A Canadian Celiac Blog

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

I have a returning guest for this episode. I’m speaking again with Registered Dietitian Amy Horrock, who specializes in Celiac Disease in her online practice. I spoke with Amy on Ep 20 about Persistent Gut Issues after diagnosis of celiac disease. On this episode, she focuses on why celiacs are often vitamin deficient and which vitamins and nutrients may be low and should be addressed. The link to the resource page from the Canadian Celiac Association website is –

http://www.celiac.ca/b/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Celiac_Follow_Up_Care_Resource.pdf

Amy can be consulted through her website at clearfocusnutrition.ca.  She is also on –

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clearfocusnutrition/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gluten_free_dietitian/

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

My Thoughts –
Starting a gluten free diet is hard. The sole thing that keeps us pushing forward with it, is the fact that this is our medicine, our treatment, for a condition that has likely taken years to diagnose and effected many aspects of our daily lives.
To learn that healing on a gluten free diet is slow, is not the message a newly diagnosed celiac wants to hear. When I was diagnosed, I was told I would likely feel “healed” months before my gut was actually healed. A one-year time frame was suggested, but fortunately, I began to feel better quickly and at one year, when my gut was likely rejoicing in feeling well again, I had become very comfortable on my new difficult diet-for-life.
It took a few more years to realize, through blood testing, that my diet, was still deficient in some important vitamins and minerals. Tweeking these is not easy, and often requires the help of a dietitian experienced in celiac disease. My bones were strong, but I still needed calcium and vitamin D. Vitamin B12 was another identified requirement. Often at our local CCA chapter meetings this subject comes up, and it’s very interesting to see who has been told to take what. There will inevitably be someone in attendance who has never asked their doctor or dietitian about deficiencies.
We all need to advocate for ourselves. The gluten free diet is the major step we need to take, but it doesn’t stop there. In order for us to be our healthiest, our diet needs to be customized to what each of our bodies needs. We are all different, we all eat, sleep and exercise to different levels of health, supplementing our vitamins and nutrients is an essential part of that.

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

My guest this week is Lisa, who is a co-host on my Gluten Free Weigh In podcast.  Lisa is celiac and following a gluten free ketogenic diet.  The episode focuses on an article posted online by The Celiac Scene from Gluten-Free News entitled – “Followers of a Gluten-Free Diet Considered High-Maintenance, Selfish and Arrogant.  What Gives?”  Lisa and I discuss the premise of the article and how it relates to her real life dating experiences.  Lisa is funny and genuine and a joy to listen to.  Have fun with this one.

You can view the article on The Celiac Scene website at –

https://theceliacscene.com/gluten-free-diet-followers-high-maintenance-selfish-arrogant/

You can follow Lisa on Instagram at gf_ketogirl.

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

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

My Thoughts –

It’s been a long time since I dated – I’ve been happily married for many, many years.  But I do remember dating before my diagnosis.  It was a time when I never knew how I would “react” to eating a meal out.  It would be years before I knew it was celiac disease, so for me it was hit or miss.

I often avoided going out, especially if it was with someone I didn’t know very well.  I distinctly remember trying to plan a fancy New Year’s Eve – you know, the kind young singles splurge on, only to realize that I might very well “react” badly to the food, and then the entire expensive night would be shot – no fancy New Year’s Eve for me.

I remember dating an Italian guy.  He introduced me to his big family way too soon.  I was not in the habit of eating large meals in front of strangers – how would I “react”?  I don’t think his family thought much of me, which was fine at the time and now.

After I started dating my husband, it didn’t take long for him to realize that my stomach issues became our issues and any date involving food was hit or miss.  I also remember that my stomach issues were not consistent and that I couldn’t forecast when I might “react” or how severe it might be.

I do remember though, that eating at home, was usually safer.  Yes, I still got sick at home, but less often, and was able to comfort myself better.  As far as being “damaged” or less of a person because of my complaints, my guy was right there with me, doing without as long as it made me feel better.

In retrospect, my eventual diagnosis not only answered questions at the time, but shed a different light on years of on-and-off stomach complaints and discomforts.  I now knew what caused my “reactions” and could do something about it.

