Triangle Gluten Intolerance Group Web Site RTP/RDU area: Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary, NC

We are a group of people who have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease or Dermatitis Herpetiformis and live in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, or its surrounding communities. Most of us live in one of the three larger cities -- Raleigh, Durham or Chapel Hill.

We must not eat any wheat, barley or rye, and likewise must avoid any product which uses any of these grains as an ingredient or sub-ingredient. This is not just another fad diet; it is a medically-diagnosed, genetic condition (gluten-sensitive enteropathy), which results in severe consequences when the diet is not strictly followed. For a more thorough description of Celiac Disease and the dietary restrictions imposed by it, see Celiac Disease / Gluten Intolerance Support Page

We meet occasionally to learn more about the disease and the resources available to those who have it, and to share our experiences with one another. See Future Meeting and Event Schedule for more information about our meetings.

Please read our Disclaimer before using any information posted on this web site.

If you notice that something posted on this web site is incorrect, we would like to hear from you. See Contact Us.

On this web site, Celiac Sprue may be abbreviated as CS, Celiac Disease may be abbreviated as CD, Dermatitis Herpetiformis may be abbreviated as DH, and Gluten-Free may be abbreviated as GF.

If you need more help with the GF diet, contact one of the people below. See also: Links to Other Celiac Web Sites.

If you own or manage a restaurant in the Triangle, and would like to host or cater one of our meetings, we would like to hear from you.

If you own or manage a food store in the Triangle, and would like to provide samples or information about your GF products, or host one of our meetings, we would like to hear from you.

Becky, rwarlick@alumni.duke.edu
Gordy (web master), gordy_k@hotmail.com.

(06/01/1999) Here is a copy of a letter created for the GI department at UNC. They use it for their new patients.

TO THE PATIENT NEWLY DIAGNOSED WITH CELIAC DISEASE OR DH

DON'T PANIC! This is a lot more manageable than it looks at first. There are a few things you can do right away that will help you to feel less like you've just stepped onto Mars. First, if you can get to Whole Foods Market (Wellspring) in Chapel Hill, go in and ask a staff person to show you the Gluten-free foods. (Ask for Lee Tobin). Get some of Pamela's Cookies, and a bag of her pancake and baking mix. Also a bag of Gluten Free Pantry's Chocolate Truffle Brownie mix. Then, find some Lundberg's rice cakes. Then a box of Pastariso or Tinkyada pasta from Canada. Then, Nature's Path Honey'd Corn Flakes. Lastly, in the freezer, get a loaf of Food for Life's Rice and Almond Bread and a box of Van's Gluten-Free Belgian Waffles (divine, but be careful about your syrup; pure maple is usually safe). Check at the bakery and find out if they have baked any gluten-free goodies that day. Look to see what's on the bookshelves. At the check-out, pick up a copy of Sully's "Living Without". On your way home, pick up self-adhering envelopes, and self-adhering stamps.

Thus armed, head for home and begin reading. In addition to the articles your doctor has given you, try to get your hands on Bette Hagman's three cookbooks. If you have trouble finding them, they are all available (along with a LOT of other wonderful things and kosher GF mixes) from Beth Hillson at the Gluten Free Pantry (1-800-291-8386, www.glutenfree.com). There's a lot more than recipes in these books. Jax Lovell's book is also very helpful (and funny), has only a few recipes, but lots of advice on how to survive, especially outside the home. Carol Fenster's three books address gluten and many other food sensitivities (303-741-5408).

As you read, make a list of the ingredients you will need in order to try the recipes you like (I especially recommend Hagman's buttermilk griddle cakes). She bases a lot of her recipes on a flour mix (called Gourmet Mix) you can buy from Ener-G (800-331-5222, www.ener-g.com). You can also buy the ingredients (rice flour, potato starch, and tapioca flour) and mix your own, which is much less expensive. Recently, Bette has developed a new mix that includes some bean flours, and is higher in protein.

