Sunday, November 6, 2011

Nov. 2 meeting summary, Plans for next!

Hello Everyone. No takers on the Allergy Chefs talk. Disappointing. For a group so interested in eating out, is there any feedback? We had a very small informal meeting, see details below. 

Read all the way thru please, as details for Tapas & Tinis, dinner Round Two will follow, as everyone recently enjoyed an informal social gathering there!

We just had a very small, informal meeting since there wasn't enough interest in our Allergy Chefs speaker. For the time being, we're going to be a small informal group for socializing/swapping ideas, maybe book review (I'm now taking a look at Wheat Belly)... We'll see about getting Elisa Labs to come present... Everyone's time is limited, but a small core of us seem to agree that the issue of celiac disease and gluten intolerance needs to be taken seriously, and that we need to support each other. We'll come up with ideas as we go, but we do agree we like to eat. Thanks so much to Debbie and Lloyd for the amazing baked goodies, to Peggy for the awesome stuffed peppers, and to Olivia for roasted veggies, stuffing, and more. A major oink-fest for me, as I was admittedly stress-eating, but it was yummy! You do not have to be deprived eating gluten free!!!!!

The UU Fellowship has a vegetarian/vegan potluck the first Sat. of every month. All you gotta do is bring a dish with all ingredients listed enough to serve I think it's 6-9 but can find out, a serving utensil, and your appetite. Anyone wanna organize?

There's a Gluten Free expo in St. Pete next March. Anyone wanna go? Details:

Gluten-Free for Life Expo

What: The Gluten Intolerance Support Group of Largo, Florida, presents 1st annual Gluten-Free for Life Expo .  This is an Educational, Experiential Expo for the general public, food industry, and health professionals.  The goal is to help those within the Gluten-Free Community gain knowledge, research, and resources, while providing opportunities for families with related diseases to bond with one another.  This event aims to increase the awareness and diagnosis of Celiac Disease and help those with Gluten-Intolerance.
When: Saturday, March 24, 2012; 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Where: St. Petersburg Coliseum, 535 4th Ave. N., St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Information: For more details, go to Gluten-Free for Life Expo or email.

At our last meeting, we talked about the UF butcher, where we at least have some knowledge of how our meat was raised/fed... I inquired once. They are given trace amts of antibiotics when they are young, but at least we have some ideas about where it comes from. My husband says it's by the Vet School off Archer Rd. They are only open certain days and I can never go due to my schedule, but their meat is often cheaper than the grocery store, and if you visit, i'm sure could learn more: 
Department of Animal Sciences
P.O. Box 110910
Gainesville, Florida 32611-0910
Phone: (352) 392-1981
Fax: (352) 392-7652

Amazon.com apparently has an autosend feature where you can regularly order GF goods. I need to check it out. Let us know if you use it!
Lastly, everyone enjoyed the Tapas & Tini's dinner, and would like a repeat. Everyone seems pretty well set on having Thanksgiving not be a crisis, so let's plan on another informal  dinner between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Consensus is Thursday works, so I'll call to find out if we can be accommodated on Thurs. Dec.1. Please mark your calendars tentatively and I'll call and let you know.
Lemme know if you have ideas/need anything!
Janet

Monday, October 3, 2011

Nov. 2 meeting! Got Food Allergies?

The Gluten Intolerance Group, Gainesville is pleased to announce an evening with Joel Shaefer, on Nov. 2 from 6-8 PM, held at the facilities of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on 34th St. You can view his website at www.allergychefs.com.

Joel has been in the food service industry for over 25 years. He is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy and Valencia Community College with an AS in Culinary Management, a Certified Chef de Cuisine, and a Certified Hospitality Trainer. Joel’s experience includes being a culinary instructor at Kapiolani Community College, hosting a healthy cooking television segment called “Simply Food” in Honolulu, Hawaii, the Manager of Product Development and Special Diets for Walt Disney World Resort and an adjunct culinary nutrition instructor for Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida.

Joel's presentation will be appropriate for those with food allergies who'd like to learn more about how to eat out more safely, and for restaurants who would like to learn more about how Joel can help you better serve the growing population of those with food allergies, including gluten intolerances. 

