Thursday, May 16, 2013

Celebrating the Gluten-Free Dining Outside Your Home

by Bridget Murphy of TriumphDining.com, May 3, 2013




The Gluten Intolerance Group is gearing up for the May 2013 “Chef to Plate” Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program. The program is in its fourth year, surveying restaurants that offer gluten-free menu options around the world, including the United States, Canada, Turkey, and Italy.

The campaign serves the dual purpose of celebrating restaurants that are successfully working towards gluten-free awareness and options, while also working to spread awareness and education about what constitutes a gluten-free menu.

This grass-roots campaign seeks to spread gluten-free awareness in the promotion of restaurants that allow the gluten intolerant and Celiacs to safely dine outside their homes. As part of the campaign, the Gluten Intolerance Group asks restaurants to post education materials that highlight to statistics and facts about gluten-free eating as a sign of support for their gluten-free diners throughout the month of May, Celiac Awareness month.

Aside from their effort towards gaining support from restaurants during the month of May, the Gluten Intolerance Group offers Food Service Training and Management Certification Programs, working with food service establishments to inspire confidence and accurate education about gluten-free cooking and service practices to the staff of restaurants. These programs help to ensure safe and accurate gluten-free service in establishments that may otherwise be unaware of what it truly means to be “gluten-free.”

Look for the GFFS logo    
https://www.gluten.net/resturants/find-a-restaurant
on menus to be sure you’re eating in a safe environment, or find a certified restaurant near you by visiting

Monday, May 6, 2013

National Celiac Awareness Month Puts a Focus on the Family


May is National Celiac Awareness Month; at SensitiviTees we are particularly aware of this specially designated month that promotes awareness of and information about celiac disease because our son has it. At first this diagnosis turned our household upside down but it answered so many questions and mysteries about his digestive problems and concomitant health issues. Once we understood what foods to avoid, which precautions to take, and the intricacies of maintaining a strictly gluten-free diet, we all settled in to our new normal. And our son feels so much better!

What’s more, his condition and diagnosis—and subsequent changes in our diets and our lifestyle—were the inspiration for SensitiviTees. Our gluten-free purple people eater was one of our first designs as a result.

This year the theme is “Fuel the Family,” with a focus on family testing and education. The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness  (NFCA) has great materials and information for people with celiac disease and their families. For example, you can download the organization’s first-ever toolkit and get information about the value of family testing. Celiac disease is genetic so it’s important if you or a family member has celiac, to encourage all first- and second-degree relatives to be tested for it.

Living with celiac is not impossible but it certainly has its challenges. However, we found over the past couple of years that there are many other families just like us, who lived through the concern about a loved one’s health before diagnosis and are now figuring out how to live happily and healthily in a gluten-filled world. We have also discovered a wonderful community of families and individuals who are sharing their experiences, insights, and delicious gluten-free recipes for anyone with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten insensitivity.

The website, www.celiaccentral.org, has lots of valuable resources and helpful information about celiac disease, how to talk to family members about it, how to discuss testing, and much more. You can also read stories from gluten-free bloggers who are featured on the website, check out the gluten-free product of the day, and share gluten-free tips. There is also a kids’ page with games and information just for children, and a section where youngsters can share their personal stories and create their own community.

We recommend you check out the NFCA’s website often, as new products are always coming to market, and new information is always becoming available. And we recommend that if you or someone in your immediate family has celiac disease, that you be tested for it so you can maintain your optimal health.

You can purchase any of our designs (above) by logging on to our website: www.SensitiviTees.com