Thriving GFCF

Greetings!

Welcome to the July 2012 version of Thriving GFCF...my monthly update on GFCF (gluten and dairy free) products, restaurants, events, retailers and any other information I think may be of interest to you. I hope you find it informative and enriching.

Coach Kim,

GFCF Lifestyle Coaching and Coach to Thrive

Apps for Gluten Free Living

There are many new smart phone applications available now for gluten and dairy free living. Everything to ingredient checking, restaurant finders, recipes listings and even bowel movement trackers (includes an option to check whether you've consumed gluten that day). I've listed below some of the apps I am aware of. Please email and share if you know of any others. I have used most of these but have only found one to be truly useful. I've listed it first. The others, I've listed by category.

Gluten Free Registry (my favorite)

This app allows you to look up gluten free restaurants wherever you are located. I have found this app to the most comprehensive and offers the most accurate information. It will find the restaurant on your map app and list directions. The app also allows you to call the restaurant by simply pressing an icon, look at reviews, view the menu and you can even share info about the restaurant with your friends.

Other GF Restaurant Finders

Yelp - I love this app. You are already aware of it, I'm sure, but did you know you can do a gluten free search? Nice. Don't forget to sign up for my GF restaurant views while you're logged in.

iEatOut (On the Go) - This app allows you to indicate your food allergies/intolerances and then will generate a list of foods you can eat organized by ethnic category. I do not find this app useful.

GF Pizza - You can search by state but then it just generates a long list in which you need to scroll through and find your city. Pleasanton wasn't even listed. I don't recommend this app.

GF Disney - I have not been to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida but I understand that if you go this app is extremely helpful and that they now have lots of GF dining options there.

Dairy Free Fast Food/Gluten Free Fast Food - I'm not an advocate of fast food but these apps will list out the menu items in fast food restaurants that do not contain dairy or gluten. It does however warn you that you have to be aware of cross contamination issues.

Gluten Free Restaurant Items - This is a very simple app that lists restaurants including fast food chains and the menu items at each place that do not contain gluten.

Gluten Free Finder - This app will find gluten free resources in your area and generate a map. It works very fast but the list was not very thorough. It only listed PF Chang's, Outback Steakhouse and Chipotle for my area (Pleasanton).

GF Find Me Gluten Free - "Find Me Gluten Free" offers several options for searching - Around Me, Popular Chains and By Address. It offers a "dining card' that briefly explains gluten intolerance and lists ingredients that contain gluten. It can be used to show restaurant staff.

GF - This is a very basic GF restaurant finder. It does not offer many features.

Recipes

You can find many recipes on these various databases. I have yet to figure out how to use the features of these apps. I do not want to have my iPhone or iPad in the kitchen to avoid moisture issues. One of the apps did offer an email option so you can email the recipe to yourself. This I found useful. "Cook It Allergy Free" allows you to indicate which ingredients you need to avoid and then generates recipes based on that criteria. It also allows you to email yourself a shopping list.

Cook It Allergy Free, Gluten-Free Recipes, Allergy Free Entertaining Lite, GF Diet Recipes, Gluten Free 100 Easy Recipes, So Simple GF (listed in order of the icons above).

Ingredient Checkers

These apps allow you to look up ingredients to see if they're gluten free. These apps are nice for those who are just starting out on a gluten free diet.

Is that Gluten Free Gluten?

Other useful apps for special diets and lifestyle apps...

Bowel Movement Pro - If you are one of my clients, you know how I preach about the importance of daily bowel movements. It's imperative to gut health. This app allows you to track your daily bowel movements or that of your child. It also has an area to track water consumption. Water is crucial to regular bowel movements. There is another feature that allows you to indicate whether you've had gluten that day. Check it out!

Sparkpeople - Sparkpeople has been a long time favorite of mine. It allows you to track your food consumption and at the end of the day, will produce a pie chart that shows how many calories, grams of protein, carbohydrates and fat you have consumed in a day. You can also track exercise, water consumption and weight loss. The Sparkpeople Web site and the app sync automatically.

Livestrong - Livestrong is similar to Sparkpeople. Livestrong also has a lot of good articles on food and health issues.