Sandra Leonard, who publishes the Gluten Free Baker's Newsletter, 937-878-3221, uses ingredients from Thomas Mace (800-692-7323), and from Authentic Foods (800-806-4737, www.authenticfoods.com). Recently, Authentic has started offering Garfava, a mixed bean flour. Dietary Shoppe (800-544-0099, www.dietaryshoppe.com), now part of Menu Direct, offers a variety of ingredients and products, including a number of freshly cooked entrees that arrive frozen at your home (888-636-8123, http://www.menudirect.com). Sylvan Border Farm offers a nice multi-grain flour and an easy bread mix (800-297-5399, catalog.com/mendo/gcm/sylvan.html). De-Ro-Ma (Glutino), in Quebec, carries a vast range of imported and home-made items; try the Schar Grissini (800-363-DIET, www.glutino.com). So does Kinnikinnick in Alberta (877-503-4466, www.kinnikinnick.com); check out Gudrun's Crispy Rice Cereal. Miss Roben's pizza mix recently won high ratings in a magazine taste test (800-891-0083, www.missroben.com). Also highly rated was a "rye" bread mix from The Really Great Food Company (800-593-5377). The Gluten Free Cookie Jar ships baked goods; try their Primo White Bread, 215-355-9403. George Chookasian ("Foods by George"), ships great English muffins, superb pecan tarts, etc. (201-612-9700). Call Blue Diamond Growers for crackers made from nuts (209-545-6229). Order kosher GF vitamins at discount from Freeda in New York (800-777-3737, www.imall.com/stores/freeda/ The Gluten Free Cookie Jar ships baked goods; try their Primo White Bread, (888-458-8360, www.glutenfreecookiejar.com).

Consider joining a national support group or two; they will bombard you with materials and recipes. Celiac Sprue Association is at 402-558-0600. Gluten Intolerance Group is at 253-833-6655. Celiac Disease Foundation is at 818-990-2354. You can get a shopping guide to safe foods for $12 from the Tri-County Celiac Support Group at 47829 Vistas Circle, Canton, MI 48188. The TCCSG shopping guide is updated and reissued every winter. The guide is very reliable and comprehensive. It includes 800 numbers and listings of specialty gluten-free companies. CSA/USA also provides a guide for $18: 1-877-CSA-4CSA. If you have access to the Web, go to http://www.csaceliacs.org, where you will find a VAST amount of information about celiac disease, many more vendors , support groups everywhere, links to many other sites, and instructions telling you how to join the Celiac List, an international support group known for its warmth, expertise, and extensive archives. There is also a list for parents of kids with celiac disease. Consider subscribing to the newsletter Gluten-Free Living, by sending $29 to P.O.Box 105, Hastings-on-Hudson, NY 10706. Also, there is a new magazine, Sully's Living Without, which focuses on celiac disease, as well as other food intolerances and food/chemical allergies (630-415-3378).

Don't bother trying to eat out for a while. Until you feel confident that you know what's in the food, it can be an exercise in frustration. Once you feel on top of the diet, eating out will become much easier and more pleasurable. In general, the better the restaurant, the more control the chef has over the ingredients.

BEST WISHES for a glorious recovery!

Connie
New patients may contact Leslie Gaillard for a referral or to discuss the Celiac diagnosis and diet.

If you wish to be included in the Triangle Gluten Intolerance Group database, send your name, address, phone and email address to rwarlick@alumni.duke.edu.

You can generally find the following GF products in larger, chain grocery stores throughout the triangle, such as (in alphabetical order) Food Lion, Harris Teeter, Kroger, Lowe's and Winn-Dixie: rice crackers, rice cakes (although Quaker are thought to be contaminated with wheat), puffed rice (Kroger), dairy products, fresh meats and fruit. Kroger can provide GF details of their store-brand products, call 1-800-632-6900 and ask to speak with a dietician to get details for a specific product. Kroger has also recently remodeled some stores and added a large health-food section with many GF products. Lowe's has recently started carrying a large selection of GF products, including Tinkyada pasta. Food Lion has some GF products in most of their newly-remodeled stores; watch their ads for buy one get one free items.

