New World

It's been two years. Two incredible, event-filled years. I've gotten married, had a child, recovered from the mind-blowing world shift that accompanies having a child and am, finally, regrouping and rejoining society. And in the intervening two years, DC has changed in a million important ways. There's a lot to write about.

I know that the gluten-free community already has two great advocates in the DC area--the DCgluties and the Gluten Free Optimist (who is fabulously splitting her time and writing for the examiner)--but I truly feel that there can never be too many resources. We all have different perspectives and experiences. It is important that people with information on living gluten-free get it into the universe. For sure, it's too difficult to go it alone.

That said, I'm going to try to widen my focus a bit. We in DC are uniquely situated in the epicenter of the political world; it feels almost irresponsible to ignore the opportunities for impact. Therefore, to the extent that issues arise that are relevant to those of us with celiac or who should, for health reasons, live a gluten-free lifestyle, I will attempt to get the word out. I'll still be talking about other gluten-free relevant things, too.

Initially, I want to give a shout-out to the American Celiac Disease Alliance, http://americanceliac.org/, a non-profit advocacy group initially formed back in 2003. This organization has recognized the need for inclusivity; its members include representatives from the medical community, the food industry, and persons living with celiac. They've focused on several issues in the past six years and helped to effectuate the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (want to read it? you can at http://www.foodallergy.org/Advocacy/FALCPAlaw.pdf). They are now directing their resources to the critical issue of the availability--or lack thereof--of gluten-free school lunches for children suffering from celiac. As we all know, celiac can be particularly devastating in children. It can have a lasting impact if left untreated. Yet many public schools--where our children spend an enormous percentage of their lives--have neither the awareness nor the resources to properly feed a child with celiac.

If you're interested in learning more about this issue, or--as I hope--in supporting the ACDA's efforts, just click on the link to their incredibly handy advocacy page.