Yearly Archives: 2012

Saving Private Brian

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There is no secret that I am an image maker by day and Digidame by night. In time, I hope that being Digidame will help pay the bills. Till then, I still work helping companies and people understand who they are.

The other night while I was watching the 11 o’clock news, I received a desperate email from my friend Brian who just nailed major financing from the venture capital community for his tech startup. He invented a new gadget that will stop us all from over eating. That is all I am allowed to say.

Before he became an inventor, he worked in the advertising business for most of his career and is well known in that business. His last job was with a major ad agency.

“I’m ruined,” he wrote. “I will probably lose my financing. The VC’s will think I am a risk and pull their money. This is the worse day of my life. I feel like I am going to have a heart attack. I don’t know how I made it through the day.”

Brian went on to say that some reporter for an online advertising journal discovered the lawsuit against his former employer and ran the entire legal complaint. The whole world now knows he is suing one of the top ad agencies for wrongful termination, including age discrimination. Brian is one of us, 58.

The story detailed the several million dollar lawsuit without any comment from Brian or the agency being sued. Other founders of startups, who Brian had recently been hanging out with, told him this was the worse possible situation for him at this time and that he should just disappear for a few weeks.

I was aghast at this advice and told Brian to call me immediately despite the hour. He was so hysterical on the phone I could hardly hear him. I couldn’t believe this was the same guy who created major campaigns for Fortune 500 companies and pounded on the desks of clients when they wouldn’t listen to him.

My friend Brian was suffering from Internet humiliation. At least that is what he thought it was. To find out how I brought him back to being whole again, maybe even a little cocky, you are going to have to read tomorrow’s Digidame. Blog posts are suppose to be short. I exceeded today’s word count.

Be Prepared To Lose Your Apps If You Expose Your iPhone, iPod or iPad

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It was all over the news yesterday. Apple products are the most desired items to steal in The Big Apple. No more grabbing chains, purses and boobs, now thieves want an Apple. Bloomberg News reported that many of the stolen Apple products are being shipped overseas where they are securing double, triple the price. iPhones, iPods and iPads actually outpaced overall crime with a 40 percent increase over the exact same period last year (Jan 1, 2012 to September 23, 2012). Apple beat out seven major crimes, including murder, rape and robbery which had a four percent rise. This trend is expected to spread to other cities as well, so watch out!

Did this warning scare New Yorkers who travel the subway? Not at all! From what I can see, on my daily trips to work, most people under 50 are still using their smartphones right out in the open. The folks closer to my age however, hold briefcases and handbags close to their chests with their arms wrapped around them. Pretty obvious what is inside. It is funny to see the separation between the younger and older riders.

The most dangerous thing on the subways as far as I’m concerned, are the people who hop on overly-crowded cars with their coffee. Do you know how lethal that is? What are they thinking? The liquids are sloshing around like tidal waves and one day soon they are going to land on someone, or me. Just this morning, I had to duck as one gal slipped when the train suddenly stopped. I could see the liquid through the paper cup just edging to the top ready to spread its wings. Luckily, the gal regained her balance quickly and saved me from screaming at her.

No more coffee on the subways please.

When I learned about the high theft in Apple products, I immediately thought of all those industry analysts on TV yesterday who wanted to make a name for themselves by questioning the health of Apple. Did you hear about the scratches on some of the backs of the iPhone 5’s? Must have been the two year olds they hire for the assembly lines. Did you hear that iPhone 5 owners are unhappy with the new Apple maps? Wrong streets, addresses and tavern locations. I can’t remember a time that Google Maps didn’t take me one or two miles out of the way to get to my destination.

Of course there are going to be glitches. That is what technology is all about. In the last two months, Eliot and I had to lay out $1,200 to repair our Sub Zero Refrigerators in Miami and New York. I think they both agreed to break down at the same time. One had a compressor problem, the other had a fan control malfunction. Service free and parts, about $600 each. Now our Décor gas range in Manhattan is tick, tick, ticking away. We called repair and they told Eliot to clean the ignition flint. I have no idea what a flint is and I don’t want to know.

Yesterday, I had to spend time at the Apple store on 59th and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan because the wireless stopped working on my iPhone 4S. 3G to the rescue. I have been to many Apple stores since their inception. Yesterday was no different. All I could think of was that Best Buy, Circuit City and Sharper Image never had one hour of the masses that are drawn to each and every Apple store, 24/7, 365 days a year.

What is this phenomenon and will it last forever? Can it last forever? It has never happened before. Will it ever happen again?

Please watch the video and catch the circular staircase where people come and go.