Imagine Organic soups are available at the Harris Teeter on Creedmoor Road (Stonehenge Shopping Center); quite a good selection. The Kroger on Hillsborough Rd in Durham also has these and lots of other GF products. The Lowe's foods at Millbrook & Capital in Raleigh has Tinkyada pasta.

Refer to a TCCSG or CSA/USA product list (see letter to the patient....for addresses) for recommended brand names of other items such as ketchup, mayonnaise, salad dressing, soup, spices, sugars, candy and snack chips, which are all widely available. See also Abigail Neuman's on-line list of GF products, or Abi's Delphi list, or Chuck Brandt's on-line list of GF products.

You will generally not find GF bread, biscuits, cookies or flours at these supermarkets, but check their health food sections when you are there. I have found corn flour, brown rice flour and Pamela's cookies at some of these supermarkets.

If you haven't already done so, please read our Disclaimer.

The following stores (listed alphabetically) are used by our members to meet their special needs. Refer to a phone book for complete addresses and phone numbers, or see BellSouth's Online Yellow Pages.

DATE	Business Name	Street	City	Product(s)
08/1998	Durham Co-op Grocery	W. Chapel Hill St	DUR	Similar to Wellspring, check their prices, will special order
02/2008	Earthfare	Brier Creek Pkwy and Lumley Road	RTP	a variety of GF products
01/2000	Harmony Farms	Millbrook Rd. at Creedmoor	RAL	GF flours, cereals, pasta, bread, biscuits, cookies, many brand name products marked "GF"
11/2003	Kroger	Lynn & Creedmoor	RAL	GF flours, pasta, cookies, cereal & misc.
02/2001	Kroger	Six Forks Rd., inside the beltline	RAL	GF flours, pasta & cookies
01/2000	Oriental Store	Old Buffaloe at Capital Blvd	RAL	Rice and sweet rice flours, tapioca starch, potato starch, several types of rice noodles
05/1998	Silver Wok	US 15-501 near Eastgate	ChH	GF flours
01/2004	Triangle Nutrition	8801 Leadmine Rd.	RAL	Quite a few Glutano and Ener-G products.
04/2001	Triangle Oriental Market	Falls of the Neuse at Millbrook	RAL	Rice and sweet rice flours, tapioca starch, potato starch, several types of rice noodles. Check their prices!
03/2000	Whole Foods Market (formerly Wellspring)	S. Elliott Rd.	ChH	GF flours, cereals, pasta, bread, biscuits, cookies, many brand name products marked "GF", often Fresh-baked GF goods. Here is Whole Foods's Gluten-Free Bakery Menu and Whole Foods Market Gluten-Free Product Guide.
05/1998	Whole Foods Market (formerly Wellspring)	Main and Broad	DUR	GF flours, cereals, pasta, bread, biscuits, cookies, many brand name products marked "GF", often Fresh-baked GF goods, Cafe serves GF entrees
01/2000	Whole Foods Market (formerly Wellspring)	Wade Ave.	RAL	GF flours, cereals, pasta, bread, biscuits, cookies, many brand name products marked "GF"
02/2002	Whole Foods Market	New Waverly Place	Cary	GF flours, cereals, pasta, bread, biscuits, cookies, many brand name products marked "GF"

Eating out when you have celiac disease has been described by many as "a challenge". Nevertheless, there are many fine establishments which have tried hard and succeeded at meeting our requirements.

Most servers have never heard of gluten-free requirements. You are much more likely to get a safe meal if you state your requirements concisely. I have found that showing the CSA Restaurant card and stating that there are many things I can't eat usually gets their attention and delivers a safe meal. If you find something served to you that is obviously gluten-laced, don't be afraid to restate your requirements to your server and request that a new meal be prepared for you. If you don't do that, you probably won't return, and neither you nor the restaurant wants that.

