Gluten Free Travel Blog

New novel, The Scars Between Us, incorporates heroine who has Celiac Disease

Today I wanted to share something a bit different -- nothing having to do with gluten-free dining or travel, actually. But perhaps something to read while on your next trip...and since today is Valentine's Day, it's only fitting that it's a romance!

I recently learned about author Sherry A. Burton and her latest novel, The Scars Between Us, in which the main female character has Celiac Disease. Although Sherry herself does not have Celiac Disease, she was forced to live a completely gluten-free life for nearly three years, due to medical issues. Eventually, the issue resolved itself, and while she is no-longer gluten free, she finds herself limiting the amount of gluten she ingests, lest the problem return. This personal experience gave her a new appreciation for what people on special diets due to medical issues go through -- and the challenges they struggle with each day. She wanted to keep this issue in the forefront of people's minds, especially given the increasing rate of Celiac diagnosis and food allergies/intolerances in our society today. 

 
Here is the gist of the plot of The Scars Between Us: Haunted by dreams of her dead husband, Elizabeth spends five years of her life beside his grave with the blind hope that he would return to her. She eventually alienates every one of her friends before slowly rebuilding her life. When Joseph crosses her path, with his piercing eyes and electric touch, the flame of passion is ignited. But Joseph has a painful secret buried within the scar on his wrist – one he must protect in order to keep his new life, and new love. Will Elizabeth ever be able to truly let go and stop seeing her dead husband everywhere she turns? And can Joseph risk exposing his past in order to be with her?

Actually, both the lead character, Elizabeth (a yoga instructor), and another character (Elizabeth's newest client Silvia Carmichael-Davenport) have Celiac Disease. So in the midst of this romantic novel there are also fun and sometimes outlandish moments sprinkled within, as a unique friendship quickly forms between the yoga instructor and her quirky socialite client.  While Elizabeth has to be careful of her choices, Silvia has the finest chefs preparing her meals. 

 
"I wanted to have characters that people could identify with, and I was not aware of any other novel that had a character who was suffering with Celiac Disease," said Sherry. "Given the fact I was struggling with my own gluten issues at the time, I had this desire to show that people with Celiac are, in fact, normal people. Okay, maybe waiting for her dead husband to come back from the grave isn’t so normal, but it is a romance, and sometimes you have to allow your mind to think outside the box. Whether it is being creative with the written word or in finding things that fit into your gluten free lifestyle, it is imperative to spice things up once and a while!"
 
You can read more about Sherry and her other novel, Tears of Betrayal, by visiting her Blog. You can also Like her page on Facebook. And please share your thoughts below if you have a chance to read The Scars Between Us. I haven't yet had a chance myself, so I'd be interested to hear from you!

 

GlutenFreeTravelSite reviewers: Now you can add your PHOTO to your profile

If you've ever submitted a gluten-free dining or travel review to our website, GlutenFreeTravelSite, you now have the option of being able to add your photo to your Profile. That will allow your photo to display at the bottom of each of your reviews, next to your username. (If you choose not to add a photo, a generic icon of a person displays, just like the one to the left.) But I'll bet you're MUCH better looking than that...so why not add your photo today?! 

Adding a photo is extremely simple. Just click My Account from the top right hand corner of GlutenFreeTravelSite's Home page. Then sign in with your username and password. Next, click Manage Your Account. You'll be taken to your Reviewer Control Panel. Click the Edit Photo link at the top of the page. Then click the Choose File button to Upload an Image. That's it! 

As a reminder, the only reason you even need to "register" on GlutenFreeTravelSite (i.e. choose a username and password) is to submit a review. Visitors to the site are initially led through the quick registation process the first time they begin to submit a review. At that point, a new reviewer is set up in our system and can access their Control Panel at any time, through the My Account link at the top of the Home page.

From there, you can Manage Your Account in several ways: add a photo,  view links to all the reviews you've submitted, and even view "subscriptions" of any destinations you've chosen to monitor. (If you "subscibe" to any destination when searching reviews on our site, via a "Subscribe" link at the top right of each review on our site, that means you'll get an email whenever anyone submits a new review from that destination -- i.e. Arizona). It's a great way to learn about great new GF-friendly places to eat in your area -- or places you travel frequently. 

Add GlutenFreeTravelSite's new Google+ to your Circles

 

Well, I finally bit the bullet and sat down to set up a Google+ page for GlutenFreeTravelSite. I have to say I do like their signature feature of being able to add different people to different "Circles" of your life...college friends, family, online buddies, gluten-free friends, neighborhood friends, professional contacts. But like anything else, it will take a bit of time to get our "Page" where I want it and set up various circles of contacts. 

