Who are you and where are you?
I’m Laura, a 25 year old Master’s student at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Tell me about your relationship with gluten..
I realized I had Celiac disease in September of 2010 and have been off of it since.
Why should gluten free travellers visit your town?
Montreal has the most amazing food- I tend to be a bit of a traveller and there are few places that are comparable to Montreal in terms of the variety and quality of food that is being offered.
Gluten Free Montreal
Gluten Free Memphis, TN
Who are you and where are you?
Leigh Espy – Memphis, TN
Tell me about your relationship with gluten..
After a strict 30-day elimination trial in 2011, during which many lifelong ailments subsided, I reintroduced gluten and was sick for days. I have eaten strictly gluten-free since that time.
Why should gluten free travellers visit your town?
We have many fun things to do in Memphis: music, museums, festivals, BBQ, the Mississippi River, and great restaurants. And of course, Graceland! Memphis is known for it’s fantastic BBQ and blues, and of course Elvis! We have many restaurants that can accommodate a gluten free diet. Many local restaurants are knowledgable about gluten free diets, and either have gluten free menus, or can direct you to items on the menu that are safe to eat.
Gluten Free Travel Vancouver, Canada
Our family loved Vancouver! What a fun city. Running around beautiful Stanley Park was amazing. Exploring all the fun thrift stores in the Mount Pleasant area was awesome. Finding loads of safe and delicious gluten-free food was the best!! There are at least five or six gluten-free eateries or bakeries in the Mount Pleasant area of town alone so if you’re gluten-free and headed to Vancouver, definitely check out that area.
Gluten Free Travel Seattle
Our family just returned from a fantastic 9 day trip to the Pacific Northwest. This included four days in lovely Seattle. Highlights were an 11 mile run to explore the city (whilst listening to a playlist of Seattle Grunge on Spotify!), a visit to the fantastic Seattle Children’s Museum and of course, all the wonderful gluten-free food! I had been to Seattle only one before but it was ten years ago and just for a couple of days. I feel like I got to experience a lot more of the city this time, and I liked it. It’s not San Francisco but it’s Seattle, and that’s pretty cool too.
Gluten Free London Travel
Our little family spent a wonderful week in London back in August. The plan was to meet a bunch of friends, get a feel for what it may be like to move to the city at some point in the future (in a world where San Francisco doesn’t exist or is no longer an option!) and to eat as much gluten-free food as we could get her hands on. Mission accomplished!
Gluten-Free (And Thankful!) For Five Years
This week marks five years since my celiac diagnosis. I’ve been gluten-free for five whole years. I can hardly believe it’s been that long. Although, I can barely remember my gluten-eating life. I really don’t miss it.
This year has been a huge one for me. I became a gluten-free mama almost eight months ago and my whole world has changed in the most magical of ways. From navigating pregnancy (and travel!) without gluten to deciding if and when to introduce gluten to my baby girl (Still not there yet but planning to in the next week or so!) there has been a lot going on in my world.
I think everyone should celebrate their gluten-free birthday. It may have been a time when you had to stop eating some of your very favourite foods. It was probably also a time when you finally started to feel better. It was definitely a time when you finally learned what on earth what going on. This is something worth celebrating.
Gluten Free Meals In Hospital
When you need to spend time in hospital, for whatever reason, the last thing you should have to worry about is getting safe meals. When you have food restrictions, eating anywhere that you’re not in control of the cooking and prep can be pretty scary. But hospitals should have this stuff sorted, right? We would certainly like to this so but in this crazy, gluten-filled world, unfortunately you can never take this for granted.
Is Omission Beer Gluten-Free Enough For You?
There has been some debate for a while now as to whether or not Omission craft beer should be considered gluten-free and safe for celiacs to consume. This week, many gluten-free beer drinkers will be happy to hear that the Celiac Sprue Association (CSA) has given them their seal of approval.
When a company earns the right to use the CSA seal, it means they meet their stringent requirements of less than 5ppm. This is currently the best test available. I know there are folks out there who will say that they won’t eat anything unless is contains zero gluten but unfortunately 0ppm cannot currently be tested for.
Gluten Free Certification Programs, USA
Come August, 2014, it will be safer and easier for celiacs living in or travelling to the United States to buy groceries. Yay! The new labelling legislation, which I’m very excited was finally passed this summer!!, means that companies will no longer be able to label products as “gluten free” unless they contain less than 20ppm of gluten.
Until then, it can be challenging finding gluten free products in the US which are really gluten free and genuinely safe for celiacs to enjoy. Without a definition for what “gluten free”actually means companies can label their products as so even when they are manufactured on shared equipment with gluten-containing products. This isn’t helpful, and it’s dangerous, for celiacs looking for safe, gluten free options. To help make your life a little simpler, and safer, look out for these logos when you’re out gluten free grocery shopping.
Peanut Butter Quinoa For Breakfast!
Breakfast time is my favourite meal of the day. I should probably say that breakfast food is my favourite because no matter what time of day, I always consider a bowl, mug or cup of cereal a great idea! Recently I’ve been trying to vary my breakfast food a little and hot grains served with peanut butter and fresh fruit is my current favourite!