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.

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!

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.

Your Personalized Global Gluten-Free Social Network Has Finally Arrived...

After months of hard work, sweat and tears, your personalized global gluten-free social network has finally been customized enough to go live!

If you didn't already know, there's been a ton of buzz going around the internet about this cool, new online community that is exclusively for individuals living gluten-free, just like you.

You are one of the first to know the exact URL of this gluten-free social network, as it has been kept secret until the site was officially ready to launch, so here it is...

www.GlutenFreeFaces.com CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT!

I'm extremely excited about this online community and hope that you take full advantage of all that is has to offer you.

So, what exactly is GlutenFreeFaces.com?

Think of it as your gluten-free facebook, that is customized to fit your gluten-free needs. You can share recipes, stories, information, post blogs, upload videos, join discussion groups and even chat live with other gluten-free individuals from around the globe!

GlutenFreeFaces.com truly is your one-stop-shop for updated information and news regarding Celiac Sprue and living gluten-free.

The more you are involved with this online community, the better it will be for everyone! So don't delay! All you have to do is take 1 minute and 37 seconds (I timed it) to register and set up your profile and you will instantly gain access to this great gluten-free community.

And do you want to know the best part?

It's absolutely FREE!

Don't worry, if you aren't too familiar with social networks like facebook or MySpace, once you become a member, you can watch a short "Fast Start Video" that will help you understand all the great things that you can do on GlutenFreeFaces.com.

If you would like to skip straight to the sign-in form, CLICK HERE and start taking advantage of all the great resources available to you on GlutenFreeFaces.com.

Celebrate Celiac Awareness Month with Some Brand New Flavors of Rice Chex...

If you don't already know, May is officially Celiac Awareness month. The May observance in the United States was chosen to coincide with our international colleagues. It was also done in recognition of the many other medical conditions related to celiac disease that are observed in May. Celiac disease is still relatively unknown to the world and being able to draw connections between these medical conditions and celiac disease helps to elevate its importance and enhance awareness. Some of the other May health observances include: Digestive Disease Awareness Month, Food Allergy Awareness Month and National Osteoperosis and Awareness Month.

In 'celebration' of Celiac awareness month, General Mills, the company that makes Rice Chex, has officially announced that they will be releasing several new flavors of Rice Chex, including:

- Honey-Nut Chex
- Chocolate Chex
- Cinnamon Chex
- Strawberry Chex

Although General Mills already makes these flavors of Rice Chex, they are not currently gluten-free. However, the gluten-free flavors should be available in most grocery stores as of June 1st.

This is great news, especially considering how difficult it can be to find gluten-free cereals that actually taste good! Plain ol' Rice Chex has always been one of the few gluten-free cereals that is actually tasty, so the fact that they are adding on some great new flavors is good news for all of us!

But beware, Chex still has a few flavors out there that are not gluten-free. However, the flavors that are safe will always be clearly marked as 'gluten-free' on the cereal box, so be sure to check.

Also, check out the official General Mills website for some cool (and fun) gluten-free recipes that include Rice Chex!

Chad Hines
www.GlutenFreeHero.com

P.S. Your Global Gluten-Free Social Network is almost ready to launch! Think of it as your personalized gluten-free facebook, where you will be able to interact with other gluten-free individuals from around the world to share recipes, information, videos, blogs, stories and give support to one another. Stay tuned for the official launch that will be taking place some time next week, so be on the look out for the announcement!

P.P.S. Don't forget to visit www.GlutenFreeHero.com/GlutenFreeSearch and check out your personalized gluten-free search engine, where search results are customized to fit your gluten-free needs! The search engine is constantly being optimized and updated to ensure that you are getting the best gluten-free search results on the web.

A Gluten-Free Sporting Event Surprise...

As some of you might already know, I am a HUGE Los Angeles Lakers fan. If you are a sports fan and have a favorite home-town team, you know exactly what I am talking about. Occasionally, I am fortunate enough to get invited to games with a few buddies of mine...but last week was a bit different.

Not only was I invited to Game 2 of the Lakers vs. Rockets series, but my seats were the VERY first row behind the Lakers bench! Check out this picture I took on my camera phone...

I took this picture of Pau Gasol, the Lakers starting center, during their warm-ups before the game (I tried to get a few clear pictures of Kobe, but he constantly has body guards around him, so it was a bit difficult!).

And if the seats weren't good enough, I had Leonardo DiCaprio and Anthony Kiedis, the lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, sitting right next to me!

Sorry, got a little off track there...

So how does this all circle back to living gluten-free?

Well, I went up to the food stand to get a snack, and to my surprise, I saw the following sign...

I know it's a bit hard to see, but if you look close at the bottom two items, you will notice that it says "Gluten-Free Snacks!" I couldn't believe my eyes! The Staples Center, in Los Angeles, now offers gluten-free snacks at most of their convenience stands!

As soon as I got home from the game, I did a little more research and discovered that a number of sporting arenas throughout the U.S. and Canada are gradually introducing gluten-free products into their facilities. This is due to the increasing demand for gluten-free foods within the marketplace.

So keep your eye out at your local sporting arena...you just might stumble across some gluten-free foods!

Chad Hines
www.GlutenFreeHero.com

Is Starbucks Going Gluten-Free?

You might have heard some rumors lately that Starbucks, one of the world's largest corporations, is going to be offering gluten-free items in their stores.

But are the rumors true?

Absolutely...

A few days ago, Starbucks announced that it will begin selling its first gluten-free pastry in its U.S. stores next month in response to requests from its customers!

The pastry, called Valencia Orange Cake, will be made with seven ingredients which are all 100 percent gluten-free, the company said. The cake will be sold in individually wrapped packages for $2.25 each and will be available beginning May 5th, 2009.

Starbucks said it wanted to offer its gluten-free customers more choices.

"I think one of the things we learned right from the get-go from our gluten-free customers is they can't eat away from home very easily," said Adrienne Knapp, a product manager in the food category at Starbucks. "A cake is actually really hard to find for someone that's a gluten-free consumer."

Starbucks said it has received numerous requests from its customers for gluten-free foods on its mystarbucksidea.com website. The site allows customers to submit ideas for how to improve the company, its drinks and its food.

They will be testing the product in their U.S. stores, and if the product sells successfully, they will gradually introduce the gluten-free pastry into their Canadian stores, and eventually the pastry will be available world-wide.

So starting May 5th, be sure to stroll on down to your local Starbucks and order yourself a gluten-free pastry!

Chad Hines
www.GlutenFreeHero.com

P.S. Your Global Gluten-Free Social Network is almost ready to launch! Think of it as your personalized gluten-free facebook, where you will be able to interact with other gluten-free individuals from around the world to share recipes, information, videos, blogs, stories and give support to one another. Stay tuned for the official launch that will be taking place in May!

P.P.S. Don't forget to visit www.GlutenFreeHero.com/GlutenFreeSearch and check out your personalized gluten-free search engine, where search results are customized to fit your gluten-free needs! The search engine is constantly being optimized and updated to ensure that you are getting the best gluten-free search results on the web. Or, click here to watch a quick video demo on how the search engine works to make your life a little easier.