Wilson Gluten Free R.O.C.K. (raising our celiac kids)

Last Saturday (May 12, 2012) our support group had our first "R.O.C.K. Party." If you aren't familiar with  R.O.C.K , it's a coalition of celiac/gluten free support groups that was started in 1991 by Danna Korn after her son Tyler was diagnosed with celiac disease. Our group became a member of  R.O.C.K. this May.

I'm thrilled that our local support group is now a part of this national coalition of groups! The three main reasons I chose for us to be affiliated with  R.O.C.K  are:

1. Keeping a positive attitude! The primary principal behind R.O.C.K. is keeping a positive attitude for kids and adults alike! Being gluten free is hard! It's even harder if we have a negative attitude about changing our diet and our lifestyles... instead let's celebrate how much better we feel and how awesome life can be gluten free!
2. Gluten Free FUN for all ages! While R.O.C.K. is geared towards parents and kids, this group is really a support group for ALL ages. R.O.C.K. can remind us how we really need to have fun, despite the challenges of being gluten free. Kids just want to have fun and enjoy life and we need to do that too! As adults we can really forget how fun life can be! Our bi-monthly ROCK parties, will help remind you! 
3. A FREE Support Group! Cost shouldn't stop you from being a part of a support group. While we may ask you to bring supplies in, make a homemade snack, purchase drinks or paper plates... you will never have to pay a yearly or monthly fee to be a part of our group! We want you to come, enjoy yourselves, and have no worries while you learn all about being gluten free! 

If you'd like to read some resources that share about the principles behind what ROCK stands for, please check out Danna Korn's books: 

Gluten Free Kids: 

Raising Happy, Healthy Children with Celiac Disease, Autism, and other Conditions

Kids with Celiac Disease: 

A Family Guide to Raising Happy Healthy Gluten Free Children

Wheat-Free, Worry-Free:

The Art of Happy, Healthy, Gluten Free Living

Living Gluten Free For Dummies

October 2010 - Gluten Free/Celiac Support Group Meetup

Click here to RSVP to our next Wilson Gluten Free Support Group Meeting!!

Our next Wilson Gluten Free/Celiac Support Group meeting 

THIS SATURDAY

October 16th from 3-5pm

Please note that the LOCATION for this meeting has changed to:

Winstead United Methodist Church, located at:

1407 Tarboro St SW

Wilson, NC 27893-3557

This is just a temporary change from our regular meeting place of Wilson County Public Library. If you need assistance finding the location for this meeting please email me (gingerlemongirl at gmail dot com) for help!

ALSO NOTE: THIS TUESDAY night (Oct.12) at 7:30pm is the Dr. Talks series at the Wilson Medical Center Auditorium. 

Dr. Lakshman from Carolina Gastroenterology Specialists here in Wilson will be discussing Celiac Disease and the gluten free diet. If you would like to attend, PLEASE email me and let me know ASAP! I'm going to call later today and pre-register those of us from the Wilson Gluten Free Support Group who are attending!

October 16th Meeting Agenda: 

Our guest speaker for our meeting this Saturday is Mrs. Sarah Overholt, a Registered Dietician and she will be talking about the gluten free diet and proper nutrition. If you have ANY questions that you would like me to send to Mrs. Overholt, please email me ASAP so I can get them to her!

A big thanks to Jeni Lowrance will be providing gluten free refreshments for this meeting!

Gluten Free Breads Taste Test and Comparison - Rudi's, Udi's, and Nature's Own

At our recent gluten free support group meeting the main event was a "Gluten Free Bread Smackdown!" A taste test comparison between 3 major brands of gluten free store-bought bread, along with a homemade gluten free loaf.

Rudi's Gluten Free Bakery, Udi's Gluten Free Bakery, and Nature's Own Gluten Free were all kind enough to send our support group samples of each bread.

I have to say as far as customer service, Rudi's & Udi's went absolutely above and beyond sharing their full range of products. They also sent coupons and lots of great literature about their breads. Nature's Own was reluctant to send the bread simply due to the fact that the product is not available in our area yet.

