On the Road With Crime Writer BV Lawson

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Thanks to the wonder that is modern technology (okay, it was Twitter), I discovered that crime writer BV Lawson is on a gluten-free diet. BV is a former classical musician turned radio announcer turned writer who also worked for the Discovery Channel for over a decade. Now a full-time freelancer based in Arlington, Virginia, she’s penned radio and television scripts, articles for various publications, and won awards for her more than two dozen published stories and poems. (Check out her delightful “Gun Love” in Plots With Guns.) Thanks to the influence of library genes handed down from her mother, she created the blog In Reference to Murder which contains over 3,000 links for mystery readers and writers. She’s currently working on a series of novels set in various locations in and around the mid-Atlantic; be sure to visit her author site.

How long have you been on a gluten-free diet? Unfortunately, I only discovered the problem relatively recently, was in denial for awhile, then finally settled in to the full gluten-free lifestyle about two years ago. It’s been quite an adjustment.

How often do you travel? As often as possible, which isn’t often enough! My husband is a private pilot, so we rent a little Cessna 172 and fly whenever we can.

Where have you traveled since going gluten-free? Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, West Virginia, the eastern shore on the Delmarva Peninsula, and other areas of Virginia. Would love to go back to Europe or the Caribbean someday soon.

What foods or snacks do you usually pack when traveling? When I was in Florida recently for a night shuttle launch, we had a little mini-kitchen, so I took gluten-free instant oatmeal, instant grits, individual applesauce containers, cereal, juice, nuts, fruit and some chocolate (natch!). Breakfasts are the hardest due to all those “free continental” things they have in hotels these days, which are basically gluten gluts.

What other things do you always bring with you? Laptop computer, books, a little writing pad that fits in my purse for story ideas, a heating pad (can’t live without that – it’s great for emergencies), and unfortunately compression socks, thanks to a couple of rounds with blood clots. That leads me off on a bit of a tangent, but I believe it’s gluten related:  because I lived with a gluten problem for so long and didn’t realize it (in hindsight, it was very easy to see), it led to a whole host of health “annoyances.” Gluten problems are often linked with autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (which I have), fibromyalgia (which I have); plus, an acquired autoimmune condition can also lead to blood clots. My unscientific (but valid, I think) hypothesis is that gluten caused all the immune problems, which in turn led to the clots. I wish we could develop a good reliable gluten test to give to young people to prevent things like this later on in life.

Any favorite restaurants you’ve discovered on the road? What about in your town? We ate at a wonderful little hole-in-the wall restaurant in Melbourne, Florida, called the Thai Thai. I love Thai cuisine because they don’t use wheat much at all, except soy sauce, and I ordered some gluten-free soy sauce travel packets off the Internet. I’m also a big sushi fan. We have a wonderful pizza joint in Arlington called the Lost Dog Cafe, which the hubster and I have loved for years. When I went gluten-free, I had to salivate while I watched him eat the pizza, trying to enjoy my salad. Recently, they added gluten-free crusts, and I am in heaven. Another popular area pizza restaurant, Z Pizza, also recently added GF crusts, and I’m looking forward to trying them.

Any favorite hotels? It’s a little silly to choose a hotel due to its breakfast options, but Hampton Inns generally have a larger GF choice in their complimentary breakfast bar. We stayed at the Doubletree in Melbourne and loved it – all rooms are ocean view and we could open the sliding glass door to the patio and let the surf sounds waft through all night. Wonderfully soothing. My secret dream is to stay in one of those ritzy island getaways with your own private infinity-edge pool looking over the ocean.

Favorite city/destination that is not your hometown or current home base? From my childhood/teen years, I still have fond memories of the Bay of Fundy area and Prince Edward Island, as well as Florence, Italy. My husband is a diver, so we’ve enjoyed places like Bonaire together. We took an astronomy trip to Arizona in 2003 and fell in love with the desert southwest, including Tucson, Phoenix/Scottsdale and on up through Sedona to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. It’s a beautiful state, that Arizona. And for guilty pleasures that make you feel like a kid again – it’s Disney World.

