This company grows and mills not only rice & rice flour, but also corn, milling grits and corn meal.

Online shopping will also help you save on money. You can often find great deals, like-new or new items for nearly fifty-percent off at stores like amazon.com and auction sites such as ebay.com. If you don’t like the price at one site, check out another. Sometimes you can even e-mail individual vendors and let them know you saw an item cheaper somewhere else and do some haggling to cut down on the price tag. You’ll also benefit from the fact that, unlike shopping around at the mall or a real-life store, you won’t find yourself tempted to buy other items not on your list just because they’re on sale or because they caught your eye as you were walking by.

Another benefit of shopping online is that you’ll be able to find items which are not sold at your favorite retailers or which are sold at extraordinarily high prices due to the fact that they’re special-ordered. That’s why I shop online for special gluten-free foods. Similarly, you’ll be able to find special items or things that are sold out at your local retailer. Can’t find that rug in blue anymore? Order it online.

Of course, there’s nothing like a fun trip to the mall or your favorite retailers, especially around the holidays. However, like more and more baby boomers are doing these days, check out online shopping before hitting the malls the next time you go shopping!

Tina Turbin

A big cause of fatty liver is thought to be fructose http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18395287

Soft drinks have been looked at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19765850

CD can cause elevated liver enzymes and liver disease http://jccglutenfree.googlepages.com/liverdisease2

Another reference: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/175472-overview

One lady wrote in and shared all this: I can tell you that two celiac friends of mine had low platelets and they both improved with taking vitamin K, the natural one not the synthetic one, 1 capsule a day (I think it is 100 MICROgrams). Within a few months their blood tests came back up. Possibly try the vitamin K but not if you have a clotting disorder. It is only the MDR dose anyway you would get in a multiple vitamin and is going to be a lot safer than some chemo drug.

I’m pretty sure I read that fatty liver is a deficiency problem, something like inositol. You aren’t going to get this info from an MD, you’ll have to go search on the net or look in some really good nutrition/alternative
medicine books.

I’m not sure if you know this, but low platelets  can be called”idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura” or “immune” t.p. Google will bring lots of info, some of it old. I think the immune name is newer, because I think they now think it’s an autoimmune disease.

Hope this helps! Tina Turbin

Tina Turbin

Lauren is a gluten free teenager living in Canada, with a passion for good food and a care in her heart for those in Haiti! Lauren may be a teen but she is now deemed a humanitarian in my eyes as well as many others. As a children’s author, writer, humanitarian I do know how much time this must have taken to organize and get all this gathered to a completion. A lot!

Here is what Lauren has to share: “After all, that is what this is about: selling ebooks to donate money to Haiti. All proceeds will do to the Red Cross.  The Canadian Red Cross that is.  You see, I am Canadian so it only makes sense to donate to this one.  Also, it has been in Haiti for many years, so they will be able to use the funds to help as in the best areas possible.  And here’s the really important part: the Canadian Government will match all donations received by February 12th, that are marked for Haiti Relief (as I will be doing to these).  They are matching donations made by individuals as well as those made from fundraisers for Haiti (like this ebook) by schools, businesses, social groups (that is what I believe we are, as blogging is a community of people, in this case coming together around food), etc.”

Going back in time, Lauren started this project in January 2010- ”I don’t know how long it will be, or how much work it will take, but it will happen.  Relief is being sent there in bundles now, and in a few weeks, they will still need clean food and water.  Medical support will still be saving lives. Currently, some of the “big” bloggers are getting together to make a cookbook, but I’m sixteen.  With that said, if you’re a blogger, send me your favourite, most loved recipe that makes you feel at home with an email subject line of “Haiti Ebook” to mail at celiacteen. com.  Please also include a picture!  The recipe does not have to be gluten free.  It can be a baked good, a meal, a breakfast, a treat, anything.  Whatever it is though, make sure it makes you think of home.  They lost theirs, so a comforting dish is the best way in my eyes!”

The project is complete- Help support Lauren’s Cause.

http://www.celiacteen.com/2010/02/haiti-ebook.html

Tina Turbin

Home-schooled 12 year old Logan and his dad Matt Winkler are traveling all 50 states during Logan’s 6th grade year and skateboarding wherever they go.

This weekend they are staying at Bobbi Burger Brunoehler house in the Los Angeles area. They still have the following states to go to:
HI, AK, OR, WA, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Kentucky, W Va and Va.

