About the guy behind the blog
I am a twenty year old American student who was diagnosed with Celiac Disease when I was born. Because of this, I have been following a gluten free diet my entire life. I like travelling, movies, food, music, theatre, and running. I travel a decent amount, and I always look for gluten free places to eat. So this blog is meant to be a resource for any young people on the gluten free diet. Please feel free to ask any questions you may ever have for me!
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Gluten Free Twenty Something
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Gluten Free in the Mainstream
By this point I think most people, at least in the states, have heard the term "gluten free." Some of them might even know what it means. I know that I have a few select friends that have been saying "wheat, rye, oats, and barley" ever since they have known me. (And a few that still forget that I am allergic to Oreos, even though they have known me for years!) I think that sometimes gluten free people are too quiet about it though. There is safety in numbers, and there is a lot of us! If we started just making a little more noise about things, maybe we will start to see more gluten free options on menus, more gluten free friendly companies, and just more awareness,
Sometimes when I am in a place that doesn't have anything gluten free, I ask if they have any gluten free menu items. I usually get a blank stare in response. But I just like to ask, so that the term gets in their heads. If they hear it enough times, they will look into it; that's just good business.
I am not alone in this thought. I found this great article on Celiac Central saying that a gluten free blogger, Sandra Robins, has appealed to Oprah to get the gluten free cause on the show. I think that's a really cool thing to do!
Spread the word, go gluten free!
Gluten Free in Walt Disney World
Since a lot of my posts lately have been about finding new gluten free foods while travelling, I thought it would be cool to talk about a past experience travelling and hunting down something gluten free to eat. Growing up, my family was really into Disney World. We went pretty much every year. As a child, I was satisfied to find tons of cool things I could eat (mostly candy, ice cream, etc.) I've maintained a trip to Disney World about every other year now, and I have to say I still enjoy it even though I am no longer a child. One of the things I really like about it is that Disney is really accommodating to guests that are gluten free.
Any place that sells food within the park gates generally has gluten free options. When you walk up to a counter, just tell them that you have food allergies and they will call for a manager. An allergy-friendly order actually cannot be made without a manager punching it into the system, so if you already know what you want it can be kind of annoying that you have to wait for the manager, but it is still better this way. The manager has a large book about the ingredients of everything in the restaurant. I found that most of the times the managers knew without even looking it up, though. Most quick serve places have a gluten free version of whatever it is that they are selling, be it pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. You can also easily find things like gluten free brownies throughout the park. One of my favorite spots is at Casey's in the Magic Kingdom. They have the BEST gluten free hot dog bun I have ever had. The gluten free pizza that is served at a few places across the parks is alright, but you can find something just as good in the frozen section at a grocery store that stocks gluten free food; I would recommend getting something else in the parks. And the sit down restaurants are even better. I have had some of the best gluten free bread, pasta, and cake that I have ever tasted in Walt Disney World. If you want more info, Orlando Gluten Free has a great post here about eating gluten free in Disney World, including contact info, lots of links, and advice.
In addition, Disney World just yesterday opened a branch of BabyCakes NYC in the Downtown Disney Marketplace. It's another great spot to get a gluten free treat when you are in WDW - read about it on The Disney Blog. And if you need to fly to Walt Disney World, check out my post about Gluten Free Airline Accommodations.
Gluten Free Airline Accommodations
Having travelled to a few different countries so far, I have experienced gluten free meals on a few different airlines. I have to say, I was even surprised and impressed to hear that ANY airlines had a gluten free option. Most flights I have been on were shorter and did not include a meal service, so usually I am lucky to get peanuts. Some airlines have switched to pretzels only as their snacks because of people with nut allergies, but it stinks when I can't have anything to eat. As far as meal service goes, though, things are a little more hopeful. KLM's gluten free meal was pretty good. I had a chicken breast with a vegetable curry sauce, alongside rice, salad, and I got gluten free bread for a snack. Their American affiliate, Delta, could use some work though: fruit, rice cakes, salad. One more airline I've eaten gluten free on is Virgin Atlantic. I had a lemon pepper chicken with rice cakes, fruit, and a small salad. I thought it was pretty good, and then I was actually kind of happy to find out that none of my non-gf friends liked their chicken dish that they got. They were all jealous of mine!
I had heard a while ago that Continental Airlines had stopped offering gluten free meals on their flights. After a bunch of customers complained, they reinstated a gluten free option just a few weeks later. Just goes to show that as a customer base, gluten free consumers can be taken seriously if we speak up!
