a succulent, meaty pork shank slow cooked in a smoky BBQ sauce. For my entrée I had the BBQ Shrimp Skewers. It was delicious! There were ten large tangy, lightly charred shrimp threaded on two skewers served hot on a bed of diced roasted vegetables. There was zucchini, squash, red onions and red peppers combined in a garlic butter sauce. I also ordered the smashed cauliflower as my second side dish. It was a bit too peppery for me but had the consistency of mashed potatoes with a ton of butter. (A ton of butter is always ok with me). We also shared a Greek Salad. This classic salad arrived with the veggies aligned in rows…tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted red peppers, feta cheese and Kalamata olives all atop a mound of mixed greens. Dressing served on the side is standard.

Besides what we ordered from the gluten-free menu, there also was a choice of NY Strip Steak, Lemon Basil Salmon, Ribs and a huge 10-ounce burger served with toppings of peppers, onions, mushrooms, bacon and cheddar.

I now know Uno Chicago Grill offers more than just pizza as well as a very extensive gluten-free menu. So remember, on those hectic back to school weeknights, when the home kitchen is closed, or for a more relaxing weekend night, head over to Uno Chicago Grill for a meal with a home cooked taste when you can't be home to eat it.

Visit www.unos.com to find a restaurant near you.

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ASK-THE-CHEF
Scoring the Goal at Home

By Edgar Steele
NFCA Chef Spokesman

"Please don't feed your kids garbage. Feed them good food starting at a young age and they will grow to love it."

These were words from Chef Jose Andres to me, as we sat at his home in southern Spain with his three daughters eating Gazpacho and seared tuna. I thought about that comment and realized how important it is to learn to eat well. The role of a family chef is a prodigious responsibility; we have the ascendancy to nourish a healthy generation! It is easy to eat fast food, and it can taste pretty good, but with the help of a few simple guidelines and strategic use of your time, delicious meals can be assembled that fit your family's taste buds and busy schedules.

Preparation is everything. Take baby steps in planning a menu; a day, week and even month in advance. First, make a collection of the dishes your family enjoys eating. Write them in a notebook and allow space for future entries. If cooking at home is a new venture for you, don't worry! There are numerous resources you can use to create meals that your family will love including Vanessa Maltin's cookbook, Beyond Rice Cakes, and for specific tailored inquiries you may email me directly at www.celiaccentral.org/Ask_the_Chef/400.

Once you have a list, you can work in cycles. If you have a list of fifteen dishes your family goes nuts for, you can now control the frequency of the chicken parmesan and the quality of ingredients that goes into your tuna salad. A listed menu will also help to make trips to the grocery store more time and financially efficient. The days of standing in the condiment aisle staring at the jubilee of mustards and wondering; gee, what kind of sandwich do I want to chew are over. You now have direction over your purchases. If you'd like to be a weekly visitor to your local grocer, begin the trip with a referral to your listed items and create your shopping list in accordance with several different dishes.

This journal can be used to increase the quality the dishes you prepare as well. For example, you may be interested in using fresh parmesan cheese in place of the pre-grated bottled variety. Once you try this and it intertwines nicely with your Caesar salad, you can make a note of this next to that dish's entry for future reference. On a creative level, you might find that grating some of that leftover parmesan into your piping hot risotto adds a nice twist it may have not had before. This is how progress is made in a well-oiled kitchen, small recorded steps that are practiced over and used to make future creations. Café Atlantico would be a very difficult beast to manage if not for our detailed record system.

Have you ever opened your freezer door and thought; I wonder what's back there? By the time you finally take the courage to remove half of the contents you find a bag of frozen green beans that now weighs double what it did in the beginning because of the ice crystals that have collected on it. I grew up in a household where this happened all too often.

Taking a regular inventory of goods can help to clear space for new things and keep your icebox and head clear and organized. Investing in square Tupperware containers can answer many of your organizational prayers. Next time you prepare a tomato sauce for your loved spaghetti, make double the amount that you need. After dinner is over and your sauce has had a chance to cool, place it in a fitting container and… label it! It may sound crazy and eccentric, but who cares? Most restaurants use masking tape and a magic marker to label and date their products and it works fabulously. Imagine opening your freezer and knowing exactly what you have to use and when it was prepared without having to crack open lids! I hate opening frozen lids, the cold hurts my fingers.

