Being a holistic nutritionist, I’m always on the lookout for new and exciting foods that are good for us and delicious. As one of the organizers of LGFC, I’m also constantly scouring the grocery store shelves for safe gluten-free products.

I recently had the fortune to meet Julie Beyer through a mutual friend and registered holistic nutritionist. As it turned out, Julie is soon to be a holistic nutritionist and currently operates For The Love Of Food where she teaches people the intricacies of whole food cooking. As part of her services, she has now developed a fantastic variation of granola which she has coined ‘GLOWnola’ for it’s health benefits. And the best part of her granola is that it’s gluten-free!

As most people with celiac disease know, the vast majority of oats on the market are not safe to consume due to their harvesting and processing practices. So Julie has come up with a delicious alternative using other grains, such as buckwheat, and some different savoury sweeteners such as coconut sugar or stevia.

I had the chance to try a few different flavours that Julie makes. Without going into to much detail about the specific ingredients (I’d hate to give away any trade secrets), I will say that my favorite was the Coconut Mint Chocolate Chip!

GLOWnola truly is a unique twist on traditional granola. I actually found it to be a much easier snack to take on-the-go. I find traditional granola needs to be eaten in a bowl with some yogurt and berries. But GLOWnola makes a great treat to take with you and eat any time.

If you are interested to learn more about GLOWnola or try some for yourself, contact Julie directly at www.loveoffood.ca.

Some of you may have noticed that we were rather absent from the gluten-free community this past Spring/Summer. For 5 months (May – September) we didn’t run any gluten-free events. The truth is, nearly a year ago I experienced a major breakthrough in my health and I needed some time to absorb the magnitude of what I had just accomplished and to be absolutely sure that I had healed my gluten intolerance before going public with my story. I’m happily emerging out of an intense bout of identity crisis after my gluten-free world crumbled beneath me, when I discovered I was able to eat gluten again without any ill effects.

photo credit: Bob.Fornal

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Living in a gluten-free household has required me to discover many new grains to incorporate into our meals. Wild rice is typically a bit more expensive, but well worth the splurge! It has such an amazing, nutty flavour and smells incredible while cooking.

I wanted to try something a bit different with the wild rice this time so I picked apart several pilaf recipes and came up with my own. This recipe can be easily adapted to cater vegetarians and meat eaters alike.

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According to new research from the Mayo Clinic, Celiac Disease affects approximately 1 in 100 people. When individuals with Celiac Disease consume gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged. This greatly decreases the body’s ability to absorb nutrients causing vitamin and mineral deficiencies that deprive the brain, nervous system, bones and other organs of essential nourishment. Continued exposure to gluten creates an increased risk for developing secondary diseases and disorders including certain types of cancer. The development of Celiac Disease involves a combination of genetic, environmental and immunological factors. It can occur at any age and may be triggered by a gastrointestinal or viral infection, severe stress, surgery, pregnancy or another life-changing event.

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This is a very simple and fast weeknight dinner that makes delicious leftovers for lunch the next day. The combination of the sweet sun dried tomatoes with the bitter arugula is mouth-watering. The picture doesn’t do it justice. It’s my favourite dish at the moment, although if you ask my husband everything we eat is my “favourite” and maybe he’s right … I slow down and take the time to enjoy every bite of all our meals making them that much more enjoyable.

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