I plan to share LOTS of relevant gluten-free dining and travel stuff on this Google+ page...as much as we share on Facebook -- maybe even more. So PLEASE, if you've already signed up for Google+, +1 our page!   

Apparently, Google+ pages for businesses, websites, or brands can't add people to their Circles until the page is added first by others or mentioned. So I need YOU to add GlutenFreeTravelSite, before WE can add YOU to our Circles and keep you in the loop about what's happening with great GF dining and travel news. 

We'll share links to great new reviews submitted to GlutenFreeTravelSite...of GF-friendly restaurants, hotels/resorts, markets, bakeries, and cruises. We'll keep you abreast of any enhancements to the functionality of our website. We'll pass along links to coupons and announce the best Gluten Free Deals from GF coupon services. And we'll link to particularly interesting articles on GF dining, research, foods, travel, and events. You'll also hear about restaurants launching GF menus, featured cities or countries, and special travel opportunities geared especially to the GF community. There's even the opportunity to participate in "hangouts," online video chats with a group of people.

So please help us spread the word, and share this post with ALL your Gluten Free Friends! Send them to our Google+ page. And in case you haven't already "liked" us on Facebook, and Followed us on Twitter, please take a quick minute to do that as well. No matter what social network you're using, you won't miss a beat in the GF dining and travel world when we stay connected. 

Gluten Free Restaurants Omaha: Lazlo's Brewery and Grill

Don't miss our Featured Review for February that was just posted on GlutenFreeTravelSite. This month, we chose to showcase a particularly enthusiastic review from a Celiac diner who frequents Lazlo's Brewery and Grill in Omaha, Nebraska once per month. She raved about the many delicious choices on their 2-page Gluten-Free Menu (unfortunately not posted on their website, but available upon request at the restaurant). In her words, she said, "It is obvious eating there that their staff has had significant training about Celiac and gluten issues. Every time our waiter or waitress brings our order to us they always make sure to mention it has been prepared gluten free and they ask me to look at the dish before they leave and make sure it appears as I expected." 

So if you live in Omaha or find yourself there visiting family, friends, or on a business trip, be sure to check out Lazlo's. Hey...isn't there something important going on in Omaha on May 5, 2012? Oh right...it's the annual shareholder's meeting of Berkshire Hathaway. Tens of thousands of people flock to Omaha each year for this "Woodstock for Capitalists" event and the chance to hear Warren Buffett speak. And some of them are bound to be gluten-free, right? If you know anyone who's gluten-free and attending this year's meeting, be sure to tell them about Lazlo's! 

Another once-in-a-lifetime Gluten Free Travel Opportunity

I recently learned of an amazing Gluten-Free Getaway being planned by Jovial Foods. If you aren't familiar with Jovial Foods, you'll be interested to know they make what I consider to be one of the best -- if not THE best -- gluten-free pasta.  I first had the opportunity to try this Organic Brown Rice pasta this past summer at Camp Celiac in Rhode Island where my son was a camper and I volunteered as a parent counselor. Jovial Pasta looks, tastes, and feels just like the "real thing." 

Now, Jovial Foods is hosting a spectacular 7-day/6-night Gluten Free Getaway from May 27-June 2, 2012, in Lucca, Italy -- the heart of Tuscany. It benefits the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, with 25% of the proceeds of bookings going to NFCA and its fantastic programs to build awareness about Celiac Disease and gluten sensitivity.  

You'll stay in an 18th century Tuscan villa and participate in three hands-on cooking classes with noted author and blogger Shauna James Ahern (a.k.a. Gluten Free Girl) and her husband, chef Danny Ahern. How fun! Imagine...being able to relax in the beautiful Italian countryside and learn gluten-free cooking techniques and tips from this dynamic gluten-free duo! If Shauna's company is as warm and entertaining as her book, you'll have an incredibly enjoyable time! And you'll be using the best-tasting pasta from Jovial Foods in preparing these authentic Italian meals. 

The price of the getaway also includes a Welcome Dinner with local pasta artisans and daily breakfast -- in addition to use of the villa's pool and hiking trails. Of course, there's much to explore around Tuscany, and this is a great place to base yourself, knowing you will be in good hands for many of your gluten-free meals. 

For more details as well as room rates, visit Jovial Foods' special page on their website. If you attend the Getaway, be sure to tell us all about it when you return -- and submit a review or two to GlutenFreeTravelSite detailing any other local "GF-friendly" restaurants you discover in Tuscany!

 

Butterfly Bakery Offers Wonderful Gluten-Free and Sugar-Free Treats

I'd never heard of the Butterfly Bakery until recently, when they offered to send me some of their gluten-free goodies to try. 