If you haven't already done so, please read our Disclaimer. Beware that individual taste varies and you might not be able to find anything you like at these restaurants. Inquire ahead so that you aren't disappointed.

Ask for a GF menu at Outback: www.outback.com, or at Carrabba's Italian Grill: www.carrabbas.com, or at Bonefish Grill: www.bonefishgrill.com.

Here are just a few of them (listed alphabetically), which are being used and recommended by our members. Refer to a phone book for complete addresses and phone numbers, or see BellSouth's Online Yellow Pages.

DATE	Restaurant Name	Street	City	Entree	Special Preparation
03/2001	Akai Hana Japanese Restaurant	W. Main	Carrboro	Sushi!, Tempura, Teriyaki	Request Gluten-Free soy sauce
05/1998	Anotherthyme	N. Gregson St. across from Brightleaf	DUR	Many vegetarian entrees, recipes similar to Pyewacket	?
01/2001	Aurora	Near Friday Center	ChH	Italian	Many entrees can be prepared GF, see member comments
05/1998	Blue Corn Cafe	Ninth St.	DUR	Latin American food, Staff is helpful	?
01/2001	Blue Ridge Cafe	At NC Museum of Art	RAL	?	Chef was very helpful
03/2000	Chen's Garden	Millbrook at Atlantic	RAL	Cashew chicken, Beef with Chinese veg, Egg Drop soup	Request white sauce (soy has wheat!)
05/1998	Dalat	Western Blvd. at Mission Valley	RAL	Rice-based Vietnamese food	?
03/2002	Elaine's	W. Franklin	ChH		Beautiful/trendy/chic/romantic. Ask if menu items can be altered.
07/1998	Francesca's Dessert Cafe	Ninth St.	DUR	Ice cream and baked goods	Ask the staff what is GF
03/2002	The Grill	Lenox Square Shopping Center	ChH	Several items, excellent desserts (creme broulee/sorbet)	Substitute gourmet mashed potatoes or risotto.
10/1998	Holiday Inn Crabtree	Glenwood at I-440	RAL	Pork Chops, mashed potato and steamed broccoli	Showed CSA card
05/1998	K&S Cafeteria	Tower Shop. Ctr.	RAL	Grilled Chicken and Baked Potato	Special Order
08/2002	Kanki	Mt. Moriah Rd.	DUR	Chicken, Beef, Shrimp, vegetables and steamed rice is OK	Avoid Tempura battered dishes, Soy sauce, Ginger dressing
05/1998	Kim-Son Vietnamese Restaurant	Guess Rd near I-85	DUR	Try the rice noodle 'buns' and phos	Tell owner you can't have any soy sauce
03/2002	The Lantern	W. Franklin	ChH	Asian	Steamed grouper; bring your own soy sauce
11/2008	Lilly's Pizza	Glenwood	RAL	Pizza	GF Pizza www.lillyspizza.com
05/1998	Magnolia Grill	Ninth St.	DUR	Very nice; expensive. Very sensitive to dietary needs.	?
12/2007	Mimi's	Capital Blvd. at Wake Forest Rd.	RAL	Ask for a Gluten-Free menu. Corn tortillas or fruit is available as bread substitute.	Avoid sauces or ask.
10/1999	NeoChina	University Dr.	DUR	All white dishes except house soup.	Bring your own GF soy sauce and the cook will prepare your meal with it. Ask for the GF menu.
06/1999	Nikos Taverna	Brightleaf Square at Gregson and Main St.	DUR	Marinated lamb steak, fish dishes, unusual salads, chicken or lamb stew over rice	Decline the bread and orzo
03/2002	Pao Lim	2505 Chapel Hill Blvd.	DUR	Asian	Bring your own tamari.
10/2003	P F Chang's	Crabtree Valley Mall	RAL	Chinese	Request GF menu! We had a group dinner here in 2003.
01/2002	Sitar Palace	South Square Mall	DUR	Indian	?
03/2002	Sushi Tsune	Avent Ferry & Hillsboro	RAL	Japanese	Waraji and Akai Hana
05/1998	Whole Foods Market	Main and Broad	DUR	Cafe serves GF foods	?
01/2000	Wendy's	many	all	Baked potato with sour cream and margarine, salad, chili, frosty	none
05/1998	Winston's	Falls of Neuse	RAL	Salad with Grilled Chicken	Showed CSA card

No events are currently planned.

