WELCOME to the Brazos Valley Gluten Intolerance Group (BVGIG)

A Branch of the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America®

Contacts:
Megan Tichy, Ph.D.                                   Denise Fries
GIG Branch Manager                                 Support Group Founder, 2005
phone: (979) 862-1221                             phone: (979) 846-8395
email: mtichy@mail.chem.tamu.edu            email: fries.denise@gmail.com

MISSION: Our group provides support for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Our goals are to increase the diagnosis rate of celiac disease, provide gluten free food options and information, and provide a forum for social opportunities among those with similar dietary restrictions. See our brochure here.

MEETING INFO: Local support group meetings are held the 3rd FRIDAY of each month at 7 PM (6:30 for new members) unless otherwise noted.

LOCATION: St. Joseph Education Annex
3030 E. 29th St
Corner of E. 29th and Broadmoor
Bryan, TX USA 77802 

Driving directions/maps

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EVENTS 

Join us in AUSTIN, TX for the 2nd Annual Got Guts 5k for Celiac Disease on 9/14/2008! There will be FREE genetic screening kits for celiac disease available for 300 participants courtesey of Prometheus Laboratories.

NEXT MEETING
Friday, September 19th, 2008 at 7:00 PM. St. Joseph Education Annex (see above).

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AUGUST 2008 
Three new members joined us! Brochures were available for everyone, and several people helped fold them (thank you!). Karen gave us a summary of the trip to the Lil Aussie Bakery and has even typed up some notes for the group! Sounds like everyone learned alot and had fun too (great combo). Sara brought a delicious cake - it was superb! The recipe is top secret though, perhaps we will see it in a publication some day soon. Glenda came from Navasota - we always enjoy her company, and her perspective. We did a raffle ($1/ticket). I handed out the last of my resource guides (will have to print more). There was some discussion of having a group baking day, but we need a kitchen!

JULY 2008 
Lots of free goodies were available to meeting attendees. We did a raffle for mixes ($1/ticket), and everyone went home with something! Julie took our community brochure to Aggieland printers, and Megan picked the brochures up. They are ready for the next meeting. We will distrubute to restaurant owners, friends, family, doctors, nurses, whoever you can. Jule also agreed to come up with a group business card with our website and meeting time/location. These will be especially handy for those times when you bump into someone unexpectedly who needs this info. Megan announced her plans to leave BCS in December. Sara Boswell stepped up to serve as the next BVGIG Branch Manager. We discussed upcoming events: A trip to San Antonio - The Lil Aussie Bakery for a weekend cook/bake lesson with Rita the Australian Chef! An invite to party with our new sister group, the "Gulf Coast Celaic and Gluten Intolerance Group" (see events above).

JUNE 2008 
We welcomed two new members - Amy and Patricia. There were "freebies" and handouts galore from the GIG conference. Denise gave an update on her goals and accomplishments. One of the things on her To Do List is to start up a GF bakery in Bryan!! Theoretically, this bakery could prepare baked goods for area businesses and restaurants. We need a baker though. Any ideas? Denise also shared the inside scoop on a potential effort to establish a local organic and allergen-food friendly market. We all basked in the glorious idea that we might one day have a miniature whole foods right here in Bryan, College Station. At the same time, we vowed to remain loyal to our Brazos Natural Foods. Wouldn't it be great if we could just expand BNF though? Megan shared some brochures and recipes from Kids with Food Allergies, and shared info about the GFRAP program (gluten free restaurant awareness) - a GIG national effort. Amy volunteered to serve as our GFRAP Resource Person. She has already begun seeking interest from several local restaurants. We raffled off some GF mixes. Everyone went home with at least one GF goody. 

Folks who were at the GIG conference in Dallas shared stories with those who did not attend. Conversation kept circling back to THE FOOD! It was wonderful, everyone gained weight, but it was wonderful. GF buffet breakfast, GF buffet lunch, GF buffet dinner. And GF snacks in between! Visit the pictures to see the BV gang at a Texas Hoedown. Sneaky Sara snuck some video footage of Megan trying to line dance! This footage is not available, sorry. 

MAY 2008 
Monica welcomed new members with some Gluten Free Cheecha Krackles. Megan was not in attendance because her son Nathan had a sudden emergency. Nathan was recovering from having his tonsils/adenoids out when he suddenly took a turn for the worse. He is doing better now.

APRIL 2008 
We welcomed seven new members at this meeting and initiated discussions toward finding celiac-friendly doctors in Bryan College Station. We are putting together a spreadsheet of the "good, bad and celiac-friendly", with the help of member Rachel W. This list is not meant to discredit doctors, but rather point new members (and existing members with new medical situations) toward those local doctors who are most/least helpful with regard to gluten and the celiac lifestyle. We discussed the upcoming GIG conference in Dallas, and made plans for members to carpool. 

MARCH 2008 
Rather than the typical Friday night meeting, we held a SPRING LUNCH at MADDEN'S CASUAL GOURMET. It was fabulous! The Maddens prepared a fantastic array of gluten free gourmet, and I was thoroughly impressed. They were fully conscious of the cross-contamination issues. They took the time to print up a gluten free event menu, and during the planning, they were completely aware of the gluten free status of each item in their kitchen. I highly recommend Maddens for your next event whether it be a graduation party, a birthday, or you are looking for a place to eat out with the family. Nice atmosphere, nice people, fabulous food! 

FEBRUARY 2008 
We welcomed Cleo Libonati, RN, BSN, co-founder of Glutenfreeworks.com, and author of “Recognizing Celiac Disease” the complete guide to recognizing, diagnosing and managing celiac disease. Cleo spoke about celiac disease, symptoms, and nutritional deficiencies. Read more about Cleo and her company Gluten Free Works here. 

JANUARY 2008 
We disseminated brochures in packs of 20 to various doctors offices around the Brazos Valley. The brochure read "Do I Have Celiac" and may be viewed here. We did a GF raffle, and Patsy stopped by with a huge box of Tinkyada pasta!!! It was a nice social hour with gluten free friends.

DECEMBER 2007 
We had a group Holiday party with an array of food and drinks, a raffle, and a gift exchange! It was a very nice celebration, and a wonderful way to kick off the new year.

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Disclaimer: Information on this page or website should NOT be taken as medical advice. Before starting any food exclusion diet you must consult your Primary Care Physician and a Registered Dietician.

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