Celiac Project Podcast

Mike and Cam are excited to be joined by special guest and longtime listener Aaron Bull. Aaron is a fellow celiac and a talented web designer and owner of Bull & Company MediaWorks. He and his company created the updated Celiac Project website. In addition, Aaron is an avid cyclist. We talk about some of the challenges of being on long rides & some helpful hints to make them easier. We also discuss some of the reasons that many people with celiac disease choose to work for themselves.

Mike and Cam talk about the Olympics, athletes who are gluten free, and some of the benefits they might be getting. We also discuss the difference between the placebo and nocebo effect. The Food Network "Chopped Junior" champion, Maizy Boosin, doesn't just have celiac disease, she advocates for awareness on an episode. Watching the show we were so impressed with Maizy as she pledged, if she won, to give half of her $10,000 prize to one of the celiac groups to help raise awareness! On the subject of food, we talk about two great celiac bloggers and authors, their obsessions with the Food Network (Erica Dermer) and one who staged her own version of Chopped Junior (April Peveteaux).

24 hours after the news comes out that Columbia University has developed a test for non-celiac gluten sensitivity (called wheat sensitivity in the test), Mike and Cam discuss. They also talk about their hopes for a celiac test for people who have already gone off gluten. To this point, they take a deeper look at the so called "gluten challenge,"some of the issues with it, and the fact that the medical community can't come to an agreement about how to actually administer the gluten challenge.

It is summertime and a perfect opportunity to talk about Cam's latest trip to Michigan. He talks about the ritual and preparation that helps him most enjoy his family's vacations. Mike and Cam also share many of their top travel tips to stay safe on the road including an app (and website) that no celiac or gluten-free eater should be without.

This week's podcast takes a look at a Buzzfeed video, in which four of their employees agree to go gluten free for a month. Mike and Cam share their many thoughts on this kind of "not so scientific" testing (including one woman who continues eating her veggie bacon not knowing it contains gluten #readtheingredientspeople!) You might be surprised by some of the outcomes of this experiment and some of our opinions of it.

In Part 2 of our special restaurant series, Ashley Mazur, Marketing & Media Director of the world famous Berghoff restaurant in Chicago shares some of the amazing history of the restaurant (including the fact that they were the first in Chicago to receive a liquor license after prohibition ended)! We go in depth from the restaurant's point of view as well as how they became one of the very first restaurants to go through Beyond Celiac's "Great Kitchens" program. You won't want to miss this informative, eye-opening episode as we hear some of the biggest challenges that a restaurant faces in order to keep its celiac and allergic guests safe.

We all have learned by now that not all gluten free restaurants and kitchens are created equally. On this week's podcast, Beckee Moreland talks about her mission to change that one kitchen at a time. Beckee helped start the GREAT Kitchens program, assisting restaurants, colleges and camps to have safe gluten free kitchens including the education of cooks and servers through an accreditation program.

This week Mike and Cam are joined by special guest Erin Smith, the Gluten Free Globetrotter. We talk to Erin about all things gluten free travel. Erin shares with us many of her top travel tips, thoughts and negotiating the world safely as a celiac. She has a unique perspective as she has traveled extensively and been diagnosed with celiac at a very young age.  Erin shares her thoughts on which countries, in her eyes, are most gluten free friendly.

Mike and Cam take a closer look at the Elle Cartoon as they discuss the blog post from the Huffington Post, "Gluten-Free Shaming is not OK" by chef and food writer Jackie Ourman. They share their thoughts on people's attempts at gluten-free humor and why it usually falls flat.

Mike tells Cam about a recent visit to a local pizza place that goes very wrong. Three pizzas are purchased, but which ones are gluten-free, and which is not? Are there ways that these types of restaurant "horror stories" can be avoided?  Or at the very least, what should restaurants do to improve safety for their gluten free diners?

We have be receiving so many great emails and comments from our listeners that we decided to do a podcast completely dedicated to talking about some of them. This podcast covers great topics and fascinating personal stories. Thanks to all who have shared with us and keep those emails coming--you might be mentioned on a future show!

Thanks to a fan recommendation (thanks Sara), this week's podcast is devoted to talking about dating with celiac disease. In this illuminating discussion, Mike and Cam are joined by Mike's nephew Sam and they look at some of the challenges to dating with celiac. They give many shout outs to Jessica Hanson (Tasty Meditation) who has been good enough to share here past dating experiences. They look at everything from the awkwardness of asking a date to brush their teeth to online dating. You won't want to miss Sam's prom "horror" story.

This week's podcast is an exploration of an article from US News and World Report titled: 5 Myths About Celiac Disease, written by Stacy Colino. Mike and Cam have a fascinating discussion on such topics as, "should everyone be screened for celiac disease?" and "is celiac disease serious?" spoiler alert...it is. Along the way we find out strange things including how Cam found out he is allergic to cock roaches. Seriously we can't make this stuff up!

In their last podcast of Celiac Awareness Month 2016, Mike and Cam discuss an article that was published in the Atlantic Magazine online that talks about the idea that the gluten-free diet should not be attempted without medical assistance. They also reflect back on the true meaning of Celiac Awareness month.

We are pleased to be joined by yet another fantastic guest for Celiac Awareness Month. Melinda Arcara (who also goes by Gluten-Free Bebe) shares her personal story which eventually led to her writing her fantastic new book: 3 Steps To Gluten-Free Living. In this helpful guide, she shares her practical step-by-step method to a happy and healthy gluten free life.

In our second episode of Celiac Awareness Month, we are joined by guest Lisa Cantkier (pronounced: Cont' e yay). Lisa is a holistic nutritionist in the Toronto area. She has an amazing amount of information on celiac disease and you won't believe her own incredible story of getting diagnosed -- at only 18 months old!

We are kicking off Celiac Awareness Month in style with special guest, Alice Bast. Alice is the founder, CEO and President of Beyond Celiac (formerly the NFCA). Our fascinating discussion with Alice includes everything from her group’s recent name change to how their mission has evolved over the years. We also get into many of the struggles faced by the celiac community including social isolation and the continued challenges to insure that we get safe gluten free options.

We are joined again by Alexandra "Lexie" Van Den Heuvel and talk about the growing, and very troubling trend of food allergy bullying. We also learn that the issues of peer pressure and bullying reach far beyond just school aged kids.

Alexandra Van Den Heuvel is one busy and impressive young woman. Seeing a need to help low income families affected by celiac disease to afford the increased grocery bills that accompany the gluten free diet, Lexie successfully started a non-profit. Oh, and did we mention that she began this group before she even set foot in High School? Amazing!

Mike and Cam have a casual discussion of Mike's spring break trip with his family to Mazatlan, Mexico. They talk about some of the challenges traveling abroad and some of the unexpected issues that popped up.