Looking back, and looking forward, dating guys who didn’t get it was frustrating, till I met the guy who didn’t understand it, but was willing to stick with me till we figured it out.  Lisa is right – dating weeds out the guys who don’t want to stand with you and a diet for your health – best weed them out early.

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

The Canadian Celiac Association funds research into celiac disease through the Dr. J.A. Campbell Research Fund.  This week I speak to Melissa Secord about the process of awarding grants as well as speaking with one recent recipient.  James King is working on research to look at the many studies that have been done worldwide on the prevalence of celiac disease.  His work will amalgamate the data to look at the diagnosis of celiac disease worldwide and what can be learned from the results.  Further, James is studying a large group of celiacs in Alberta to identify the impact of diagnosis on the healthcare system both currently and in the future.

You can find out more about the Dr. J.A. Campbell Research Fund at –

https://www.celiac.ca/healthcare-professionals/research-awards/

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

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

My Thoughts –

Being a member of the Canadian Celiac Association is being a part of something much bigger.  When it comes to labelling laws, the CCA is able to speak for us.  When it comes to certifying gluten free foods, the CCA symbol is our highest standard.  When it comes to doctor vetted information that we can all rely on, the Professional Advisory Committee is producing it.  When it comes to the future of celiac disease, the CCA is right there standing just in front of all of us.

The future is such an unknown.  Maybe there will be a cure.  Maybe there will be a treatment.  Maybe there will be a way to reverse the condition.  Maybe there will be a way to stop it from starting.  These maybe’s are the stuff of scientific research – Today!

I’m proud to be part of the tomorrow of celiac disease.  I couldn’t fund research on my own.  I couldn’t even get enough people or businesses together to come up with a plan.  I don’t have to.  Being a member of the CCA is my way of supporting research into celiac disease, right here in Canada.  Thanks CCA – none of us can do it alone, but we can all do it together.

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

Schar gluten free products are now widely available in Canada.  This week I speak with both the North American and Canadian reps for Schar to find out how they are working to get the products into more stores, and bring in more innovative products from their US and European product lines.

Enter to win one of three Schar gift packs until November 15, 2018 at http://bit.ly/CACeliac

To find the Request for Product Form, go to www.schar.ca , on the front page, choose a product, then on the product page, scroll down until you see the Request for Product Form on the right hand side.  Otherwise you can access the form at the following direct link: https://www.schaer.com/sites/default/files/2018-01/product%20request%20form%202018_CA.pdf

Schar Social Media can be found at:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/schar.canada

Instagram: www.instagram.com/scharglutenfree

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

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

My Thoughts –

My search for a diagnosis of celiac disease was typical – it was about 18 years and countless doctors.  When I was finally diagnosed, I was living with my husband and two young daughters in Bermuda.  Bermuda is a very small island; only 26 miles long and one mile wide, with a total population similar to a small city in Ontario.  Like most newly diagnosed celiacs, I scoured every food store for foods marked “Gluten Free”.

Bermuda is a British protectorate, with a great mixture of food products from Britain, the US and Canada.  My years in Bermuda as a celiac were made so much better by the availability of Schar products imported from Britain.  We were able to buy biscuits and breads, when they would not have been available in a similar sized community in Canada.

Many years later, when my family returned to live in Canada, there was much more availability of gluten free foods, and although I missed the Schar products I had grown to love, there were other innovative gluten free foods to take their place.  I am happy to again see bright yellow Schar packages on my supermarket shelves.  The company has listened to consumers, constantly improving and adding to their product line.

I trusted Schar products when I was first diagnosed, and am happy to welcome them back into my kitchen and my diet.

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

This week I spoke with Ross Raby of Churchwares Direct.  Ross is also affiliated with Gluten Free Host . com Ltd.  He explains some of the confusion regarding the use of wheat in gluten free hosts for communion in Roman Catholic Churches.  I also discuss the varied approaches to solving these issues in different churches.

