There is a lot of hype around gluten-free celebrities. Some have Celiac, most do not but everyone seems to get excited to learn about who of their favorite stars are now gluten-free. None of this excites me. I admit, I do like to hear the words gluten-free on TV or read it in the mainstream press but knowing that a celebrity has tried the gluten-free diet and likes it does not impress me. I don't care that Gwenyth talks about it on her blog, that Elisabeth "educates" (often with false information) on TV, or that Mariel has a new cookie. My gluten-free celebrities are quite different.
To me, gluten-free celebrities are the people on the ground who are making a difference for those of us with Celiac Disease. These celebrities are the ones educating others about celiac disease, writing gluten-free blogs and cookbooks, providing us with gluten-free products that allow us to eat healthily and live our best gluten-free lives, and basically making our gluten-free world a better place.
This weekend I was privileged to meet and reconnect with lots of gluten-free celebrities at Expo East in Baltimore, MD and WPIX11 Health and Wellness Expo. Yes, I tried lots of new gluten-free food and stuffed my face for two days straight but to me the highlight of the weekend was meeting the real folks in our gluten-free world. I don't mean to brag, but meeting these folks was a really big deal to me! Here are some of the great people that I spent time with this weekend:
I am sure I am forgetting some people so my apologies in advance. It really was such an amazing weekend; being surrounded by so many inspiring gluten-free individuals was terrific. Stay tuned for my food reviews and announcements in the upcoming days. There is really so much to cover!
To me, gluten-free celebrities are the people on the ground who are making a difference for those of us with Celiac Disease. These celebrities are the ones educating others about celiac disease, writing gluten-free blogs and cookbooks, providing us with gluten-free products that allow us to eat healthily and live our best gluten-free lives, and basically making our gluten-free world a better place.
This weekend I was privileged to meet and reconnect with lots of gluten-free celebrities at Expo East in Baltimore, MD and WPIX11 Health and Wellness Expo. Yes, I tried lots of new gluten-free food and stuffed my face for two days straight but to me the highlight of the weekend was meeting the real folks in our gluten-free world. I don't mean to brag, but meeting these folks was a really big deal to me! Here are some of the great people that I spent time with this weekend:
- Jill Brack, owner of Glow Gluten Free
- Carol Kicinski, blogger at Simply Gluten-Free and author of the new cookbook Simply Gluten-Free Desserts
- Sloane Miller, blogger at Please Don't Pass the Nuts and author of Allergic Girl
- Beth Hillson, president of the American Celiac Disease Alliance and food editor of Living Without Magazine
- Jules Shepard, owner of Jules Gluten Free and co-founder of 1in133.org
- John Forberger, Gluten-Free Tri and co-founder of 1in133.org
- Joel Warady, CMO of Enjoy Life Foods
- Amanda Freeman, co-founder of Vital Juice
- Bob Moore, found of Bob's Red Mill
- Vanessa Maltin Weisbrod, executive editor of Delight Gluten Free Magazine
- Amy Ratner, associate editor of Gluten Free Living Magazine
- Heidi Bayer, blogger at Brooklyn Allergy Mom and Chairman of the Board of Kids with Food Allergies Foundation
- Hilary Brown, founder and president of Hilary's Eat Well
- Maureen Stanley, blogger and podcast reporter at Hold the Gluten
- Eleanor Smith, founder and owner of El's Kitchen
I am sure I am forgetting some people so my apologies in advance. It really was such an amazing weekend; being surrounded by so many inspiring gluten-free individuals was terrific. Stay tuned for my food reviews and announcements in the upcoming days. There is really so much to cover!
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| Bob Moore, founder of Bob's Red Mill, and I at Expo East |
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| Carol Kicinski, of Simply Gluten-Free, and I at the Kinnikinnick booth at Expo East |
Labels: "Expo East", "gluten-free celebrities", gluten-free