What’s your dream destination? There are so many places on my list, it’s hard to narrow it to just one. Places in the Caribbean we haven’t been to, Hawaii, Alaska, Ireland, Iceland (yes, I know – volcanoes, but they have lovely views of the aurora borealis, too), Egypt, Australia, New Zealand. The world, basically. And hopefully be like my parents some day and be able to say that we’ve been to all 50 states.

Do you have any other advice for gluten-intolerant travelers? Try to avoid all packaged foods whenever possible (which is just about anything with over 5 ingredients). Definitely don’t be afraid to ask the waiter and/or manager about special food preparations, if you need them. If you have to, stick with chain brands with standardized food choices. Download as many GF restaurant menus as you can from their web sites online and take them with you (or transfer the info to your PDA/phone).

Gluten-Free Guidebook’s Reader Report Contest

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One of my favorite things about writing the Gluten-Free Guidebook is hearing from readers. I love it when you share your thoughts and opinions with me (as you did, most recently, on the issue of the celiac pill that is currently in medical trials), and when you take the time to write about a restaurant that serves great gluten-free meals. A few readers have contributed complete Reader Reports, in some cases about a trip they’ve taken and in others about their hometown. Either way, the effort and information is very much appreciated — by me, and by many other people.

I’m launching the first-ever Gluten-Free Guidebook Reader Report Contest because I’d like to hear from more of you. The rules are simple: write a Reader Report about gluten-free restaurants and shops in the place where you live, or a place you’ve visited. Each report that you write must be at least 300 words, and each one you write will get you entered into a random draw for a guidebook giveaway: the winner will receive a copy of my Frommer’s Toronto 2010 and Frommer’s Canada. There’s no limit to the number of Reader Reports you can write: if you send one, you’ll be entered in the drawing once, if you send five reports you’ll be entered five times.

For examples of great Reader Reports that have run in the past, take a look at these examples: Buenos Aires, Amman, Hawaii, and Las Vegas. There’s a range of styles, and there’s no one right way to do it. Remember, any information you share is going to be valuable to other gluten-intolerant people.

By entering this contest, you automatically give me the right to publish your Reader Report on the Gluten-Free Guidebook, and to edit it as necessary for clarity and length; however, I am under no obligation to publish it. Your entry must be your own original work and cannot infringe on anyone’s copyright. You hold the copyright to your own material and can publish it elsewhere, in print or online. Entrants need to send me their full names and their mailing addresses (the mailing address is only for the prize draw; the information will be kept strictly confidential). Please let me know if you would like only your first name to be published with your Reader Report; if you do not specify this, your first and last name will be used.

The deadline for entries is June 7, June 30, 2010. Entries must be e-mailed to glutenfreeguidebook [at] gmail [dot] com; please put “Reader Report Contest” in the subject. This contest is open to readers around the world, except where prohibited by law. I look forward to reading your Reader Reports!

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Speaking of contests, voting is open for the Spinetingler Awards until April 30th. My short story “Insatiable” is a finalist for a Best Short Story Award. Please visit the site, look at the contenders, and vote for your favorite story using this online ballot.

More About That Celiac Pill

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One of the most popular — and controversial — columns I’ve ever written on this site was just a few weeks ago: “Would You Pop a Pill to Eat Gluten Again?” The responses from readers were passionate and divided. To get a sense of this, take a look at the comments under that post. There were also many people who wrote to me directly to share their feelings on the matter. Here’s what some of them had to say:

“Going gluten-free has opened my heart and mind to a healthier lifestyle both in food and in exercise. I would not take a pill or a vaccine just to eat gluten again. I am healthy and happy, why mess with that?!”

“I would like to have the option to take a pill OCCASIONALLY but probably not on a regular basis, as I am quite pleased with my new diet and the many gluten-free products available.”