Butterfly Bakery is a special bakery founded by Brenda Isaac in 1998 in Clifton, New Jersey. Her dream was to create sugar-free baked goods that her diabetic mother could enjoy. The company has since evolved to serve people on gluten-free diets as well. Brenda offers both a Sugar Free line of products and a Gluten Free line of products (and is working on a line that is BOTH gluten and sugar free!). 

The items we tried were the Gluten Free Wild Blueberry Mini Muffins, and the Gluten Free Oatmeal Cookies. Both were quite delicious. The mini muffins tasted identical (in our opinion) to any "regular" blueberry mini muffins you might remember. And the oatmeal cookies were SO good...I can't quite put my finger on what I liked so much about them, but they had a really nice and unique texture and taste. A bit different from typical oatmeal raisin cookies, but perhaps even better. Brenda uses whole greain Teff flour in her gluten-free recipes, so you are not only getting a product that's great tasting and gluten-free, but healthy as well. Whole grain Teff flour is naturally sweet, light, and moist -- and full of potassium and fiber. It even has 14% more protein than wheat flour. 

I was reassured to find out that Butterfly Bakery designates a separate area of their faciltiy as "Gluten Free" to avoid the potential for cross contamination. 

If you happen to have any friends or family members that need "no sugar added" or "sugar free" products due to diabetes (or just a desire to reduce sugar in their diets), you may want to tell them about Butterfly Bakery. If their Sugar-Free and No-Added-Sugar lines are as good as their Gluten Free line, they're in for a treat. Unlike many other sugar-free baked goods that contain artificial sweeteners, Butterfly Bakery's Sugar-Free products contain milk-based lactitol as a sugar substitute. Apparently, it imparts a rich and creamy taste with no digestive side effects (it's even considered a "prebiotic" and has fewer calories per gram than sugar or other sugar substitutes). For their No Sugar Added line, they rely on fresh fruit nectars. Items in these lines include angel food cake, muffins, creme cakes, cookies, mini cupcakes, and "brownie nuggets."

Butterfly Bakery has certainly tapped a large market with the lauch of these lines...currently over 25.6 million people aged 20+ have diabetes in this country. If "doing good" while enjoying great products is your thing, you might want to try their adorable Sugar Free vanilla and chocolate Mini Cupcakes with pink icing. Butterfly Bakery donates the profits from this product to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for its efforts to find a cure for breast cancer. 

The Butterfly Bakery's products are currently available at specialty stores and select supermarkets like Dierburgs, Lunds, and Albertsons -- as well as on Amazon.com.You can also order directly from Butterfly Bakery. Items I'd like to try in the future include the Gluten Free Lemon Citrus Sliced Creme Cake, Espresso Sliced Creme Cake, and White Chocolate Coconut Cookies (yum!). 

Have YOU seen Butterfly Bakery's products in your local stores? If so, I'd love to know what you've tried...and how you've liked them. Hit the Comments button below and let us know what you think!

Take a Moment to Complete NFCA's Survey of Gluten in Medications

Last November, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) announced that it would conduct a first-of-its-kind research study on gluten in medications, funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). NFCA, partnering with St. John's University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professions, is conducting this research in two parts. The first part of the study is happening now: a survey of the Celiac and gluten sensitive populations.

NFCA urges all people who are following a gluten-free diet to participate. Participants will be asked about their experiences taking medicine. They will also be asked to share information if they think they might have had a gluten-related reaction to an over-the-counter or prescription medicine. Results from the survey will guide the second phase of the study: our team will test some of the medicines identified in the survey to see if they contain gluten.

This critically needed preliminary research aims to validate or nullify the anecdotal adverse experiences associated with gluten in medications that have been reported by people with Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. It is a first step to determine if more investigation is needed, which may lead to additional research, labeling, and safe use guideline initiatives. More information about the Safe Use Initiative can be found at www.fda.gov/safeuseinitiative

The NFCA is looking to generate as MANY responses as possible to strengthen their research. They need YOUR help in this effort. We ask that you circulate this message and invite all those who are gluten-free to complete the survey on their website. The survey takes between 4-15 minutes to complete. It closes on February 28, 2012.

Thanks so much for your support of this crucial research study.

 

Gluten Free Travel-US Organizes Gluten Free Trips and Customized Itineraries for Individuals

It's so nice to see companies finally catering to gluten-free travelers, and nowhere is it more important than in the planning stages of a trip. While sites like GlutenFreeTravelSite are a great starting point for gathering ideas about where to stay, shop, and dine when traveling, sometimes you want to go a step further and have someone handle the research and planning for you, including contacting your hotels and restaurants in advance of your trip to ensure the chef understands your needs. And sometimes you just want someone to plan the whole trip, including pointing you towards the best accommodations when traveling domestically or abroad.

