Why You Should Attend the Gluten Free Food Allergy Fest in Columbus, OH

In just a few days an amazing event is coming to Columbus, OH-  The Gluten Free Food AllergyFest.  The GFFA Fest, which will be held on April 30^th and May 1^st, is a must do if you are managing food allergies or Celiac Disease.   

I attended the GFFA Fest, hosted by Gluten Free and More, for the first time in 2015.  I learned so much and found so many great products- all catered towards those with food allergies and Celiac- I knew I would be adding it to my list of events to attend each year. 

Here are three great reasons you should plan to attend this weekend:

Gluten Free and Allergy Friendly Products Galore!

As you walk into the GFFA Fest, you will see aisle after aisle of products, vendors and companies all focused on helping those with Celiac and food allergies.  Get ready to sample great foods, discover new products and talk with companies that get it.  Some companies sample their foods and products and some even sell things.  Be sure to grab your complimentary sample bag when you enter the GFFA Fest and be prepared to leave with more than came with!

Education Sessions and Cooking Demos Throughout the Day

In between sampling tasty foods and finding your new favorite gluten-free products you can attend one of the many lectures or cooking demos offered at the Fest.  All day long chefs are cooking up allergy-friendly and gluten free bites in the demo kitchen.  You can attend a live cooking demo and then head to the lecture area to hear from medical, Celiac and food allergy experts on how to manage and thrive with food restrictions.

This year, I am honored to be representing my company, Thrive On Consulting and speaking on Traveling with Food Allergies and Celiac Disease.  My session will be the first of the day on both Saturday and Sunday.  I will be sharing tips and advice for traveling safely with food restrictions.  Come join me for an informative session just in time for planning that summer vacation!  And, one lucky attendee at each of my presentations will win a prize bag with great accessories for traveling with food allergies or Celiac generously donated by my partners at AllerMates, Allergy Apparel and I.C.O.E. Bracelets.  You don’t want to miss the chance to win these great prizes!

Connections, Community and Advice

When you have food allergies and Celiac Disease often times you feel like the outsider at an event- making special meal requests, brining your own safe foods, feeling unsure sometimes if the situation will be safe.  This is one event where you will feel at home and be surrounded by others who also have the same concerns and take the same precautions.  You will talk to people throughout the day- company representatives, chefs, fellow attendees- that all get it.  You will be part of the gluten free and food allergy community, and you will fit right in. 

There will also be people there to provide advice and support.  There is an authors booth where you can meet and talk to leading authors – and buy some of their wonderful books and cookbooks.   After my talk, I will be in the author booth to discuss any questions you may have about managing food allergies.  My friend, and fellow AllerCoach, Tiffany Monroe, who owns Ingredients for You,will also be at the GFFA Fest to talk all things food allergy- you can find her at the booth with Soodles Bake Shop, an allergy-friendly and gluten free bakery who will be serving up some delicious and safe samples.

Cannot wait to connect with you the GFFA Fest!

Safety Note: As a food allergy coach, a little advice to help you Thrive On at the Fest- if you are managing food allergies do still bring your emergency medications.  No matter how safe or comfortable you may feel, you should never leave home without your emergency medications.  Be sure to read labels and inquire about ingredients before sampling products as your allergens may be present in some of the products.   

Tami owns Thrive On Consulting, which helps families and individuals managing food allergies.  You can follow her on Facebook and Twitter

Farm to Table- Fresh and Safe

The sun is shining and we are finally experiencing the first signs of a sustained Spring in Kentucky- no more dips back into freezing temperatures!  It also means that the Farmer’s Markets will be opening soon, offering up the best of the season- fresh and local.  Depending on where you live, your Farmer’s Markets may already be in full swing. 

One strategy we have implemented since beginning to manage our food allergies has been to cook simple meals with fresh ingredients.  Fresh fruits and veggies are a staple for us and the Farmer’s Market is a great place to get a variety of in-season fruits and veggies to add to our dinner table. 

