Additional Benefit for GIG-Montgomery Members

Many thanks to Jason’s Deli for its continued support of GIG-Montgomery.  A couple of months ago our group was treated to a spread from the Jason’s Deli GF menu.  The sandwiches included in that spread were made on the larger Udi’s GF bread.  Those loaves of bread can be purchased separately for $12.  However, if GIG-Montgomery members show the teller our membership card, we can purchase those loaves for $10 (at Montgomery location only).  Be sure to thank the management when you are there!

Interested in Helping with Celiac Research?

I am reposting from the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness website because I know that some of our GIG-Montgomery members have family members who can participate.

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The Celiac Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) is looking for adults who have relatives with celiac disease but have not been diagnosed with celiac disease and are not on a gluten-free diet. Researchers are interested in testing the usefulness of a new investigational self-administered fingerstick blood test for celiac disease. 

People who participate will be sent a packet with a fingerstick celiac test and a short survey.  The survey and the test will be sent back to the Celiac Center at BIDMC in the provided envelope. Participation is expected to take less than 20 minutes. Please note that the fingerstick test is investigational (not FDA approved) and should not be used for celiac disease diagnosis. 

BIDMC has a limited number of test kits available. They will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis with a limit of 2 kits per person.

This study is completely anonymous and BIDMC will not have any way to tell who was tested with these kits. The study is being conducted by Dr. Leffler at BIDMC and is being sponsored by 2G Pharma.

Participants  must meet all of the following criteria:

·         Over the age of 18

·         A first or second degree relative with celiac disease

·         Not previously diagnosed with celiac disease

·         Not on a gluten-free diet or low-gluten diet within the past 3 months

·         Able and willing to self administer the test, complete a short survey form and return both in the provided envelope

·         Willingness to have follow up medical evaluation in the event of a positive test

For more information, please contact:

Dr. Daniel Leffler
The Celiac Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Phone: 617.667.8397
celiac@bidmc.harvard.edu

Enjoy Life Allergy Free Cookies Courtesy of Earth Fare

Many thanks to our local Earth Fare for donating boxes of cookies from the Enjoy Life Company for our meeting Thursday night.

Some of our members and guests must avoid more than just gluten.  Here is a link from Enjoy Life’s website that explains their “allergy-friendly” policy: http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/our_lifestyle/allergy_friendly.php

There is new leadership at the local Earth Fare store.  Store Manager Tim encouraged me to spread the word that if we are looking for a particular GF product to let him know!

Gluten Intolerance Group Announcement

Has Consumer Perception of GF Food Safety Changed Over Time?

The Gluten Intolerance Group &

The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center

August, 2011

The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center has partnered with the Gluten Intolerance Group on an exciting initiative to further our understanding of consumer perception of gluten free food safety. If you have 20 minutes to participate and have been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance/gluten sensitivity, please complete this food safety survey. We hope to gain valuable information from this study that will identify education and purchasing behaviors within the gluten-free community that would be useful in advancing gluten-free products and dining; and identify education, training, and communication needs between and within the consumers and food manufacturing and food service industries.

To complete the survey, please visit this link and click to accept participation on the first page:

http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e4m0yyolgrdqh65j/a012igrjyzg77/greeting

Please share this with others in the GF community. Next week a food industry survey will launched that compliments this survey.

 Take Survey Now

Guest Speaker--Dr. Robert Brinson

As we announced at last month’s meeting, our guest speaker in August will be Dr. Robert Brinson, MD of Digestive Disease Associates.  Dr. Brinson is a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine as well as the Subspecialty Board of Gastroenterology, and is also a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition.  Dr. Brinson received his M.D. in 1981 from the Medical College of Georgia and has a private practice of gastroenterology in Montgomery.  The meeting is next Thursday, August 25^th from 6-7 p.m. in the Fellowship Suite of Taylor Road Baptist Church (see sidebar).  Bring your questions for Dr. Brinson!

GF Care Packages

Facebook notice from the Celiac Disease Center of the University of Chicago:

“If you or your child has been biopsy-diagnosed with celiac disease in the past 12 months, we may be able to help with our Gluten-Free Care Package. Please contact our office at (773) 702-7593.”

Dr. Kenneth Fine presents “The Gluten Truth”

Below I have partially copied an announcement from the Intestinal Health Institute about an upcoming conference hosted by Dr. Kenneth Fine, Founder and Director of the Institute and EnteroLab. 

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Dr. Kenneth Fine and the Intestinal Health Institute are celebrating their 11th Anniversary with a very Special Conference Event:
THE GLUTEN TRUTH MEETS THE CIRCLE OF LIFE: A TALE OF TWO HEMISPHERES
November 3-6, 2011 The Westin Galleria in Dallas, Texas

Dr. Fine has gathered a stellar international scientific panel to recount exactly how the discovery was made that most people affected by gluten sensitivity today do not have celiac disease. This panel includes Dr. John Fordtran, discoverer of microscopic colitis, Dr. Willem Dicke II, whose father discovered in Holland that gluten was the cause of celiac disease, and Dr. Chris Mulder, a current world-renown celiac and microscopic colitis researcher from The Netherlands, among others.

For information on the conference and to register online, please go to:
http://intestinalhealth.org/2011dallasevent
or call 804-247-1655 for more information.

* Full Conference Program, 5 Meals, Concert & Welcome Reception: $245 when registering before Labor Day.  Single day low prices are also available. And all meals will be gluten-free!

Make Your Voice Heard at the FDA

In case no one has seen this elsewhere, the FDA has (re)-opened the comments period for its 2007 proposal on gluten free labeling.  (Yes, from 4 years ago!)

The FDA seeks comments from consumers, manufacturers, organizations, etc., and it is always best to provide what you deem as proof/evidence to support your contentions.  The comment period ends November 2^nd and the FDA aims to publish a final rule by the 3^rd quarter of 2012.  Click here for the FDA’s proposal. 

[To read the NFCA’s thoughts, click here.]