Me & Gfree - Gluten Free Food, Travel, & Well-Being

06/03/2019

☀️ VITAMIN D ☀️ Few nutrients are as important to our health as Vit D…and so many of us are LOW or DEFICIENT (celiac, gluten sensitive, and even the general population)❗️
How do you know if you’re low? 🤷‍♂️ Well, you might be experiencing fatigue, bone and muscle pain, depression, weakened immune system (constantly getting sick), osteoporosis and osteopenia (low bone mineral density), and even hair loss.
How can you get tested to tell if you’re low? Ask your primary care or GI doctor 👩‍⚕️ 👨‍⚕️ to order a vitamin D, 25 Hydroxy [25(OH)D] blood test 💉. The range in conventional medicine outlines optimal Vitamin D levels as in between 30-100 ng/ml…that’s a pretty broad range. And if you’re on the low side (say 30 ng/ml), you might even be told that’s normal. Well, it’s not. And you need to boost your levels.
How do you boost your levels? The best way to boost Vitamin D is through sunlight exposure. Bare skin to sun. ☀️🙂 Our bodies actually produce Vitamin D this way. BUT, if you live in most parts of the U.S. (the further north the harder it is), it’s hard for many of us to get enough sunlight in the winter ❄️. The sun’s rays just aren’t strong enough to generate enough Vitamin D production. You can also eat fatty fish 🐟, egg yolks 🍳, and beef liver, but that still likely won’t be enough.
There’s also the issue of malabsorption. Fat soluble vitamins like Vitamin D are absorbed in the upper portion of the small intestine. Calcium is also absorbed in this section. This section usually suffers the most damage when exposed to gluten, and is one of the reasons many celiacs become deficient in these nutrients.
Sunlight ☀️ and supplementation are two keys to making sure you keep your levels where they need to be.
Check out the full post below to find out what the best Vitamin D range is, how to optimize your levels safely and effectively, and my exact daily routine and supplements I use (as a celiac).
‪👉 https://meandgfree.com/7-reasons-everyone-with-celiac-disease-needs-vitamin-d/ 👈‬
To better health…Kevin

16/02/2019

With Mardi Gras 🎭 🎉 just around the corner, it’s time to start thinking about where to eat GF in New Orleans! No better place to pay a visit than 100% Gluten-Free Maïs Arepas.
Prepare yourself for fresh, authentic Colombian cooking with a modern creole twist…including arepas! Delicious cornmeal pockets stuffed with a variety of meats, veggies 🌶, and cheeses 🧀. From skirt steak and Louisiana jumbo shrimp 🍤 to sweet plantains 🍌, melted mozzarella and more, you’re in for a real treat. Stop in to ‪1200 Carondelet Street‬ for lunch or dinner.
See more gluten-free New Orleans at 👉 ‪https://meandgfree.com/best-gluten-free-restaurants-new-orleans/ 👈‬
📸(Maïs Arepas)
@ Maïs Arepas

08/02/2019

Hello Austin, TX‼️ At its flagship in Burnett, and its trailer locations in South Lamar and St. Elmo, you’re in for “Real Food + Good Vibes” at Picnik Austin. The 100% GF concept is simple: wholesome food that’s convenient and nutritious. This is your go to place for gluten-free grab-and-go breakfast and lunch items, butter coffee, bone broth, and gluten-free pastries all with a focus on sourcing locally and using premium ingredients.
The Picnik team says, “we only use high integrity ingredients including local, grass-fed and pasture-raised meats 🥩, wild-caught fish, local and raw cheese 🧀, all-natural bacon 🥓, grass-fed butter, whey & collagen, pink himalayan sea salt, raw apple cider vinegar and we never use gluten, soy, peanuts or corn.” 🙌
Try dishes like the Picnik Cobb, Little Gem Caesar, Southwest Hash, Picnik’s butter coffee, and so much more.
See more gluten-free Austin at 👉 https://meandgfree.com/best-gluten-free-restaurants-austin/ 👈
(📸)Picnik
Find Me Gluten Free

