Let’s start the blog with the Show Notes for this episode:
I was intrigued to speak with Dr. Herbert Brill of William Osler Health System regarding the study he did with other health care professionals on the efficacy of the DGP blood test with children referred for further consultation in screening for celiac disease. The study focussed on children with a negative TTG test and a positive DGP test. The study concluded the test was not useful in screening children for celiac disease in the general population. You can find an article about the study on the William Osler Health System website at the following link –
http://bit.ly/DGPTestStudy
This study was brought to my attention by a post from Ellen Bayens of The Celiac Scene. You can subscribe to her newsletter at www.theceliacscene.com. Thanks Ellen!

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

     (search Sues Gluten Free Baking)

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

After I was diagnosed with celiac disease and started on a gluten free diet, it was time to investigate if either of my young daughters had the condition.  I have written before about my older daughter, then turning 5, being diagnosed and my younger daughter, then 2 being found negative.  For our family, it was a good experience and watching her thrive almost immediately on a gluten free diet made it all worthwhile.

Since then, and with my involvement with the Canadian Celiac Association, I have known many families to go through months of uncertainty, and not being able to switch to a gluten free diet without a proper diagnosis.  I feel for these families.  There is not much that can be done.  As a parent, you may be feeding your child food that is making him or her sick, but you can’t change that, prior to diagnosis.

As an adult, on the path of diagnosis, you can understand the situation.  You must keep gluten in your diet to get it right.  As a parent, you can’t take the pain from your child, and you unfortunately must just trust the testing, the doctors and the system.  Easier said than done.

The study done by Dr. Brill and his colleagues, hopefully makes this process easier.  Families who were preparing for an endoscopy and a diagnosis, may be spared the worry for them and the procedure for their child. 

When we think of research into celiac disease, we commonly think of a cure, new testing methods, or a medication for symptoms.  We rarely think of improving the current screening process, but this study will make a difference for families with sick children.  Years from now, we may have a cure, or we may have a medication, and it will be the culmination of many different studies and trials.  Thank you, Dr. Brill and your colleagues for your efforts.

Let’s start the blog with the Show Notes for this episode:
This week I speak with Selena Devries, a Registered Dietitian who is taking on the task of starting a Celiac Kid’s Camp in Kelowna BC. Selena has the sponsorship of the Kelowna Chapter of the CCA, as well as local businesses. We chat about her plans for the camp, as well as my experience organizing a kid’s camp in Ontario. If you would like more information about the Kelowna BC camp go online to www.healthbean.ca. I also mention the Rod McDaniel’s Celiac Kids Camp operated by the Calgary Chapter of the Canadian Celiac Association. You can find out more about the Calgary camp at www.calgaryceliac.ca.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

     (search Sues Gluten Free Baking)

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

It’s been quite a few years since I organized a celiac kid’s camp in Ontario.  When I spoke with Selena about her plans for a camp, it allowed me to reflect on the many things I found were often common among kids with celiac disease.

Most importantly, they don’t want to be different.  They don’t want to stand out, especially at meal times, when friends and classmates gather for socializing.  They often feel alone.  They often have less self-confidence in physical activities.  They have been sidelined, in more ways than one. These are just my observations. 

As a parent of a celiac child, I know I tried extra hard to make her life “normal”, if somewhat wrapped in bubble-wrap.  The best way I found to make my daughter feel normal was for her to interact with other kids with celiac disease. 

We attended a CCA conference together when she was 8 or 9 and she met another girl who was celiac, and also had a celiac Mom.  They shared many interests and hit it off instantly.  I invited the mother and daughter to visit us, which they did, and we had a great time, eating gluten free and letting the girls become fast friends.

It’s hard to estimate how much the girls gained from their friendship, but it did last for many years.  Now that they are both adults and getting on with their lives, I can see the positive impact having peers with celiac disease made on my daughter.  I tried hard to make my daughter’s life “normal”, but in reflection, maybe the best part of being normal was having a supportive friend – or friends as she later made at camp.  Today, my daughter is a well-adjusted adult who takes her celiac disease in stride, just like her celiac friends.