SEATING IS LIMITED. Space must be secured in advance, NO LATER THAN OCT. 26, at a cost of $15, which will cover our speaker's expenses and food for our attendees. RSVP to Janet Frank at GIGgainesville@gmail.com and more details will be provided about payment.

See you there!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Aug. 18 Meeting Summary :-)

A huge thank you to our attendees, those who came early and stayed late, those who brought some AWESOME foods to share, those who helped put chairs and tables away, those who stuck around late so I did not have to leave by myself in the dark, those who offered insightful and supportive and sometimes funny comments... what a group! I didn't count... we might have had 15 of us? It was excellent!

Per the agenda, we reviewed the programs of the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America (www.gluten.net). Again, this is not a group I just came up with. We are one branch of about 65 of the GIG, which is classified as a 501(c)(3). Any donations you make I am fully accountable for, both to you, and to the GIG, who is accountable to auditors. I keep a list of all $ in, and all $ out, and it is not a secret. Anyway, please check out their website and consider joining. For $35, you get a lot of information, a quarterly magazine, e-newsletters if you want them, and a very supportive community. For $10, you can join our local group only, or for $40 you can join them both. Very soon I'll be following up with local vendors who were willing to offer us a discount if you show a membership card. I am competing with real life demands on my time, but I'm on it! Even if you choose not to join either group, we can use donations. Meeting space costs. Food for meetings costs. Speakers will cost, esp. if from out of town. Etc. etc. It's all a tax deduction.

I did not get to go over as many of the vendors as I'd have preferred, but by our next meeting, I hope to have compiled all of their handouts into a spiral binder with my notes, so anyone who'd like to take a look can do so. There are a LOT of companies out there to choose from. I sampled some pretty great food!

The main focus of the meeting was my attempt to summarize my notes of the keynote speaker, Dr. Tom O'Bryan (www.thedr.com). Great speaker, personally invested in the topic. He and a few others had just returned from an International Celiac Symposium in Oslo, where there were some new foundations established (a European and an American foundation for celiac research, the official names of which escape me at the moment). Also, it was for the first time acknowledged that gluten sensitivity outside of celiac disease exists, even though there is no formally agreed upon method of diagnosis/testing just yet. This area is exploding. I'd urge you all to start saving and mark your calendars for a trip to Denver next July (probably) for the next annual GIG conference. I loved it, and SO many nice people. The information will have changed by next year, I bet!

There's no way I can get to it all, but some of his highlights were just to note the myriad of conditions that can be associated with gluten, anything from miscarriages to migraines to schizophrenia to anxiety/depression to cancers to arthritis to GI disorders to nearly any autoimmune condition. And another point that was noted repeatedly is the high mortality rates associated with gluten sensitivities, in particular from the inflammation that goes along with so many associated conditions. Over and over it was noted the inflammation is key.  It was also noted, and the paraphrasing is mine, that the junk we put into our bodies is killing us.

Other important highlights were that often celiac disease does not improve with a gluten free diet. Two main proposed reasons: 1) Still traces of gluten in the diet. Some of this could be honest mistakes, some could be "cheating" which really cannot be done for optimal health. However, the FDA is open currently for comments about what should constitute gluten free. The National GIG is making a statement, so if you choose to submit comments, please do so as an individual, and not a representative of Gluten Intolerance Group. They want a unified voice. Anyway, the US standard for "gluten free" is 20 parts per million, and if I heard correctly, Australia's standard is THREE parts per million. Hmm. Trace amounts causing problems? Lots to be researched. The #2 proposed reason that people do not heal is that we are "cross reactive" to other foods. Cyrex labs was an exhibitor at the national conference, and has developed a panel to test for about a dozen cross-reactive foods, where the body responds to the food as if it's gluten. Some of the things on the list were some of the alternative GF grains such as quinoa, buckwheat, and also things like coffee, chocolate, corn, potatoes, and more. I believe you can google them and find out more, and as I learn more, I'll keep you posted. I believe that your doc will need to set up an account with them.