We tried both the "white" and "whole grain" versions of each bread, along with a loaf of homemade gluten free whole grain bread for comparison.

Each person tasted 1/4 of slice of gluten free bread straight from the package. No toasting, no sandwich fillings. Each person was asked to rate the appearance, taste, texture, and overall quality of each type of gluten free bread. The system used for rating was 1-5. "1" being worst and "5" being best.

• The first brand to go around the table was Nature's Own. Many of our members were excited about trying Nature's Own because of the future possibility of the bread being available nationwide in grocery stores. Nature's Own bread is shelf stable and doesn't have to be refrigerated or frozen. It also has the longest ingredient list, many of which were not easily recognizable. Both loaves of bread rated high in appearance. The whole grain bread yielded the preferred texture and was rated higher overall.

• Udi's white & whole grain breads went around the table next. Udi's bread also has several hard-to-pronounce ingredients. The bread can be stored on the counter, but for best flavor & texture Udi's recommends keeping it in the freezer. Udi's bread was the lowest in calories and was by far the overall favorite of the group. Everyone loved the appearance and taste. Udi's white bread also had the highest texture rating of all the store-bought gluten free breads. The Udi's products were also the first to get snapped up by members to take home for further "testing." Overall, Udi's was the store-bought favorite of the entire group.



Here are the tallied results of the group taste testing!
Udi's came out #1 overall, while the gluten free homemade loaf came in 2nd!



• Rudi's was the 3rd bread to go around the table. The best feature of Rudi's gluten free bread is that all of the ingredients for the products could be found in your own kitchen. Rudi's bread, like Udi's, also needs to be stored in the freezer for best results. Unfortunately, Rudi's was the lowest scoring bread in our taste tests. The whole grain was preferred over the white, but many found it to be dry and crumbly. This bread would probably be best toasted.

• Lastly I brought a loaf of homemade gluten free whole grain bread as a final taste comparison. I was thrilled that the homemade bread came in 2nd overall, right behind Udi's "white" bread. It also tied 2nd place in taste with Udi's "whole grain" bread. And it came in 1st with the best texture, as it was slightly moist in comparison to the other breads and very pliable! It also had the fewest ingredients. The only downfall to the homemade bread was that it was the highest in calories and has a shorter shelf-life.

Katz Gluten Free Bakery was also kind enough to send samples of their products for our members to try. The cookies and muffins were a huge hit with the group! I had a hard time sharing the Chocolate Dipped Cookies as they were my favorite! Katz is a kosher, gluten free bakery located in Monroe, New York. They are a certified gluten free, dairy free, and nut free facility.

Many thanks to my local gluten free support group for being the guinea pigs behind the Gluten Free Bread Smackdown! You guys and gals are wonderful and make living life gluten free so much easier! Thank you so much for participating!



Next Meeting: Sat. September 11th 3-5pm WCPL

Click here to check out
The Wilson Gluten Free Meetup Group!

Hello everyone!
Just a quick note to remind you about our next Wilson Gluten Free Support Group Meeting:

• When: September 11th, 3-5pm
• Where: Wilson County Public Library, downtown Wilson, NC
• Main Topic: Gluten free shopping resources in the Wilson/Goldsboro/Greenville/Rocky Mount areas

If you have topics to add to our meeting agenda, please let me know! There will be light refreshments available and we'll also be talking about upcoming gluten free events in the Wilson NC area! :-) 

I look forward to seeing everyone in September! Please mark your calenders and come prepared to have a great time! 

Gluten Free Groceries at Harris Teeter

Harris Teeter in Wilson carries a great selection of gluten free processed foods, frozen foods, and baking supplies. Here is a growing list of the products I've seen there that I know you can buy readily. If you know of something I've forgotten or left off this list, please add it to the comments below!