If you embrace this system and enjoy the ease that enters your kitchen life because of it, you may want to consider buying a cryovac machine. This is a machine shown on many late-night infomercials that seals food in a plastic bag after removing the air from it. Oxygen and bacteria are a match made in heaven, it has been scientifically proven. The vacuum machine is great for any food items that are leftover from a meal. Try placing that extra batch of tomato sauce in a bag and then freezing it, it will take up a third of the space any plastic container will. You can use you magic marker directly on the bag before freezing, and freezing with this technology lends small room for loss of quality with your product.

In consideration of your health and use of leftovers, I would like to introduce you to the wonderful world of home juicing. Have you seen the Juice Guy lately? He is 108 years old, looks not a day over 60 and has hair that fuels jealousy in mad scientists. He is a testament to the powers of juicing.

Juicing can be executed with a Juiceman 500 or even a basic blender. Most fruits are composed of 80% liquid or more, and in this liquid is where the nutrients lie. Take some pineapple chunks, place them into a blender and turn the blender on medium speed. Stop the machine once you see the chunks turn liquidy. Remove this liquid and pass it through a fine strainer. What you have now is a super-flavored liquid, which can be used for a soft drink, pina colada, or dessert accoutrement. ANY vegetable or fruit can be manipulated by this method. Hard vegetables such as carrots require a juicer because of their lower water content while most fruits can be juiced in a blender. The rendered juice can be frozen and thawed with minimal loss of quality. As an added bonus, try shaving the surface of your frozen pineapple juice with a spoon. This shaved ice can be used as a topping for ice cream or a delicious topping for a beverage.

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LIFESTYLE
Banananana…Bana Br…Banana Bread

By Rachel Kay
NFCA Intern

The school year is fast approaching. While kids are lazily savoring their last minutes of freedom by soaking up the warm summer sun, parents are frantically fighting for pencils and sheaves of paper and panicking when they think about doing the most heinous school year chore—waking their child in time for school. How is one supposed to rouse a stubbornly dozing child, or worse, teenager?? Gentle nudges, pleas, threats, ripping back the covers and opening the windows to let in the shocking morning light may appear to have no outward affect on a sleeping student who has to be at school in 20 minutes.

The answer is banana bread. The sweet smell of cinnamon and baking bananas will cause any child's nose to perk up, their eyes to pop brightly open, and make them want to brush their teeth and comb their hair.

Bananas are the tomatoes of the herb kingdom. Just as tomatoes have been historically misrepresented as vegetables, bananas have been deceptively called fruit. Yes, that's right, the bananas that are so innocently sitting in your fruit bowl are imposters. They would be more at home on your spice rack.

Banana bread is not as deceptive. It first became popular in America in the 1930s after baking soda and baking powder became widely available. (You can find a banana bread recipe in the 1933 Balanced Recipes cookbook by Pillsbury's). It has been hypothesized that the Greeks could have had banana bread, as they knew of bananas and had bread. However, historians have largely discredited this idea.

Banana bread is a hearty, healthy breakfast that can be enjoyed sitting down or running out the door. It is one of the easiest breads that you can make, mostly because it's not like traditional baked breads, in that it is not actually bread. Banana bread is more closely related to tea cake than to bread loaves because it does not use yeast to rise. Since it is so easy to prepare, if you are very ambitious you could make the following recipe early one morning so your children rise to the smell of freshly baked bread. Otherwise, make the banana bread ahead of time and freeze sliced pieces or keep the slices in an airtight container for up to 7 days. Reheat the banana bread in the microwave and then waft the smell in the direction of whoever needs to be at school.

Happy Baking!

Gluten-Free Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Pre-Leavened Flour (I used Pamela's Ultimate Baking and Pancake mix, but you can use anything that you feel comfortable with)
• 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 2/3 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 cup Milk (cow, goat, soy, rice, etc)
• 2 Eggs or Egg Replacer
• 3 tbsp Oil
• 2 Medium Bananas, mashed
• optional: 1/2 cup chopped nuts or chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 5" by 10" bread pan with non-stick cooking spray, or approximately 15 muffin tins. Line the bread pan with parchment paper (NOT wax paper), allowing it to overhang the edges of the pan.
2. Mix flour and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the brown sugar and create a well in the center of the flour. Place the liquid ingredients (NOT including the mashed banana) into the middle of the well and stir until well combined.
3. Add the mashed bananas to the mixture and incorporate completely.
4. If you are choosing to add chopped nuts or chocolate chips (or whatever strikes your fancy) mix them in now.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared bread pan or muffin tins and smooth the surface.
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
7. Remove the loaf or muffins from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan.
8. Serve while warm alone, with butter or jam!