Two hours of the meeting flew by. That was about all the time there was. We tossed around ideas for a speaker, and I'm looking into this, as I met a few folks at the conference willing to come, and some people from the group also had their own ideas of local professionals. Stay tuned, I'm hoping for a Nov. meeting. However, the consensus was that we'd like a time also to be able to sit around and talk, so a few attendees are looking into a restaurant or two in town where a large group can come for dinner and eat safely. Stay tuned on that as well.

Hope to meet more of you soon. We are a relatively small but growing community with tremendous ideas and support to offer each other, no matter how far into the gluten free lifestyle we are. Best to everyone, and more to follow!



Tuesday, July 26, 2011

NEXT MEETING Aug. 18, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

Thanks to the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship for a special non-profit rate! We'll have our next meeting on Thurs. Aug. 18 from 6-8. This is on 34th Street, just past 39th Ave, across from the Capri subdivision.


We are growing!! I have had lots of inquiries and folks who hope to attend. Please let me know so I can gauge munchies/drinks.

Agenda!
1.  Review of Gluten Intolerance Group (www.gluten.net) and all its programs
2.  Review of the vendors I visited at the national GIG conference and taste samples of what I could carry home with me! (Don't eat dessert before you come)..and it's not all food. There's some interesting new lab tests for cross-reactive foods I'd like to share.
3. Review of the keynote speaker, who addressed the non-celiac gluten intolerance spectrum...there's something for everyone in this, celiac or not
4. Time permitting, review of other talks, otherwise we'll chunk away at those in future meetings- SO much info. I'd urge you to start saving now for next year's GIG conference in Denver.

5. Planning next meeting, ideas of what will be helpful/enjoyed by folks. The space we're using includes a kitchen, so hopefully we can do some cooking demos in the future. I have some ideas for speakers. Food coops have been discussed. Fundraising? We need some $.. Restaurant outings? Holiday cookie event? Too many ideas to count.Come share your ideas. I'm planning on quarterly meetings, but we can do some stuff in between, or more often if desired.

This will of course always include support/education for those new to the diet. I have a growing collection of books/magazines to share.
Hope to see you there! Call or email GIGgainesville@gmail.com, 352-215-1078. I work full time, so I may need to be short, but I'll always get back in touch!
See you all on Aug. 18,
Janet

Friday, July 8, 2011

CORRECTION

Hi All,

My apologies. Regarding the below entry, the cost is $40 not including tax and gratuity. If anyone's in Jax, check out the blog and perhaps you can join in! 
Stay tuned, still looking into meeting space for August.
Janet

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Gluten Free dinner party in Jax

Hello All,
I was asked to share:  There is a free dinner/wine pairing with a very popular restaurant in Jacksonville on Wednesday July 20th. Information at http://www.glutenfreejacksonville.com.Check it out!


On a Gainesville note, I'm looking into meeting space for an August meeting. Stay tuned.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

National Education Conference for GIG, WOW!

Just returned from the annual conference in Orlando for the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. I come back with even more conviction to make this group a resource for any veterans or newbies to the gluten free diet. Times are changing! For one, gluten sensitivity has been officially recognized by the international medical community as a "real" condition, so one need not have celiac disease in order to be taken seriously (good thing, or I'd be very sick and unable to do any of this, kudos to my forward-thinking physician!). How cool is that?! I would URGE anyone who follows a gluten free diet to join the GIG at www.gluten.net. I watched the board in action at the conference. They are regular folks just like you and me working tirelessly to advocate for promoting awareness and education, but a nonprofit doesn't run on thin air. A membership is $35 for the year, and gets you a very informative quarterly magazine, e-newsletters if you want them, and a ton of other bennies. It's a tax deduction. Please help this organization.

At our next meeting, I'll be announcing a dues structure for our group as well, which will include a discount if you join both nationally and locally. I will have summaries of the talks I attended (medical management of celiac, nutrition for celiac, pediatric guidelines, and more), a TON of stuff to sample, and more! A more detailed and specific agenda to follow soon. I'm hoping for mid-August, but meeting space is an issue.

Does anyone have ideas of where we can meet at no cost, probably quarterly, but also have access to a kitchen? This is proving tough, but it's very important to us. Down the road, we'll definitely be cooking! Feedback much appreciated!