“I would NOT go off my GF diet and use a pill. The only exception might be when traveling to locations that are not familiar with this kind of restriction. The other exception might be a wedding or special event where having a piece of cake would be part of the celebration.”

“Since we dine out almost every weekend, I order GF foods (mostly broiled) as much as possible, but I am not always 100% sure it is GF, so it would be nice to have a pill to take for just in case purposes; otherwise, eating GF during the rest of the week is something I would continue.”

There was a response on the comment thread that I found very poignant:

“I’m actually shocked that I am the only [one] that responded saying that I would definitely take a pill to enjoy a meal and not have to ask a million questions about what is in it and how it was prepared. I’m in my late 20’s and having celiac has really taken a toll on my social life. I attend meetings and events almost every night for work and am not able to eat anything. Food is the center of our social get-togethers and it really sucks to ‘be different.’ Even when I do go out to dinner, while everyone else is enjoying warm French bread, I have to sit there and watch. When I go out with family and friends we can only honour where I can eat and I hate putting that burden on everyone else. Yes the diet can be a healthier choice but I would trade in the diet for a ‘normal’ diet that can still be healthy.”

That column was prompted by a story I was interviewed for in Allergic Living. The piece “The Future of Celiac Disease: Celiac’s Next Act,” written by Lisa Fitterman, has just been published in the magazine’s Spring 2010 issue. Unfortunately the story isn’t currently available online (though it may eventually be archived on the Allergic Living website). It’s a terrific, well-researched piece, and I’d encourage you to read it. I was already familiar with the research into the celiac vaccine in Australia and the celiac pill in Baltimore, but I had no idea that researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands were also working on a pill. It feels like it’s just a matter of time until one is on the market.

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If you’re interested in my crime fiction, I have a couple of new short stories that have just been published. “Fetish” appears in Beat to a Pulp, and can be read online for free. “The Black Widow Club” is in the newly launched Needle: A Magazine of Noir, which is in print only, but can be ordered online.

NYC’s Rosa Mexicano Goes Gluten-Free

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I’ve mentioned Rosa Mexicano before: it’s one of my favorite restaurants in New York, and definitely a spot for a celebration. But on my latest visit, I wasn’t exactly celebrating. My husband took me there to cheer me up after I’d had some minor surgery for a possible skin cancer. When we had dinner, we were still waiting for the biopsy results.

I’ve never given much thought to melanoma, mostly because I am not a person who tans. Ever. I have pale Irish skin, and I wear sunscreen every day, even in winter. A few months ago, I noticed that I had a couple of new moles, and I went to a dermatologist to have them checked out. The doctor examined and measured them, and assured me that they weren’t a problem. Then she did a full-body mole check. She identified a couple of moles that were suspicious, and removed the larger of the two that day. It was biopsied and turned out to be fine. I only went back to have the second mole removed a month ago. Small as it was, it turned out to be filled with severely dysplastic cells, which the lab flagged as aggressive. The result was that I needed some minor, in-office surgery to remove the surrounding tissue over my left bicep. It wasn’t difficult or painful, but it required ten stitches to close.

My husband chose Rosa Mexicano for dinner because we’ve been there many times. He knew that there were a number of gluten-free items on the menu, even though they weren’t identified as such (forcing me to double-check on each visit that the dishes were still celiac-safe). On this most recent visit, I had a very pleasant surprise: Rosa Mexicano has introduced a separate gluten-free menu. Given how many options are on it, it’s a wonder that they didn’t do it sooner. (The gluten-free menus are available at all three of Rosa Mexicano’s Manhattan locations, though the one at the original First Avenue spot is a little different from the others.) I’m embarrassed to admit that, this time around, I stuck to my tried-and-true favorites, including the pomegranate margarita and the Budín de Pollo, a decadent tortilla pie filled with layers of chicken, peppers, and cheese.

The discovery made my evening. The next day, I found out that the biopsied tissue was given the all-clear. I’m still feeling very grateful about that. If you’ve never had your skin checked out by a dermatologist, please do.

