Gluten-Free Diet Feature

Freshly baked wheat bread, cookies, and pizza. Aah! The thought of these makes many mouths water. But what if you have celiac disease and the consumption of the protein gluten causes an immune reaction in your small intestine? Well, meet some incredible people who have been there and share great recipes, tips, restaurant recommendations, and life experiences to help others on gluten-free diets. Their expertise, community building, and desire to help others lessen the challenges of gluten-free living is quite impressive. 

1. @celiacchick This New York City nine-to-fiver and gluten-free blogger extraordinaire is a cofounder of Celiac Chicks--the guide to a hip and healthy gluten-free lifestyle. Kelly Courson and her friend, Kim, created this informative and entertaining site to help others with the restrictions of celiac disease. They road test the items they share on the site to save people the trouble of trial and error. There are lists of restaurants and bakeries to try from all over the world, as well as recipes, books, and other gluten-free resources. Celiac Chicks certainly put some fun into living with celiac disease.
   
   
2. @CeliacFamily Heather, a wife and mother of two has switched to living gluten-free after her son was diagnosed with celiac disease at just 18 months old. In order to lessen the risk of Heather's son accidentally eating gluten, the whole family decided to change their diets to match his. She shares her experiences through the Celiac Family blog, which is helpful for any family faced with the challenges of celiac disease.
   
   
3. @yumcat Catherine Oddenino is all about living deliciously gluten-free. She is dedicated to sharing what she has learned and continues to discover through her ‘a gluten-free guide’ blog. She offers tips on traveling with celiac disease, a recipe index of her favorite dishes, an extensive list of national and international restaurants, gluten-free resources, and an “in the news” section. She has certainly covered all the bases. She provides a well-rounded perspective of what it means to live [deliciously] gluten-free. She shares great photos with her posts. 
   
   
4. @Switch2GF Mike, a self-proclaimed struggling gluten-holic, decided to switch to a gluten-free lifestyle for his long-term health. In his Switch 2 Gluten Free blog, Mike shares his personal stories, products he enjoys, and methods that help him live a gluten-free lifestyle. He also shares valuable coupon codes to help readers save money on their gluten-free diets. He also has live help available when he is online. 
   
   
5. @jenglutenfree From Chicago, Jen Cafferty is an expert on cooking and living gluten-free. On her award-winning Gluten-Free Life With Jen site, she shares recipes, videos, contests, and even gluten-free art supplies and bath and body products.  Jen’s website also provides information on her annual Gluten-Free Cooking Expo. This is the site to visit for up-to-date information on living and cooking for a gluten-free lifestyle.
   

If you know of someone who is worthy of our Health Expert Awards, please tweet your recommendation to @organizedwisdom in this format: "I recommend @[username] as a health expert for @OrganizedWisdom or use our contact form. 

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Follow Friday: Eclectic and Effective Group of Patient Experts 
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Follow Friday: Featuring 5 Impressive Physicians for April's End  
Follow Friday: Featuring 5 Impressive Health Expert Profiles for the Week

By: Julie Bohlen, MBA, ELS