It's time for fresh leadership w/ the TGIG group. We are looking for someone to take over as the local representative for TGIG. Responsibilities are as involved as you make them - Becky has been the contact person listed for our group in the GIG publications, on their website, etc, Coordinated group events, managed the email list and answered questions from folks who inquire about celiac dx. Let Becky know if you're interested in this volunteer opportunity. Becky has really enjoyed the opportunity to meet all of you and serve TGIG in this capacity. Special thanks to Gordy Koehler (webmaster), Rose Kenyon, Connie Margolin, & Diane McGrath for their ongoing help & support over the last 6 years!

Several new members have requested that members of TGIG email them. These folks are parents looking for contact with other parents of children w/ celiac dx. Please reach out and introduce yourselves to the following:

• Rhonda Hayes haynesrhonda@hotmail.com Roxboro, NC
• Carl & Gwen Johnson virago6@yahoo.com Garner, NC
• Kathy Eanes jeweltime@adelphia.net Danville, VA

We need more active leaders to help with the group. Please tell us what you'd like to receive from this support group and tell us what you're willing to do to help make it happen.

We need your help to put on future events. Please e-mail Leslie if you have ideas or want to help plan activities.

Who would you like to hear speak/do a presentation? Send ideas for future activities!!

We do not have regular meetings.

Ongoing Events

Wholefoods opened a Gluten-Free bakehouse on October 4, 2004! The press release is at www.wholefoods.com/company/pr_10-04-04.html

lee.tobin@wholefoods.com | www.wholefoodsmarket.com.

Note -- only a few of our meetings are described here!

April 6, 2005 -- Dr. Ivor Hill brought us up to date on current research. Most of what he presented is at www.celiachealth.org
June, 2004 -- GIG Kids week at Camp Kanada (420 KB)
June 21-23, 2002 -- GIG Conference in Winston-Salem
October 10, 2001 -- Conference Planning Session
May 22, 2001 -- Cynthia Kupper talk at Duke
April 26, 2001 -- Chen's Garden
March 30-31, 2001 -- tasting at Wellspring
February 22, 2001 -- meeting at Wellspring
May 22, 1999 -- People's Pharmacy Radio Program on WUNC
May 7, 1999 -- Jay Bigam (Kinnikinnick) (50k+)
August 18, 1998 -- Ron Hoggan Talk (200k)
Some Triangle-area GF Food Stores
Some Triangle-area GF-Friendly Restaurants
Our Leaders
Our Logo

Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG)
Celiac List Server (Subscribe/Unsubscribe)
Dr. Ivor Hill suggests viewing www.celiachealth.org
Don Wiss' Comprehensive set of Celiac Web Links
Southwest suburban celiac support group (Chicago) GF product list
Abigail Neuman's on-line list of GF products
Celiac Disease / Gluten Intolerance Support Page
Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF)
Celiac Database (manufacturer addresses)
A good article for your skeptical doctor
St.Johns Celiac Web Page Includes Local Contacts (Support Groups), Basic Information and Reference Files, Posts from our Experts, Recipes, and Internet Sites with Celiac Information.
Here is a category/alphabetical index - to the archived recipes on the St. John's list server. (almost 1,300!)
GIG provides user-supplied recipes at www.gluten.net/recipes/
St.Johns Celiac Web Page for Celiac Children
ICORS Archives of Celiac Postings - Nov '94 to present.
Celiac Discussion List Archives
Peter Thompson's Home Page and Online Cookbooks
HealthLinkUSA
Gluten-Free Holidays
University of Maryland Celiac Bracelets