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On March 31st, I was thrilled to learn that my crime story “Insatiable” is a finalist for a Spinetingler Award in the “Best Short Story” category. “Insatiable” originally ran in Beat to a Pulp in September 2009. Voting on the Spinetingler Awards is open to the public until April 30, 2010, and requires no registration. Links to all of the nominated stories are on the ballot. I hope that you’ll stop by, read the contenders, and vote.

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Speaking of crime, several writer friends decided to have a flash fiction challenge about how I really got that new scar over my bicep. I owe a huge thank you to everyone who took part: Eric Beetner, Chris F. Holm, A.J. Hayes, Naomi Johnson, Chris La Tray, Ellen Neuborne, Steve Weddle, and especially Dan O’Shea, who instigated the challenge in the first place (there was also one anonymous entry). I couldn’t have dreamed up a better get-well gift. Thank you all.

A Sweet Passover for Celiacs

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What does it say about me that one of the holidays I most look forward to is Passover, and I’m not even Jewish? But I do live in New York, where the holiday is widely observed. Many grocery stores have a special section set up for the occasion, and that’s normally a goldmine for gluten-free items. Passover — also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread — generally prohibits the consumption of grains (rice and beans are also on the forbidden list for Ashkenazi Jews). I say “mostly” since one staple of the regular Passover diet is matzo, an unleavened bread that’s made from wheat. That means anything made with matzo — such as matzo-ball soup, gefilte fish, and any product made with matzo meal — isn’t celiac-safe.

Still, options abound, especially when it comes to treats. Passover desserts range from traditional macaroons to raspberry rolls, chocolate-covered marshmallows to fudge brownies, and marble loaf cake to chocolate-chip cookies. One brand that I’ve grown to know well over the past few years is Shabtai Gourmet, a bakery that is entirely gluten-free; they are also dairy- caesin- and soy-free, and their products are certified kosher. If you live in the continental USA, they offer free mail-order delivery of their products. Take a look at their offerings at [web] www.shabtai-gourmet.com, or call [tel] 516-652-5671.

There are other companies that prepare gluten-free items for Passover, such as Manischewitz (which makes potato starch noodles) and Dr. Prager (which makes spinach-and-potato pancakes). Nancy Lapid, About.com’s celiac guide, prepared a great list of items to watch for in “The Jewish Holiday of Passover: A Gluten-Free Bonanza.”

Finally, thanks to Google, I’ve learned that there’s even gluten-free matzo available now. Created by a rabbi based in England, Shemura Oat Matzos are gluten-free and meet the strict requirements of Passover foods (the oats are literally watched as they’re baked, to ensure that they don’t rise). The product is available in the US and Canada, as well as Australia, South Africa, Belgium, England, and Israel. Shops that sell it in North America include:

Kosher Cajun [address] 3519 Severn Avenue, Metairie, Louisiana [tel] 504-888-2010 [web] www.koshercajun.com

Fishman’s Delicatessen & Bakery [address] 4100 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park, Minnesota [tel] 952-926-5611 [web] www.fishmanskosher.com

Also, Kosher.com will ship orders anywhere in the US. I wish everyone who celebrates the holiday a very sweet Passover.

UPDATE 04/03/2010: I’ve found a few articles — and recipes — that are well worth checking out:

The Gluten-Free Guidebook Turns Two

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On Monday, the Gluten-Free Guidebook celebrated its second anniversary. That seems like forever in blog years, and I want to thank everyone who has taken the time to write to me, make a comment on the site, join the Facebook group (745 members and growing!), follow me on Twitter, and subscribe to the e-mail digest. I’m especially grateful to those who’ve sent me Reader Reports about where they live or a place they’ve visited. There are now reports on celiac-friendly restaurants and shops from Paris to Buenos Aires, from Amman to Edmonton, and from Oahu to Las Vegas. All of your suggestions are appreciated — often by more people than you may realize.

