Author: Tami D.

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in the Spring of 2004. While I didn't choose to be gluten free, I have learned to make it my own!
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Gluten-free food and allergy fest! (Part 1)

Tami D.

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So we were only able to get there for about the last 45 minutes of the convention today. But we made the most of those 45 minutes. While it’s not as big as some of the more “nerdy” conventions my family goes to there is plenty to look at and explore. I’m very excited for tomorrow! 

Just from the little bit I saw and the few vendors I talked to all of my favorite gluten free companies were there! Including Bob’s Red Mill who I have a whole blog post planned about their many different products that I use! It was so great to see so many of the items I shared on my video, 10 GF Kitchen Staples, represented there! And the SAMPLES! 

It was like a gluten-free Costco… for me!

I’ll post more pictures on our Facebook Album and finished videos on YouTube so stay tuned!!  I’m going to try and interview some vendors tomorrow, if you have any questions you’d like me to ask- comment below or message me!!!

Top 5 list, Uncategorized

Top 10 GF Items Always in my Cupboard 

Tami D.

Ok-rather than do one of my normal posts I thought I’d share the top 10 GF Kitchen staples another way…. through a video!

This was something we’ve talked about doing for a long time, it’s unbelievable that we actually did it!

Please be kind, this is our first one and we are very excited about it-but here it is!

Top 10 GF Kitchen Staples

Please like, share and comment below!  I would really like to hear what items you always have in your cupboard!  Or is there a few items you are dying to have made gluten-free?  I know I was so excited when Krusteaz made gluten free Blueberry mix!! (Hint that’s one of the top 10!)

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Videos And Gluten-Free Food Allergy Fest!

Tami D.

So one of the aspects of trying to make Gluten Free Life Hacks an easily accessible resource for anyone who might need it has always been a back burner of an idea that I was never sure we’d get to. My family has several “vloggers” (video bloggers) that we enjoy on YouTube and watch on a regular basis. One of which (that we know of anyway) also has Celiac disease. In fact it was from watching him that we realized there needs to be more information out there from people actually living gluten free. Information on; how to find foods, travel, have a social life and really just live while sticking to a gluten free diet. And while Justin Scarred wasn’t the entire idea behind this adventure, he definitely inspired us to take the next step we are about to share. 

So I’m sure you can gather from the title where I’m headed with all of this. We are in the middle of editing our first two videos that should be up on YouTube shortly! It’s completely unreal, nerve wrecking and exciting all at the same time! 

To accompany this we are also going to be traveling to our first Gluten-free Food Allergy Fest and will be filming some there as long as it is permitted! I didn’t even know that expos or conventions like this existed- much less that I could eat at one! So stay tuned for more animated adventures to come!

GF LIFE HACKS

GF Life Hack #8 Celebrity Chef, Jamie Oliver and Gluten Free Certification: Why knowing your labels is important!

Tami D.

Not 5 days ago I posted about the importance of labels and gluten-free certification in my blog post To be or not to be Certified Gluten-Free. What does that mean? (That’s our question.)

When I was surfing the internet for new gluten-free information I ran across several headlines about Jamie Oliver and his company labeling items GF that are not necessarily gluten free.  Here’s a family friendly article I found during my search Jamie Oliver, celebrity chef Grub Street article

It is astounding to me that the Gluten Free certification label was treated like the gluten containing donut you were just handed at brunch!

My family loved watching Jamie Oliver on his Food Revolution show.  He would go to school cafeterias and help the cooks serve healthier options for lunch that kids would actually eat.  Being a teacher I enjoyed seeing healthy fresh options be devoured instead of scorned.  I could not believe what I have read on several different sites.  The TMZ article I read was particularly harsh-but not necessarily family friendly.  If you read the article by Grub Street it talks about how callously Jamie Oliver and his company are treating the GF logo-here’s a side-by-side comparison from that same article.

Screen Shot 2017-09-30 at 9.26.23 PM

It just further emphasizes several of the hacks I’ve shared already.  Be your own advocate, know and read labels and if you are unsure-ask! Be sure to leave a comment below about what you think about this news.  Watch what you eat and keep your gluten-free hacks close!  Here are some family favorite certified gluten-free items we have in our cupboard.

Krusteaz Gluten Free Brownie Mix

Krusteaz Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin Mix

Pamela’s Gluten-Free Pancake and Baking Mix

Namaste Gluten-Free Perfect Flour Blend

Gluten-Free questions, Uncategorized

To be or not to be Certified Gluten-Free. What does that mean? (That’s our question.)

Tami D.

So I don’t know about you, but I’ve been on this gluten-free lifestyle roller coaster for almost 15 years.  When I first got diagnosed finding food to buy was a nightmare!  I hated going grocery shopping and it usually took my new groom and myself an entire day if not weekend to do it.  It involved driving to other cities to find items/ingredients I was looking for, or giving up entirely.  I was loath to experiment too much because if something was not labeled correctly it meant I was stuck at home sick and in pain for usually around 3 days.  I was over the moon when the legislation went through that the top 5 allergies had to be listed on packaged foods!  It still took about a year until it started showing up on food, but when it did it was amazing!!! img_8393

Until I realized that not all “gluten-free” foods were created equal.  Anyone else discover this–the hard way?  Some food may be listed gluten free on the package but it could have been processed on equipment with gluten/wheat.  img_8407This opened up a whole new can of worms for me and it was hard to trust labels.  Enter the GF logo!

Certified Gluten Free-What EXACTLY does that mean?

When a product has been given the GF logo, it means that it has been Certified Gluten Free. img_8392

In order to earn this logo, the manufacturing of gluten-free goods must meet strict quality and purity guidelines. Their products are tested to ensure that they are free of gluten and cross-contamination within tolerance levels.

There have been multiple studies that prove even the people with the most severe cases of Celiac Disease or Dermatitis Herpetiformis can withstand a miniscule amount of gluten and all products must remain below this threshold (less than 10 parts per million (ppm)) to be certified gluten free. Within the United States we have such strict labeling laws that a product cannot be labeled gluten free unless it meets these standards.  When buying products from other countries, be sure to read all labels carefully and when in doubt contact the manufacturers. The Certified Gluten Free logo, though, has been a God-send and has been tremendously helpful in making grocery shopping just a bit easier!img_8391

A good recourse if you are looking for more information is at The Gluten-Free Certification Organization.