So if you are travelling on a long flight, please check with your airline to see if you can get a gluten free meal - you might be surprised how good it is! More than likely you'll just be happy to be served a meal, like I was.
Where have you been this month?
Hey readers,
First of all, it's good to be blogging again! As you may have noticed, I had a slight issue with my web hosting, causing my site to go down temporarily for a few days. My classes and job have also been a bit more demanding lately, so it took me a while to get around to fixing it. But don't worry, I am back in full force ready to keep reporting on gluten free trends, recipes, and other issues. If you aren't already doing so, follow me on Twitter @GF20Something for more frequent updates. I hope you all had a delicious gluten free Thanksgiving!
Sale on Gluten Free Products at Amazon
I found something that I think a lot of you will be interested in. As most of you probably know, you can purchase groceries on Amazon in bulk quantities. This can be really convenient for gluten free products that might not be sold at stores near where you live, but really enjoy. I know that when I was younger my parents would have to buy gluten free mixes from a company in Colorado and pay to have them shipped to Michigan. The only mixes that we could find in our own state were pretty awful. That was before the days of gluten free Bisquick from Betty Crocker and other really easy to use products like that.
Anyway, I found that Amazon is currently running a huge special on gluten free products. They are discounting up to 35% on some of my favorite gluten free brands like Nature's Path, Glutino, and gluten free general mills products, including the Betty Crocker line. This is a great time to stock up on those favorite products! Check out the gluten free sale going on at Amazon!
I also wanted to give you a quick personal update. I am leaving this weekend for my fall break in Paris, Milan, and Athens. I'm really excited, as I've never been to these cities before. I hope to find a lot of yummy gluten free things to eat, but I don't really know what I'm getting myself into. That being said, I hope to have a lot of exciting things to share with you guys when I get home. But for now, I need to finish my midterm exams and pack, and then hopefully I will have a very relaxing, but fun trip.
Hurry, the Amazon offer ends at the end of the month!
Favorite Finds Vol. 4 - London Bakery Edition
As my readers who read my earlier post know, I'm studying in London for the semester, and eating GF all across London and Europe. I decided to make this edition of my Favorite Finds a special London edition. You can see my first edition, Ireland edition, and my third edition to see other finds across America and the rest of the world. This edition is going to be my first of a few from London, and this one is focused on bake shops. Bakeries are always one of my favorite things to find in a new city, and I found a few good ones pretty quickly here in London.
Ms. Cupcake
Ms. Cupcake is something I am glad I found early on. It should come as no surprise to anyone that she sells cupcakes, but they aren't just any cupcakes. She advertises them as "the naughtiest vegan cakes in town." Lucky for me, she sells gluten free cupcakes too, and they are pretty wicked themselves. She doesn't have an actual store, but instead kind of travels around town like a cupcake gypsy. I found her in the Tea Rooms at Brick Lane on a Sunday. She updates her website as to her daily whereabouts, along with keeping an active twitter account. The strawberry cupcake I had was worth the hunt, so look her up.
Here's a picture I snagged of Ms. Cupcake in action!
Mrs. Marengo's
Mrs. Marengo's is more of a cafe/bakeshop, but they have a couple gluten free options that are not to be missed. First they have a few gluten free lunch options, but I only stopped in for a quick snack. Perhaps I will return later to try their Sri Lankan Curry or Detox Salad. When I went in, I had a tasty Banana Chocolate Chip muffin. There was also a delicious looking gluten free chocolate raspberry truffle cake, as well as a few other treats.
Here's a picture of the cake, which I WILL be returning to try.
Muffinski's
Muffinski's should consider re-doing their website because they have a great place, but I'm sure could see increased foot-traffic with more web-traffic They are an organic muffin shop, and they sell gluten free muffins as well; there were three varieties of gluten free muffin when I went in. There was also a line out the door when I went in. Giving their great location right near the Covent Garden market stalls, it is no surprise I had to wait patiently for my delicious blueberry & white chocolate chip gluten free muffin. I've also been back to try the raspberry gluten free muffin, which was also great.
Coming soon...
I'm still in London for about two more months, and I also am going to be travelling to a few other places soon. As I said in my travel updates post, within the next couple months I am visiting Paris, Milan, Athens, and Amsterdam. If you have any suggestions of gluten free friendly places to visit in London, or in these other cities, please feel free to comment, email me at GlutenFreeTwentySomething@gmail.com or follow me on twitter.