Since an anniversary is a good time for reflection, I want to share the rules that guide me while I’m on the road:

  • The trip starts when you’re still at home: Before you hit the road, you need to spend some quality time researching your destination online. Starting with a basic Google search is fine, but check out sites that list restaurants that cater to a gluten-intolerant clientele. Some of my favorites include Gluten-Free Maps and Celiac Handbook; I also love city-specific sites, such as Gluten-Free in SD (San Diego) and Toronto Celiac. Look for local celiac-awareness groups via Clan Thompson’s Celiac Site and the Association of European Coeliac Societies. Also, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness and the Gluten Intolerance Group have great information for travelers to, or within, North America. Don’t overlook local blogs — these can be invaluable.
  • Getting there is half the battle: When I arrive at my destination, I know that I’ll find some restaurants that are willing to feed a celiac (even if they’ve never done so before!). On the other hand, my experiences in trying to get gluten-free meals on flights has been dismal (a couple of bright spots for me have been LAN and British Airways, though I haven’t flown either one recently). I’ve told you already about my awful experience with American Airlines, and you may have seen the news that Continental has just eliminated its gluten-free meal option. When I interview people for the “On the Road With…” columns, I always ask how they handle the issue. Everyone brings food with them. You can take a look at the archive to get ideas of what to pack — just don’t go empty-handed, or you’ll likely end up with a very empty stomach.
  • Celiac dining cards go everywhere: They fit into your wallet, weigh nothing, and are life savers. Need a card in a foreign tongue? Head over to Celiac Travel for an amazing selection of free cards (in 47 different languages) that you can download and print. While you’re there, print out a couple in English, too. That can save you from repeating your dietary restrictions to each member of the restaurant staff, and the card can be left with the chef for reference purposes.
  • Remember that you need to relax: When I’m traveling, sometimes I feel worn down by having to explain my dietary restrictions at every breakfast, lunch and dinner. That can be exhausting, especially when you’re doing it in a foreign language. Find ways to make it easier for yourself. If you find a restaurant that does a terrific job of accommodating you early in your stay, visit it again before you leave. If you’re at a hotel with a helpful concierge, have him or her call the restaurant and explain your dietary restrictions in advance. Go to a local supermarket and buy foods you can stash in your room (fresh fruit, nuts, yogurt) so that you have snacks on hand, or even breakfast for the next day. Travel is all about new experiences, but that doesn’t mean that every meal has to be a fresh challenge.

I’d love to hear what helps you when you’re on the road. Here’s to the year ahead, and to making plenty of new discoveries.

An Unexpected East Village Find

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I’ve been spoiled lately. So many restaurants have started offering gluten-free options that it’s becoming increasingly rare for me to need to explain the diet when I go out. While I love the convenience, I realize that I’m gravitating to the same places, over and over again, rather than finding new ones.

This really hit home last week, when I was at a lounge, Three of Cups, in New York’s East Village. I was there because the lounge’s basement bar is home to the monthly “Sweet: Actors Reading Writers” events, a literary series created by Shelly Oria and Annie Levy. I’d been invited to participate because my debut crime novel, The Damage Done, will be published by Forge in October 2010. (I mentioned my two-book deal with Forge in a previous post; if you want to read more about my fiction, the terrific Steve Weddle of Do Some Damage recently interviewed me.) It was an exciting opportunity, particularly since a very talented actress, Maria Portman Kelly, would read from my book.

It turned out to be a wonderful evening. There were five different actors reading works by five writers, and the space was packed. (If you’ll be in New York anytime soon, I’d encourage you to check out the series; the next reading is April 1st.) My editor asked me and my husband to have dinner afterwards with a couple of other editors from Forge. They were planning to eat at Three of Cups, and I immediately balked at the idea. All I’d seen on the menu at the restaurant above the bar was pizza and pasta, and I was sure I wouldn’t find anything to eat.

