Dining Gluten Free

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Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Gluten-Free Cruise with Holland America


 
The below information regarding Holland America cruise line was shared and Bonnie in NYC has approved me to share this broadly with all of you:
 
“I just came back from a one week Caribbean cruise on Holland America and had
no food issues.    They are set up to GF and really do it well:  they stock many GF options and I  had no cross-contamination issues.   

“Each night, they provided the GF passengers with the next day’s menu, which was modified for us.  Even made us special soups and a flourless chocolate cake.  

“We  had pre-ordered breads, muffins, etc and they had them waiting for us.

“I’m pretty sensitive and react to the slightest amount of gluten.  For the
first time in a long time, I was able to travel and eat with relative ease. Would do it again in a heartbeat.”

“If you go: call their Special Diet people at least 30 days in advance.  There’s a GF form, where you make your bread and dessert requests.  And eat your dinners in the main dining room and stay with the same waiter.  That’s what made it much easier for us.”

Bonnie in NYC


Thursday, February 4th, 2010

GLuten-Free and Starbucks!

Good news ! We have gluten-free options at Starbucks.

When Starbucks announced the cancellation of their cake via Twitter this started a petition to bring back the cake. They listened and acted upon this petition and the many calls they received.

All of the gluten-free items they now have offer a longer shelf life. This they hope will  lead to less waste and less profit loss. For the full Starbucks gluten-free product list, check out Gluten-Free Philly’s post. There are nut free and dairy free options this time around too.

Starbucks has shared that after the discontinuation of their Valencia Orange cake the gluten-free consumers really expressed a desire for  more healthy snacks so they decided to accommodate this need. Yay Starbucks!

It’s is a smart move for Starbucks to accommodate gluten-free, vegan and organic minded consumers with these new food options. Many people will enjoy these products.

I have stopped at a few Starbucks to check them out. I have found ones that do not have the GF items yet. I was told they are getting them, the one in Texas airport told me that it has to do with the heightened security on getting new products in and the one in Clearwater, Florida at Barnes and Noble just did not have them delivered as of yet.

Let me know what you guys find out and if they have Oats or not as I know that Lucy’s ( above) does have oats, be it gf oats though. I still prefer to stay off the oats as much as I can.

ENJOY! Tina Turbin


Monday, January 25th, 2010

Gluten-Free and Dining in Chicago

Through my lovely sister-in-law Marsha , I had the pleasure of connecting up with Laura Hansen,  “Best of the Best Dining in Chicago”.  They met at an event and then dicussed gluten-free foods, lifestyle and eating and what do you know, the name Tina Turbin came up. The rest is history.

Laura contacted me to ask to do a review on me and my site and of course we  got into the conversation of celiac and gluten-free, some of my favorite subjects. I have a new friend who loves food as much as I do and she is a phenominal reviewer and writer on foods and restaurants. We have so much in common.

She previously reviewed Deerfield Bakery in the Schaumburg, Illinois and it just so happens that I just had a terrific conversation with Tim Schmitt, the owner and will be reviewing his products and 3 bakeries next month!

Laura wrote and published an article released today about me and my website  http://GlutenFreeHelp.info , the article is entitled  Entrepreneur spreads the word about wheat allergies.

You are even treated to my gluten-free flourless chocolate cake recipe!

Enjoy…I sure did,  Tina


Wednesday, December 16th, 2009

Gluten-Free Manufacturers Giving Back

Tricia Thompson, M.S., RD is a nutrition consultant, author andspeaker specializing in celiac disease and the

gluten-free diet.

This week I would like to recognize manufacturers of gluten-free food who are generously helping out our gluten-free friends in need. Please support these companies by purchasing their products. If you are a manufacturer of gluten-free food, please consider following the lead of these companies. Now more than ever your help is needed. I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season.

Raquelita Tortillas in Denver, Colorado (www.sandwichpetals.com)
One percent of the sales of Raquelita’s gluten-free flatbread sandwich petals will be donated each month to a gluten-free food bank. They are challenging other manufacturers to do the same. To learn more about this company and what they are doing to “feed the GF hungry a healthy, tasty & versatile bread” follow them on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GFPetals.

This company participated in the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new gluten-free food bank at the House of Neighborly Service in Loveland Colorado. To learn more about this program spearheaded by Dee Valdez, please read last week’s blog on gluten-free food banks.

