Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who attended the January meeting of the Shoreline Gluten Free Association - we had a wonderful group, including many new faces! We enjoyed two amazing soups donated by Kettle Cuisine - clam chowder and roasted vegetable - and they were... AMAZING! Everyone raved about the chowder - which had fresh clams and a thick, tasty creamy base - a huge hit! You can purchase these soups locally at Foodworks II in Old Saybrook -- but also at these locations - listed on their website. Definitely check them out on the next cold day when you've got hankering for soup! We were also treated to yummy gf desserts brought by our members - and a special thanks to Jennifer for the carrot cake - brilliant!

To kick off the meeting, we did a round-robin - the theme was "your favorite product/tip/find/observation" of the week! Here's what some of our members shared:

• Learning that Hershey's kisses are gluten free.
• Using brown rice flour in cooking - specifically in gravies and soups; there was also a suggestion that potato starch works well for soups as it does not coagulate like other GF flours or cornstarch do
  
• Glutino pizza crust from Foodworks and Glutino's sesame bagels.
• A breakfast suggestion... plain yogurt with fruit, nuts, dried berries and/or gf cereal
• A restaurant find...Bell Amici in Guilford is offering GF pizza and amazing GF canolis.
• Aleia's products, specifically the breadcrumbs!
• The GF line of baked goods Whole Foods and the Taste of Thai brand of soups and noodles
  
• Another restaurant find...Elizabeth's restaurant in Cromwell - when you arrive, let them know you are GF and would like to order the cheese rolls!
• We learned that one of our members was diagnosed with Celiac Disease 18 years ago!
• Bob's Red Mill gluten free rolled oats being good but somewhat hard to find.
• San-J Soy sauce from Foodworks - also can be found at Adams in Deep River.
  
• A product find...Pamela's white bread mix made in a previously-underutilized, now cherished bread machine that actually makes something that resembles bread! :-)

Thank you to everyone for sharing!

The meeting also included a brief talk by Susan McCall, our health consultant, who was kind enough to step in for the speaker that unable to join us. She spoke on the subject of "Leaky Gut Syndrome." With Leaky Gut, large food, bacteria or toxin molecules get through the small intestine and into the bloodstream. They can attach to body parts and may be attacked by antibodies causing inflammation, allergic reaction and other problems. Many serious conditions are thought to be caused in part by Leaky Gut Syndrome. She mentioned the supplements, el glutamine and Jerusalem artichoke as being helpful in "tightening up that gut." Susan also discussed some of the causes of Leaky Gut which include alcohol, NSAIDS such as Advil, naproxen, and aspirin, too much yeast. Most importantly, Susan explained that when Celiacs' intestines heal, it is possible for the intestinal environment to swing to the other end of the spectrum and lead to Leaky Gut.

Susan also talked about health and beauty issues. She passed on some thoughts from Liz Comstock from Food Works II and suggested that Celiacs need to be most concerned with lipstick and shampoo. Lipstick is a concern because it can be ingested, and shampoo is worrisome because of the possibility of hair getting in your mouth. Susan also told the group about http://www. glutenfreedrugs.com and let the group know that there is a list of GF products available at Walgreen's Pharmacies.

It was a great meeting - thanks to everyone who joined us - and for those who could not - we look forward to seeing you at our next get-together!