I was wrong. It turned out that I had options — not a long list of choices, but a few dishes that were very simply prepared — and that the restaurant’s staff was very accommodating. For a gluten-free appetizer, there was grilled calamari (not breaded, just treated with a little salt and oil), a caprese salad (tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, basil, and oil), and prosciutto with Parmesan (literally, just those two wonderful ingredients on a plate); we ordered all of them for the table to share. For my main course, I had roasted chicken, seasoned with rosemary, salt, and oil and served with potatoes and string beans. It was a wonderful meal for many reasons: great company, terrific food, and an important reminder that gluten-intolerant people have a wider range of options than it might at first seem.

Three of Cups [address] 83 First Avenue (at Fifth Street), New York, NY [tel] 212-388- 0059 [web] http://threeofcupsnyc.com

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Speaking of The Damage Done, the design team at Forge did an amazing job on the book’s cover. Also, I’m excited to announce that three of my short stories have been nominated for Derringer awards: “Insatiable” appeared in Beat to a Pulp, “Stepmonster” in Thuglit, and “Family Man” in Crimespree.

Would You Pop a Pill to Eat Gluten Again?

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A couple of weeks ago, I was interviewed for an article in Allergic Living magazine. The story will be published in the summer — and when it’s out, I’ll let you know — but some of the questions got me thinking. The reporter was well-educated about research into celiac disease and about the work that some pharmaceutical firms are doing to develop a pill that would allow a celiac to eat gluten again.

“How do you feel about that?” she asked me. I told her the truth: I find the research intriguing, but I’m not interested in taking a pill that would let me eat gluten.

She was surprised. She rephrased the question. I asked her if she was gluten-intolerant and she said that she wasn’t. I explained that many people have said to me, in the six years since I was diagnosed with celiac disease, how terrible it must be to be on a gluten-free diet. But none of those people were actually on a gluten-free diet themselves.

I actually love the gluten-free diet. I don’t cheat on it. I don’t go to dinner with gluten-eating friends and wish that I could eat what they’re eating. And I don’t miss wheat or the other things I can’t have (seriously, has anyone in the world ever missed eating rye?). It’s true that the gluten-free diet solved many of my health problems, but it did more for me than that. It forced me to reconsider everything I’d been putting in my mouth. Before my diagnosis, I never read a food label. Suddenly I had to, and I discovered that there were a lot of things in processed foods that I didn’t want to put in my body. That’s not to say that I don’t have my indulgences. My favorite food groups are cheese, chocolate, and wine. But most of my meals are made from healthful, unprocessed ingredients.

It’s great news that pharmaceutical firms are taking notice of celiac disease, and there are some clinical trials — like the possible celiac vaccine — that I’m watching with great interest. While I’m certainly in favor of pharmaceutical firms doing research into a pill that would let celiacs eat gluten, I’m not interested in taking it myself. Part of that is simple suspicion: I like to know what the long-term effects of taking any medication are. But part is an unwillingness to go back to the days when I had medications for migraines, mouth ulcers, and other health problems. I love that the gluten-free diet cleared up these problems, and I’m not interested in relying on a prescription medication if I don’t have to.

I’m curious how other gluten-intolerant people feel about this. Are you eagerly awaiting results from the clinical trials? Or would you stick with a gluten-free diet, even if there were a prescription that would let you eat wheat?

New Websites for the Gluten-Free

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If you’re a regular reader of this site, you’ve already heard about some of the websites I love. When I was a newly diagnosed celiac in 2004, I spent a lot of time searching for information online… and when I started traveling again (also in 2004, but much later that year), the Internet was my starting point. Some of my longtime favorites include Celiac Handbook, which has an amazing collection of resources from around the world, Celiac Travel, which provides, for free, celiac translation cards in 47 languages, and Clan Thompson’s Celiac Site, which offers a free online newsletter. More recently, I’ve become a fan of Gluten Free Maps, which pinpoints locations of restaurants that cater to gluten-intolerant diners.

