Tag Archives: Celiac disease

Gluten-free Q&A with Dr. Stephen Wangen

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Dr. Stephen WangenWe at Custom Choice Cereal are excited to offer you another opportunity to ask gluten-free expert Dr. Stephen Wangen your questions about celiac disease, gluten intolerance, living without wheat, and whatever else want to know!

Stephen suffers from celiac disease himself, understands the challenges of a gluten-free diet, and is very passionate about helping you. Similar to us, his passion was a call that he answered by co-founding The IBS Treatment Center in Seattle, WA, blogging as The Gluten Free Doctor, and serving on the Board of Trustees for the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. We invite you to read more about Stephen and his books in our introduction to our advisors.

Dr. Wangen is going out of his way to provide this wonderful service, and we appreciate your understanding that out of respect for Dr. Wangen and his time we have to limit each session to 5 questions on a first-come, first-served basis. Please join us at Custom Choice Cereal in thanking Stephen for taking the time off his busy schedule to address your concerns.

Asking your question is easy and can be done in just 4 simple steps:

  1. Post your question as a comment to this blog entry
  2. Subscribe to our blog (or check back in a few days) so you’ll know when then answer is up
  3. We send all questions to Dr. Wangen
  4. Dr. Wangen’s answers will be published in reply to your comments

We are looking forward to finding out what you would like to know because it’s a great way for us to learn something new as well!

Gluten-free Expos in 2011

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Custom Choice Cereal at the Gluten-free Expo
Since the beginning of the new year we at Custom Choice Cereal have received quite a few inquiries asking about upcoming gluten-free events. We can only highly recommend them, check out our blog from the Chicago Gluten-free Expo in 2010!

Fortunately, there are quite a few happenings lined up across the country where you (and we, for that matter) can learn more about the gluten-free world. It’s such a dynamic space that rarely a day passes without us learning something new! These events are provide a great opportunity to learn more about celiac disease, gluten intolerance and wheat allergy as the big support organizations are usually present. You can also connect with others in your area who share the gluten-free life with you.

But enough intro, we know you are anxious to learn about the upcoming expos and events, so here they are:

One last favor: we are sure to have missed a few gluten-free fairs in this list, so if you know of one, please let us know about it by adding it in the comment section. You’d do us and everyone else a huge service!

Gluten-free Subway sandwiches

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Subway GF SandwichThese news caused quite an up-stir in the gluten-free community last week: international sandwich chain Subway is testing a bun made of egg whites, corn starch and tapioca starches for customers with gluten sensitivities at 700 outlets in Dallas and East Texas.

“Gluten-free is something on the radar,” said Les Winograd, Subway spokesman. “There are number of people at Subway who are particularly interested in gluten-free items for their own particular digestive needs. It’s not something that’s unusual to us.”

We at Custom Choice Cereal think it’s been about time that the major fast food chains jump to gluten-free action! However, it will take a lot of eduction on the franchisees’ end and tons of effort to prevent cross-contamination. Food safety is important for everyone but especially those with celiac disease and who have to follow a gluten-free diet. Thinking about the processes – cutting and toasting the 9-Grain Wheat, 9-Grain Honey Oat, Italian, Italian Herbs & Cheese or Flatbread – we’re wondering whether or not they are separating operations and using dedicated gluten-free equipment.

The key question is: would you try a gluten-free sandwich from Subway? Why or why not?

Sniffing out the gluten

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Gluten-detection service dog EliasWe at Custom Choice Cereal came across one of the most amazing stories we heard in the gluten-free community in quite some time and have to share it with you. Knowing what can happen if a celiac gets “glutened” we are very diligent about our food safety controls (souring only naturally gluten-free ingredients, conducting additional testing for potential cross-contamination, maintaining a dedicated gluten-free facility, etc). Though not practical for us, here is another way to ensure your food is guaranteed gluten-free and safe to consume:

USA Today featured a story about Hollie Scott and her dog Elias, an award winning Beauceron. You see, Hollie has celiac disease, and even the slightest trace of gluten gets her ill for weeks. That’s why Elias has been trained as a – hold your breath – gluten-detection service dog! He accompanies here everywhere, even on the campus of the University of Missouri, where Hollie is a first-year student in the College of Veterinary Medicine.