We are a small but growing community. We have to band together to share troubles, triumphs, and ideas. Hope you will consider becoming active. 

More soon. Stay tuned.
Janet
GIGgainesville@gmail.com
352-215-1078

Sunday, June 26, 2011

The latest....

Hi All,

Thanks to the 4 who made it to last week's group! Some good ideas were offered on how to promote, possible places to meet, and ideas for future meetings. For the next meeting, which I plan to schedule sometime in August, I'll be bringing summaries of all the talks from the national education conference of the GIG of North America (www.gluten.net), which is next weekend in Orlando. Looks to be some very informative topics, starting with whether the non-celiac gluten intolerance spectrum is larger than we think.

In August, I'll present some summaries, and we can continue to add to the great list of ideas. Tossed around at the meeting were meeting somewhere with a kitchen where we cook a GF recipe or two, so newbies (or vets looking to expand) can be convinced it's not so bad...  and a neat idea was a food co-op. It's much cheaper to buy almond flour, for example, in large quantities, but it's costly and then you have to freeze it. Interested in splitting a 50 lb. batch? There you go!

After a day-long meeting next weekend for the local branch leaders, I hope to come back with some more ideas. I could use your feedback, readers, about what you'd like to see in a group, and whether you think it's a viable idea, really, in this community. I do know I can't do it all myself. Need some folks to help with securing meeting space, arranging some food donations for meeting munchies, helping put up fliers, etc.. if you're interested, please contact me!
GIGgainesville@gmail.com  352-215-1078

Stay tuned for more updates...   :-)
Best,
Janet

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Gluten Intolerance Group- Gainesville FL now on FACEBOOK

I'm not so skilled with it, but here we are! I'll try to be sure to update both places.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gluten-Intolerance-Group-Gainesville-FL/208235165858985?sk=wall

Don't forget our next meeting is Tue. June 21 from 6-8 PM at Gainesville Health & Fitness, main Newberry Rd. location, in the conference room. 

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

NEXT MEETING DATE

Our next meeting date will be Tuesday, June 21 from 6-8 PM at the Conference Room in Gainesville Health and Fitness Center's main Newberry Road location. Their front desk staff is always informed we have a meeting, so please just tell them you're there for the Gluten Intolerance Group. They've been AWESOME and so helpful, and we thank them! Meeting space at no cost to us is fabulous!!

No takers for our May meeting. We understand that schedules change, kids get sick, etc. However, we are working to bring you healthy and yummy gluten free munchies, especially since our meeting is around dinner time. Kindly let me know if you are planning on attending, AND/OR if you are not going to be able to make it. I will always check my gmail account: GIGgainesville@gmail.com up til about 5:15, and my cell is always with me : 352-215-1078.

After the June meeting, we will be spreading them out to bimonthly or perhaps quarterly, but if you are someone that is new to the gluten-free diet and you're in a panic, let me know, and we'll surely round up some support for you.

In the works:  A nominal dues structure so we can take advantage of discounts around town; a summary from me of the presentations at the Education Conference June 30-July 2 (www.gluten.net for more info); I am investigating a Gluten 101 class for the newer folks and perhaps a refresher for the not-so-new.  I have a growing collection of books, magazines, and cookbooks to share at each meeting. We hope you can join us in June so we can all brainstorm what we'd like to evolve into!

Best,
Janet

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

May meeting of Gluten Intolerance Group, Gainesville

Hello Everyone,

May's meeting: 

 Wed. May 25, 6:00-8:00 PM, Gainesville Health and Fitness Newberry Road location.

This time we're in the conference room, and many thank yous to Gainesville Health and Fitness for allowing us to use their space at no cost!

Come with ideas of what you'd like to have/accomplish, how we can grow, hope you can make it. I hope an evening time is better than a weekend afternoon.


Give me a call or email with any questions (I'm on vacation April 29-May 4).

Hope everyone is well,
Janet
352-215-1078

Monday, April 18, 2011

Our first meeting!