Gluten Free Blog Poll
Alright, readers. I've been keeping this blog for about two months now, and I feel like I'm having a good crack at it. I'm content with the amount of traffic I am driving in, and I'm having a lot of fun writing the content. If you are reading this, it is probably not your first time on my blog. So I would like to know what you think so far. If you aren't familiar with all of my posts, you can check out Favorite Finds Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3, as well as Chain Chat Volume 1 and Volume 2.
And if you have anything else you'd like to say about my blog, please feel free to comment or email me at GlutenFreeTwentySomething@gmail.com
Gluten Free Headlines
I very often come across articles about Celiac Disease or the gluten free diet that I want to share, but I always feel that one news article isn't enough for a blog post. I share a lot of articles on my Twitter, but I wanted a way to share them with my readers who aren't on twitter yet. I'm going to start passing along articles that I think you folks would be interested in.
Here's an article from USA Today Health called "Study shows celiac disease can develop later in life." The article was written September 26, 2010 by Betty Klinck
I also really enjoyed this article from The Examiner called "New kids’ celiac book available at Wegmans." It talks about a new booked called Mommy, what is Celiac Disease? that is now being sold at Wegman's, an American supermarket chain. The article was written by Sandra Robins on September 29, 2010.
And finally here's an article from CBS News by Caroline Black, dated September 17, 2010. The article is called "Gluten-Free Eating: Is the New "It" Diet Really Better for You?" and is about the benefits of the gluten free diet free diet for people without Celiac Disease.
More Upcoming Travel
Wow - I am really loving London. But I am excited to update you all on my travel plans for the semester. (If you aren't sure where I am right now, please read my first update about my travel.) I'm really pumped that I finally booked trips to Paris, Milan, Athens, and Amsterdam, all within the next few months. If anybody has any suggestions of gluten free restaurants, stores, bakeries, etc PLEASE email me at GlutenFreeTwentySomething@gmail.com or Tweet @GF20Something. If I visit the place you tell me about, I will gladly give you credit on my blog and twitter, and if you are a blogger, I will link to your blog.
As I have said before though, I will keep blogging about American trends in the gluten free marketplace because that is where I am from and where I will be returning in a few short months.
Favorite Finds Vol. 3
So I decided to make Favorite Finds a running fixture, as I find a lot of great gluten free places while travelling! For those of you who read my earlier post, you remember that I'm studying in London for the semester, and eating GF all across London and Europe! However, I still have places to share that I have found in the states, and all over the world. You can see my first edition and my Ireland edition to see some other suggestions. Here are some more of my favorite gluten free places.
Gluuteny Bakery - Pittsburgh, PA
Gluuteny Bakery is a bakery that I actually have to give credit to my grandma for finding. She wanted to be able to send me a care package of cookies in college just like all other grandmas, and she wouldn't let my Celiac Disease get in the way of that! She found Gluuteny, and she sends me food from them all the time, so I know that their stuff ships well. Some of my favorites are the Whoopie Pies, the brownies, and the chocolate chip cookies. Also, any time I am in Pittsburgh I always make a trip to their bakery, and it tastes even better fresh. I was impressed to find out that they even do wedding cakes! If you are in the Pittsburgh area, check it out. Or if you are not, the are still good to order from.
Buddy's Pizza - Detroit Metro, MI
Buddy's Pizza is widely known as "Detroit's #1 Square Deep Dish Pizza" and all of my non-gf friends tell me why. They recently came out with a gluten free pizza, and it is now one of my favorite places for a nice pizza. It is not in the style of their classic deep dish pizza, but more of a thin-crust crispy pizza, but it is still good. They have nine locations in the Detroit metro area.
Nizza - New York City, NY
Nizza is a great Italian place in the Hell's Kitchen area of Midtown, Manhattan. They have a respectable gluten free menu with several pastas, pizzas, and other entrees. They even have gluten free breadsticks and dessert! Being a Midtown restaurant, it is a little more pricey; but I think it is very worth it for a night out.
Coming soon...
I'm still in London for a little less than three months, and I also am going to be travelling to a few other places soon. Once I finish arranging my travel plans I will be able to share them with all of you. If you have any suggestions of gluten free friendly places to visit in London, please feel free to comment, email me at GlutenFreeTwentySomething@gmail.com or follow me on twitter.
Update: Check out my first thoughts on being gluten free in London or my fourth edition of Favorite Finds.