Gluten free hosts that meet Vatican standards can be found online for purchase at –

www.glutenfreehosts.com

You can also find Churchwares Direct at –

www.churchwaresdirect.com

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast – www.acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

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

(search Sues Gluten Free Baking)

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

New Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – www.glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

Talking about religion can be problematic.  It’s tricky to reference different actions, beliefs and materials in a particular religion with the correct words and phrases.  The culture of religions varies greatly.  I hesitated doing this podcast, because, although very familiar with gluten free, and somewhat familiar with different Christian religions, I am not an expert on terminology or doctrine.

I was, and still am afraid that I may have offended someone by not using the correct word or term in reference to religious culture or belief.  It’s far too easy to make a mistake on such a personal and important subject.

I apologize if I offended anyone with my words, references or terminology, as this was never my intention.  I decided it was worth the risk, and I tried to tread softly.  I learned much through my research, and I can only hope you learned something also.  Maybe then it was worth the risk.

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

My guest this week is a frequent gluten free business traveller.  Christina Varro is an avid traveller, but points out some of the different requirements for those on a business trip needing to eat gluten free.  Christina has travelled and navigated eating gluten free in more than 25 countries worldwide.  She is a photographer with a wealth of knowledge about many different aspects of travel.  Her websites and blogs can be found at –

www.ChristinaVarro.com

www.Cantstopdreaming.com

www.Foodventure.ca

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast – http://www.acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – www.acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – www.suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

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

(search Sues Gluten Free Baking)

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

New Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – www.glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts –

Often, needing a gluten free diet is something that calls on us to be empowered for our health.  We are taught to speak up and ask questions.  There is, however somewhat of a disconnect when it comes to business travel.  There are many different reasons to travel on business, but in many instances you are meeting and spending social time with people you are not normally “friends” with.  Friends can be “taught” to deal with your special diet, but this is not normally something that makes for good business conversation, unless, like me, your business is gluten free.

Christina has a great attitude towards some of the unknowns of business travel.  I think attitude has a great deal to do with the success of any business trip.  Although your diet is very important to you, and likely to your family and friends, it is not something that most business colleagues take the time to bother with.  On a business trip, you are pretty much going it alone.  This is where the attitude comes into play.  You want to assert your needs, but stay under the radar.  Setting yourself up as needy is not likely the image you want to portray for yourself amongst your business colleagues.

This is often when we can call on our “super power”. I define our super power as our great understanding that eating unconventionally is better than taking a chance of eating gluten and that doing without is better than getting sick.  We understand that maybe a hard-boiled egg and a gluten free muffin is a better lunch than eating from a buffet laden with gluten and cross contamination.  Let’s face it, once your after-meal meetings have started, none of those at the table remember that you left the room for a short time during the meal, or that maybe you opened your bag and pulled out your own cookies or gluten free wrap.

Business travel requires us to be not only resourceful, but as Christina says, to grow a somewhat thicker skin, to protect ourselves and our health.  My challenge when I feel uncomfortable asserting myself is – What is the alternative? Would I rather be sick? How would that impact my trip?  I’m sure you can all agree with me that no food is worth it. Thanks Christina, for giving us lots of tips to make gluten free business travel simple and easier than we think it might be.

Let’s start the blog with the Show Notes for this episode:
My daughter, Deanna was diagnosed with Celiac disease just before her fifth birthday. She is now in her mid-twenties and seemingly well adjusted to the gluten free lifestyle. My interview is an attempt to look at growing up gluten free as a retrospective on how she viewed her life differently because of celiac disease and the gluten free diet. Portions of her story appeared in cookbooks by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt who appeared on Episode 8. I quickly pulled two of the cookbooks and found Deanna on Page 14 of “125 Gluten-Free Recipes” and on page 66 of “The Best Gluten-Free Family Cookbook”. Donna and Heather’s cookbooks are published by Robert Rose and are available where most books are purchased.