01/02/2019

Outside Baltimore in Elliott City, MD is One Dish Cuisine Cafe, Deli, Bakery- gluten-free, allergen & vegan friendlyAn allergy-friendly and dedicated gluten-free café, deli and bakery that’s a destination in itself. Owner, Maureen Burke, says “We make almost everything from scratch and specialize in the foods that those with Celiac Disease and food allergies crave but never can enjoy.”
“We’re known for our American and Italian cuisine, pizzas 🍕, pastas, subs and sandwiches 🥪 because our crust and bread is so good. We also have a fully stocked bakery case with whoopie pies, cinnamon buns, cupcakes 🧁, muffins, pretzels and more!”
They’ve been awarded "The Most Allergy Friendly Restaurant in America" by AllergyEats and were voted one of 2019’s Top 15 Best Gluten Free Restaurants & Bakeries in America by customers.
If you’re traveling in or around the area, make it a point to stop in for an AMAZING meal!!!🙌
To see more Gluten-Free Baltimore visit 👉‪ https://meandgfree.com/best-gluten-free-restaurants-baltimore/ 👈 and be sure to follow Baltimore Gluten Free Andrea Tucker!
(📸)One Dish Cuisine
Find Me Gluten FreeFree

30/01/2019

Ever attended a GF&DF Expo before? Well, they've changed their name to the Nourished Festival and are the largest Gluten Free, Allergy & Special Diet Festival in the United States.
The name change serves to welcome Paleo, Keto & Plant-Based diets while still remaining 100% Gluten-Free!
Check out the 2019 schedule below:
San Diego, CA February 9-10, 2019
Atlanta, GA March 30-31, 2019
Sandy, UT May 4-5, 2019
Denver, CO May 18-19, 2019
Schaumburg, IL June 1-2, 2019
Worcester, MA July 20-21, 2019
Dallas, TX September 7-8, 2019
Seattle, WA September 21-22, 2019
Secaucus, NJ October 5-6, 2019
San Mateo, CA November 16-17, 2019

We have exciting news! The Gluten Free & Allergen Friendly Expos will now be called Nourished: The Gluten Free, Allergy & Special Diet Festivals.

In addition to our Gluten-Free & Nut-Free sections, we will be adding three NEW zones: Paleo, Keto & Plant-Based. Even in these expanded sections, ALL products at the festival will be gluten free.

We can't wait to help even more folks get nourished through food, healthy living products & education!

29/01/2019

Sounds like our kind of place!

“The Paradise for People with Celiac.”

There’s a town in Spain about 5 hours north of Madrid called “The Paradise for people with Celiac.” Cangas del Narcea.

How did it earn that name?

A few years ago celiac rates increased inexplicably throughout the town: 4% of the current 7,000 inhabitants of Cangas del Narcea are celiac. That’s three times the Spanish average.

All the town’s businesses serve gluten free food: restaurants, pizzerias, grocery stores, pharmacies, butchers, kiosks. All of them have received training to offer a safe service.

They also hold a special annual event: III Cangas without Gluten, a cultural and culinary event that has turned this natural paradise into a gastronomic paradise as well.

Thank you to Sandra Martinez Robles for tipping me off to this cool town!

25/01/2019

With only one week away from SuperBowl celebrations 🎉, no better time to showcase one of Atlanta’s BEST 💯% GF restaurants, Mediterranea. Located on Ormond St in Southeast Atlanta, you’ll find this beautifully designed, deliciously satisfying, dedicated gluten-free restaurant and bakery certified by the Gluten Intolerance Group👍.
Owners Gerard N**o (Italian pastry chef) and Gary McElroy (celiac) say that “the traditional Mediterranean diet, with an emphasis on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, olive oil, beans, nuts, and legumes; its reliance on seeds, herbs, and spices, and its attention to fish, seafood, and poultry, is our culinary foundation.”
For brunch try the house made GF cheddar chive biscuits topped with chicken sausage gravy 🙌, scones, and mini bundts. For dinner, enjoy dishes like calabrese shrimp 🍤 and orzo, steak 🥩 frites drizzled in house chimichurri sauce, shakshuka, classic veggie lasagna, involtini (thinly sliced zucchini roasted then wrapped around pan-fried haloumi cheese 🧀) and so much more‼️
Stop in Friday and ‪Saturday evening‬ for an unforgettable dinner (be sure to make a reservation since these are busy nights), or drop back in for a hearty ‪brunch Sunday morning‬ before the game.
To see more Gluten-Free Atlanta visit👉 ‪https://meandgfree.com/best-gluten-free-restaurants-atlanta/‬ 👈 and be sure to follow Gluten Free Go-To Guide, Jennifer Harris!
(📸)Mediterranea
Find Me Gluten Free