With spring on my mind, the latest Thrive On 3 is three ways to make the most of your Farmer’s Market.  I consulted with Lisa Musician, a registered dietitian and owner of Food Allergy Dietitian, Inc. on what fruits and veggies are smart choices.  We all know that eating fruits and veggies is great for us, but did you also know that when you have food allergies there are certain fruits and veggies that can provide some the key nutrients you may be not getting due to your allergies.  Musician offers the following suggestions to stock up on at the Farmer’s Market as a great alternative source of nutrients for some of the top 8 allergens.

Allergy	Alternative	Good to Know Info
Milk	Collard Greens, Kale, Spinach and Broccoli	½ cup of cooked greens can offer anywhere from 45-120mg of calcium per serving
Wheat	Sweet Potatoes	Sweet potatoes are a great source of B vitamins, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Potassium and are rich in fiber
Nuts, Fish	Avocado	Avocados are a great source of healthy fats
Soy	Variety of Fruits and Veggies	Soybeans provide a variety of nutrients so eating a wide range of fruits and veggies can ensure you also get that wide variety of nutrients

So how do you find all of these great fruits and veggies and more at your Farmer’s Market?  Check out these tips for making the most of your Farmer’s Market experience.

Come Prepared:

When going to the Farmer’s Market be sure to bring cash, many farmers and vendors are not set up to take credit card payments.  I made this mistake the first time I went to a market and had to forego a number of great items because I did not have cash. 

Another tip is to bring your own bags. These days reusable bags can be found everywhere.  Grab a few to use for your Farmer’s Market visits as some farmers do not provide bags.  Musician also offered some great advice on reusable bags, be sure to wash them every once and a while.  Bacteria can grow on the bags after repeated use.  You do not want your fresh foods to make you sick so wash your bags and also be certain to wash your fruits and veggies before you eat them.

Plan Ahead for Meal Ideas:

When I first started going to Farmer’s Markets I would go in and buy everything that looked good.  I would come home with a ton of fruits and veggies but no real plan for how to use them.  This also meant that I often had a lot of fresh produce go to waste because I couldn’t eat it all before it went bad. 

A notable strategy is to find out what is in season and look for some simple and fun recipes to use.  Often times, your state or local extension office will have a website dedicated to recipes by fruit or vegetable that can give you some great ideas and help you plan for your Farmer’s Market trip.  I live in Louisville and the UK Extension office offers wonderful resources on local produce and recipes.  Just google your area to see what you can find.  I googled a number of states and found similar links and resources to those offered in Kentucky.  Just be sure to be aware of your allergens as you review the recipes and make safe substitutions where necessary.

Follow Thrive On Consulting and Food Allergy Dietitian this week on Facebook where we will post a few recipes incorporating some of the fruits and veggies listed  in the chart above. 

Timing is Everything:

What is the best time to go to the Farmer’s Market?  Musician says it depends on your goal.  If you want to have the best selection and ensure your preferred produce is there, go early.  Farmers bring a limited supply and when it’s gone it’s gone.  Getting there early means you will have first access to the selection and can pick out the best produce options.  If you are looking for a deal, head to the market towards closing time.  You may not have a large selection as some items may have sold out, but farmers will often give you a deal to buy up their remaining stock. 

Have any other great Farmer’s Market tips?  Share them in the comments section- we would love to hear them!  Thrive On!



**Lisa and I will be posting some great fruit and veggie recipes this week to our Facebook and Twitter pages.  Follow along to get some great recipes for your next trip to the market.

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Hitting the Road with Food Allergies: Great Apps and Screaming Goats

Yes, you read that right- screaming goats.  They have become an important part of our road trips, but more on that later. 