GF Food vendors: Authentic Foods | Buckwheat Pete | Cause You're Special | Colorwheel | De-Ro-Ma/Glutino | DietaryCard | Dietary Shoppe | Ener-G | Freeda Vitamins | G! Foods | Gillian's Foods | The Gluten-Free Pantry | Gluten freeda | Gluten-Free Mall for Gluten-Free Bread | Gluten Solutions | Horizon Organic | Jowar Foods | Kingsmill Foods Co. Ltd. | Kinnikinnick Foods | Lotus Foods | Lundberg Family Farms | MenuDirect | Miss Roben's | Mr. Ritt's | Special Foods! | Stokes Medical Arts Pharmacy | The Tamarind Tree | Walnutacres | Wildoats

North Carolina Information: Charlotte, NC Support Group | Other North Carolina Cities

Additional web sites (159K)

This web site was constructed and is being maintained by unpaid volunteers. At the time we posted information on this web site, we believed it was correct. Although we won't intentionally post information which we know is incorrect, we cannot guarantee the correctness of product or restaurant information posted on this web site. We may have received incorrect information about GF status, or product formulation or preparation may have changed.

As with everything related to Celiac Disease, Dermatitis Herpetiformis and Gluten Intolerance, products, ingredients and preparation will change over time; your reactions to a specific product, ingredient or entree may be different from the reactions of others. You are responsible for verifying information before using it.

Membership roster

Come to our meetings, and join. We don't currently charge any dues, but do ask for a small contribution to defray copying and mailing costs.

GF status of specific Products

You can order publications from CSA/USA or TCCSG which list GF products by brand name. They are reasonably priced. These organizations need your support so that they can continue to exist and provide all of us with the information we need to survive. Abigail Neuman recently started an Online list of GF products. Another online list is available at www.celiac.com.

Recipes

Recipes may be copyrighted, and several books are available for purchase. They are reasonably priced. The authors and publishers need your support so that they can continue to exist and develop new recipes.

The St. John's list server has an archive of posted recipes.

GIG provides user-supplied recipes at www.gluten.net/recipes/

Here is a category/alphabetical index to the archived recipes on the St. John's list server. (almost 1,300!)

This web site was created in April 1998 to help Triangle-area Celiac and DH residents and visitors. It is a repository for information which mostly pertains to our community in North Carolina and is not available elsewhere, such as where to shop locally for GF products, which local restaurants and entrees are (more) likely to be safe, and local news of interest to our support-group members. It also has a small amount of additional information which might be of interest to those who are newly-diagnosed.

This web site is not-for-profit, and has no source of income.

Your assistance in developing this site, by giving feedback, is essential to its continued existence. Your largest contribution is likely to be information about GF-stores and restaurants. Please tell us about anything you would like to see added, changed or deleted on this site, and about anything which is unclear or wrong. Be specific if you can. Any and all comments are welcome, even if you have no recommendations about how to change it.

In case you have not noticed, there are pictures of restaurants and shopping places in the Pictures section. The initial pages will show you only a small picture of the business name, as it appears on its store front. If you click on that picture, a large picture of the business will be shown, so that you know what it looks like, and can find it more easily while you are driving. You can also click on the address of the business, and a street map will be shown to help you find out where it is located.

If any of you have pictures or videos of GF-related gatherings, which could be scanned and placed on this web site, we would like to hear from you.

If any of you have a web site with Celiac/DH information like this, which is tailored to your community, I would like to hear from you. Please furnish your URL so I can review it. We may be able to share ideas, and improve upon what we each have.

Gordy Koehler, web master, gordy_k@hotmail.com. (I was diagnosed by biopsy with Celiac-Sprue in November '97.)

If you see anything on this web site which is incorrect, you would like to see something added, or you have any other comments about this web site, we would like to hear from you. Gordy's Celiac story and GF coping tips.

Please send e-mail to the web master, Gordy at gordy_k@hotmail.com.

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