The travelers are staying with friends, family and couch surfing. According to Bobbi they are wonderful guests.  Bobbi shares, “Matt is a fabulous dad and a great conversationalist and Logan is a pleasant young man.  I recommend them highly as guests, especially if you also are into skateboarding.”

If you would like to invite the Winklers to stay with you or know someone in the above states who would like to host them for a couple of days, you can contact them at: 50skatekid@gmail.com Their story is being documented at:
www.50skatekid.wordpress.co.

Tina Turbin

There are many ways we with celiac or gluten intolerance can help others. One way is to head a group. Janet is an exceptional woman with her story and running a group for many years now. Here is her story and a link to a news article about her and her experiences. Really worth reading. Janet has recently attended my GF taste testing party to assist in my Reviews. She is FUN!

Janet Heitler joined a pre-existing group (Tampa Bay celiac Support Group) in 1995 two weeks after she was discharged from the hospital with her celiac diagnosis. She had a long time of misdiagnosis and no diagnosis. Things did not look good up to that final day of being correctly diagnosed.

Two women initially founded the group and Janet ended up in the group after they resigned from being Co-chairs. A husband and wife team took it over and I wanted to contribute because everyone was so wonderful – so Janet said she would be the Treasurer, easy to do. Everything was fine until two months into their “reign” I got a call that they were moving to Nevada.  Bam – she got in 1998 and I has had it ever since.

The meeting calendar was all over the chart and the first thing she did was announce to meet on the second Saturday of every other month – Feb/Apr/Jun/Aug/Oct and Dec.  We meet at 1 – 3 PM at the Jimmy Keel Library on Bears Avenue in Tampa, unless a luncheon is arranged.

They have done 2 GF Beer and Pizza Parties, when Pei Wei first opened they had a luncheon, and a luncheon at Trang’s Viet-Nam Cuisine — 90% of the menu is GF – it is not a GF restaurant it just works out like that, she says.

There are 200 people on her mailing list, but the most she has ever had at meeting (Beer/Pizza luncheon) was 70 people yet normally there are 20-25 people attending.

According to Janet, a lot of times newbie’s come once and think they know everything there is then fall aside. Then she gets a call and they talk as they are in trouble. She reminds them of the meetings and she tells them the new things that are out there and having the emails has helped people to reconnect and stay connected.

Janet’s email –  jchtbc42@tampabay.rr.com

Janet’s latest article:http://www2.newsadvance.com/lna/lifestyles/food_cooking/article/sifting_through_the_options/4033/

Thank you Janet!       Tina Turbin

Hi Tina,

I just thought I would forward to you a letter a wrote
and sent out to any and all CD research centers and organizations I
could! I guess if you read it, it tells it all, but I will briefly
recap for you.

We just got back form a road trip in which eating was
just way TOO hard! Mostly fruit and cheese ad nauseum—with the kids
eating a lot of candy. I guess I should have researched for weeks
before our trip to see what and where we could eat—but give me a
break. It shouldn’t be this hard! And my sister in law shouldn’t be
having SUCH a hard time getting a test for her daughter who is
suffering daily. Sheesh! I dont’ have much mobility in my life
right now—but I want to help. I want to help get the word out to
people, doctors and the nation—even the Govt so food companies start
complying too and there is MORE non-gluten filled food to eat in a
10,000 sq ft grocery store than just fruits and cheese!!! Katie

