And the Celebratory Winner Is...

The Rudi's giveaway post got 29 comments total, WOW! As always, I used Random.org to select the winner. The winning comment was comment #19, from Molly! Congratulations Molly!

Molly is herself is a blog follower and reader, and also has a blog about running with her family. 

I wish you the best and hope that Rudi's sends you your goodies ASAP! 

In other Celebratory news, I am graduating tomorrow and will have my MSW! It has been a long journey. I learned about my Celiac Disease less than a year before I started this graduate program, so it was a time of internal conflict and confusion. However, with the help of my new and old friends, as well as family and of course Michael, I came to know who I was professionally and personally. I am comfortable in my own skin and am ready for the next stage in my life! Hopefully, after this weekend of fun and family I'll have the opportunity to get back into the swing of posting more! 

Gluten Free News Round-Up April 29th- May 5th

Don't forget to enter my giveaway for your change to win a recipe book, tortilla warmer, and some Rudi's Products! You can enter to win here.

The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness Kicks off Celiac Awareness Month with Educational 
Initiatives
This press release outlines NFCA's May activities, which offer many opportunities to enter giveaways (such as one for a pantry makeover), as well as educate yourself and others and advocate for gluten free rights through many new initiatives. You can visit their website directly for more information!

Speaking of Celiac Awareness Month: Visit The Suffolk County Celiacs Gluten Free Vendor Fair this weekend if you are local. You can find information here. 

Celiac Disease in Patients with Chronic Psychiatric Disorders
We've all heard that those with untreated Celiac Disease have higher rates of Psychiatric conditions, but this team sought to determine if the reverse is true and if rates of CD are higher in populations with Psychiatric conditions. The results proved no difference in positive results for CD in a control and test group.

Alba Therapeutics Recruiting for a Phase 2b Clinical Trial
Alba Therapeutics is moving forward with a Phase 2b study of their investigational medication larazotide acete, which is a tight junction regulator. As the article states: "Tight junctions, which are located in the bowel, should remain closed except to shed dead cells. However, in patients with CeD, the presence of gluten causes the tight junctions to remain open, thus starting an inflammatory cascade within the bowel that eventually destroys the intestinal villa. Early research suggests larazotide acetate may help keep the tight junctions closed when ingested prior to a meal, thus reducing the inflammatory process in response to gluten." In addition to moving forward with their trial, Alba Therapeutics also gained  exclusive rights to the first and only Patient Reported Outcome Questionnaire for Patients with Celiac Disease. This is a hopeful more towards improving measurement in studies of Celiac Disease Populations!

A Celebratory Rudi's Giveaway!

May is a month with lots to celebrate! 

For me, it's two years since I started blogging and the month in which I will graduate with my Masters in Social Welfare. Rudi's has asked to partner with me to bring you guys a fun-filled Cinco De Mayo themed Giveaway that helps celebrate some other big occasions: Celiac Awareness Month, the Suffolk County Gluten Free Vendor Fair, and a new line of products! In March, Rudi's developed a press release which invited the world to welcome their new line of tortilla's. The line has three flavors (plain, spinach, and fiesta) which will liven up any meal! So... Let's Celebrate! 

A CELEBRATORY RUDI'S GIVEAWAY!

The What: You'll get a goody box delivered straight to your door that will have you whipping up some delicious new recipes in style! This Cinco De Mayo themed giveaway includes: 

• Samples of Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery’s new tasty Gluten-Free Tortillas
• A Rudi’s Gluten-Free T-shirt and magnet
• A tortilla warmer
• A cookbook filled with delicious gluten-free recipes

You really can't go wrong with some product, flair, new appliances and new recipes, RIGHT?

The How: Entering is simple, you can do one or all of the following. AND, see the first option if you are local. 

1. If you are local: Attend the Suffolk County Gluten Free Vendor Fair (Info here), try some of the samples and enjoy yourself! Next, let me know by leaving a comment below about what your favorite sample, or vendor, was from the fair and why. I'll be there as a volunteer so maybe you'll find me!

2. 'Like' my Blog's Facebook Page (or tell me you already do), or say that you do already. Just open this LINK and hit 'Like' at the top of the page or click on the Facebook button in the top left corner of my blog. 

3.   Follow my blog itself, or say you do already. Click on Followers/Follow in the column to the right of my posts and add me. You do not need to have a blogger account to do so, only an email account. 

4. Re-Post this giveaway via Twitter, facebook or any other source. You can click on the title of this post and copy the URL to re-post. Make sure to include my name in any tweets or facebook links or sent me the link to any other repostings! 

AND IF YOU WANT A MORE CREATIVE WAY TO ENTER: 

5. Share a simple recipe you would make with your tortilla warmer and samples. Be creative and include details, if I like it enough I will share the recipe on my blog! 

Each of the above can count as a seperate entry into the giveaway, just make sure to post a comment Separately for each detailing which of the above you have done! Be sure to include some contact information, an email etc., when you post your comment so I can contact you!

 I will pick a winner on May 17th, and will contact them directly to get their address! 

Enter away, and get ready to celebrate! 

GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY ENTERING! 

Gluten Fee News Round-up: April 22nd-28th

Hidden Valley Announces Gluten-free Items and Labeling
I am a lover of salads, so it is great to hear that another salad dressing company is labeling their products for safe consumption. This new launching of gf labeled products comes with a partnership with the Celiac Disease Foundation, and a launching of a website that offers family friendly gluten free recipes, ideas, and activities. See this press release for further information.

Migraine Prevalence up in Celiac Disease and IBD Patients
Past European studies have shown that individuals with CD, Gluten Sensitivity, and IBD have higher rates of reported migraines, and a recent United States study found similar findings. Although more patients with Gluten Sensitivity reported migraines, those with CD reported more of an impact on daily living from the migraines.

