<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Miscellaneous Notes:
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We have begun discussions with the other Michigan groups (Lansing,
Flint, & Traverse City) about a state-wide celiac meeting. Early
thoughts are to have the conference in August, 1998 somewhere in the
Lansing area. However, everything is very preliminary and subject to
change (or cancellation).--Diane Morof
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1997 Celiac Events:
* Summer: GIG Kids Summer Camp, at a YMCA camp on one of the San
Juan Islands in Washington State. Celiac children are integrated
into the regular camp programs, with a GIG staff volunteer
preparing meals and snacks for them. Children in grades 3-12 are
welcome. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to GIG, PO Box
23053, Seattle, WA, 98102-0353.<1>
* Aug. 23-30: A Caribbean cruise, leaving from Miami, Florida.
The Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) is sponsoring this cruise.
Fares for double occupancy are $439-$739 without airfare (plus
tax); add $300-$500 for airfare from most national gateway
cities. The regular menu will include many gluten-free (GF)
options, and additional GF entrees, breads, and desserts will be
prepared in accordance with CDF guidelines. Reservations with a
deposit of $200 must be made by March 30th. Contact Terry Kimia
or Robina Abramovitch at Classic Cruise & Travel, 19720 Ventura
Blvd. #A, Woodland Hills, CA 91364; (800) 767-7447 or (818)
346-9747; fax (818) 346-1492; [log in to unmask]
* Oct. 3-5: The annual CSA/USA conference, in Seattle,
Washington, at the Sea-Tac Hotel. Contact CSA/USA, PO Box 31700,
Omaha, NE 68131-0700; (402) 558-0600; [log in to unmask];
http://members.aol.com/celiacusa/celiac.htm
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Rice Thins, a cracker made by Sesmark, can no longer be considered
entirely gluten-free. Cross-contamination is possible as they are now
produced in an environment which includes gluten-containing grain
products.
New Morning Cocoa Crispy Rice is listed as a gluten-free breakfast
cereal. But there has been some concern about the product because
"with amaranth" appears on the front of the box, even though amaranth
does not appear in the list of ingredients on the side of the box.
(Amaranth is one of those grains which is considered "questionable" by
some celiacs.) Never fear, a phone call to the company revealed that
the front of the box is in error. Apparently amaranth is an
ingredient in some of the company's other cereals, but not in their
Cocoa Crispy Rice. They simply failed to catch the transcription
error when they were designing the box front. So you do NOT need to
cross New Morning's Cocoa Crispy Rice off of your GF breakfast cereal
list.
Teton Glacier Potato Vodka is made from Idaho potatoes and is safe for
Celiacs<2>. While this is good news, what is even more exciting is
the source of this information: It comes from a regular food column
in _The Detroit Free Press_. It even mentions "Celiac-Sprue" by name
and describes it as "an inability to ingest gluten". (If only that
were true! We all know that ingesting gluten isn't the problem; it's
what it does to celiacs AFTER being ingested that causes problems.)
Though it is only one small paragraph, it is always good to see CD
mentioned in the popular press.
Citrucel is No Longer GF: Citrucel, made by SmithKline Beecham, is
used in fiber therapy for regularity. Dr. Alexander reports that it
is no longer gluten-free, according to a spokesperson for the company
reached by phone.
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Helpful Hints (compiled by Regina Kukielka):
* Add Spice Island Horseradish Powder to GF ketchup to make a
seafood sauce. I found Horseradish Powder at Hiller's
supermarket at Five Mile and Haggerty.
* If you are a real horseradish lover, buy horseradish root (at
Randazzo's), peel it, and grind it in the blender with GF
vinegar. It will keep in the fridge for months.
* Ask that your fish or meat be broiled on aluminum foil to be sure
that the previous dish's gluten does not get on your food. Have
the item served on the aluminum foil to be sure it was done.
* Since I started using sweet rice flour (found at Meijer's
oriental section) for thickening, I wouldn't use anything else.
It makes a smooth gravy that doesn't congeal as it cools.
Internet News:
--------------
In our last newsletter, we reported on two free e-mail services,
Freemark and Juno. We have since learned that Freemark has suspended
their free e-mail program. Juno is still alive and kicking, and worth
checking out. However, they can no longer offer a toll-free phone
number for those that do not have local call access. So you may have
to pay a toll call to access your free Juno account.
There is also a new e-mail discussion group for those following a
milk-free diet. The NO-MILK e-mail discussion group began operation
in January<3>. To subscribe to this new list, send an e-mail message
to [log in to unmask] containing this line:
SUBSCRIBE NO-MILK YourFirstName YourLastName
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