There are a couple of very new sites that I’ve already bookmarked, and I want to share them with you. The first is Social Simmer, which started up late last year. It’s an intriguing mix of resources for people with gluten intolerance and/or food allergies and a social networking hub. Social Simmer links to related articles and blogs, and it also offers original reviews of restaurants. I’m just learning about the social networking side of the site, but I’m already hooked. Since the site lets you search for restaurants by different criteria, it’s a very useful addition to the scene, particularly for people who have a food allergy in addition to gluten intolerance.

The other site that’s caught my interest is Nanette’s Dish. This new site is devoted to vegetarian cooking and dining, and already contains recipes (like this Red Quinoa Tabouli Salad) and restaurant notes. Nanette’s Dish takes a special interest in gluten-free living — the author’s husband has celiac disease — but not everything on the site is for the gluten-intolerant. Speaking as a celiac who’s married to a vegetarian, I’m already sure I’ll be visiting this site often.

Are there other new online resources you would recommend? Please let me know.

On the Road With Daphne Oz

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Last October, I was excited to find an excellent article on Oprah’s website about gluten intolerance. The author was Daphne Oz, daughter of Oprah’s favorite health expert, Dr. Mehmet Oz. Daphne, who graduated from Princeton in  2008, is an author in her own right: in 2006, she published The Dorm Room Diet, which is being re-released in an expanded and revised edition this September; in 2007, she wrote The Dorm Room Diet Planner. She is also co-author of the bestselling books You: The Owner’s Manual, You: The Smart Patient, You: On a Diet, You: Staying Young, and You: Being Beautiful. Last year, after experiencing health issues that ranged from sleep problems to weight fluctuations, Daphne followed the advice of a naturopathic, Ayurvedic doctor who recommended that she cut gluten from her diet. While tests have shown that she doesn’t have celiac disease, Daphne noticed her health improve on the gluten-free diet. She’s currently at work on a self-improvement book about conscious living.

How often do you travel? I am a total gypsy. In October and November, I was living in Chicago, but now I’m back in New York. Recently I’ve also traveled to Florida, Philadelphia, Maine, California, and England.

What foods or snacks do you pack when traveling? There are some staples that I always bring with me, like pistachio nuts. My dad has really drilled home the nuts issue! They’re a great snack. I also bring apples and soy crisps. Generally, I prefer to eat food I’ve brought with me, rather than what’s served on a plane.

What other things do you always bring with you? I’ve assembled a travel pack because I’m on the road so much. I bring hand sanitizer, facial moisturizer, lip balm, and a full-size pillow — those tiny pillows they give you on planes just don’t work for me. I bring my iPod and a bunch of magazines, like Oprah and Vogue.

Any favorite restaurants? I absolutely love a New York restaurant called Peasant. They serve fresh fish with just a little olive oil and sage. There’s no gluten-free menu, but the food prep is so simple that many dishes are naturally gluten-free. There’s another place in New York, Fatty Crab, that I really like. They serve Malaysian cuisine and have amazing coconut-milk broths. In Los Angeles, I always go to the Newsroom Café, which does great vegetarian food, and the LA Mill, a coffeeshop that serves food, including gluten-free crackers. In London, I just had brunch at Baker & Spice, where they had wonderful Mediterranean salads, like peppers and feta cheese, and roasted sweet potato.

Any favorite hotels? Staying at the Penninsula in Los Angeles was probably the most luxurious experience of my life.

Favorite city or destination that is not your hometown or current home base? I love Istanbul for many reasons. I have family there, the food is wonderful, and the city has this amazing union of Byzantine architecture and modern skyscrapers. I also love London, even though the weather is terrible.

What’s your dream destination? The place that immediately comes to mind is Thailand, because of the history and culture. I’d also love to see Bora Bora.

Do you have any other advice for gluten-intolerant travelers? When you’re traveling, one of the best things to do is to visit a local market, where you can get fresh fruit. Not only is that good for you, but it teaches you a bit about the culture of a place.

Photograph provided courtesy of Daphne Oz.