I came across a very interesting and helpful blog entry at Jens Gluten Free Blog this morning.  It is a guest blog entry written Nancy Kohler who suffers from multiple food intolerances and authors the blog The Sensitive Pantry.  I liked the post because it tackles how people with a gluten-intolerance or celiac disease can start out living gluten-free.  Nancy put more details in her blog, but the basics of her 5 steps to living gluten-free are

1. Accept. It means a change in life-stlye
2. Learn. About gluten.  From a dietitian, websites, blogs, iPhone apps
3. Read. Ingredient labels.  Don’t hesitate to call a manufacturer
4. Eat. Cook gluten-free recipes.  Choose GF options at restaurants
5. Live. Embrace your new life-style.  100%

This list is a very good starting point.  There was a comment to the blog that I totally agree with, and I therefore add it here because I believe it is important:

• Join. A support group.

The Gluten Intolerance Group, Celiac Sprue Association, and Cel Kids Network are great resources to learn from others and share experiences.  It is also important to realize that there is No Need to Panic – plenty of people are in the same situation though it might be intimidating at first. We had a little discussion here at Custom Choice Cereal and agreed that continuously reading a couple of the outstanding gluten-free blogs that are available (see our blogroll on the right hand side) is crucial and should be included in “Read”.  I wanted to thank Nancy for this great blog entry because I am sure it helps a lot of people who are overwhelmed by their diagnosis.

Here are some good news:  the additional costs resulting from the purchase of gluten-free food items instead of the comparable conventional food that contains gluten are tax deductible.  Details on how to qualify for these tax deductions and a short “to do” list can be found on our page with information about celiac disease.  Let’s hope the IRS keeps this rule up, and make sure you keep all receipts from your gluten-free food purchases!