The Melting Pot Raises Awareness About Gluten Intolerance During Celiac Awareness Month
May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month, and The Melting Pot is playing their part in spreading awareness by participating in the Chef to Plate Program with the Gluten Intolerance Group. This event makes gluten free options at restaurants more visible to the public through posters, and other information, that will spread awareness. You can find out more information, and see a List of 2012 participating restaurants on GIG's website.

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness' Celiac Disease Awareness Month Events and Activities
Keeping in line with the Awareness Month theme, NFCA has an entire page dedicated to events and activities going on in May. Some highlights include giveaways and sweepstakes, a blogger campaign, Catwalk for Celiac Disease fashion event and much more!

Gluten-Free News Round Up: April 15th-21st

Monday is my birthday! I came home last night to a surprise party, gluten free potluck style. I am a lucky lady to have such wonderful friends and family who understand my gluten free needs and were successful at not poisoning me. It was a great time. Now onto your news:

The Huffington Posts: The Best Gluten Free Bread List

The title is straight forward. This article describes the top breads according to a blind taste test. Each slide includes comments on the different breads as well as the final 'ranking' from this taste test.

Raise Awareness for Celiac Disease

A simple description about the importance of raising awareness of Celiac Disease with in the general population, as well as professionals. It is essential to diagnose earlier, which can only be done with increased awareness! 

Gluten Free Hudson Valley Walk

Join walkers on the 1st annual Celiac Disease walk May 19th at Walkway Over the Hudson. All proceeds from the Walk for Celiac Disease will benefit the Celiac Disease Foundation, Hudson Valley Chapter and the ongoing research programs of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. 

Drug May Lower Gluten Toxicity in Patients with Celiac Disease

A new study released shows that BL-1070 helps reduce toxicity, damage, and digestion of gluten in the body of patients with Celiac Disease and Rodents. This is a hopeful result, pointing towards the possibility of a medication to, at this point, supplement a gluten free diet to aid in being 'glutened'. 

Gluten Free News Round Up: April 2nd- 14th

Last weekend I was away at a conference, the Social Workers Campaign School, held at The University of Connecticut's Institute for Political Social Work. It was an amazingly empowering experience, which has left me thinking about my social work and political future. With so much to take in, I have had little time to blog. This unfortunately seems to be the trend lately, but I am 5 weeks away from graduation! I hope to get back in the blogging swing ASAP!

Here are this weeks headlines:

HERSHEY's Releases Gluten-Free Product List
With Hershey's being such a big business, this is a move in the right direction for better understanding of safe candy! Thanks for compiling a list!

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness Selects Trevelino/Keller to Roll out new Gluten-free Initiative for Restaurants
Having done work with the influences on media impacts on diet, I find it more important than most to understand where our media and what we learn comes from. When staring a new initiative that can help shift the perception of something, this is equally important. This article describes the dynamics of a marketing relationship, and the importance of understanding in this relationship if you hope to get your message across effectively. I look forward to seeing what this partnership has to offer restaurants and gluten free diners!

 Does Exercise Improve Bone Mineral Density for Women on a Gluten-free Diet
This study suggests that following a gluten free diet alone is sufficient to improve bone density 2 and 5 years after starting a gluten free diet after diagnosis. Participants were given questionnaires which suggested that  higher levels of physical activity did not improve bone density. No study changes were made to the levels of fitness, and subjects continued normally with their routine. As a researcher, I would have liked to have seen a comparison group in which enhancing the groups daily physical activity was a variable. This, to me, would have helped solidify their findings.

Probiotics Review: Vidazorb Plus

I was recently given the opportunity to try a sample of the PLUS Tablets. As a social worker, I was immediately impressed with the company before even trying the products. Vidazorb is a line of chewable probiotics whose claim is that they are the most thoroughly tested probiotic in the world and their website shows this. With a line of five products which do not require refrigeration, these products are versatile, convenient, and  easily accessible in multiple stores and online. In addition, the company has a 'Give Back' campaign in which they attempt to bring these products to regions that need a simple means of improving health, such as probiotics. 

This was my first experience with probiotic pills. I have always been a bit skeptical, as I didn't understand probiotics. Prior to starting to take them, I attended a probiotic webinar sponsored by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. Research driven, this was a helpful webinar which gave me a means of critically reflecting on my experience with Vidazorb PLUS. 

Vidazorb has 5 Billion Colony-Forming Units's per pill of both L. acidophilus and Bifidobacterium, meaning there are 10 billion CFUs per bill. According to the webinar I attended, pills need above 100 million CFUs, so this is great!  

Vidazorb PLUS is vanilla flavored, and meant for individuals with more difficult digestive issues (for example Celiac Disease). The pills are large, which isn't a problem if you realize they are chewable. But, tending not to read instructions, it took me a few days to realize that the tablets were chewable. 

Once I got into a swing of taking the pills daily, and chewing them, I began to experience some changes. This took about 2 weeks, which is normal, and started with having a more 'regular' and on schedule digestive system. Being someone with Celiac Disease, even after going on the diet, this is a wanted experience. 

In addition, although difficult to explain, I felt less 'digestively dense', which I suppose was from having a healthier system. I was less bloated, and more comfortable in my body. Finally, I experienced a sense of improved general well being. I seemed to have more energy, which was great, and felt less run down during my stressful last midterm season in grad school!

Overall, I think I will stick with priobotics. My only disappointment is that Vidazorb is rather expensive compared to other brands. In addition, the immediate reaction of being more gassy took a bit of getting used to, but was well worth it!