OK, so finals week may not have been the best time in Gainesville to have a first meeting, or perhaps on a glorious Saturday afternoon when the outdoors was enticing. Many thanks to E. and A. for attending! And many, many thanks to Burt, the manager of Mother Earth at Newberry Crossing for his donation of some delicious gluten free munchies! And thanks again to Gainesville Health & Fitness for allowing us to use the space.

There was a good exchange of ideas. Here's what we need from the local GF community: Help me spread the word; help me get this group on Facebook, or please share this blog on your facebook page (I'm computer illiterate); share your ideas about what you'd like in a group. Support? Speakers? Restaurant outings? Food samplings? Recipe swaps? Mentor program? Lots of possibilities! The bigger and more active we get, the more we'll be noticed, by the medical community and the community in general.

Got any ideas for fundraisers? Promoting takes $ at times.

Speaking of money, Sunflower Health is willing to offer a discount to members of our local branch. They have a decent selection of GF food and want to support us. Soon I will be addressing the issue of opening a bank account for GIG Gainesville, and we will have a nominal dues structure. With the savings (there are others in town who will also consider discounts with your membership card), you will more than make up the dues. Stay tuned.... coming soon! I would encourage you all to join the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America (www.gluten.net). Annual dues are $35, but you get a WEALTH of info with your membership package and an excellent quarterly magazine. Plus you're contributing to an organization working on YOUR behalf!

I have a ton of books, fliers, etc. on GF living that I will bring to each meeting, and my collection is growing. The latest purchase is Gluten Free on a Shoestring by Nicole Hunn. Looks intriguing! She says the best flour she's found is Better Batter. (I checked; they're out of stock, surprise).

I noticed that Take Away Gourmet in Gainesville has a gluten free cooking class on May 4! (Caveat: This is not an endorsement; I've not used these services, but hey, it's gluten free cooking!) Perhaps we should check it out. I will be away on vacation that day or I'd be signed up in heart beat. Who can go? 

Stay tuned for details on our next meeting. Probably sometime in late May, with time, place, and date coming soon! Within the next few months, I hope to have a more regular meeting schedule so it's easier to pencil in. Working out the kinks in scheduling... stay tuned!

Happy GF living, until next post.
Janet

Monday, March 28, 2011

GIG Annual 2011 annual conference

Hello, Everyone!
I'd urge you to take advantage of the annual conference of the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America, which just so happens to be in Orlando this year, July 1-3. It's a great way to combine a family vacation with education, support, and fun, all GLUTEN FREE! There are activities for kids/teens as well. Please take a look at www.gluten.net and you can find more conference information. It's in a different location each year; this year it's so close to home, it's one you won't want to miss!

In the meantime, look for announcements of our Gainesville Branch in Natural Awakenings, and at the Calendar of Events at www.gainesville.com. I have posted information on Gainesville Moms as well, as there were some posts a while back about Gluten Intolerance. 

Remember, our first meeting is Sat. April 16 from 1-3 at the Newberry Road main location of Gainesville Health & Fitness. I have a few places in town willing to offer discounts to our members for GF products, have a few possible speakers lined up for down the road, and have a growing list of resources to share, the latest being from ELISA Technologies. This is a local lab that sells kits where you can test products for gluten.

Please think about what you'd like from a monthly group and please help spread the word! I can be reached at GIGgainesville@gmail.com or 352-215-1078.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

First Meeting of Gluten Intolerance Group, Gainesville FL

Want support in a gluten-free lifestyle?
Been living a gluten-free lifestyle and want to offer support to others?
Come to the FIRST meeting of the Gluten Intolerance Group, Gainesville FL Branch!
Many thanks to Gainesville Health & Fitness for allowing us to use their meeting space.

Mark your calendars:

APRIL 16, Saturday
1:00 PM until 3:00 PM
Gainesville Health & Fitness
4820 Newberry Rd.
Gainesville FL 
352-377-4955

This is your opportunity to help build this group from the ground up! Please help spread the word. I have a sample of Cecilia's Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping Guide, 2011/12 Edition, and some of their brochures, and hope to have more resources and references as we grow!

Please visit www.gluten.net to learn more.

See you on April 16!