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing this letter to you to perhaps get some commentary from you as
to the state of CD in the USA. I personally have CD, along with my
husband and 2 children. Conventional testing through the doctor’s
office didn’t tell us much. We started with the Prometheus Labs
complete celiac panel for my husband and daughter, who had the most
obvious symptoms. Our daughter’s blood work suggested Celiac, but
said HLA testing would basically confirm it. My husband’s blood test
was completely negative. Since we have no health insurance coverage
due to the cost as self employed persons, we decided to test further
with Enterolab for the whole family, including HLA testing. Those
results showed 3 of us with DQ8 and our son with DQ1. I know that
apparently this test is not verified among the standard medical
community, but it was the test that showed us clearly what was going on
with our bodies. After those results came back glaringly positive in
2005, our entire family went GF with COMPLETE resolution of ALL
symptoms! Complete resolution of joint aches and pains, bloody noses
in the kids, headaches, bone pain, GERD, gas, stomach pains, eye
problems, psoriasis patches, bloating, brain fog, extreme crankiness in
the kids. But apparently, we don’t actually have ‘verified’ Celiac
Disease because of our testing lab—even though going GF completely
resolved us of our symptoms and now inadvertently eating even minute
amounts of gluten can bring back those symptoms very severely!
Right now, my sister-in-law has a daughter who writhes every day with
stomachaches and constipation, is very cranky, has ‘asthma’ and just
says daily “I don’t feel good. I hurt everywhere.” Because our
daugher, her cousin, HAS CD and had the exact same symptoms that were
misdiagnosed with the same excuses for 13 years, I sent my
sister-in-law to our local clinic with the Prometheus testing
information printed out AND an informational sheet from University of
Chicago Celiac Disease Center about how important it is to get regular
testing in first degree relatives and to do DNA testing. To
date—-this child has had 3 stomach x-rays, has been ordered repeated
enemas but the clinic WILL NOT order the Prometheus testing and
apparently there is a question as to whether insurance will pay for
testing—especially the DNA testing!!! WHY?! Apparently, the
numbers of CD in this country are at about 1/100—–with only 3 of
those 100 diagnosed. WHY?! Why is there STILL so much
misinformation like “CD is extremely rare”, or “She can’t have CD
because it doesn’t show up until. the 40′s”. Why will my
sister-in-laws insurance pay for repeated x-rays, enemas, drugs but NOT
CD testing??? Why will the Doctors test for everything else BUT
CD??? What has to happen in this country to get the word out about CD
and how common it is—especially to doctors??   My family and I
just got back from a driving trip from Idaho to Palm Desert, CA. We
chose to drive because we can bring our food and appliances with us and
use them at our destination because finding hot GF food is VERY
difficult in the USA. In fact, in just about every single town these
days there are all the same strip malls with all the same chain
restaurants that serve pretty much 100% gluten filled foods—-without
any accomodation or understanding or knowledge of not only what GF
is—but how to safely prepare GF foods. It seems ridiculous to me
and my family that as we travel, we can eat only the foods we bring,
and when we run out of those foods the only truly safe foods for us are
cold fruits, veggies and cheese from a grocery store—even though
there may be 10 different restaurants with wonderful smells coming from
them right in front of our faces. Because we know that hurdle we face
trying to educate a manager or food server or cook staff quickly on how
to prepare food safely for us—-especially if they have never heard of
CD. So—on this trip we ate cold food most of the time and finally
took a chance at In N Out Burger, the only place that only has 1 source
of gluten—the buns. I’m pretty sure we all got glutented, but that
was the chance that we had to take to eat a hot meal!! The grocery
stores had NO GF selections and a health food store that we visited
that claimed they could do GF was sadly ignorant that GF isn’t the same
as Vegetarian. So—my question to you is WHAT do we have to do to
raise awareness for those of us dealing with CD?! WHAT is it going to
take to get the word out in this country that gluten in EVERY SINGLE
FOOD ITEM FROM THE FOOD ITSELF TO ALL SEASONINGS AND OTHER
INGREDIENTS is a BAD thing? WHAT is it going to take to get the
Medical Community to understand that gluten is everywhere making most
people sick? WHY is it so hard to get a definitive diagnosis—even
using the “Gold” Standard of biopsy and blood testing due to high false
negative numbers?? Why is there little to no knowledge or
understanding of gluten intolerance—-or even that there could
possibly be Gluten Spectrum Disorders along the lines of Autism
Spectrum Disorders in which doctors understand that before CD actually
occurs—it can start with gluten intolerance that becomes gradually
worse until the damage of CD is visible?? I am a wife and a mother
who is FED UP with ignorance and silence about CD. I want to help get
the word out, I want to advocate loudly and proudly about this
‘disease’ my family suffers from. We suffer because it is SO hard to
eat out and travel in the USA with a food disease—because American
food is all about gluten. I would like to get the opinion of you that
are working in this field as to how to change this and how to advocate
for something that most people still think is a Mental Illness or
Psychosomatic, especially if we are going to have National Health Care!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this long letter. As
you can tell, I am frustrated and am looking for answers.

Katie Berry

The news is in! MY children’s picture book, Danny the Dragon Meets Jimmy took 2nd place in Children’s Literature in the Arizona Authors Association Literary Contest of 2009.

We are absolutely delighted with the results and are looking forward to yet even more awards and accolades for Danny.

I am thrilled to have been in this contest, become a nominee and now a winner. To receive 2nd place in the important category of Children’s Literature is my honor as a children’s author.                               Thank you Everyone!
Tina Turbin