“When it’s time for him to do the sniff test for Scott, she places a cover with holes over the item, and Elias does his thing. She practices with him every day with known gluten-containing foods to augment the products she hopes are gluten-free so he doesn’t lose his edge. When there’s gluten, Elias tries to pull it away from her; if it’s safe, he simply looks away.”

This is the first time we’ve heard of this unique gluten detection mechanism. As the article points out, gluten is not only found in the obvious products containing wheat, rye or barley but is often used “as a filler, binder or thickener, hidden in all manner of food, including, for example, soy sauce, many salad dressings and even some toothpaste”.

We wonder if we will hear more about dogs sniffing out the gluten for their owners. What are your thoughts – would you consider a gluten-detection service dog for yourself? And would you trust a dog to find those tiny traces of gluten that could get you sick?

Expert answers your gluten-free & celiac questions

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Dr. Stephen WangenGood morning! It’s the first Wednesday of the month (and of 2011), and we at Custom Choice Cereal are super excited to offer you a very special service (in addition to delicious cereal with exactly the ingredients YOU love): gluten-free expert Dr. Stephen Wangen answers anything you want to know about living without gluten!

Stephen suffers from celiac disease himself, understands the challenges of a gluten-free diet, and is very passionate about providing help to people effected by digestive issues. As a result of this passion, he co-founded The IBS Treatment Center in Seattle, WA, blogs as The Gluten Free Doctor, and serves on the Board of Trustees for the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America. We invite you to read more about Stephen and his books in our introduction to our advisors.

Since Dr. Wangen is going out of his way to provide this wonderful service, we’d like you to join us at Custom Choice Cereal in thanking Stephen. We appreciate your understanding that out of respect for Dr. Wangen and his time we have to limit each session to 5 questions on a first-come, first-served basis.

Asking your question is easy and can be done in just 4 simple steps:

  1. Post your question as a comment to this blog entry
  2. Subscribe to our blog (or check back in 2 days) so you’ll know when then answer is up
  3. We send all questions to Dr. Wangen
  4. Dr. Wangen’s answers will be published in reply to your comments

We are looking forward to finding out what you would like to know because it’s a great way for us to learn something new as well!

Gluten-free food on campus. How it CAN be done

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Once again: Happy New Year to all of you! We hope all of you had a great start into 2011! We’re pretty excited about our plans for this year and think you will be as well. The first Monday of the 2011 has us back full speed at work, “cerealzing” your perfect gluten-free breakfast mixes.

UConnWe came across an article entitled “UConn’s Gluten-Free Food Program a National Model”. It describes how offering gluten-free food on campus can be done and we thought it’s worth sharing. The folks at UConn Dining Services deserve all the credit they can get because they realized that “eating a diet free of conventional bread, pasta and other wheat products can be challenging medically and socially for anyone”. While most of what they do can (and definitely should!) also be transferred to high school cafeterias, work cafeterias, and hospitals, to name just a few, there is indeed a “complicating fact of college life: gluten is found in two staple foods – pizza and beer”.

We are therefore truly impressed that UConn offers gluten-free selections in all the dining halls and provides prospective students with celiac disease or food allergies with personalized attention. That’s a form of customer service that pretty rare, and we at Custom Choice Cereal hope that in time more schools and universities follow this role model! What’s your experience at work or school? We would love to hear about more positive examples!

As a little inspiration we recommend watching the video with chef Robert Landolphi on how you can whip up some awesome gluten-free onion rings and biscuits. He mentions the importance of cross-contamination (that’s why we maintain a dedicated gluten-free facility) and advises to get the manager involved when going out to eat. He also says that – and we know that some of you will jump with joy – celiac disease is not an allergy but an autoimmune disorder :-)

Gluten-free highlight in NYC

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This past weekend I had the chance to explore the gluten-free food scene in New York City for a little bit. The sheer size of “The City” results in tons of gluten-free options so I unfortunately only had the chance to see a very limited selection of hot spots. Despite it being such a huge city, there is no place like Custom Choice Cereal :-) Good that we ship your gluten-free cereal creations all over the US!