Sue’s Websites and Social Media
Podcast – acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com
Podcast Blog – acanadianceliacblog.com
Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast
Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA
Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com
Baking Website – suesglutenfreebaking.com
Instagram – @suesgfbaking
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL
(search Sues Gluten Free Baking)
Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com
New Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com

My Thoughts
Being a Mom to a child on a special diet has so many unknowns. How strict should you be, how much should you separate your child from their classmates, when can you allow them to make their own food decisions, let alone lifestyle decisions? These are all questions that require a balancing act. Being too lenient might make them sick, being too strict might make them feel like they don’t belong among their friends and belonging can often be the most important things to kids themselves.
I can admit it’s very easy to over-compensate and give your child more than they actually need when it comes to gluten free. I have absolutely gone over-board at times to ensure that a restaurant meal was gluten free, not for me, but for my daughter. It’s hard to find the balancing point.
I can only hope that by witnessing my diligence, that when she was in a position to make her own decisions, she would pause and realize the importance of her choices. In the end that’s all we can do. The balancing act of being a parent of a child on a special diet is directly related to the difficulty of the diet. If a child has celiac disease and is lactose intolerant, the balance leans to more diligence and possibly more issues arising from some of the foods to be avoided. I suppose I am fortunate that my daughter was only required to avoid gluten and nothing else.
Being diagnosed with celiac disease later in life (as an adult with two children), it was hard for me to put myself in a place where I had never tried Kentucky fried chicken. We could share a great many experiences, but I could never take myself back to the place she was.
We all teach our children, that’s a given, but there is true joy when we can also learn from them. I learned from Deanna by having this conversation. Thank you, Deanna for that joy.

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

This episode is a more like a tech review.  I look at three different apps that can be used to make our gluten free lives easier.  I review “Find Me Gluten Free” that allows you to find restaurants that have gluten free options on their menus.  You can also read reviews from other app users have been to each restaurant.  The second app I looked at was “Gluten Free Food Finder”.  This app lets you use your phone camera to scan the bar codes on different food items to see if they are gluten free or not.  It takes a bit of practice to use the app, but I found it very quick and helpful.  The information regarding the products is input by other app users, so when I found a product not in the database, I added it.  It was simple.

The third app looked at the restaurants at Disney parks and properties.  This is a very useful tool for planning any trip to Disney, especially if you have a child eating gluten free.  There are lots of reviews as they relate to the presented menus and many tips from past guests.  The difference with this app is that only the gluten free options are presented, you don’t have to sift through the entire menu.  My daughter used this app and said – “An amazing app for a trip to Disney, so you can plan ahead and enjoy your day just as much as anyone else.  Easy to use, and constantly being updated.”

You can use Find Me Gluten Free on a PC or tablet at –

Find Gluten Free Restaurants | Find Me Gluten Free

Find Me Gluten Free helps you find gluten free restaurants near you. Best rated gluten free app for iPhone and Android!

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast – acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

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

(search Sues Gluten Free Baking)

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

My Thoughts –

Being gluten free, we often don’t feel part of mainstream society and specifically mainstream food culture.  I can see that using helpful apps, like the ones I talk about in this episode is one way to streamline some of the cultural issues around food, both eating out and purchasing.

It will take time for us, as a group to see the full potential of this new technology.  The Find Me Gluten Free app is still mostly used when travelling, but there is no reason it can’t help you decide where to dine closer to home.  The shopping app should be able to expand the variety of ingredients you place in your shopping cart, and thereby expanding your meal choices.

We have the technology, what’s left is how we use the technology and incorporate it into our everyday lives.  This is our challenge.  I’m going to take that challenge and let the apps guide some of my choices over the next few months.  I’ll let you know if the apps have actually changed anything in my day to day life or on trips.  Someone one said “we live in exciting times” – I think they are correct.

Let’s start the blog with the Show Notes for this episode:
On this episode I interviewed Corinna Meckelborg, author of an innovative cookbook that tackles the dilemma of family meals to accommodate multiple allergies. Her e-book (downloadable) handles a variety of allergies and how to mix and match family meals to suit everyone. The book is called Weeknight Allergy Buster. Corinna has a special contest to give away 10 copies but you must enter by Thursday, August 23rd – here’s the link for the contest and pre-sale of the book.

https://friendlypantry.lpages.co/weeknight-allergy-buster-presale
After that date, you can buy the e-book and check out Corinna’s webpage at –
www.friendlypantry.com

You can also follow her on social media –
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/friendlypantry/https
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/friendlypantry/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.ca/kidsfoodallergy/