G-Free Foodie - The app provides locations of U.S. Gluten Free Restaurants near the user's location via GPS and Search Features, and offers hundreds of Gluten Free and GFCF Recipes, many with photos or video. This is a new app for me and I have not used it much. Give me your feed back if you buy and like it.

Gluten Free Daily - This app offers a wide variety of options. A database of recipes, information on how to follow a gluten free diet, weight loss tips, fitness clips to view, a grocery list, daily tracking of your food intake and your diet success. You can sign up for a free month trial. I did not sign up because they require you to enter your credit card info for the free trial. Let me know if you try it out and what you think of it.

Gluten-Free - I downloaded this free app and have not been able to get it to work. Ironically, I can not longer find it in iTunes.

GF Shopping - The application is intended to be a one-stop shop for Gluten Free Shopping needs. It has a built in shopping list and allows you to scan a product's bar code to access information on that product. I have yet to get this app to work on my phone.

Magazine Apps
Currently, only two of the gluten free magazines have an app available.

No App

Product Reviews

Corn Puppies by Second Helping

(gluten, dairy and soy free)

Sammy loves these new corn dogs. They are gluten, dairy, soy and nitrate free. It's awesome to have a quick snack or lunch item on hand. You can get these at Draeger's Market and Miglet's Bakery.

Gluten-Free * Wheat-Free

Dairy-Free * Casein-Free * Soy-Free

NO Artificial Flavors * Colors * Fillers or Preservatives

NO Added Nitrates or Nitrites (except those naturally occurring in celery juice)

Produced in a Dedicated Gluten-Free Facility, Verified Gluten-Free Using ELISA Batch Testing

Amy's Organic Sandwich Rounds

I was excited to see these new gluten, dairy and soy free sandwich rounds by Amy's but once I got them home, I realized I didn't quite know what to do with them. One morning when I didn't have GF bread, I put Earth Balance spread and cinnamon sugar on one and toasted it. Sammy ate it and said it was good. The next time I made a little pizza out of it. It's great for a little personal size pizza for a kid but I don't think I'll buy them again.

Available at Whole Foods Market, Sprout's, Miglet's Bakery, Draeger's Market, Raley's and

Valley Health Mill.

Ice Cream Cones

Don't forget to pick up your gluten free ice cream cones for summer time. Whole Foods Market, Draeger's Market, Sprout's and Miglet's Bakery all carry some type of gluten free ice cream cone.

Non-Dairy Ice Cream

Since I'm featuring ice cream cones, I thought I should also feature our favorite non-dairy ice cream. This is hands down our favorite non-dairy ice cream (made with coconut milk). Our favorite flavors are Dark Chocolate and Vanilla Island.

Available at Whole Foods Market, Sprout's, Miglet's Bakery, Draeger's Market, Raley's and Valley Health Mill.

Gluten and Corn Free Chips

Since I have issues with corn I have to limit my consumption of corn products so I'm always on the look out for alternative chips to eat with salsa or hummus. I've featured three types below. My favorite is the Beanfield Bean and Rice Chips. I thought the lentil chips had an odd taste and the Beanitos hurt my stomach. These are all available at Whole Foods Market, Draeger's Market and Sprout's and some at Valley Health Mill.

My favorite

Recipe Sharing and Blog

My Thriving GFCF Blog

I have a new URL for my blog. It's www.thrivinggfcf.com I am in the process of upgrading it and I have changed from Blogger to Word Press. Please sign up to follow it by email. I do gluten free product, restaurant, cooking class, book and recipes reviews. The reviews will be delivered right to your email box. Don't miss out!

Shrimp with Asparagus and Carrots

This is one of my favorite recipes. I feel like I'm eating in a four star restaurant when I dine on this. This recipes proves that eating GFCF, does not mean suffering.

Check it out on my blog.

Share Your Recipes

Do you have a GFCF recipe you are especially proud of and would like to share it with the group? Email it to me with a photo and I'll feature it in one of my upcoming newsletters.

