May: Celiac Disease Awareness Month

Picture from here

Did you know May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month?

It is.

Pretty cool, huh?

Be on the lookout for gluten free promotions at grocery stores, restaurants, and online because of this.   

Click here for a list of restaurants participating in the Chef to Plate campaign this month (Utah is on page 20).  Here's a brief description of what the 2011 Chef to Plate campaign is all about:

This is a grass-roots campaign to help spread awareness of celiac disease and gluten intolerance throughout the nation and into Canada and even Turkey this year, using restaurants that already have a gluten-free menu and have a solid working understanding of how to treat gluten-free menu orders.  We will be sending out Posters and Table Tents to these restaurants to post during the month of May (national Celiac Awareness Month). 

Watch for those posters and table tents.  The exposure is awesome!

Just a few years ago people would look at me with a blank stare as I explained that I couldn't eat flour.  They'd ask if gluten was in beans, fruit, rice, etc.  Nowadays when I tell people I have a gluten intolerance they usually know what it is, know someone who has it, and know the basics of what gluten is in.

I love it!

And months like this can make it even better.  Easier for us at restaurants.  More gluten free choices in the grocery stores with lower prices.  More undiagnosed people discovering the solution to their health problems.  And on and on.  

So be sure to take advantage of Celiac Disease Awareness Month, both by raising awareness and by taking advantage of gluten free specials you'll find.