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Monthly eNewsletter


Alice BastNote from Alice

What You Can Do to Improve Life with Celiac Disease

NFCA President
& CEO

When I finally received my diagnosis, I felt like the only person in the world with celiac disease. When I talked about my gluten-free needs, it was like I was speaking a different language. I was overjoyed that I found the answer to my ailments, but I still felt isolated and alone.

Fast forward to today, over 20 years later. I am returning from the 16th International Celiac Disease Symposium (ICDS) in Prague, where I had the pleasure of meeting celiac disease support and advocacy groups from around the world. It’s amazing to see how barriers are broken in other countries and how despite living on different parts of the globe, we face many of the same challenges and carry the same fears.

Together with my fellow celiac disease advocates and National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) Director of Healthcare Initiatives, Kristin Voorhees, MA, I attended various sessions and discussions from two tracks: one geared for people living with celiac disease and one for the researchers trying to make life better and easier for us. Needless to say, people with celiac disease are no longer alone in facing everyday challenges.

Since my diagnosis, I’ve watched the world of celiac disease morph and change. Gone are the days of ordering gluten-free food from Canada that tasted like the box it came in (there was no distribution in the US). Gluten-free food is more widely available, cheaper and tastier than ever before. And while I’m grateful for all the progress we’ve made, we are still not where we need to be. Food safety, especially in restaurants, is a concern. Our kids can’t always eat at school. Many of us live with ongoing, unexplained symptoms. We’re often left wondering, what happened, why am I sick? Whenever I’m glutened, the anger and pain from symptoms is always followed by the fear of long-term health consequences. How much damage did it do? How long until I heal? Will this damage eventually lead to cancer?

ICDS was packed with experts from around the world who are searching for the answers to our questions about celiac disease. Each time I come back from ICDS, I am blown away by the amount of research efforts happening for our community. In recent years, a shift has happened: patients are no longer bystanders in research, but active and much-needed participants. In short, we are at the center of celiac disease research.

Research can seem scary to some, but I’m fascinated by the process and I feel a sense of accomplishment from being part of the solution for my disease. I’m playing an active role in moving celiac disease research forward. It’s almost as if I have been given the opportunity to help control the uncontrollable; instead of waiting for solutions to our problems, I’m tackling them head-on alongside the brightest minds of the field. You can too. Our voices need to be heard.

Do you want a cure for celiac disease? Do you want our scientists to prevent celiac disease? Do you want to better understand unanswered questions? The first step in getting answers and getting involved in research is to become aware of the opportunities that are out there. Sign up for Beyond Celiac:™ NFCA’s Research Opt-In to stay up-to-date on research. You’re not obligated to participate in research by participating in the Opt-In. You’re only signing up to be informed.

FasterCures,an organization focused solely on removing barriers to meaningful medical progress, recently released this amazing video describing the role of the patient in research, how it evolved and where it is today. I hope that you will watch this video and learn how you hold the key to achieving a better life with celiac disease through research.

To our GREAT health,

Alice Bast
President & CEO
National Foundation for Celiac Awareness


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Crunchmaster: Happy, Healthy, and gluten-free


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Cooking with Oonagh

By Chef Oonagh Williams

NEW ENGLAND CHICKEN SALAD OR CAPE COD CHICKEN SALAD

New England Chicken SaladAs many of you know, I constantly shop in Costco. One summer on separate occasions they had two versions of this salad. The ‘bought in’ salad was made with canned chicken breast and then Costco made their own version using left over barbecued chicken. One was called Cape Cod Chicken Salad and the other had to be renamed to New England Chicken Salad. I read the label (as I often do both for nutrition and recipe ideas) of the ‘bought in’ salad and it included Craisins, pecans and honey with mayonnaise. I went back to my Chicken Waldorf Salad and took that as the base for this salad.

About Chef Oonagh Williams

Chef Oonagh WilliamsChef Oonagh will be speaking at the GFAF Expo in Worcester, Massachusetts on Saturday, July 25 on “how to cook so they will eat,” using her extensive food knowledge to help you cook more meals that your family will eat, without strange, expensive or hard-to-find ingredients. Chef Oonagh has a Culinary Arts degree and prior to the gluten-free diet and her son’s diagnosis with celiac disease, she always cooked from scratch with real ingredients. “Like” Chef Oonagh on Facebook at Gluten Free Cooking with Oonagh. Connect, watch and learn from Chef Oonagh’s gluten-free cooking classes on Curious.com.

Email: [email protected].

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Allergic Living Sneak Peek: Why Are So Many Celiacs Getting Glutened?

By Lisa Fitterman
April Marlow-Ravelli shows the effects of getting glutened

She looked down at her stomach in shock and disbelief. While April Marlow-Ravelli was one month pregnant, her belly was suddenly protruding as if she was six months along. Round and hard, her stomach was also in so much pain that she was having trouble breathing.

With this gut-wrenching discomfort, she knew exactly what had happened. “I’ve been glutened!” Marlow-Ravelli thought.


