<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

Below are the results of the gluten-free survey that was posted at
http://www.gfbooks.homestead.com/GFFoodSurvey.html  .  I sincerely thank
everyone who took the time to complete it and especially those who added
their personal comments.  This survey was posted for 1 year.  There is now a
new survey posted and a new recipe offered as my way of thanking you for
sharing your opinions.  You may take the new survey by clicking the above
link.

Connie Sarros
Gluten-free Cookbooks

GLUTEN-FREE SURVEY RESULTS

PART I - GENERAL QUESTIONS
1) 69% of those answering the survey have 2 adults in the household
    13% have 1 adult in the household
2) 57% of those answering the survey have children (an average of 2.2
children per household)
3) Of those with additional allergies, 98% listed dairy.  20% listed eggs,
soy, and/or corn.  12% listed yeast.
4) The most common health considerations include:
    25% are diabetic
    37% are on a low fat diet
5) The most challenging GF foods to prepare:
    35% said dinner
    23% said lunches for school
    17% said lunches for work
    11% said breakfast
    Only 9% said dinners for entertaining

PART 2 - CELIAC CHILDREN
1) The average number of celiac per kids per household is 1.2 children
2) 71% said their kids friends have not tried their child's gluten-free
foods for fear that the kids will comment about the taste, so they serve
popsicles, chips, and the like.
3) Of those who do serve gluten-free snacks to their kids' friends, 57% said
the children didn't realize the snacks were GF.  27% made comments that hurt
their child's feelings.
Only 1/3 have sent GF snacks to school for the entire class.  Under 10 years
of age, the children don't seem to know the difference.
4) Heading the list of foods that picky eaters won't touch were fruits and
vegetables.
5) The most difficult social situation for kids appears to be lunchtime at
school.  This was followed by sleepovers, pizza parties, and field trips.
6) The favorite foods of kids were 1- Hamburgers, 2- Ice cream, 3- Pancakes,
4- Cookies, 5- French fries
7) 27% said their children help with the cooking, some starting as young as
3 years old
8) 69% of those answering the survey said their child was diagnosed 2 years
ago or less
9) 71% said their child openly discusses the diet with their friends
    16% Make excuses why they can't eat some foods
    12% Hide the fact that they are on a special diet
    1% Will eat foods with gluten rather than admit they are on a special
diet

PART 3 - KITCHEN QUESTIONS
1) 27% said they cook separate meals for the celiacs in the household
2) The most difficult foods to convert to gluten-free are (in this order)
    cakes
    bread
    bagels
    phyllo
    ravioli
    donuts
    sauces
    noodles
    desserts calling for oats
    One person said, "I have yet to find a food I can't convert!"
3) 73% said they depended on gluten-free cookbooks for the first 3 years,
then began to convert their own recipes to gluten-free.
4) 22% responding always bake their own bread
    26% occasionally bake their own bread
    37% buy a baked loaf of GF bread
    9% buy bread mixes
    6% don't eat any bread
5) 52% of those responding occasionally eat out at restaurants
    37% eat out frequently
    11% never eat out
6) The average number of GF cookbooks owned by those who responded is 5.1
books
7) The favorite dinner entree was roast beef with chicken (from fried
chicken to Marsala to everything in between) coming in a close second.
8) Broccoli and green beans tied for first place in the favorite vegetable
category.
9) "Anything chocolate" overwhelmingly won for favorite dessert.  Cake,
vanilla ice cream, and chocolate chip cookies were next in line, in that
order.
10) 44% buy their GF products from a health food store
    25% from a regular grocery store
    13% over the Internet
    6% from GF mail order catalogs
    12% from all of the above
11) When asked if you prefer cooking from scratch or using shortcuts,
shortcuts won by only 4 votes.
12) 50% use bread machines for baking bread and 50% use the oven -- an exact
tie!
13) 70% of those responding have a health food store within 8 miles of their
home.
14) Only 25% said they buy their flours from an Asian market.

PART 4 - KIDS AT COLLEGE
1) Only 11% of those responding to the survey have children away at college
2) 77% tell their friends about the diet but many of them added that they
don't mention it when they first start dating someone
3) 66% are on the school meal plan
    15% said the school is making special meals for them
    19% said they prepare most of their own foods
4) The most frequent dietary problem of being away at college (listed in
order)--
    a.  Cheat frequently because I'm too busy studying to worry about my
diet
    b.  When I ask the cooks what is in the food, they refuse to tell me.
    c.  I share an apartment with friends and my foods are often
cross-contaminated
    d.  With no car, it's difficult to buy GF foods

PART 5- MISC. QUESTIONS
1) The most common snacks taken for car or airplane trips are fruits, nuts
and cheese.
2) When invited to a wedding, 57% arrive and hope there is something they
can eat.
    19% eat dinner at home before leaving for the wedding
    16% call the bride to request a special meal
    5% ask for a special meal once they arrive at the reception
    3% call the caterer to request a special meal
    Only 1 person responded that they take a small snack with them.
3) 89% said the non-celiacs in the house eat the GF foods.
4) The most difficult food to convert to gluten-free was overwhelmingly
bread.

Finally, there was a box at the end of the survey where people could add
their comments.  Below is a sampling of the comments.
1)  "I was just diagnosed and I am so scared."
2)  "The GF ingredients are so expensive that I can't afford to bake very
often."
3)  "I can't find any pre-packaged desserts that I like."
4)  "I love to cook and love experimenting with new foods.  I have come up
with some GF dishes that non-celiacs just love!"
5)  "When I first started the diet, I thought there would be nothing I could
eat.  I bought a few GF cookbooks and am enjoying all of my favorite foods
again."
6) " I cook the same things day after day because I'm afraid I'll get sick
if I try something new." 

*Please provide references to back up claims of a product being GF or not GF*
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