The kind folks at University of Chicago Medicine Celiac Disease Center have a program where they send out care packages to those of us who are recently diagnosed with celiac disease (requires formal diagnosis either with biopsy or via current protocols). The Gluten Free Care Package contains some food samples, a bunch of coupons, and some educational materials. Of particular interest to me is the documentary they included – I’m looking forward to finding a few spare minutes to watch it – The Celiac Project – For those who do not qualify for the free kit, it looks like you can get a pretty nice package with the video and home viewing kit for $24.95 here.

Another resource that was mentioned in the Care Package letter was a free eBook titled “Jump Start Your Gluten-Free Diet“. The resource is kind of buried on the Cure Celiac Disease website, such that I had not seen it before. Honestly, the title didn’t inspire me to read it, but looking at it, it is so much more than a book about gluten-free diet. It talks about what celiac disease is, about how it is diagnosed,  about what follow-up treatment you need if you have celiac disease, as well as the tips for finding hidden sources of gluten, how to grocery shop, and how to eat out. It is pretty much the best owners manual I’ve seen for someone with Celiac Disease – and it is FREE. So, if you or a loved one has celiac disease, take a look at this book – don’t let the title fool you – “Jump Start Your Gluten-Free Diet“.

The other thing I did, on a whim, was sign up for three months of the Gluten Free Box deliveries from Love With Food. Someone from one of the online support groups I’m a part of recommended it – and showed a picture of her box. It looked pretty cool. I thought I’d enjoy getting a package in the mail once a month – plus it gives me a chance to try out different brands of gluten free products that I otherwise may not have thought to try. I’ll share more with you once I get my first package. Note, the link from my page should get you a bonus 40% the first month if you choose to purchase a box.