Walk Now for Autism - Unless You Follow the Gluten Free Diet

Return to Eden, where I work as a GF Product Specialist, has participated in the local Walk for Autism for the last two years. We are consistently the only company who brings gluten free/casein free samples. The food area offers wheat bagels and muffins, while fruit is put out only after the walk is over. We were all set to participate this year, when we were told that we didn't have enough samples to hand out, so we were unceremoniously uninvited.

Now I have to admit that there is no direct link showing a benefit from being Autistic and following the gluten free/casein free diet, but there is a definitely a group (think Jenny McCarthy) who believe following the diet is the key to managing Autism, whether you have a gluten sensitivity or not.

I can't for the life of me understand why the organizers of this event consistently do not take into consideration the dietary needs of their walkers. I also don't see why they wouldn't want someone like me handing out literature, coupons and other pertinent information that will help parents manage the gluten diet and show them where they can shop (personal tour) for gluten free products.

This event should be more about providing options to the parents of Autistic children and less about how many samples I am bringing.

I sincerely hope the organizers of this event are not as restrictive in the future and take into account not only the dietary restrictions of the participants, but their informative needs as well.

Suffolk County Gluten Free Vendor Fair

Hurray, I am going to the Suffolk County GF Vendor Fair on Sunday and I can hardly wait. I organize our local Vendor Fair for the Atlanta Metro Celiacs, which attracts anywhere from 500-700 people. Their fair attracts more than 1,500 people and vendors sell out of product in two hours.

Mike Thorn, organizer of the event, has been a wealth of information for establishing our fair, so I am excited to meet him and their local vendors. I will be sure to take pictures and give a summary of all the goodies available. After all, the Northeast is a mecca for gluten free products and we just don't have that down here in Georgia.

If you want to attend this event, please visit their website at: http://www.suffolkcountyceliacs.org/ for more details.