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Gluten-Free Cupcake Party

The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) and Pamela's Products invite you to host a fun-filled event to raise celiac disease awareness and funding for research... a Gluten-Free Cupcake Party!

Here's how it works:

• Invite 12 of your closest friends over to decorate cupcakes
• Each guest will donate $15 to celiac awareness
• You'll receive a full Cupcake Party Baking Kit from Pamela's Products that contains Classic Vanilla Cupcake Mix, Luscious Chocolate Cupcake Mix, and three frosting mixes. Each of your guests will also receive take home gifts including spatulas, whisks, and frosting spreaders.
• During the party take LOTS of pictures! Following the party, NFCA will ask each host to submit photos and an event recap for publication in NFCA's newsletter and on www.celiaccentral.org.

Sign-Up today to host your Gluten-Free Cupcake Party!

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LIFESTYLE
The ABCs of going back to school!

By Genevieve Hneich
NFCA Intern

If your child has a chronic medical condition that may need to be addressed at school, such as celiac disease, have you made sure you have taken all the steps necessary to know your child is safe? Does the school have a full-time nurse? Does the school have a written plan and know what foods are and aren't allowed for your child? Are your emergency contact numbers current?

When shopping for foods, keep in mind the following:

• Fruits and vegetables are yummy, easy to eat and very digestible producing a quick satiety feeling. Packed with fiber, potassium and vitamins among other things, fruits and vegetables are a great source of energy, especially for children. Add fruits to cereal or smoothies for a change!
• When looking for breads, cereals, pasta and rice… pick whole grains. The more fiber the better.
• Dairy, soy and eggs provide calcium and protein with little fat.
• Meat and fish: Think lean and low-sodium.
• Satisfy you child's cravings without going crazy!

Now check out these great tips to help you, your child, and the school experience a successful transition from summer vacation to the new school year.

Elementary School

1. Visit the school to become familiar with the setting.
2. Educate school staff and other parents about your child's condition and the risk of cross contamination. Seek their cooperation in reinforcing classroom food rules with their children.
3. Ask the teacher about trading and sharing of foods policies. Alternate healthy snacks that your child can enjoy include: yummy cereal to munch on sans milk, fruits, string cheese, yogurt, gluten-free bars and portable low-sugar applesauce.
4. Be willing to provide safe foods for special occasions, e.g., bring in a treat for the entire class so that your child can have some fun with the other kids too!
5. Create a list of common classroom items that can be problematic for the child such as: play dough, some paints and crayons, many snack foods and regular cupcakes or cakes.
6. Find out what is allowed for snacks and birthday parties or used in arts and crafts activities.
7. Provide a bag of "safe snacks" to your child's teacher so there is always something your child can choose from during an unplanned special event.
8. Have your physician provide a confirmation that your child has celiac disease and an explanation of the dietary treatment.
9. Explain to your child that his/her friends may ask questions such as: "What is celiac disease?" "Can I catch it?" and "Can you still play?" Talk to your child about how to answer these questions.
10. Teach your child to recognize potential sources of gluten, beware of sharing snacks, lunches, or drinks and understand the importance of hand washing before and after eating.