Thriving GFCF Blog Posts

Chef Amy's Gluten Free Cooking Class

Chef Amy's gluten free class was a delight. She truly proves that eating GFCF can be delicious and gourmet. Check out my blog post for her GFCF Caesar salad recipe...Thriving GFCF blog.

Local Chef, Amy Fothergill (The Family Chef), at Draeger's Market in San Mateo

Click here to view my blog post on Chef Amy's class at Draeger's Market in San Mateo. It includes her GFCF Caeser salad recipe.

Retailer Update

Miglet's Gluten Free Bakery in Danville

I have a new obsession which is not good because I'm still trying to lose 5-7 more pounds. If you're a chocolate lover, head over to Miglet's Bakery in Danville and check these out. Chocolate Raspberry tart (oh yum)...it's death by chocolate for sure...and Chocolate Krinkle cookies. These are both gluten free and vegan. They are too die for. These earned my "OMGoodness" rating!

Mariposa Gluten Free soft pretzels (and donuts)

I ventured over to the new Mariposa Cafe in the Ferry Building in San Francisco. I was a little disappointed to find no seating room but the bakery space is very nice and much larger than the old kiosk. They definitely needed the extra space. That day they were featuring their awesome vegan, GF donuts and their new soft pretzels. I bought several pretzels for Sammy and he really liked them. They were not too salty and had a mild sweetness to them. Don't forget to get your mustard. They are worth the trip! Pick up some donuts while you're there too.

Daiya non-dairy, non-soy, block style cheese

I featured this product in my last newsletter. It works great for grilled cheese sandwiches. Be sure to slice it thin though. I used a traditional cheese slicer. It's now available at Whole Foods Market, Draeger's Market and Miglet's Bakery in Danville.

I also noticed today that the new Safeway store on Bernal Avenue in Pleasanton now carries the Daiya cheese shreds (not the block style).

Restaurant Update

Harvest House in Walnut Creek is open again!

This was my first visit to this restaurant which offers gluten free options. It was good. My meal was simple
(which I prefer). They offer entrees such as grass fed tri-tip, organic chicken, turkey breast and a vegetarian option. They also have salads, soups and sides such as sauteed spinach, quinoa, brown rice, sweet potato mash and gluten free mac and cheese made with goat's milk and cheddar. If you can tolerate goat's milk, you can ask them to hold the cheddar cheese. It's topped with gluten free bread crumbs. They also carry Udi's multi grain gluten free bread for sandwiches. It's a cute little place for a healthy lunch.

Macaroni Grill in Dublin is now closed

Coming Soon...

Coach Kim's 30 Day Cleanse Program

Have you removed gluten and dairy from your diet and are still struggling with health issues such as body pain, congestion, belly fat, headaches or even continued digestive stress? Very often those who are intolerant to gluten are also intolerant to many other foods as well. Come to one of my 30 Day Program info gatherings to learn about what other foods can cause inflammation in the body. During the 30 day cleanse, I will lead you through an elimination diet to help identify what other foods could be causing your body issues. Email me for my next info date or I can meet with you at your home. You have the power to heal your body and transform your life. Contact me today!

Jeff Larsen's vegan bread class, Daily Bread

Jeff Larsen will be offering his Daily Bread - Gluten Free, Vegan Bread for Everyday in our area. Click here to register for the class. Don't delay...seats are limited. Check out Jeff's Web site to learn more about this fabulous baker.

I hope you enjoyed my new newsletter. Please let me know your thoughts and keep me posted on subjects you would like to hear about. I would love to receive feedback from you. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please "unsubscribe" below or feel free to email me directly.

You have the power to transform your life! Eat well, live well, thrive.

Coach Kim
Thriving GFCF www.gfcfcoaching.com www.coachtothrive.com

Legal Disclaimer: I am not a Nutritionist, Registered Dietician or Medical Professional. The information I provide here and in my coaching services are simply tips on how my son and I succeeded on an elimination diet. I offer these tips not as medical advice but simply as a way to jump start the program for you. If you have concerns about your child's [or your own] medical condition, please discuss this information, and any other information you have, with your local licensed health care professional. Please always first follow the direction of your doctor or specialist.