Against the Grain Gourmet in Brattleboro, Vermont
(www.againstthegrain.com)
Nancy Cain, one of the owners of Against the Grain Gourmet contacted me after reading the post about gluten-free food banks to learn if there was anything her company could do to help. This manufacturer of gluten-free bread puts what they call their “bloopers” to very good use—they donate them to soup kitchens in the Vermont and New Hampshire areas. Fortunately for the kitchens they supply, they make about 50 pounds of “bloopers” each week. I have been reading about this company online and I adore them. While I can’t actually eat their products—they are not milk or egg free—I love what they stand for. Please visit their website and see for yourself.

Cream Hill Estates in Quebec, Canada (www.creamhillestates.com)
After reading the post on gluten-free food banks, Beth Armour reached out to Dee to find out how Cream Hill Estates could help. Please keep us posted Beth!

A huge thank you to Raquelita Tortillas, Against the Grain Gourmet, and Cream Hill Estates!

Tricia Thompson, M.S., RD is a nutrition consultant, author and speaker specializing in celiac disease and the gluten-free diet. She is the author of The Gluten-Free Nutrition Guide (McGraw-Hill) and co-author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Gluten-Free Eating (Penguin Group).

For more information, visit www.glutenfreedietitian.com.

Thnak you Tricia! Tina turbin


Sunday, October 25th, 2009

Gluten-Free Cooking Spree!

The Gluten-Free Cooking Spree in San Francisco looks to be a terrific cooking event, one which I highly support!  

On October 30th top chefs, doctors and media members will compete to make the best gluten-free dish!  A fantastic way to raise celiac awareness.

Let’s all lend our support!


Friday, October 23rd, 2009

“Tid Bits with Tina” – Teaching Your Little Ones About Eating Gluten-Free

Be sure to read my October tip and “tid bit” in the latest issue of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) newsletter.

This month’s tip informs parents on how to teach children about eating a gluten free diet.  Believe me, it’s not as daunting as it may seem!  Click here to read.


Sunday, October 18th, 2009

Listen to Tina Turbin- Every 2nd Monday on this Radio Show

Please visit me every 2nd Monday of the month at 12 noon, EST. The wonderful Host is Jordan Mercedes of Thrive-In-Balance, a terrific and entertaining show. You are welcome to call in and ask questions. Every month we are covering an interesting topic and will be having some wonderful surprise guests!

The next show is November 9th, so mark your schedule and connect up. The topic of conversation is Gluten-Free and Celiac Disease! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Thrive-In-Balance Please send me any suggestions of topics and I will be sure and share them with Jordan for her consideraton.

Listen to the previous show in which she interviewed me on a variety of topics and suggested tips to balancing life: http://www.thrivebalance.com/members/tib/cal/VIEW+2009+Oct+12+11:00AM#11:00AM

REMEMBER!
November 9th, EST 12 noon: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Thrive-In-Balance …let’s discuss celiac disease, gluten-free issues and foods and let’s get the word out and better inform the public at large.

Thank you! Tina Turbin


Monday, September 21st, 2009

Dining Safely and Gluten Free

If you need to adhere to a Gluten Free diet, dining out can be hell. I sit there half the time explaining to my waiter what gluten is, to finally resort to asking to speak to the Head Chef in hopes the guy or gal knows what I am talking about.

More and more restaurants are becoming aware of the various needs of their public. Some are offering completely separate menus or a symbol signifying the GF meal. Times are changing and we now have various listings on the internet to locate a restaurant that can cater to our needs.

One very simple suggestion is to call ahead and ask the hostess or whomever answers the phone if they have a GF menu, are aware of GF needs etc. He or she may not have a clue what you are referring to and at this point I ask to speak to the manager, owner or chef. If they have no clue what you are talking about, head elsewhere. There are a number of sources with a simple search on the internet for “gluten free restaurants” but you will need to narrow the search in your area with a town or city name.

There are a few sites dedicated to asking restaurants to sign up to be placed in the database for general use. Here is one: Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program  Diners can use this website to locate restaurants that offer gluten-free meals.

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Tina Turbin

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Tina Turbin became extremely interested and involved in the subjects of gluten free, gluten sensitive and celiac disease a number of years ago as a result of...

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