More restaurants serve gluten-free fare

Several restaurants in Columbia, Mo., offer gluten-free entrees, part of a national trend of increased gluten-free options in both eateries and at retail stores. Sales of gluten-free food rose 16% from 2008 to 2009, according to Nielsen, driven in part by people who do not have celiac disease but believe there are health benefits to cutting gluten. Read more
http://tiny.cc/373s3

New online program offers virtual language immersion

Middlebury College is partnering with online-learning company K12 to create an Internet-based immersion program for high-school students learning foreign languages. The program will modeled after an intensive summer language academy and will offer the equivalent of a school year of language immersion through online video, audio and avatars. Organizers say the program, which will be available first in Spanish and French, can be used in online schools, brick-and-mortar settings or as part of blended-learning models. Read more http://tiny.cc/u4c9l

Social-networking tool for tweens is headed to schools

A new social-networking tool that targets children between ages 8 and 13 launched Tuesday and soon could be available to more than 56,000 schools. The Everloop network has established a partnership with the Internet-safety program i-Safe, which will introduce the program in schools to teach about social media. The network, which says it is compliant with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, requires parental permission to join and is monitored by the company to prevent inappropriate behavior. Read more http://venturebeat.com/2011/02/15/everloop-i-safe/

Celiac expert pens cookbooks, advises people to read labels

Carol Fenster finally got a celiac disease diagnosis in 1988 for her sinus infections and respiratory problems and since then has made it her mission to develop gluten-free recipes. Her latest cookbook is "100 Best Gluten-Free Recipes" and her website,gfreecuisine.com, offers even more ideas, but she encourages people to first read food labels at the grocery store to ensure products are gluten-free. Read more  http://www.mlive.com/living/jackson/index.ssf/2011/02/post_9.html

Gluten-free market grows but not due to celiac disease

The gluten-free food market in the U.S. is growing faster than expected but not many people are buying these items to treat celiac disease or gluten intolerance, according to Packaged Facts. Its consumer survey found the top reason for buying gluten-free products was a perception they are generally healthier, followed by a belief they will help with weight control. Read more  http://tiny.cc/hffp0

Celiac mortality is not affected by serological tests

Serological tests to help diagnose celiac disease have not affected mortality rates, British researchers reported in the American Journal of Gastroenterology. The introduction of serologic testing increased the number of people being diagnosed with celiac disease tenfold, but researchers said it probably led to identification of milder cases.
Read more Medscape (free registration)/Reuters 

6 Ways Apples Have Been Used to Predict Love

To find out your love's initial: "If someone peels an apple in one piece and throws it over his or her shoulder or head, it will fall in the shape of a future love's initial."
To have a dream about your future love: Stick "18 pins into a golden apple...tying (your) left garter around it, and placing it under (your) pillow at night."
To see a vision of your love: "Eating an apple in front of a mirror by the light of the candle was supposed to cause the image of you future love to appear in the mirror as if he was looking over your shoulder."
To find out which way your love will approach: "Squeeze a seed between your fingers, and observe where it flies out."
Or, "you can throw a seed in the air and let it fall to the ground or simply shake it between your cupped hands. Your love will come from the direction in which the seed points."

To find out if he will propose: Name two seeds, one for yourself, one for your lover and toss them into a fire, if they "fly off in different directions, there will be no romantic relationship. If the seed burn together without flying off, the man will never propose. If they both fly off the same side...the pair will marry."
If you can't decide between potential suitors: Stick a bunch of apple seeds to your face "each named for one of the lovers...the last seed to fall off represents the person who loves you wholeheartedly."

Which one(s) have you heard/tried? What's your trick?
Read more at http://tiny.cc/3eo4h

Gluten-free diet should lead to prompt results, expert says

Many people with celiac disease see fairly rapid improvement after adopting a gluten-free diet but it still can be five years before their intestines fully heal, says nutrition specialist Dr. Melina Jampolis. If symptoms persist, she says look for hidden gluten in the diet or a nutrient deficiency and investigate refractory sprue, a less common form of celiac disease that doesn't retreat solely after removing gluten and requires stronger immune treatment.
http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/28/what-can-i-do-about-my-celiac-disease/

Study finds genetic links for celiac, Crohn's diseases

A study in the journal PLoS Genetics found several genetic risk factors are the same for celiac and Crohn's diseases. An international research team found two new shared genetic risk loci. They also discovered two shared risk loci that previously were linked individually to each disease. http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=649134