Gluten Free Charlotte: April 2012

Friday, April 13, 2012

Ready-to-Eat Meals from "GOPICNIC" by Ann Oliphant, CNC

Good news for we gluten-free Charlotteans this Spring! Whether we are taking our workout outdoors to one of the local trails or once again finding ourselves wandering around the Charlotte-Douglass airport (or any airport looking for something we can eat...) we now have, courtesy of a new product from "gopicnic"...

*ready-to-eat" meals

*gluten free

*all-natural (could it get any better?!)

*vegan

*atleast one kosher

*atleast one "free of 7 common allergens" (!)

*perfect sized; re-sealable-lunchbox-style containers

*no transfats, HFCS, no MSG

*requires absolutely no refrigeration

*no sulfites; no casein

Now, as to what is inside? On average, boxes contain a total of 400-500 calories, 9-12g of fiber and 12-25g protein. Perfection. The "Sunbutter & Crackers" box contains a balanced meal of sunflower butter, multi-grain crackers (yes! gluten free), seed & fruit trail mix, tropical fruit bites and a double chocolate cookie. As for the "Hummus & Crackers" meal, this contained a "wild-garden" hummus dip, multi-seed crackers, fruit & nut mix, dry roasted edamame and a dark chocolate square.

We who have food sensitivities and intolerances know just how great it is to have a product like this. I was told they were available at most Target stores in addition to many airports. I did not have any luck locating GoPicnic at one local Target store here in Charlotte; my only complaint is these wonderful, save-the-day (and mood!) mini food boxes are not located everywhere. Off the top of my head, I would say local gyms would also be a great location but as we can all probably agree, the airport food court trumps all! If these boxes were only located in airports that would be enough but let's hope these are soon made readily available everywhere so that kids who require special diets also have a "lunch" box they can call their own or parents, who would just like a healthy alternative to similar although full-of-ickiness conventional meal-in-a-box products.

These boxes can be taken on long car rides and left in the car for a period of time without fear of spoilage--perfect for driving to the mountains for long weekend hikes this Spring.

All of the products contained in these boxes are also available individually and may be recognizable to many of us; products by Enjoy Life, SunButter and CrunchMaster to name a few. Be sure and read the boxes when purchasing; GoPicnic does make a ready to eat meal that is not gluten free.

If you have trouble locating GoPicnic, you can find them at www.gopicnic.com or you may call 773-328-2490.

Celiac Disease by the Numbers

1 out of every 133 Americans (about 3 million people) has CD.
97% of Americans estimated to have CD are not diagnosed.
CD has over 300 known symptoms although some people experience none.
Age of diagnosis is key: If you are diagnosed between age 2-4, your chance of getting an additional autoimmune disorder is 10.5%. Over the age of 20, that rockets up to 34%.
30% of the US population is estimated to have the genes necessary for CD.
2.5 babies are born every minute in the USA with the genetic makeup to have CD.
There are 15 states in the US with populations less than the total number of Celiacs in the US.
CD affects more people in the US than Crohn’s Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease combined.
500,000 new Celiac diagnoses are expected to occur in the US by 2012 -- thanks to efforts to raise public awareness of the disease.
People with CD dine out 80% less than they used to before diagnosis and believe less than 10% of eating establishments have a 'very good' or 'good' understanding of GF diets.
It takes an average of 11 years for patients to be properly diagnosed with CD even though a simple blood test exists.
The average cost of misdiagnosis is $5,000 - $12,000 per person per year. Improving the time to diagnosis could save the health care system millions of dollars annually in unnecessary medical care.
A recent study by Packaged Facts projects that the sales of GF food will reach $2.63 Billion by 2012.
GF foods are, on average, 242% more expensive then their non-GF counterparts.
The smallest amount of gluten which has been shown by a biopsy to cause damage to a Celiac is 0.1 gram per day - or 1/48th of a slice of bread.
The Food Allergen Labeling & Consumer Protection Act became law in 2006 allowing for easier reading of food labels for those with CD. What took so long?
12% of people in the US who have Down Syndrome also have CD.
6% of people in the US who have Type 1 Diabetes also have CD.
Among people who have a first-degree relative diagnosed with celiac, as many as 1 in 22 people may have the disease.
There are currently 0 drugs available to treat CD.