When: Tuesday, April 17, 6:00 pm
Where: Shirley’s Home in King George, VA (Note: Please email Shirley for directions if you are local and plan to attend.)
What: Tricia Thompson, Founder of Gluten-Free Watchdog, will be joining us via teleconference. She will be speaking on the history and mission of the Gluten-Free Watchdog program, which tests numerous gluten-free products to determine if they truly are “gluten free.” I’ve mentioned the Gluten-Free Watchdog in our meetings, in our email newsletter, and on my blog. Most recently I shared that the Gluten-Free Watchdog had shared the word that Food For Life Brown Rice Tortillas and Millet Bread did NOT test gluten free. you can read a little more here on the Gluten-Free Watchdog, Food For Life products containing gluten, and Tricia Thompson herself. Tricia will tell us about the Gluten-Free Watchdog’s mission, the subscription plan, the type of testing performed, the protocol followed when a product is greater than 20 ppm gluten, and more.
Tricia Thompson is also known as The Gluten-Free Dietitian. You may remember her speaking at one of our meetings a few years back. At that meeting, she talked about her part in testing mainstream oats (critical testing which established that mainstream oats are highly cross contaminated and not safe for those on a gluten-free diet) and the lack of nutrition in processed gluten-free foods, among other things.
We’ll begin our meeting with our usual potluck, but without a specific theme this month. If you need inspiration, there are some food celebrations this month that might inspire. For savory/main dish items, April 8 is Empanada Day. April 16 is the Day of the Mushroom. April 19 is Garlic Day. For sweeter inspiration, National Caramel Day is April 5, Coffee Cake Day is April 7, Pecan Day is April 14, April 20 is Pineapple Upside Down Cake Day, April 23 is Cherry Cheesecake Day, April 25 is National Zucchini Bread Day, April 28 is Blueberry Pie Day, and April 30 is Raisin Day. I think those are enough ideas for you, but feel free to bring whatever gluten-free dish you would like. Bring your recipe or listing of ingredients (or label once you arrive) so folks with additional food intolerances will know what they can eat safely.
Hope you’ll be able to join us this month!
Read the complete summary of this meeting by clicking this link to my follow-up GFE Gluten-Free Virtual Support Group Post.