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –
Podcast – acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com
Podcast Blog – acanadianceliacblog.com
Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast
Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA
Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com
Baking Website – suesglutenfreebaking.com
Instagram – @suesgfbaking
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL
(search Sues Gluten Free Baking)
Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

My Thoughts –

When I had my bakery, I was always challenged with how many ingredients I was prepared to eliminate from the foods we made for sale. Different customers would often ask for dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, vegan and other alterations to my recipes. Gluten free formulation for baking is much like a chemistry experiment and it is often not an easy swap or removal.
As a business it was decided to only concentrate on making quality gluten free foods. Once we developed recipes, if we could easily make an ingredient substitution and the product was of the same quality, we could then make special orders, but otherwise, we stuck with just gluten free. Some ingredients like nuts and dairy can sometimes but substituted, but not always, depending on their purpose in the formulation.
A retail store once asked for cases of my brownies, some with walnuts, as I normally made them and some without walnuts. I can still remember the frustration of baking off the nut-free brownies, only to have them collapse and not bake evenly. This may not be the case with a different brownie recipe, but the one I developed used the protein in the nuts to add to the texture and bake-ability.
There is a tendency currently for bakeries to be free from many ingredients. This will often satisfy allergies to dairy, nuts, corn, soy as well as a vegan preference. I can understand the business decision, but I firmly believe that removing a long list of ingredients from baked goods does not produce the best gluten free foods. Yes, the foods can be consumed by a wider range of people, and that is a plus, but to look strictly at the quality of the food for someone only requiring gluten free, or only dairy free, or only nut free, foods often fall short.
Having more food restrictions other than gluten can be very frustrating. I have spoken before about my late-in-life allergy to flaxseed. Most free-from allergen and vegan baked goods contain flaxseed to compensate for the lack of eggs. When I attended a food conference last year, the organizers were hard pressed to accommodate gluten free and flax free. They worked with a local specialty bakery that produced free-from vegan baked goods to meet all the special requests – except mine. I understand that requesting gluten free can be tricky for food suppliers and to add a further allergen complication on top of that makes the job harder. I accept my inability to digest gluten and I cope well with that, but the flaxseed allergy is something I just don’t need. I can’t presume to understand how difficult it must be to have a variety of allergies within a family, and I’m glad that someone like Corinna is tackling that everyday issue.

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

I had the pleasure of interviewing Treena Duncan, the incoming President of the Canadian Celiac Association.  Treena has some great ideas on how the CCA can look forward with new initiatives to benefit both members and the public.  It also seemed the appropriate time to extend an invitation to the different chapters to catch us up on what they have been doing for their members and in their communities.  Some chapters were happy to share about events and others had inventive projects and fundraisers.  For more information go to:

http://www.celiac.ca

Sue’s Websites and Social Media –

Podcast – acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com

Podcast Blog – acanadianceliacblog.com

Facebook – @acanadianceliacpodcast

Twitter – CeliacPodcastCA

Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com

Baking Website – suesglutenfreebaking.com

Instagram – @suesgfbaking

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

(search Sues Gluten Free Baking)

Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com

My Thoughts –

I have long been a supporter of the Canadian Celiac Association.  Not just because I’m a member, and not just because it’s Canadian.  When I lived outside of Canada, I was a member of the local celiac organization where I lived.

We don’t give it much thought, but our condition – celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity isn’t popular with big business.  There’s no medication to sell us.  Food companies want our business, but it’s nothing like the money from sponsorship in the medical field.  We are fortunate that our condition doesn’t require medication, or expensive treatments.  The price we pay for that is a lack of big business sponsorship.  You only have to compare the efforts of the CCA to those of other medical support group organizations to realize that big business puts money where they will make money.

I’m comfortable with that.  Comfortable having an organization that relies on its members to support its efforts and each other.  The CCA has accomplished many things for us.  An example is Canada’s progressive labelling laws – something that would not have been done without the CCA.

I often refer to the CCA as our voice.  The way to be heard it to have a louder voice. The way to have a louder voice is to have more members using that voice.  Membership is a powerful voice.