Gluten Free NHL Arenas

After attending the St. Louis Blues game and seeing their gluten free offerings, I did some research to see which other NHL arenas have gone gluten free. Here's a list of the gluten free NHL arenas:

• American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX) - Suites offer gluten free options.
• Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, TN) - Suites offer gluten free options.
• Consol Energy Center (Pittsburgh, PA) - gluten free beer.
• Jobing.com Arena (Glendale, AZ) - Suites offer gluten free options.
• Madison Square Garden (New York, NY) - gluten free cart. 
• Prudential Center (Newark, NJ) - gluten free cart located in Section 6. Items include gluten free hot dogs, beer, salads and snacks.
• RBC Center (Raleigh, NC) - gluten free beer located throughout arena.
• Scottrade Center (St. Louis, MO) - gluten free card located in Section 115. Gluten free beer located throughout arena.
• Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA) - Outtakes Section 104 (gluten free beer and snacks)
• United Center (Chicago, IL) - gluten free beer and snacks located throughout the arena.
• Verizon Center (Washington DC) - gluten free hot dogs and cookies (Section 110). Gluten free pretzel and beer (Section 112) and brownies (Section 214) .
• Wells Fargo Arena (Philadelphia, PA) - gluten free cart near Sections 122-123.
• Xcel Energy Center (Saint Paul, MN) - gluten free cart near Section 230.

It looks like quite a few of the NHL arenas are offering some g-free options. If you have tried any of the gluten free foods at these arenas, let us know what you thought!

Scottrade Center Goes Gluten Free

The Scottrade Center, home of the St. Louis Blues, has gone gluten free! This past weekend my fiancee and I attended a St. Louis Blues game here and as usual, I ate a g-free dinner before heading out for the evening. All of you following a gluten free diet out there know that trying to find something g-free at a sporting arena is very difficult. So as I was walking to my seat I was shocked to see this...

A cart devoted entirely to gluten free foods! The cart offered everything from nachos, to hot dogs and gluten free beer. I was extremely impressed by the selection of food and snacks they had to offer. If you are heading to the Scottrade Center, be sure to stop by the gluten free cart located outside Section 115.

Chick-fil-A Adds New Gluten Free Options

On January 9, 2012 Chick-fil-A announced that it will be adding new gluten free chicken nuggets as part of their healthier kids meal options. Now all Chick-fil-A restaurants will offer Grilled Nuggets which are gluten free and lower in fat. The nuggets come in either 4 (80 calories) or 6 (110 calories) piece meals and are made of 100% breast meat which is much healthier than those pre-formed nuggets made from mechanically separated chicken.

In addition to adding gluten free nuggets to the menu, Chick-fil-A has also added a gluten free applesauce. Buddy Fruits are 100% fruit juice snacks in an easy on-the-go pouch.

Both of these new gluten free items are part of Chick-fil-A's initiative to offer the most nutritious kids meals. Even though I'm an adult, I'm excited to try out these new gluten free menu items! When you're on the go and looking for a quick bite, stop by Chick-fil-A and try out their new gluten free options. For more information on the new gluten free and healthy kids meal options at Chick-fil-A check out their page here.

Have you tried the new gluten free options at Chick-fil-A? If so, leave us a comment and let us know what you thought!

Elisabeth Hasselbeck Talks Celiac Disease

Yesterday Elisabeth Hasselbeck appeared on the Dr. Oz show to discuss her life with Celiac Disease. After her diagnosis in 2002, Elisabeth became an advocate for the gluten free diet and brings a lot of  much needed awareness to the disease. She has developed a line of gluten free products called NoGii as well as written a book and cookbook on the topic. Check out her interview and let us know which of Elisabeth's products you have tried and can't live without!

What Is Celiac Disease?

Celiac Disease, also known as Celiac Sprue, is a lifelong autoimmune disorder that damages the small intestine. Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder meaning that the immune system attacks the body. Therefore Celiac Disease is NOT a food allergy. In individuals with Celiac Disease, villi (small fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine) are damaged when gluten is ingested. Villi are responsible for nutrient absorption therefore individuals with Celiac Disease often become malnourished. There is no cure for Celiac Disease at this time and the only medical treatment for Celiac Disease is lifelong adherence to a gluten free diet.

In addition to being an autoimmune disease, Celiac Disease is a genetic disease meaning that it runs in families. According to National Digestive Diseases Information Clearing House, those who have a first degree relative (parent, sibling, child) with Celiac Disease have a 1 in 22 change of having the disease. This means that it is extremely important to be tested for Celiac Disease if someone in your family has tested positive for the disease. Even if it is not a first degree relative, you should be tested just to be certain.


It has been estimated that 1 in 133 Americans, or 1% of the population, have Celiac Disease. Unfortunately as many as 95% of those Americans have not been diagnosed and are unaware that they have Celiac Disease. And it has been estimated that the average time to properly diagnose Celiac Disease is 6-10 years in the United States! Why? Because there are hundred of symptoms of Celiac Disease and the symptoms vary from person to person, making it difficult for physicians to properly diagnose Celiac Disease. The most common symptoms of Celiac Disease include:

• Abdominal Bloating & Pain
• Vomiting
• Chronic Diarrhea
• Weight Loss
• Constipation
• Gas
• Fatty stool
• Fatigue
• Infertility or Miscarriage


If you or someone you know are experiencing one or all of these symptoms, you should be tested for Celiac Disease. To diagnose Celiac Disease, a simple blood test is ordered to test anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTGA) or anti-endomysium antiobodies (EMA). In order for the blood tests to be accurate, individuals need to be eating gluten containing foods. If the blood tests come back with high tTGA or EMA levels, then a small intestine biopsy using an endoscope is ordered to confirm diagnosis.

Important Things to Remember About Celiac Disease:

• Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder, not a food allergy
• Celiac Disease is a genetic disorder so everyone in the family should be tested
• 1 in 133 Americans have Celiac Disease, and 95% may not know that they have the disease
• There are hundreds of symptoms of Celiac Disease
• A simple blood test is all that it takes to know if you have Celiac Disease

Source: National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse