Dealing with our gluten free lifestyle takes time and careful thought. For some of us, the current government shutdown is providing time for reflection. Others need to work very hard to find that time. Here are some books that have helped me focus my mind on my gluten free situation. I've reviewed these books before.

What does gluten free living have to do the current government shutdown? Glad you asked! As a survivor of the government closures in the late 90′s, I remember having no money, lots of time that I could have used to build new skills, and an overwhelming desire for comfort food. I recommend this book, "Gluten

P.F. Chang's Oriental Bistro attracts people who live gluten free in every corner of our nation. Click here for their gluten free menu. This statement appears on P.F. Chang's gluten free menu: "All Gluten Free items are served on a special plate with the P.F. Chang?s logo. These menu items are either gluten free as

Pizza Fusion serves people living gluten free in Colorado, Florida, Ohio, North Carolina, and New Jersey. I never saw the term ‘celiac disease' when checking out this website. They did talk about gluten intolerance, stating that a gluten free crust was available, mentioned the one pizza topping that was off-limits for us. The bad news...

Chili's Grill and Bar serves gluten free meals in all parts of the country. Click here for locations. The gluten free menu is updated monthly as are all the special menus. Note that the gluten free menu is at the bottom of a very long page. Much scrolling-down will be required. This statement appears on

Spaghetti is not normally gluten free, but The Old Spaghetti Factory does a great job serving the gluten free community. (I can personally vouch for this.) To find a convenient location, click here and insert your ZIP code. If you're just curious about how the system works, try it using my ZIP code: 2774. This

Sugar is naturally gluten free, and The Sugar Association assures us that "all sugar products in the marketplace differ only in crystal size or molasses content. Molasses adds both color and flavor …" So, what's the situation with molasses and brown sugar? Molasses is on the ‘safe foods‘ list published by Celiac.com. Here is one...

In which restaurants do you feel most comfortable and confident about the ‘safety' of your hopefully gluten-free meal? We are surveying our members to find a consensus on this important question. If you have not already voted, I hope that you'll take the time to do so today. We'll publish the results in two weeks.

Gluten free Girl Scout Cookies will be available in some parts of the country during this year's annual sales event. ABC bakers, one of the companies providing the cookies announces that these chocolate chip cookies will test out at less than five parts-per-million gluten. For more information, click here. This article will provide a link...

At which restaurants can we order confidently from the gluten free menu? Where can we relax and enjoy our gluten free meal? We need to ask questions, of course, but which restaurant menus give us the best information? This survey asks you to share your feeling about gluten free dining at a dozen restaurant chains.

The major producers of mustard and ketchup, French's and Heinz, state in the FAQ sections of their website that these products are gluten free. It is possible to find mustard and ketchup contaminated by soy sauce or vinegar, but everything should be OK if you stick with these two brands. This article will provide information

A gluten free Halloween can be a real challenge, especially when it involves people who live gluten free. But the challenge can be met. The gluten free zombies can be defeated. There are four challenges here: identifying gluten free candy and other goodies. reinventing trick-or-treating I wrote about these items earlier this week. You may

Bertucci's is certified by The Gluten Free Restaurant Program (GFRAP), a program of The Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG). Restaurants are located in 11 states and the District of Columbia. This statement is included on their gluten free menu: "This menu and the information on it are provided by Bertucci?s Italian Restaurant, in cooperation with the...

Halloween involves lots ?of people, lots of food, lots of temptations — and several serious issues for children who live gluten free and the adults who support them. At least five different skills are involved: ~~~> identifying gluten free candy and other goodies. We can't assume that the miniature-sized items that are distributed on Hall...

‘Sprouts Farmers Markets‘ website includes a 32 page gluten free guide. Click here for locations. Stores are available in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas. Here is your link to their 32 page ‘Gluten Free Guide‘ which includes a products list. For bargains, click on "What's for Sale" and "Coupons" at...

Safeway supports its customers who live gluten free by using shelf tags (which Safeway calls ‘attribute tags‘) to identify appropriate foods. Gluten free foods have a red label. Safeway followers the manufacturers' recommendation when tagging food gluten free. Safeway asks you to insert a ZIP code to find an convenient location. If you ...

Martin's Supermarkets serve people who live gluten free in Indiana and Michigan. Click here for their gluten free list and/or here for their list of weekly specials. You may also wish to check out the ‘gluten free living' section of their ‘Guide to Healthy Living‘.

Two issues prevent this question from having a simple answer: Many experts contend that the current testing procedures are unreliable when applied to fermented liquids. Two bureaucracies must work together to solve this problem. The Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms Agency makes rules covering alcoholic beverages and the Food and Drug Administration reg...

Omission Beer is ?brewed from barley and then processed to test out well-below the 20 parts-per-million. Does that mean that it ‘safe' and therefore deserves the label ‘gluten free'? For now, at least, the FDA's answer is ‘No'. Apparently, the government trusts the testing process to detect the presence of gluten. However, the FDA...

