By Sharon Palmer, RD
Today’s Dietitian
Vol. 12 No. 5 P. 18
The world of diet and nutrition has been well documented in the blogosphere. Some of the most popular bloggers—from Julie Powell, who was immortalized in the movie Julie & Julia, to Hungry Girl, diet tip maven Lisa Lillien—have capitalized on the subject of foods and diets. So it makes perfect sense that gluten-free eating would be a thriving subject in the online journaling world. It has all the ingredients that make for a captivating blog: confusion, opinions, back story, a need for resources, and current interest.
The incidence of celiac disease (CD) has risen; one in 100 people is now affected, according to the William K. Warren Medical Research Center for Celiac Disease at the University of California, San Diego. Yet it is one of the most often misdiagnosed and untreated diseases in the country. Facing a life with CD can be daunting, which is why many gluten-free followers turn to blogs to help them navigate the challenges of their new diet and lifestyle. And it’s key for nutrition professionals to keep abreast of current diet and nutrition perspectives circulating on the Internet.
Today’s Dietitian searched the Internet to review some of today’s hottest gluten-free blogs. There are virtually dozens of these blogs penned by a range of authors—from teenagers and moms to chefs and dietitians—and the gluten-free advice they share with thousands of followers is equally diverse. It’s important to keep your finger on the pulse of these blogs. This way, when a client quotes Gluten-Free Girl, you’ll be prepared to offer an opinion.
— Sharon Palmer, RD, is a contributing editor at Today’s Dietitian and a freelance food and nutrition writer in southern California.
Popular Gluten-Free Blogs
| Blog | Mission | Resources Offered | Usefulness |
| Celiac Chicks (Kim and Kelly): www.celiacchicks.com | Friends Kim and Kelly, both self-diagnosed with CD, want to share their gluten-free knowledge with others. | Recipes, restaurant and bakery reviews from around the world, lists of gluten-free events and meetings, gluten-free travel discussions, book reviews, links to other blogs and content | Celiac Chicks provide many links to reliable CD information and use valid sources as reference for information. |
| Celiac Teen (Lauren): www.celiacteen.com | As a teenager diagnosed with CD, Lauren wants to take readers with her on her journey. | Recipes, product reviews, cooking tips | Lauren does not provide information on CD. Her focus is primarily on gluten-free recipes and cooking. |
| The Crispy Cook (Rachel): http://wheat-free-meat-free.blogspot.com | Rachel’s husband has CD. She wants to share her gluten-free cooking tips with others. She focuses on meat-free, gluten-free eating with the garden and the seasons. | Recipes, culinary virtual tours, product reviews, restaurant reviews, book recommendations | Rachel provides little scientific information on CD because her main focus is on gluten-free cooking. |
| Delightfully Gluten Free (Cassandra Gee): http://delightfullyglutenfree.com | Cassandra has CD and enjoys sharing her wisdom and experiences. | Recipes, interviews, restaurant reviews, book recommendations, product reviews, gluten-free eating information | Cassandra is an officer of her local Gluten Intolerance Group, which is a reliable CD organization. She offers her own personal observations mixed with reputable information that she sometimes links to credible sources. |
| Gluten-Free Diet (Shelley Case, RD): http://glutenfreediet.ca/blog | Shelley is a recognized author, speaker, and expert on CD and gluten-free diets. She aims to educate people and provide accurate information about CD. | Nutrition tips, scientific news, gluten-free diet and CD information, recipes, podcasts, a newsletter | Shelley’s CD information is reliable and based on science. She makes references to credible CD organizations. |
| Gluten-Free Dietitian (Trish Thompson, MS, RD): http://glutenfreedietitian.com | Trish is a recognized author and expert on CD and gluten-free diets. She aims to share reliable information on CD. | Gluten-free diet basics, a newsletter covering a range of gluten-free topics, answers to questions, recommended books, a resource list | The CD information Trish provides is grounded in science and the resource list includes links to important CD organizations and resources. |
| Gluten-Free Girl (Shauna James Ahern): http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com | Shauna hopes to draw from her own experiences to help others with CD and pursue her passion to write. | Recipes, food recommendations, videos for making recipes, links to gluten-free organizations | Shauna does not include evidence-based information about CD on her blog but offers links to reliable CD organizations and information and gluten-free food tips. |
| Gluten-Free Goddess (Karina Allrich): http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com | Karina aims to help individuals with CD transition into gluten-free living. | Recipes, eating advice, gluten-free cheat sheet, cooking tips, gluten-free vegan eating tips | Karina offers advice based on her own personal beliefs, as well as reliable information on gluten-free diets. She refers to qualified RD gluten-free experts but does not provide references for the gluten-free cheat sheet. |
| Gluten Free Blog (Mike Eberhart): http://gluten-free-blog.blogspot.com | Mike has CD and doesn’t want to be burdened by it. He hopes to help others like him live an enjoyable, gluten-free life. | Recipes, news, product reviews | Most of the information Mike provides is on gluten-free cooking, but he includes a news section with other blog posts, as well as links to articles, some of which are science based. |
| Gluten Free Gobsmacked (Kate Chan): http://glutenfree.wordpress.com | Kate wants to connect with people and share recipes. | Recipes, product reviews, links to other blogs, the directions for her own “gluten-free flour blend” | Kate does not attempt to talk about the science behind CD because her focus is on gluten-free cooking and eating. |
| Gluten Free Steve (Steve Zeiden): http://glutenfreesteve.wordpress.com | Steve wants to share in the experiences and challenges of living with CD. | Recipes, restaurant reviews, book reviews, product reviews, links to other blogs | Steve does not make much reference to scientific information about CD. Instead, he focuses on journaling about the gluten-free lifestyle. |
| Hold the Gluten (Maureen Stanley): http://holdthegluten.net | Maureen wants to express her thoughts and help others with CD realize they are not alone. | Food product reviews and tips, podcasts, a resource list of other popular blogs and gluten-free organizations | Maureen does not directly refer to scientific information about CD but does include links to many reliable CD organizations in her resource list. |
| Straight Into Bed Cake-Free and Dried (Naomi Devlin): http://milkforthemorningcake.blogspot.com | Naomi practices as a homeopath at Bridport Homeopathic Practice in Dorset, United Kingdom. She has CD and wants to offer advice on gluten-free living. | Recipes, links to other blogs and health information | Naomi does not offer much information on CD because she primarily focuses on recipes. She does offer links to a variety of homeopathic topics that sometimes lack scientific evidence. |
Note: This is only a partial listing of popular gluten-free blogs.
