Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Sued for Plagiarism...

Elisabeth Hasselbeck, a co-host of ABC's "The View," is being sued for plagiarism.

A lawsuit in federal court in Massachusetts alleges that Hasselbeck plagiarized content from a book on celiac disease written by a self-published author.

Author Susan Hassett filed the lawsuit Monday, indicating that she sent Hasselbeck a copy of her book, Living With Celiac Disease, after the "The View" celebrity disclosed she had Celiac. Hasselbeck's book, The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide, was recently posted on several best-seller lists.

To make matters worse, The Celiac Disease Foundation said Hasselbeck's Book is "Inaccurate" and "Dangerous." Elaine Monarch, the Executive Director of the Celiac Disease Foundation (who also happens to be the doctor that initially diagnosed me with Celiac back in 1989!), wrote the following open letter to the Celiac community regarding Hasselbeck's book:


"I am writing to call your attention to the current publicity surrounding the new book, The G-free Diet, A Gluten-Free Survival Guide, by Elisabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of The View. While it is important to call attention to celiac disease, the information must be accurate - the inaccuracies in this book are potentially dangerous and detrimental to celiacs and to those yet to be diagnosed if people self diagnose and start eating GF. Our mission is to assist in getting people accurately diagnosed and the message in this book could defeat this mission. It appears that this book is being marketed as a fitness diet - eat g-free and feel so much better. Celiac is incorrectly referred to as an allergy, not an autoimmune disease.

The GF diet is the medically mediated prescription that controls the condition for a diagnosed celiac. Several items in the book are misleading and inaccurate and place further limitations on the GF diet. The gluten-free lifestyle is a lifelong commitment for the diagnosed celiac, not an option, not a fad diet - adhering to the GF lifestyle requires patience and persistence. This lifestyle can not be trivialized.
"


If you have any thoughts, or would like to read more about this topic, you can join in on the discussions here http://bit.ly/jGNNR.

Chad Hines

P.S.
Have you joined Gluten-Free Faces yet? It's the fastest growing social network on the internet dedicated to everything gluten-free! The site is free to join and gives you the ability to share recipes, stories, information, search gluten-free blogs, upload photos and videos, ask questions, join discussion groups, get the latest gluten-free news, connect with Celiacs in your area and even chat live with other gluten-free individuals from around the globe. Think of it as a gluten-free Facebook, that is customized to fit your gluten-free needs. Here is the link for you to sign up...

www.GlutenFreeFaces.com

P.P.S. Check out the quick 1:23 minute video on the home page if you would like to find out a little more about Gluten-Free Faces before you become a member.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

A Global Guide of Gluten-Free Restaurants for You...

Wouldn't it be great if there was an online resource for you that provides a list of trusted gluten-free restaurants around the world?

Well, that's exactly what Cynthia Schuck thought when she founded www.SpecialGourmets.com. Cynthia was diagnosed with Celiac Sprue in 2006 and as she says, "
experienced the difficulties of eating out and the usual tension and fear that comes with it. Traveling also became a limiting experience and we have simply given up going to destinations where we could not be certain we would find suitable gluten-free places to eat."

Therefore, Specialgourmets.com, your global guide of restaurants, shops and hotels for Celiacs, was created.
So, what exactly is Specialgourmets.com?

It is an online guide where you can easily visualize gluten-free restaurants, hotels and grocery stores available in a given neighborhood, city or country. The site contains a searchable and dynamic map guide that shows you the physical location of gluten-free restaurants, hotels and grocery stores around the world.
You can also find descriptions and consumer reviews on the website, as well. The website already has over 14,000 places in 28 countries throughout the world, with more and more gluten-free places are being added each day as the site continues to grow.

I have already found a number of great resources on the website and I hope that you can take advantage of all the information that is available to you, as well. Specialgourmets.com truly can make eating out and traveling a safer and more pleasant experience for you, so check out the site when you get a chance!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Did you know these facts about Celiac?

So you've been going about your daily life, dealing with all the frustration and confusion of living gluten-free, but have you stopped to take a look at the facts regarding Celiac Sprue? Some of these statistics might amaze you...

Did you know that...

  • One in 133 North Americans have Celiac Disease.
  • 95% of Celiacs are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions.
  • 10 years is the average time a person waits to be correctly diagnosed.
  • 17% of Celiac patients have an immediate family member who also has Celiac.
  • Celiac disease can lead to a number of other disorders including infertility, reduced bone density, neurological disorders, some cancers and other autoimmune diseases.
  • $5,000-$12,000 is the average cost of misdiagnosis per person/per year of Celiac, not including lost work time.
  • There are NO pharmaceutical cures for Celiac Disease.
  • A 100% gluten-free diet is the only existing treatment for Celiac today.
  • A positive attitude, 100% of the time, helps Celiacs create a gluten-free lifestyle for themselves and their affected family members.
  • 500,000 new Celiac diagnoses are expected to occur in the next 5 years thanks to efforts to raise public awareness of Celiac Disease.
  • The gluten-free marketplace is expected to reach $1.7 billion by 2010 thanks to new vendors manufacturing better tasting and more affordable products.
Shocking, right?

The facts speak for themselves and demonstrate the need for education and awareness throughout the community. Fortunately, there has been a tremendous increase in awareness recently regarding Celiac Sprue and living gluten-free.

What does this mean for you?

This is good news and means that food manufacturers are hearing your cries! You can expect to see more gluten-free products in your local stores in the very near future. Some of the largest food manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada have plans to increase their gluten-free food production. I'll keep you posted on any new information that I hear.

P.S. Have you joined Gluten-Free Faces yet? It's the fastest growing social network on the internet dedicated to everything gluten-free! If you haven't joined yet, you are missing out on some great gluten-free information, discussions, recipes and news. Here is the link for you to sign up (oh, and by the way, it's totally FREE!)...

www.GlutenFreeFaces.com

P.P.S. Check out the quick 1:23 minute video on the home page if you would like to find out a little more about Gluten-Free Faces before you become a member.