21/01/2019

GF patrons visiting NYC should be sure to put 💯% gluten-free Hu Kitchen on their list of places to stop in for a meal! This casual, real food kitchen and market serves delicious gluten-free health food 🥘 with a simple philosophy: serve people quality food so they can “get back to human.”
Build a true breakfast of champions with grain-free breakfast wraps and pancakes 🥞, paleo bagels 🥯, muffins, and berry scones. To drink? Organic fair-trade coffee ☕️ and tea.
For lunch or dinner, how about 100% grass-fed beef, brined organic rotisserie chicken 🍗, vegetarian sides, vegan lasagna, soups, wild meatloaf, or one of Hu’s unique (“often crazy”) specials like the organic chicken BLT burger 🍔 with house made paleo sriracha aioli…OR visit the bowl station and create your own healthy protein and veggie dishes.
To see more Gluten-Free NYC visit 👉 https://meandgfree.com/best-gluten-free-restaurants-new-york-city/ 👈 AND be sure to follow Gluten-Free Globetrotter, Erin Smith!
(📸)Hu Kitchen
@ Hu Kitchen

16/01/2019

Some of the best GF pastries 🥮 and desserts 🧁 in the U.S. can be found at this Chicago favorite in Riverside, IL. has a “flavor first” philosophy with a trained gluten intolerant pastry chef at the helm. It’s no surprise this 💯gluten-free bakery creates such amazing gluten-free pastries in true artistic fashion.
The selection is extensive and mouthwatering—from muffins, cookies 🍪, cupcakes and breakfast sandwiches 🥪 to breads, seasonal pies 🥧, scones, and buttermilk biscuits.
Pastry chef Adriana Saldaña-Meadath says “Our carrot 🥕 muffin is the top seller at the bakery. This muffin has the texture and flavor of a moist, light and airy carrot cake wrapped in a muffin liner. The combination of freshly grated carrots and the right balance of spices becomes a perfect complement to your morning coffee! Not only is it gluten free, but dairy free as well!”
See more from Flur Bakery (📸) and other Chicago GF favorites at 👉 https://meandgfree.com/best-gluten-free-restaurants-chicago/ 👈
You can also follow for a local’s GF perspective.

13/01/2019

No better way to celebrate 🎉 🎉then with a highlight of 150 of the Best Gluten-Free Restaurants and Bakeries across the country to visit in 2019‼️🙌
After receiving votes for nearly 200 different gluten-free restaurants and bakeries across the U.S. in 2018, we’ve outlined your top picks 🏆 and your favorite gluten-free spots below.👍
Visit 👉 https://meandgfree.com/150-must-visit-gluten-free-restaurants-bakeries/ 👈 to explore your next GF meal and the best GF cuisine this country has to offer!
Find Me Gluten Free

09/01/2019

🎉🙌🎉NIMA Winner + New Giveaway Announced‼️
Congratulations to Joanna H.👏🎉...You’re the WINNER of our Nima Sensor NIMA Starter Kit!!! Thanks for taking the time to vote for your favorite GF eatery.
If you didn’t win this time, no worries...join our email list NOW for the next FREE GF giveaway...
You can join by clicking the blue "Sign Up" button at the top of the page or by visiting here-> https://meandgfree.lpages.co/instagram-link-tree-general-email-opt-in/
Our next FREE Giveaway is a Simple Mills Baking Prize Pack with Certified Gluten-Free baking mixes that include flavors like Chocolate Chip Cookie, Chocolate Muffin & Cake, and Vanilla Cupcake & Cake. Yum! 😋
This contest is in no way associated with Facebook
Find Me Gluten Free