If you look at influential public figures or successful business owners or accomplished artists, you’ll notice their backbone is their community. They’re well connected with a network, a mastermind or accountability group, or maybe they maintain involvement in online forums to help them refine their craft.

Switching to a gluten-free diet and maintaining an interesting, health-promoting way of eating is also a skill set that needs to be cultivated over time, so what better way to do that then with resources designed with these interests in mind?

As the world becomes more Celiac savvy (and more diagnosed with gluten intolerance), the easier it is to find people to connect with around gluten intolerance. And those connections might very well be the support net that holds you up at the beginning.

Even people just a step or two ahead in their process have already established a network of healthcare providers, safe restaurants, and supportive friends, so leaning on the amateur experts around you can be a help.

When I’m traveling to a new area, I like to check out meet-up groups (www.meetup.com), postings on bulletin boards of health food stores, gluten-free bakeries and restaurants, community centers, and even yoga studios and other places where the health-conscious congregate. There is no doubt they can point me in the direction of anything I’m looking for, and it’s always great to meet people who orient themselves in similar ways.

There are also loads of more formalized support groups and organizations for sufferers of Celiac Disease and other forms of gluten intolerance. Here are a few of my favorites in the United States:

The Celiac Sprue Association

www.csaceliacs.org

The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness

www.celiaccentral.org

The Gluten Intolerance Group

www.gluten.net

Celiac Disease & Gluten-Free Diet Support Center

www.celiac.com

Celiac Disease Foundation

www.celiac.org

Some of these groups also have local chapters and events, so consult their websites to see what might be offered in your area. Remember, it’s a lifelong road, but you don’t have to journey it alone.

Also check out the Blogroll for other helpful groups and businesses!

Being on the clinical front lines, I have learned many “secrets” that equal the difference between GF (gluten free) and thriving or GF with sub-par health.

You see, just going gluten free doesn’t equal vitality… And a GF diet is not necessarily healthy.

But the the secrets to healthy gluten-free living are revealed in our new series, the “ABC’s of Gluten Free!”

I’ve teamed up with Tiffany Pollard, a holistic health care provider and whole foods cooking instructor. Together we are delighted to bring to you everything you need to know to live a bountiful, vital, GF life!

The ABC’s of Gluten Free just launched, exclusively on the Eating For Evolution Community site. Each week, new episodes will be delivered in the form of easy to download audios accompanied by handy printable PDF documents so you don’t miss a beat.

Don’t miss out on 26 episodes (to be released sequentially) of priceless secrets and wisdom that help you create the vital GF life! Click here to uncover all the goodness in episode “A!”

You may need to sit down and talk turkey with your loved ones, which might shake up tradition a little bit. It can be hard to break it to the folks that you won’t be joining them in this year’s turkey dinner, and for Celiacs it can be even harder to tell them that they can’t just throw a Tofurky in the oven to make up for it.

And here’s why: wheat gluten is the main ingredient in a Torfurky roast. In fact, many of the meat substitutes you’ll find in the markets are based on wheat protein derivatives or embellished with gluten containing seasonings.

Knowing that, the options for a gluten-free vegetarian may seem limited, especially around family traditions.

I recommend a special holiday tempeh or beans dish over any kind of artificial meat — I’m not a huge fan of tofu because of its poor production methods and minimal digestibility.

However, it does offer an option for the rare holiday occasion. You can make a “turkey” out of a few pounds of firm tofu, using arrowroot powder to make it more solid and yeast flakes and other spices to season it. Form it into a ball just like the way a Tofurky comes out of its packaging — my veggie friends swear it’s delicious! Try serving it with some miso soup or cultured vegetables, both rich in beneficial bacteria, which will help your body break it down… a tasty compromise that won’t wreak havoc on your intestines the way a Tofurky does.

Happy holidays!