That's exactly what GlutenFreeTravelSite's new Site Advertiser, Gluten Free Travel-US does. They'll take care of all your travel needs and ensure your gluten-free expectations are met -- and even surpassed. Since owner Ellen Morse is gluten and dairy free, she is acutely aware of the challenges faced by the traveler with food allergies. She has been creating customized worldwide itineraries for travelers for 14 years. Now, with the services of Estelle Chandler, gluten free consultant and chef, she is able to extend her expertise to the gluten free traveler.

Gluten Free Travel-Us plans "gluten-free friendly" cruises and trips to destinations around the world. They also are happy to plan individual, customized itineraries that allow gluten-free travelers to choose their travel dates, itineraries, and companions. Whether it’s a family trip, destination wedding, or honeymoon, Gluten Free Travel-Us will attend to every detail, including ensuring all your meals are gluten-free. Check out Gluten Free Travel-US for all the latest in 2012 itineraries. Be sure to join the mailing list to hear about the latest itineraries. They'll take good care of all GlutenFreeTravelSite clients!

 

How YOU Can Help Send Kids to a Gluten-Free Summer Camp

In this season of giving, I wanted to share some news about something very near and dear to my heart....

The Celiac Disease Foundation, Gluten-Free Saver, and Van's Natural Foods have teamed up to raise money for a scholarship fund to benefit kids that would like to attend a gluten-free summer camp in the beautiful San Bernadino mountains of Southern California from July 30-August 3, 2012. The camp is open to all 7-15 year old gluten-intolerant and gluten-sensitive children -- as well as those diagnosed with Celiac Disease. 

All is takes is just $2...YES, $2, to make a donation that Van's Natural Foods will match, dollar for dollar. So your $2 gift is really like donating $4, and a $10 donation is like giving $20. The goal is to raise $2,000 to use towards partial and full scholarships to give kids that might otherwise not be able to afford camp the opportunity to participate in this wonderful childhood experience. The fundraiser runs now through December 25. Please take a moment to make a quick tax-deductible donation. (I just did it, and it's very user-frienly...and takes just a few minutes.)

I say this issue is very near and dear to my heart, because my own son with Celiac had the privilege of attending a similar camp for kids with Celiac Disease this past summer. I also attended -- as a parent counselor. I saw first-hand how kids who had never been able to attend summer camp before, due to their dietary restrictions, were able to enjoy this rite of passage of childhood without worrying about whether the food served in the dining hall was safe. For the first time in most of their lives, they were able to be just like everyone else -- and eat just like everyone else. 

While the focus of the camp my son and I attended wasn't on Celiac Disease, per se (there were no "seminars" or organized discussions about being GF...rather, it was just about giving kids the same fun, outdoor experience and range of activities of any other summer camp), I witnessed many conversations among campers of all ages who were so happy to be around other kids "just like them" who could relate to the challenges they face in school, at parties, dining out, and in other everyday social situations involving food. These kids are often the only ones in their schools diagnosed with Celiac, which according to them, can feel really isolating. 

But here at the camp, all their camper friends "got it." They were not alone. The kids really connected, and in this age of Facebook, email, and texting, many of these kids keep in touch and go on to develop lifelong friendships which remain a constant source of support. I witnessed other long-time parent counselors get choked up talking about what a positive, life-changing experience the camp had on their child. 

And that's why I'm asking for your support today. If hundreds of people give just $2 each -- and Van's Natural Foods matches these donations dollar for dollar -- the Celiac Disease Foundation will raise enough money to send some well-deserving kids to a fun and potentially life-changing camp this summer. If you can afford to give more, there's no limit on the donation size. Thank you so much for your generosity, and Happy Holidays and best wishes for a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year!

**100% of all donations goes directly to the Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) for the scholarship fund. CDF is a 501(c)(3) organization, and your contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. 

Fresh To Order adds a new Fall Seasonal Entree Salad to their Gluten-Free Menu

Regional restaurant chain Fresh To Order, with locations in Georgia and Tennessee, has added a new salad to their Gluten Free Menu. You won't find this "Fall Seasonal Salad" mentioned on their website, but it's gluten-free and consists of arugula, goat cheese, candied walnuts, roasted butternut squash, house-made spiced pear chips, and citrus viniagrette. 

To view Fresh To Order's full Gluten Free Menu -- and access "Buy One, Get One Free" coupons for entrees and salads -- visit their page on GlutenFreeTravelSite.