SGFA Weekly Roundup!

Upcoming Events

Saturday, March 21st - SGFA Monthly Meeting - CHILIFEST!
This Saturday, at the Westbrook Library, at noon will be the SGFA Monthly Meeting - complete with our own Chillifest! There will be a variety of chilis for all to taste -- we are still looking for side dishes, soda, ice and Easter desserts. Don't like chili? come on down anyway- the raffle prizes we have collected will be worth the price of admission! See you there, pardner! RSVP to Sybil by Thursday, 3/19 via email: shoreglutenfree @sbcglobal.net. Family and friends are welcome!

Saturday, April 25th - Positive Living Conference
We are also very pleased to announce our Postive Living Conference, to be held on Saturday, April 25th, from 11AM - 3PM at the Pavilion in Old Saybrook (which is located next to Dock n' Dine.) The event will include a catered gluten-free lunch, panels, speakers, and workshops. We are honored to have Cynthia Kupper, Executive Director of the national Gluten Intolerance Group, as our keynote speaker for the event. Please join us for what will be a very special event. The event will be $25 for members, $30 for non-members. RSVP to Sybil via email: shoreglutenfree @sbcglobal.net.

Take Action!

• Citizen's Petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to Make Drugs Gluten-Free: (By Michael Weber Published 02/6/2009) Have you, as a Celiac, ever suspected that the medicine you were taking was making you sick? It could be because that pill or capsule was made with gluten. That’s because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows pharmaceutical companies to use wheat gluten, a large protein that celiacs can’t eat, to be used as a mixing agent in drugs. Drug companies use chemical agents called excipients as inert additives to mix and bind the actual active ingredient of a drug so that you can take it in the form of a conveniently sized pill. Currently gluten is on the list of permitted excipients that you might be taking without even knowing it. There is, however, something you can do. I petitioned the FDA to get gluten gone for good. I asked my congresswoman to write a letter to the FDA highlighting her concern about my petition. And any citizen can comment to the FDA about my petition, for or against. You can ask your congressman to pay attention to the decision, which the FDA is about to make. Now that I’ve wound you all up, here is how to contact the FDA. Go on the internet and surf to www.regulations.gov and enter the Docket number of my petition, 2008-P-0333, which you might enjoy reading. My petition is called Michael Weber of New York State. Highlight the line for comments of submissions, and then tell them what you think and who you are. Tell the FDA why you think there shouldn’t be any gluten in your medicine—please do it now!
• Students with Celiac Disease Need Your Help ASK Congress Take Action!
  Reimburse Schools for Special Diets: It's time again for Congress to re-evaluate the child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs. This is your chance to tell lawmakers about the needs of celiac students and urge funding for special diets so that ALL children can have lunch at school. Click this link to write a letter to your legislators.
  

Board & Member "Finds"

• Still Riding Pizza at Iliano's: The Board met at the Iliano's in Old Lyme and enoyed yummy yummg GF pizza - my first time! We did learn a couple of tips though: 1) be sure to order your pizza well done - with extra suace - to really get that good crunchy crust! 2) If the regular size (a 12" pizza) is too big for you...Still Riding does offer a 9" size, both on their website as well as to restaurants. Just ask the restaurant to order the 9" - for your next visit! 3) Re-heating leftovers...according to the makers : "It does re-heat very well the following way: in a very hot oven (400+) on a pan with holes or right on the rack of the oven or toaster oven. You can't microwave, and you can't reheat on a flat cookie sheet." Hope that helps gf pizza fans!
• We would also like to let you know that our own Teen Rep, Alex Lawton, has just started his own blog - "Gluten Free Boy" - for teens and kids with gluten intolerance. Check it out and pass it on!
• One of our readers (Judy, all the way from Poway, CA!) recommends the cookbook, THE GLUTEN FREE ITALIAN COOKBOOK by Mary Capone. She says, "The bread actually tastes like bread, the popovers pop, the all purpose flour mix is the best I have tried, and the pie crust is pretty darn good."
  

Looking forward to seeing all of you soon! Stay safe!