Junior High/Middle School and High School

1. Discuss with your child the importance of taking individual responsibility when choosing what to eat.
2. Keep in mind that menu accommodations can be usually made if nutrition services receives a diet prescription signed by the child's physician. It is a good idea to hold a meeting with the school nurse and menu-planning dietitian to review menus, recipes and ingredients lists.
3. Provide the school a list of foods, ingredients and medications to avoid. Visit the school's web site to see if you can access the school's menu ingredient list.
4. Attend team meetings or communicate with all staff members who will be in contact with your child to discuss implementation of the plan.
5. Encourage your child to discuss celiac disease with classmates and inform them of the need for their tolerance and understanding.
6. Let school staff know that you want to work with them to keep your child healthy and in school, with little or no disruption to peers or the class schedule.
7. Be willing to go on your child's field trips if possible and if requested.
8. Packing a lunch the night before is something that can help your child feel good at school. Try to include a variety of foods such as easy-to-make quesadillas, steamed veggies, salads, fruits and vegetables, baked potatoes and Bell & Evans chicken nuggets, instant Thai Kitchen meals, or gluten-free pizza!
9. Remind your child to read product labels to identify possible sources of gluten, report any bullying and threats to an adult authority and always ask about the preparation of foods when eating away from home.
10. Talk with your child about going back to school and try to anticipate any questions his/her peers may have about celiac disease.

College Basics

1. Eat a colorful diet. The more colorful your diet is the more varied in fruits and vegetables it will be. Choose fruits for desserts! They are typically inexpensive, delicious, low in fat and calories and rich in nutrients that are needed to keep you studying all night long!
2. Eat breakfast or an early morning snack to have more energy throughout the day and avoid eating unhealthy foods later in the day.
3. Speak to the dining services to find out if they can accommodate students who require medical therapeutic diets. To request special accommodations, a letter from your treating physician confirming the diagnosis and dietary recommendations is usually needed.
4. Try whole grains like brown rice, leaner poultry, fish or bean dishes rather than high fat meats and fried entrees that could potentially include gluten.
5. Become familiar with the local health store, grocery store, farmers market, coffee shop, grab-n-go, restaurant, and retail venues.
6. Join a local support group
7. At the salad bar, load up on leafy greens, beans and fresh vegetables. Beware of the dressings and avoid mayonnaise-coated salads, bacon, croutons, and other possible sources of gluten.
8. When eating in fast-food restaurants, if you can plan ahead, visit their website online or call ahead.
9. Running out of time? Pack any of the following for a quick snack or meal: fresh or dried fruit, fruit juices, raw fresh veggies like baby carrots, low-fat cheese sticks, gluten-free granola and bars, yogurt, plain popcorn or nuts.
10. As always, make informed choices and read food labels!

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CLINICAL OUTLOOK:
Research Center Updates

The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center invites you to participate in their annual free blood screening on October 6, 2007! Pre-registration is required. Call 773-702-7593 for more information.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign has added an updated, gluten-free diet chart to its website that depicts the most recent recommendations from the American Dietetic Association (ADA). The ADA updated its recommendations for a gluten-free diet in 2006. The chart provides examples of foods that can be part of a gluten-free diet, however, is not comprehensive. It is important for people with celiac disease to discuss gluten-free food choices with a dietitian or other health care professional. Always reading the ingredients list on food products carefully is a good practice to help ensure that food is gluten-free.

To view the diet chart on the Awareness Campaign website, please go to www.celiac.nih.gov/PracticeTools.aspx.

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AWARENESS ADVOCATES OF THE MONTH

By Nancy Ginter
NFCA Director of Operations

Email Queens: Karen Ament, Susi Forst, and Connie Maltin

These women are great!

This month, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) is pleased to honor three volunteers as the Awareness Advocates of the Month. Karen Ament, Susi Forst and Connie Maltin have worked as a dynamic team as they reach out to help others.

If you have ever sent a message to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) via the info@CeliacCentral.org mailbox, you have "met" these wonderful volunteers. Karen, Susi and Connie work together to gain answers to every question that comes to NFCA. In fact, they have become experts at e-mail correspondence on all subjects related to celiac disease and the gluten-free diet. For some requests, this trio engages our fabulous Help Line volunteers to pitch in with answers. At other times they answer the writer directly. No matter what, they work to insure that the job gets done!

School may be over for Karen, Susi and Connie, but studying is not! A big part of this volunteer work involves researching answers to questions that are a bit more involved. Some take our volunteers on interesting journeys. For example, Connie and Karen have answered questions from around the globe, including a request for a list of restaurants in Spain for celiac travelers.

Karen finds it reassuring to know that others around the world are working to improve the quality of life for those with celiac disease. She was the first member of this info@CeliacCentral.org team. With a background in social work, Karen has a history of helping others and assisting them to learn how to gain even more information on their own.