You Have To Learn To Stretch Yourself

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Part Two Of My Interview With David Carnoy Just Weeks Before His Book, “The Big Exit,” Debuts Nationwide

I know David Carnoy as a tech editor at CNET. I also know that he writes mystery books, but I never quite figured out how he does both. When does he find the time? I finally got around to asking him and then I got the biggest shock of all. David told me he has four kids under the age of eight, two of them twins. His wife works full time as a major executive for one of the country’s largest banks. They have an active social life and split their time between Manhattan and a country home.

I was amazed! I have friends who have been trying to write non-fiction and/or fiction books for years. Their excuse for not completing them, is that they just don’t have the time. What they really mean is that they are too afraid to tackle the project, afraid of rejection, or just too lazy. I loved the words that David used when I asked him a few times how he manages. “You just have to learn to stretch yourself.” Wow, how powerful are those words? When I told David that I was overwhelmed by his answer, he didn’t seem to understand why I was so amazed.

“When you are born to write, you write,” he further articulated. “John Grisham said you have to be dedicated to write at least four hours a day. Michael Crichton wrote every day till noon and then quit.” David believes writers have to build up their stamina just like runners. You get to a point where you are writing five to seven hours a day. This is a good lesson to all of us who are quick to lay blame on not having enough time to write. “I get up at 4am every day and I write till my other responsibilities kick in. I try to get three pages written each day. I also write at night after the kids go to sleep. I have been known to lock myself in a closet to get work done. I have been doing this since high school. While ‘Knife Music’ and ‘The Big Exit’ are the two books that everyone knows me by, I have been writing novels for more than 25 years.”

I also asked David if he could see himself as a full time novelist. He was quick to answer that CNET is very important to him. “This is something I have been doing for a long time. The demands of the job keep me involved in the tech business and keep me disciplined. I also learn a lot each day and that is a very important foundation to everything else I do. My goal is not to become a full time writer but rather a bestselling author.”

One of the greatest challenges most self-published authors have is being self-disciplined. “I even have trouble. I sometimes think to myself that I should have written more by now. You can never be too disciplined. That is where the biggest struggle comes in. When you publish digitally and you don’t have someone looking over your shoulder reminding you of deadlines, then you really have to be extraordinary to make it work. Other than that, this is a time in our lives where everyone is in control of their own destiny. Let’s see who makes it.”

The Tech Industry Is Getting A Murder Mystery

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David Carnoy

Scoop! You are reading about this long before anyone in the tech industry finds out that one of their own is about to debut a Silicon Valley murder mystery that almost sounds all too real. That’s what makes it so perfect. David Carnoy, Executive Editor at CBS Interactive (he oversees reviews of home entertainment products at CNET), is less than a month away from telling the rest of the world that his next crime novel takes place in Menlo Park, CA, headquarters of Facebook. While there is no connection to Facebook, “The Big Exit” does involve a start-up with many twists and turns that make you feel like you are a member of this innovative and creative industry.

Carnoy admits that he was drawn to the tech industry for his second thriller because of his day job. “I just couldn’t ignore it. I grew up in Menlo Park and I write about tech every day of the week. It was just a natural.” One of the reasons I wanted to write about Carnoy’s second novel, is because his journey to become a successful author is one that teaches all of us about the powers of the Internet.

Carnoy’s first novel, “Knife Music” (about the medical field), was a self published e-book generating about $500.00 a month when an agent spotted the sales activity. He pitched the digital book to The Overlook Press who was impressed that an unknown, first time author was creating such a buzz. The tech writer admitted that unbeknownst to Steve Jobs, Apple helped create the PR attention he needed to get the word out. In addition to selling it online through Amazon’s Booksurge, which is now Createspace, and in print, Carnoy tried to offer the book as an app. It got rejected by Apple because the mystery contained curse words. When the media heard about the rejection, a number of reporters wrote stories about Apple’s publishing criteria, which was hot news back in 2009. The book finally made it into the app store after Carnoy removed the profanity.

That helped spread the word. There is an important lesson to learn here. It doesn’t matter if you self-publish online or get picked up by a traditional publisher, you have to have a hook in order to sell books.

Currently, “Knife Music” has sold 50,000 e-book copies and 5,000 hard copies. Carnoy also believes that more and more agents are scouting online, self-published bookshelves, for the next best sellers. He encourages all to take those manuscripts out of the closets, brush them off and convert them to self-published books.

The next installment of my report on Carnoy talks about the discipline needed to be a first time online novelist.

Be Your Own Doctor

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I can never remember the name Micardis, one of the meds I take for high blood pressure . Why does that one escape me? I remember all the others, but the name Micardis doesn’t quite gel in my brain. Many times when I have to fill out a form, I always forget to list it.

