Gluten Free leaders, cook book authors and product manufacturers will welcome nationally known doctor, speaker and author Dr. Stephen Wangen Thursday, March 17 when he comes to speak at a presentation organized by the Denver CSA Chapter at 7 pm.
The Gluten Free Doctor
At each event throughout the day, gluten free donations will be collected to build the Food Bank founded by Gluten Free Consultant, Gluten Free Dee.
The busy day of connecting and sharing insights will begin with an intimate gluten free breakfast at Snooze AM Eatery in Denver. Area foodies will have opportunities to demonstrate their culinary skills at a Pot Luck Lunch hosted by Nourished Health in Denver and a Reception hosted by well known cook book author, Carol Fenster.
Participants are asked to RSVP below and let us know what they intend to bring. This gluten free consultant will be bringing the plates, napkins, cups and eating utensils!
- Healthier Without Wheat will be available to purchase at all events March 17
Win a FREE Gluten Free Consulting Session with me by sharing the business or marketing tips that brought you success in 2010.
Gluten Free Consultant Seeks True Love (and finds it!)
When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 1992 there was no way I could imagine writing a blog that included the words love and gluten free in the same sentence. Store bought bread was terrible. Pasta disintegrated when cooked 1 minute too long. A plain chicken breast was my option when dining out.
I survived because Pamela’s made some great cookies and a baking mix I used for almost everything! I ate San J crackers whenever I could afford $5 for 12 amazing crackers. Amy’s made some delicious, but very expensive frozen entrees.
Mostly though, I wasted thousands of dollars on products that were not even fit to be given away. It boggled my mind why stores wasted shelf space on products made to look like cookies, crackers and bread when they could have more easily stocked the corrugated cardboard in which the products were shipped. Honestly, there was little difference in the taste and texture of gluten free options 18 years ago.
Today, I watch to be sure I’m not eating too much soft, squishy bread or freshly baked treats from area bakeries. I use gluten free wraps to encase my sandwich or make enchiladas. I use restraint when in the cookie section of grocery stores in Colorado so I don’t eat cookies every day for every meal (I could you know!). Most importantly, as a Gluten Free Consultant I help manufacturers find their way into the marketplace, weave their stories into your hearts and bring smiles to your face when you serve your friends and no one knows it’s gluten free! True love!
In Colorado, eating out gluten free is a sensation with restaurants competing for our dollars and affection. I “taste test” products for the benefit of my readers and find places for my clients to share their gluten free goods. Ah, the sacrifices I’ll make as a Gluten Free Consultant! Sacrificial love!
I share only GREAT products with gluten free community leaders across the nation who write reviews and create a buzz for the best of the best. I orchestrate contests filled with heart, enthusiasm and connectedness. I build community thru events celebrating our wonderful gluten free lives and give away gift bags filled with gluten free goodness! How fun is that! I also steer manufacturers to local, regional and nation gluten free vendor fairs and conferences and represent them at their booth. Oh, what a lovely life!
Who would have thought there would ever be enough GREAT gluten free products in the marketplace that there would be a need for a gluten free marketing expert. I sure didn’t! I think you can see why I love my new gluten free family and my life as a Gluten Free Consultant! I’ve found my true love!
The beautiful part of this season
Is some people finally pause
And examine their lives and loved ones
Rejoice, and give thanks because
They were born in a country with plenty
Running water and lights on a switch
Fresh produce, meats and bread
Abundance and variety in each dish
Our homes are warm and have plumbing
We use without giving a thought
A switch heats our food and our baked goods
In each room TV sets we just bought
We have books, DVDs and CDs
In every nook and cranny in our homes
Our windows have coverings so lovely
Our bathrooms filled with brushes and combs
We breathe clean air and see the mountains
Which we are free to photograph and climb
We laugh with our friends while out dining
And enjoy wine and soda all the time
We hop in our cars to get somewhere
And crank up our favorite tunes
Flip open our laptop and sip latte’
On “outside the office” afternoons
Our cell phones text and search 24/7
And keep us in touch with our tribe
On Facebook and Twitter you’ll find us
On our blog our latest diatribe
Our children have options for learning
Books, libraries and hot lunches
Sports, lessons and music too many
Shoes, clothes and stuff in bunches
We are free to worship a Christ who loves us
Without major persecution in the states
And demonstrate Christ’s love to others
Without them walking into a church with gates
We have people who teach us to be healthy
And develop our minds every day
We have friends and family who love us
There are so many things I could say
But the real message to you this Thanksgiving
Is to cherish the blessings you have
Despite imperfect families or sick bodies
And bank accounts that may need some salve
Our plenty is dreamed of by others
In multiple billions around the globe
We are truly blessed, so on this Thanksgiving
Forgive me, if your heart I did probe
Copyright 2010 Dee Valdez, Gluten Free Consultant
Use with permission if copyright is intact
www.GlutenFreeDee.com
How To Not Make Your Friends Sick When Serving Gluten Free Guests
As a Gluten Free Consultant, I’m asked for advice by many gluten eating friends who are hosting guests who are gluten free. “It’s simple, but not easy, to do it right,” I tell them. If you have an open mind and a willing heart, it can be done successfully. It will take a little time and good communication. Here are the tips in an easy to print format.