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Seriously, Celiac Disease:Understanding the Basics of Communication


Father and Son Talking at the Breakfast Table

Over the last few months, the NFCA has been focused on raising awareness of the importance of celiac disease screening for genetically at-risk family members. We launched our Seriously, Celiac Disease campaign on April 20, 2015, and have since had the opportunity to show our community members how to have an effective conversation with their family members about getting screened. We’ve released a national video PSA, helpful discussion guides, a webinar and a podcast, and held many social media events to help you feel educated and empowered to have these important conversations.

Throughout the Seriously, Celiac Disease campaign, one thing has been clear – from having an effective conversation with your at-risk family members to asking your doctor to test for celiac disease, it all comes down to the basics of communication. What does this mean? We need to find the balance of being informative and caring, while staying mindful of people’s emotions, concerns and questions about celiac disease and their genetic risk.


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NFCA thanks Dr. Schar for their support and sponsorship of Seriously, Celiac Disease


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New Podcasts Provide Tips for Preventing Doctor Pushback

By Valerie Stearns, NFCA Communications Intern

PodcastNFCA recently released a two-part podcast series featuring Anne Lee, EdD, RDN, LD, Professionals Manager at Dr. Schar USA, Inc., who shares her tips for people going through the celiac disease testing and diagnosis process. Unfortunately, many doctors shy away from testing for the genetic autoimmune disease because of the misconceptions that the gluten-free diet is a “fad” and that celiac disease is a rare childhood illness. Her advice is aimed at making patients more educated about celiac disease so that doctors can provide them with the best quality healthcare.

In the podcast, Anne advises patients who are considering getting tested for celiac disease to bring documentation and facts from a reputable resource, like NFCA, in order to prevent doctor pushback. She also suggests that someone who has a family member with celiac disease should emphasize to the doctor that it is a genetically linked autoimmune disease. In addition, she believes that it is important to have a primary care physician who listens and respects you for the sake of your overall health, so if this is not the case, it may be time to make a change.

Get even more practical tips from Anne by listening to the full-length podcasts at www.beyondceliac.org/FamilyTesting.


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Rudi's Gluten-Free Bakery: Need new reasons to kiss the cook?



Food Safety Friday

Introducing NFCA’s newest education initiative: Food Safety Friday. Navigating the grocery store and understanding food and warning labels can be challenging for gluten-free diet newbies and pros alike. NFCA will share quick facts each week to help you gain confidence and know that you’re safely managing celiac disease through the gluten-free diet.

Watch for Food Safety Friday posts on Facebook and on Twitter. You can always view our archive at

www.beyondceliac.org/FoodSafetyFriday.


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Caption This!


Caption This!

Join NFCA and Lucy’s in a game of Caption This! NFCA will be sharing photos and .GIFs on social media. We’ll ask you to share your best caption for the photo/video in the comment thread of the post. If we like your caption the best, you’ll win a gluten-free prize pack from our friends at Lucy’s.

Watch us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the next chance to win. We’ll tag you in the comments if you’re the lucky winner.

View the captions that already won:
www.beyondceliac.org/CaptionThis


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Lucy's gluten-free brownie crisp



Marinating: Basic Gluten-Free Ingredients

By NFCA Blogger Ambassador Annette Pugliese of Best Life Gluten-Free

Steak on the grill Whether you’re marinating chicken, beef, pork or shrimp, there are basic ingredients you will probably need on hand. Depending on which protein you’re preparing, you’ll need to add various items for flavor, but most of the time, these items will be called for in a recipe. Have them on hand, whether you’ll grill outdoors in the summer or on a grill pan in the kitchen while the snow falls.

First, let’s understand why we marinate!


Continue reading for more on marinating, plus two recipes from Annette.


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Resource Spotlight: GREAT Kitchens and GREAT Schools, Colleges and Camps

GREAT Kitchens Logo At NFCA, we believe everyone should have access to safe, affordable and delicious gluten-free food. We work every day to make eating away from home safer through our GREAT Kitchens and GREAT Schools, Colleges and Camps programs.

These online training programs are designed to teach everyone in a foodservice establishment the importance of gluten-free food for people with celiac disease. The programs cover all the bases from ingredients sourcing to when a dish hits the table. These comprehensive, accredited programs can be taken by foodservice professionals in any setting: restaurants, school cafeterias, hospitals, daycare centers, nursing homes and more.

We encourage you to talk to your local establishments about the GREAT training programs. For more information on how the program helps you and others living with celiac disease, visit:

www.beyondceliac.org/GREATKitchens


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Blue Diamond Gluten-free crackers: New Artisan Nut Thins



Coming Attractions

Free Webcast: Where We Stand: Understand the Celiac Disease Patient’s Wants and Needs
Tuesday, July 14, 2015 at 2 p.m. EDT/11 a.m. PDT

NFCA held its first ever Research Summit in the spring of 2015 where we collaborated with people in many different fields and worked together to find out what people with celiac disease really need in order to live better, longer. Now, we’re bringing this conversation to you. Join in our conversation with patients and experts to learn about these needs.


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