Baby Cakes Bakery New YorkIt was an amazing trip, and above all I wanted to share my personal gluten-free highlight with you. Of course I had already planned a trip to Babycakes Bakery in Manhattan but was reminded by Jennifer on our facebook page that I absolutely have to check them out. And that’s exactly what I did!
Gluten-free donuts & brownies
Seriously, that place is a heaven for the lover of gluten-free sweet (with agave nectar) treats! But I’m getting ahead of myself. The bakery itself is a fairly small store with the last third being occupied by the baking operations. It was pretty cool that you can actually see the action, which always gives me confidence because it shows that there is nothing to hide. The actual counter with all the goodies takes up roughly two thirds of the remaining left half of the store so that a small table fits right in front of it. On the right hand there is space for another 2-3 people to sit along the wall.
Gluten-free caramel donut
Following the recommendation from a few people in the store I bought a couple of their caramel donuts and brownies. The lady packed them into a nice little cardboard box for me so I could bring them with me to a friend who has a serious sweet tooth. We both agreed: the brownies were absolutely outstanding and packed with chocolate chips! While the donuts had a great texture and were very soft we thought that they were a little bit too sweet. But obviously that has nothing to do with them being outstanding gluten-free treats look and taste delicious!

Conclusion: ff you are in New York City I highly recommend that you pay Babycakes a visit! In the meantime you can (and should) do what I do: get creative and personally design the best gluten-free cereal there is. It’s fun, and you will enjoy the great taste!

Celiac & gluten-free expert Dr. Wangen answers

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Dr. Stephen WangenTataaa! We at Custom Choice Cereal are offering you the last gluten-free Q&A of 2010.

A celiac himself, Dr. Stephen Wangen can answer any question you might have. Stephen has devoted his life to educating about any gluten- or wheat-related problems and providing help to people effected with digestive issues. Feel free to read more about The Gluten Free Doctor’s impressive credentials in our introduction to our advisors.

We’d like to point out that this great service could not be provided to you without Dr. Wangen’s goodwill. Please join us at Custom Choice Cereal in thanking Stephen for his continued service. We appreciate your understanding that out of respect for Dr. Wangen and his time we have to limit each session to 5 questions on a first-come, first-served basis.

We are looking forward to finding out what you would like to know because it’s a great way for us to learn something new as well. Asking your question is easy and takes just 4 simple steps:

  1. Post your question as a comment to this blog entry
  2. Subscribe to our blog so you’ll know when then answer is up
  3. We send all questions to Dr. Wangen
  4. Dr. Wangen’s answers will be published in reply to your comments

Gluten-free diet makes you feel better

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The gluten-free diet is sometimes dubbed as the latest “fad” diet (we say thank you Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna, and certainly Chelsea Clinton and a gluten-free wedding cake).

This being said, we at Custom Choice Cereal would like to reiterate that those with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or a wheat allergy don’t have a choice but to cut wheat, rye, and barley from their diet. Plenty of anecdotal evidence suggests that going gluten-free often times also eases digestive issues and results in improved behavior for people with autism. Regardless of the condition, we wanted to find out and asked you

How long after going gluten-free did you feel/see first results?

72 of you participated in this most recent of our 3-second-polls, and a whopping 72.2% saw improvements within the first month! An additional 16.7% felt better within 4 months after switching to a gluten-free diet. The remaining 11.1% don’t feel any different yet. You can easily see the complete survey results in the graph below. Please leave us a comment how your well-being improved! It’d be great if you could also participate in our latest poll (on the left).
3-sec-poll results. How fast did you start feeling better?

Tina Turbin reviews our gluten-free cereal

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Now that’s a way to start the new week! Well, technically the review was published on Saturday but that’s still close enough to the new work week, especially since it was Thanksgiving.

Tina TurbinTina Turbin’s website GlutenFreeHelp.info is an outstanding resource for the gluten-free community. The website was just selected as the second best .info website globally, so I am honored to have Custom Choice Cereal featured there!

Tina is someone who has seen it all, and we are absolutely thrilled about her stellar feedback: “I’ve now tasted my three personal cereals with my testers, and we have all concluded that this company and the concept is a hit, and beyond delicious.” She also mentions that celiac expert Dr. Wangen answers your questions right here on every first Wednesday of the month. The next date is only two days away, so don’t miss out!

I especially want to thank Tina for the last sentence of her post: “This is a company we want to see thrive, expand, and continue to service the celiac community.”Similar to all the encouraging feedback we receive every day from you it is tough to find the words that can adequately describe how much this means to me and everyone here at Custom Choice Cereal. So in the spirit of last week I’d like to give Thanks to all of you! You rock and make our job awesome!