Celiac disease and gluten intolerance do not have a lighter side. We all know that, but we also know that our only options are to laugh or cry. I choose to laugh and to share some laugh-inducing items ?I have found ?on the internet. These people poked loving fun at people who live gluten free

Fred Meyer provides many options for the gluten free shopper. You'll need to enter a ZIP code to locate a specific store. If you are ‘just browsing' use my ZIP code, 97224, to activate the system. If you are looking for bargains, click here to read their weekly ads or click here to look at

Trader Joe's provides a wide selection of gluten free products at its stores in 32 states. Click here to read of print out a state-by-state list. You can also find a specific store by entering a ZIP code on that page. Click here to read their no gluten ingredients list. Click here to see the

The Abuelos restaurant chain presents itself as "the taste of Mexico" , and has a ‘gluten sensitive menu. (Is that the same as a ‘gluten free menu'?) They serve the gluten free communities in Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. This statemen...

Oktoberfest is the ultimate celebration of German food and beer. I lived in Germany for 22 years and I am reasonably sure that Oktoberfest' s food and drink was at least partial responsible for aggravating my then-undiagnosed celiac disease. This year as every year, I will be attempting to reproduce the menu (but not the

"Are grits gluten free?" is the most popular question received by this web site. Grits are gluten free, but there are made from corn, thus making them off-limits to many of us. The good news is that grits can also be made with amaranth, buckwheat, millet, soy, teff, or quinoa. Here are some links that

Finding a gluten free meal served in an inviting and well-run restaurant is an event that seldom occurs by lucky chance. The most important step, of course, is physically check out the restaurant, but there are at least two things that can be done before you take that final step. You can determine which of

"In a poll of consumers in 1012,… the top two reasons people gave for buying gluten free was that they believed it was healthier and that it would help them manage their weight." "You can eat a healthy diet without gluten, but you have to be very knowledgeable and most people aren't." That's obvious from...

Bravo Cachina Italiana was named by Consumer Reports as ?one of the top eight chain restaurants in 2012. This list includes both restaurants with gluten free menus and those who are more conventional. For specific locations, enter an appropriate ZIP code in the box on the first page. The gluten free menu is attractively photographed

Gluten free food is not healthier or inferior to traditional wheat-based food. Problems occur when (1) we feed wheat-based foods to people who react badly to those foods and (2) we assume that gluten free foods will automatically boost our energy level or trim our waist-lines. We accept this principle in most cases. We know

The Outback Steakhouse operates safe restaurants in every state except North Dakota. It is almost certainly the best-known gluten friendly restaurant in America. Click here to find specific locations. This statement appears on the gluten free menu: "This menu and the information on it is provided by Outback Steakhouse, in cooperation with the Glute...

Here are the links you need to find out about the Raley's ‘family of stores': LOCATIONS: primarily in California with a few stores in Nevada. Scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on "Store Locator". PRODUCTS: this six-page list includes all store brands and many other gluten free items. BARGAINS: click on...

Here are the links you need to shop successfully at Wegmans supermarkets: LOCATIONS: Wegmans stores are located in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. INFORMATION:?a summary of gluten free activities at Wegmans. PRODUCTS: a 29 page list of Wegmans' store brand gluten free products BARGAINS: a link to their "Weekly Flyer". Sc...

Biaggi's Ristorante Italiano offers gluten free meals in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Mississippi, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nebraska, New York, Utah, and Wisconsin. You can find exact locations by clicking on a button at the top of the home page. Apparently each restaurant has its own gluten free menu, so choose your location first and then...

The Saltgrass Steakhouse provides gluten free options at its restaurants in Texas, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Nevada. Click here for exact locations. It offers discounts to people who are AARP members. Click here for the gluten free menu. The menu includes these comments: "These items are offered as a ?guideline? for people who require a...

Can I safely eat (fill in the blank)? People who live gluten free spend large amounts of time and energy on this question. Hopefully, this website will help. If you know how this search engine works, choose your key word and get started. If you need more information, scroll down to the area underneath the

"Gluten free diets are the new black. They are a bit mysterious and sexy with hints of secret benefits." Congratulations to The Miami Herald for summarizing the situation so elegantly. These two sentences have been reproduced too-many-times-to-count on the internet, but few have tried to tackle the key questions: How on earth did this happen?...

On the Border Mexican Grill is an option for people who live gluten free. Click on the name for an overview. Click here for the gluten free menu, which is rather unique in that menu is updated monthly. All special diets are covered on the same page and gluten free items are at the bottom

The Claim Jumper restaurants offer a discount to persons who are AARP members. Click on the restaurant name to get a general impression. Restaurants may be found in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin. Click here for the gluten free menu. One more click will be needed once you are on

I've just received "The Essential Gluten-Free Grocery Guide" from Triumph Dining. Now in its fifth edition, it lists and evaluates 44,000 products from 3,300 different brands. The first chapter is a summary of the art and science of shopping gluten free. You'll find great information and have ample opportunity to find out if there are...