THANKSGIVING Tips when Serving Gluten Free Guests
Turn the experience into an education for your family
Have the guest come early or the day before
Avoid wooden surfaces for food prep
No wooden serving pieces or bowls for naturally gluten free items
Keep food separate or under a couple watchful eyes
Separate gluten free from gluten filled on buffet and pie tables
Gluten free guest goes first when serving
Involve everyone at the table in the education
Voice concerns to the guest about anyone who might not take the extra steps
Invite a couple other guests to share the gluten free food
Never hesitate to prevent or correct a wrong action to keep the meal safe – but do it gently or with humor
Give thanks for the many great options that are gluten free and for the safe meal for your guest!
Copyright Dee Valdez, M.A. 2010
The abundance of GREAT gluten free products in the market is exciting! As a gluten free consultant, I get asked to list my favorite products all the time. These Gift Bags contain many but not all of them! To increase awareness during Celiac Awareness Month, I’m giving away 100 bags filled with some of the best products in the market! I get asked by small companies how to most effectively reach the gluten free consumer. My answer is always to create a buzz about your product by getting leaders and regular consumers to try the product. Buzz is magical in our community consisting of those with Celiac Disease and a Gluten Intolerance.
I’m working to connect with leaders in other communities of people who benefit from eating gluten free, including those with Lyme Disease; ADHD; Infertility; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome; chronic headaches; Irritable Bowel Syndrome; Rheumatoid Arthritis, Bi-Polar Disorder and Schizophrenia, to name a few. I currently consult with several such companies. Some know that being gluten free can help them. Some don’t.
Please let these companies know how fabulous their products are and what a great idea it is to have Gift Bag Giveaways! This is abundance I’d like to share everywhere I go!
Accelerate Your Business Success with 10/10/10 From My Gluten Free Consulting Lessons
Over the next week, I’ll be sharing my 10/10/10 to impact the way you do business or interact with GREAT Gluten Free Companies. In October, I celebrate 1 year of consulting some of the best Gluten Free Companies in the market while building magical relationship with Gluten Free GREATS around the world. I’m humbled and grateful for all I have learned since venturing out on my own to start my Public Relations and Marketing Business, Gluten Free Dee. This 3 Part Series will (someday) include:
10 Gluten Free Consulting Tips for Business Success – Part One
10 Ways for Gluten Free Restaurants to Draw a Crowd – Part Two
10 Gluten Free Greats – Leaders Who Have Changed the Game – Part Three
PART ONE: 10 Gluten Free Consulting Tips to Assure Business Success – Part One read more…
Interview with CBS 4 Denver news, Sunday, October 3, 2010
I’m so excited you wanted to know more about the fabulous gluten free food featured on the CBS 4 Denver Interview I did Sunday, October 3, 2010. It is the kick off of Celiac Awareness Month. As you can see, there is much to celebrate if you eat gluten free in 2010!
When I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease 3 months after my 3rd child was born, I freaked out when they told me not to eat WHEAT, BARLEY, OATS AND RYE! Everywhere I looked I saw these ingredients. I didn’t know that what you focus on expands and all I could see was a vast amount of ingredients with these ingredients. On my own, I was failing miserably at healing my body. I had 3 little kids, a new born, a 6-year old and an 8-year-old and we had just moved. ARG! When I was diagnosed I had gray ashen skin, sunken eyes and low brain function. Some people question if the brain function ever came back, but I know it did! 🙂
National Celiac Disease Awareness
Monday, September 13
October National Celiac Disease Awareness Month
Loveland, CO There’s reason to celebrate life with Celiac Disease in 2010! Last month, one of the nation’s largest Gluten Free Vendor Fair’s was held right here in Colorado. Nearly 2000 people enjoyed samples from 90 gluten free vendors in 3 hours. A national movement to start gluten free food banks was founded in Colorado last December. Coors Field was the first major league baseball team to open a gluten free concession stand in the nation in July 2009.
More than 2 million people in the United States have Celiac Disease an auto immune disease cured only thru changes in diet. This link between disease and diet is credited to Samuel Jones Gee, who once said, “If the patient can be cured at all, it must be by means of diet.” For the past 3 years Gee has been honored posthumously for making this important connection by celebrating National Celiac Disease Awareness Day on his birthday, September 13.
read more…
One of the things I will do better in this decade is provide vital oxygen to my body. My friend, Madeline Goldstein, a dancer, gave me breathing lessons a couple months ago. My 71 year old mother is dying from lung and brain cancer. It’s a tough way to go. I vowed to learn to breathe after seeing my mom labor and be filled with anguish to do such a “simple” thing.