Baking supplies
Hodgson Mills Brown Rice Flour
Hodgson Mills Buckwheat Flour
Hodgson Mills Soy Flour
Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free Baking Flour
Bob's Red Mill White Rice Flour
Bob's Red Mill Tapioca Starch
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Pancake & Waffle Mix
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Brownie Mix
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread Mix
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Hearty Sandwich Bread Mix
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cinnamon Raisin Bread Mix
Bob's Red Mill Homemade Wonderful GF Bread Mix
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
Bob's Red Mill Xanthan Gum
Fleischmann's Bread Machine Yeast (best buy if you make bread at home)
Cream Cornstarch
Gluten Free Baking Powder
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix
Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownie Mix

Pasta & Dry Goods
HT carries several types of gluten free pasta. Deboles is one brand, but unfortunately it does not have the best reviews. It can be easily overcooked and becomes mushy.
Another brand called Notta Pasta is much like Asian rice noodles and holds up really well after cooking. You can also find the Thai Kitchen brand of rice noodles in the Asian section and they taste really good, stand up to sauces, and are not mushy after being cooked.
Other things that are naturally gluten free that you can find:
Risotto
Rice, any kind as long as it's not in a mix
Cornmeal
Amy's Kitchen Soups

Frozen Foods
Amy's Kitchen Frozen Meals
Cedarlane Frozen Meals
Food For Life Brown Rice Bread
Brazilian Cheese Bread - This is super yummy if you miss cheesy bread! (I'll get the brand name the next time I go!)

Cereals
Rice Chex, (any variety now -- just make sure the label says gluten free!)
Envirokids Cereals
Bob's Red Mill Hot Grain Cereal


This is NOT a complete list by any means... this is just what I can think of off the top of my head. If you know of additional gluten free food at HT, please leave a comment below and let me know! Also, let me know what your shopping experience has been at HT in Wilson!

Welcome to Gluten Free Wilson NC!

Welcome to the blog for the Wilson Gluten Free Meetup Group. My intention for this blog is to become an easy gluten free resource for the people in the Wilson NC area.

Our first meeting was held on Saturday June 26th 2010 at the Wilson County Public Library. We had 6 people in attendence.

We discussed local gluten free restaurant options in Wilson NC. Some of the restaurants that can accomodate gluten free dining in Wilson are:

• Wendy's - see gluten free menu statement

• Chili's Grill & Bar - see gluten free menu statement

• Ruby Tuesday - see gluten free menu statement

• Jac's Grill - inform server, the chef & manager are aware of gluten intolerance and can make a safe meal.

• Quince - inform server, the chef & manager are aware of gluten intolerance and can make a safe meal.

• Chick-Fil-A - see gluten free menu statement. They have a dedicated fryer for waffle fries! Easy meal is a bunless grilled chicken breast, waffle fries, and a side salad. Fruit & coleslaw are also gluten free!

• Bill's Barbeque - Traci Ellis, wife of the owner of Bill's is gluten intolerant. List of foods that are gluten free & safe to eat from Bill's will be posted ASAP.

• Griff's Steak Barn - Has a large salad bar that has safe, gluten free options. Grilled chicken on the salad bar is gluten free.

• Beef Master - Menu is very simple, steak, baked potatoes, salad. Should be able to accomodate gluten free menu. Make sure to inform server & cook.

• Denny's - inform waitress. Manager & cook are aware of gluten intolerance and can accomodate and make a gluten free meal on a clean grill. Also check their allergen menu.

• Moe's - Do NOT eat corn tortillas. Beans, rice, and vegetables should be safe. Can get a beans, rice, meat & veggie bowl. Check allergen menu.

We will post in depth reviews of these restaurants in the future. If you have been to a restaurant in Wilson NC that has been accomodating to a gluten free diet, please share with us in the comments below!!

We decided that our next Wilson Gluten Free Meetup Group meeting will be held on Saturday September 11th 2010. We will meet again at the Wilson County Public Library from 3-5pm.

Upcoming Events:

• Next Meeting: September 11, 2010 - 3 to 5pm - Wilson County Public Library.

If you would like to join our group, please join from the group homepage. If you have any questions, please email Carrie Forbes at gingerlemongirl (at) gmail.com.