Karen has two small children with celiac disease. Her older child started to have symptoms at 8 months, stopped growing at 3 years, and finally was diagnosed at age 5. She has grown an astonishing 2 1/2 inches since going gluten-free! Her younger child was tested immediately as a member of a family with celiac. As a result, she never suffered with any symptoms.

Susi Forst enjoys this volunteer position because it gives her a chance to give back in honor of the many people who helped her along the way. Susi has seen a marked improvement in the rate of diagnosis through her experience with testing for her two children with celiac disease. It took six long years for Susi to gain a correct diagnosis. Her older son was diagnosed within two years of having symptoms and her younger son was diagnosed right away.

Susi believes that this is a good time to be diagnosed with celiac disease because "things are getting better." More doctors know about celiac, there are centers and support groups to assist the newly diagnosed patient, and there are better products for gluten-free living. Susi congratulates NFCA on doing a great job of helping celiacs feel a part of a community that will support them as they regain their health and maintain a gluten-free lifestyle. Susi and her teammates are a huge part of that process!

Connie has been diagnosed with celiac disease for over ten years and is very much in the groove of the gluten-free lifestyle. It was not always that way! She, too, has seen a huge change for the better in the gluten-free world. The range of products and the help available to the newly diagnosed celiac is far greater now than ten years ago when no special food was available. Connie remembers literally living on rice cakes. Her daughter Vanessa, diagnosed with celiac disease a few years ago, has authored a book called Beyond Rice Cakes giving young people the tools that were not available to Connie and her "celiac generation". (Yes, this is NFCA staff member Vanessa Maltin!)

Connie's interest in healthy living for celiacs includes a concern over labeling of the inert materials in the drugs we take. She looks forward to the day when this level of labeling will be mandatory for all medications.

All members of this NFCA Team agree that getting accurate information out to the public is vital and their most important task. And, they have a wish list.

• Karen is eager for celiacs to continue to join forces to gain power in the marketplace.
• Susi looks forward to the day when gluten-free food will become a standard menu entry in restaurants across the country.
• Connie believes that the road to good health is having a healthy diet. Her wish is that everyone be educated in how the food we eat affects each of us. For Connie, a healthy diet is far better than a pill.

We all are indebted to Karen, Susi and Connie for their dedication, knowledge and willingness to share. This team demonstrates what advocacy is all about!

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Celiac in the News

The Institute of Food Technologists
IFT has witnessed over a 100% increase in gluten-free products over the last seven years. With the market for gluten-free products growing rapidly around the world, many opportunities are opening for industry, but work still needs to be done on taste and texture, experts told attendees at IFT Food Expo.
www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=78720-gluten-free-food-intolerance-taste

Health Canada's Position on Oats in the Gluten-Free Diet
Health Canada recently releases its position on uncontaminated oats in the gluten-free diet. In agreement with the Canadian Celiac Association, Health Canada recommends that individuals with diagnosed celiac disease consult with their healthcare professionals for initial and long-term follow-ups before introducing pure oats to their diet...
www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/allerg/cel-coe/oats_cd-avoine_e.html

New Osteoporosis Drug
Zoledronic acid (Reclast), a once-yearly injection that may provide an alternative to orally administered drugs for osteoporosis and those who find the side effects intolerable or the dosage regimen bothersome. This drug is being reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration and may proved to be a good alternative for individuals with celiac disease, Crohn's disease and GERD...
www.newswise.com/articles/view/532162/

Guidelines for the Management of Turner Syndrome
According to the American Family Physician journal, girls older than four years with Turner syndrome should have a tissue transglutaminase immunoglobulin A measurement every two to four years to detect celiac disease as a potential complication of Turner syndrome.
www.aafp.org/afp/20070801/405.html

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Celiac Fun Fact

Did you know that your wedding can raise money for celiac disease?

Now you can support the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness by registering with the I Do Foundation. From honeymoons to invitations to wedding gifts to charitable wedding favors, the I Do Foundation allows couples and their guests to make wedding-related purchases that generate donations for charity.

The I Do Foundation's Donation Registry service also makes it easy for guests to make donations in lieu of gifts. All of these services are available free of cost at www.IDoFoundation.org. Check it out today, and be sure to suggest the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness as the beneficiary of your charitable wedding!

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