Let’s start the blog with the Show Notes for this episode:

The Gluten Free Garage is Toronto’s premiere Gluten Free Vendor Food Show.  This year the Gluten Free Garage is happening the day after the CCA is holding an important conference, meetings and fund raiser in Toronto.  On this episode I speak with RonniLyn Pustil the energy behind the event being held on May 26th.  I was at the GF Garage last year with my podcast and am excited to attend again this year.  As the CCA is a sponsor, RonniLyn was able to secure Shelley Case to speak at the event.  Lots of interesting speakers and delicious products will be there.  Jess of GFWifey will be there collecting GF food for the foodbank, a project she is passionate about.  You can find the Gluten Free Garage online at www.glutenfreegarage.ca or on Instagram @glutenfreegarage.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

     (search Sues Gluten Free Baking)

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

I love some gluten free food shows.  I say some, because I know how hard it is to attract a good combination of food producers to a show.  The food producers must be reliable – they must show up with plenty of food.  They must prove that their products are made to suitable gluten free standards and they should be setting realistic prices.

Many of the most innovative gluten free producers can be found throughout Canada at farmer’s markets.  It’s there where you get a chance to talk directly to the person who conceived the recipe, or managed the production of the food.  You can ask the questions that make a difference to you.  The problem with most of these food producers is that they can’t keep up with demand when it comes at a specialty food show, or for retail outlets.  Often, the only place to get their goodies is at their market stalls.

The best GF food shows are curated to include these small producers.  Curation takes, time, energy and passion.  The curator (in the case of GF Garage is RonniLyn), must ask all the questions you’d ask at the farmer’s market and then some.  They must be assured that these gluten free foods are safe for the patrons attending the show.  This is a huge responsibility and one that large food shows organized primarily for profit often don’t do well.

I support what RonniLyn is doing, as I support what Kathy Smart is doing in Ottawa for her food show.  These are two passionate women who make our experiences at their food shows memorable.  Thanks, RonniLyn and Kathy – we’ll do our best to eat our way through your food shows to make your efforts worthwhile!

Let’s start the blog with the Show Notes for this episode:

Have you ever been excited or anxious to fly, but then realized you still had to worry about what you’d be able to eat while waiting to board, or worse still what would happen if the flight was delayed and you’re stuck beyond the security line with nothing to eat?  My guest this week, Lisa, has taken it upon herself to write to Customer Service at the Vancouver Airport to request more gluten free options.  We chat about her motivation, how the airport responded to her and a great example of how one airport is stepping up for gluten free food.  Lisa originally posted her letter to the airport on her facebook page and has since re-posted it.  You can find her on facebook @GFKetogirl.

Here’s the link to the Pearson Airport in Toronto webpage I spoke about – https://torontopearson.com/foodanddrink/#utm_source=social&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=retail2018

Here is the email for customer service at Vancouver Airport YVR – customercallcentre@yvr.ca

YVR also provided contact information for the airlines using YVR – http://www.yvr.ca/en/passengers/flights/airlines-and-destinations

Here is the email to contact the Canadian Air Security Authority (CATSA) regarding questions about taking food items through security – correspondence@catsa.gc.ca

Here is a link to the list of solid food items CATSA permits through screening – https://www.catsa-acsta.gc.ca/en/travelling-solid-food-items

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL

     (search Sues Gluten Free Baking)

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

I used to fly more than I do now.  For many years we lived outside of Canada and flew home a couple of times a year.  I worked as a travel agent during that time, which also allowed me to take advantage of some special offers, so I travelled for pleasure more than most people. 

I remember one of the first times I ordered a gluten free meal – I was pleased when my meal was placed in front of me at the very beginning of the meal service.  I was set, but thought, out of courtesy that I should wait for my husband to get his meal before I started to eat mine.  That was lucky, as when his came, and I compared it to mine, I realized they didn’t get mine right.  It was a pasta dish with chicken and although mine looked somewhat different, the pasta was the same.  The airline had no explanation and no back up.

I learned to always take food with me on board, as I’m sure most people on a special diet do.  Life gets more complicated when you have a stop-over, have to change planes and sometimes have a long wait.  I found, just as Lisa did, that some airports have more options than others.  Most of my layovers were in Atlanta.  I learned quickly that many of the hotdogs where fine to eat if they handled the wiener properly and never put it in a bun.  It wasn’t long before I had a plan for my layover in Atlanta which included a couple of quick stops at select kiosks. 

When my daughter was diagnosed at age 5, the plan worked for her too.  I would leave my husband with our younger daughter and Deanna and I would go off to get our safe food.  They could eat anywhere. 

Having a plan is still the best approach.  Nowadays, you can look up more information online before flying to make the best of a new airport.  You should always have a food plan before you leave home – I usually do.  I suppose this lesson is more for those newly diagnosed.  Take some time to figure out the food before you leave home, and don’t expect solutions – make your own.

PS – Always travel with safe snacks!