We hit the road for Spring Break- one of the many road trips we will make this year.  We drive everywhere these days.  We have decided, with the severity of our daughter’s peanut allergy, that flying is not a good fit for our family.  We will fly someday, but for right now driving is the best option for our young family.  We have gotten pretty adept at taking a road trip and have also found some great technology tools to assist us in our travel adventures.   A lot of us know about and use Allergy Eats to find allergy friendly restaurants, which is a very helpful app while on the road.  And, there are other great apps that can help to keep your travels safe.  My Thrive On 3 this week – 3 great apps for traveling when you have food allergies.

USA Rest Stops

We love rest areas for three reasons- they offer us a place to eat the picnic style food we pack for our road trip, they give us a fast option for bathroom breaks and provide some open space to run and play when we need a break from the car. We try, as best we can, to plan out most of our stops at rest areas along our route.

USA Rest Stop is an app that allows you to locate rest stops anywhere in the US.  It has several great features.  You can search by state to find rest stops for some pre-planning.   There is a also a GPS function that tracks where you are and allows you to find rest areas along your route as you travel, including telling you how many miles until you hit the next rest stop.  It will alert you if rest areas are closed (good to know if someone really has to go) and also details what amenities are found at each rest stop.  Need a place with picnic tables for lunch or dinner?  The app can help you find it.

findER™

When we travel we always like to ensure that we will have close access to medical care at our destination and we take steps prior to our trip to research the closest hospitals, but what about while you are driving to your destination?  The findER™ app has a GPS function that tracks your current location.  When you open it, it locates where you are and automatically tells you the location of the closest ER.  You can tap the link and it will give you directions to the closet ER or click the list link to see all of the area ERs, including distance from your current location.  You can also search by location for some pre-trip planning and there is a link to call 911 from within the app. 

Hopefully your trip will be free of an ER visit, but should you need to find one quickly this app will get you the information you need.

MyEpiPlan

Mylan, the manufacturers of the of EpiPen®, offers an app called MyEpiPlan.  It is a great resource for keeping a complete allergy profile accessible and offers some cool features to help you use and keep your EpiPens® current.  While not a travel specific app, I love that we have comprehensive information about my daughter's allergies at all times and a way to contact others should we have an emergency situation while traveling.

The app allows you to complete an allergen profile that lists all of your allergens (food and non-food).  You can establish multiple profiles if more than one member of your family has allergies.  The app also offers many other great features including an emergency contact section where you can log multiple emergency contacts, including doctor and pharmacy information.  You can also track your EpiPens®.  It allows you to indicate where you keep your EpiPens® and enter in the expiration date for all of your pens.  The app will send you automatic reminders when it is time to replace your pens.  There is a How to Use link that connects you to a video on how to administer an EpiPen®, a link that allows you to dial 911 from within the app, as well as a section with tips and helpful articles about living with food allergies.

Now back to the screaming goats.  Since we have opted as a family to drive for all of our trips, we spend long hours cruising the roads to get to our chosen destination.  We have gotten really good at road tripping and have lots of tricks up our sleeves for keeping it safe and real while we spend hour upon hour on the road.  But, it is inevitable that if you spend a lot of time in the car the collective mood in the car will go south at some point.  That is where the screaming goats come in.  When we have all hit our limit – kids are fussing and kicking the seats, we have watched a movie (or three) and mom and dad are cranky, the best option is to pull up YouTube and watch some screaming goat videos.  Perhaps it is the delirious state we are already in, but something about watching screaming goats lightens the mood, brings on uncontrollable laughter and we are ready once again to go the distance (try it- I dare you not to laugh).

Here’s wishing you safety and screaming goats on your next road trip!  Thrive On!


Product Disclaimer:
Thrive On Consulting does not sponsor or endorse the products listed.  Nor has Thrive On Consulting been paid to include these products.  Products mentioned here are provided as ideas and suggestions to help you Thrive On with food allergies.

If you find this post helpful learn more about Tami and her company, Thrive On Consulting, which helps families and individuals managing food allergies, and follow her on Facebook and Twitter