I am told that is extremely dangerous, because certain meds don’t mix well with others. I could get an allergic reaction or it could even be deadly. I tried carrying around a piece of paper or even filing the names on my iPhone. I can’t remember where I put it or filed it months later. I find myself panicking while looking for the info when visiting a new doctor.

Now there is an app in your smartphone that becomes your own personal medical library. It not only records all the meds you take, but let’s you know the potentially harmful reactions between up to 30 drugs at a time including brand, generic and OTC (over-the-counter drugs).

The app is called Epocrates and it is the same exact reference material most doctors use. Now you have it at your finger tips. Epocrates also helps you review prescriptions and safety information for thousands of brand, generic and OTC drugs.

The two other features I like, and will be using more of, are ordering free drug samples and literature, and identifying a pill based on characteristics, color, shape or imprint code.

Pills always drop to the bottom of my handbag and I can’t remember if they are my antacids or my birth controls. If you are still reading this and laughing yourself silly, let me know.

The Insanity Of The iPhone 5

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First person in line for the iPhone 5 talking to a neighborhood diva

I think everyone has lost their marbles. Eliot and I went to the Apple store on 59th Street and Fifth Avenue last night to see how many people were in line for the iPhone 5 that was set to go on sale this morning at 8am. We were walking home from Broadway where we saw the play “Grace” starring Paul Rudd, Michael Shannon and Ed Asner. Excellent, go see it. The story unfolds backwards. Anyway, we had the opportunity to witness all of the commotion first hand.

At first we thought no one showed up. There were rows of barricades that looked empty. Not so. When we got closer we saw that everyone was lying down on the floor with their pillows, blankets, folding chairs, knapsacks, and of course, electronic paraphernalia. Everyone was under 40. No one over 50 would ever be insane enough to camp out for nine days to buy a piece of tech equipment. I know a few women who would stand in line that long if Hermes was discounting some of their handbags, but that’s about it.

Apple had the entire glass cube draped in black you couldn’t see inside. I can really understand why many Apple customers enjoyed the wait because it like a Woodstock happening. They get to tell everyone from now on that they were the first of a few hundred to buy the iPhone 5 and recount all of the experiences they had, and who they met. The entire concourse of the Apple store was crowded with print and broadcast press. Everyone who was camped out got interviewed at one point.

When we arrived, a bunch of ladies who lunch were talking to the first few guys on line. I thought that was a bit peculiar but I guess they were as curious as we were. Both 59th Street and Fifth Avenue had FOX, NBC, CBS and ABC satellite TV trucks lined up ready to do interviews for the 11PM news and then again when the doors opened at 8am. I overheard one of the women asking the first few in line what they were going to do with the iPhone 5’s once they got them and the best answer they had was, “show it off to others.”

I took a video of the scene but it was very dark, so you are going to have to focus to see what was going on. I have to admit the backdrop of the lights from the Plaza Hotel and Bergdorf Goodman did provide for an exciting and energized ambiance. I hope the iPhone 5 was worth the wait.

Don’t Forget To Upgrade Your iPhone To iOS 6

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Don’t cry if you can’t buy the iPhone 5 yet. You can get many of the features if you just download the new iOS 6 software.

You must have an iPhone 3GS, 4 or 4S. iOS 6 is pre-installed in the iPhone 5. Warning: Siri does not work on the 3GS but you will get many of the other iOS 6 features.

iOS 6 features are also available to users of the iPad 2, New iPad and the 4th and 5th generation iPod Touch.

The Wall Street Journal ran a detailed story on the upgrades you get on your current Apple device if you download the iOS 6 software.

I have included the link to the story. I also copied and pasted the story for those of you who do not subscribe to the online version of the WSJ. You have to pay to read the digital version.

To download the iOS 6 on your device, click on Settings, General, Software Update. You should download the update when you are connected to Wi-Fi and have a full charge on your device, since it is a large download and will take some time to download and install.

Not Ready for iPhone 5? Upgrade Has Tricks
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444450004578004330637758200.html

The good news for plenty of current iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users pondering buying the new iPhone 5 is that they’ll get many of the 200 new features in Apple’s free update for mobile software, iOS 6, available on Wednesday. I’ve compiled a handful of the most significant features you’ll get with the iOS software update, which I tested on the iPhone 5 and the newest iPad. Some older devices won’t be able to use all of these features and one feature will work only on the iPhone 5: taking a still photo while recording a video. Here are some highlights of the new features. There are many more features too numerous to mention.

Do Not Disturb

Finally, the iPhone can let its owners sleep at night—with options. Until now, the iPhone’s silencing switch turned off all sounds with no alternatives. This meant that people who wanted to turn off alert sounds for Facebook notifications and incoming emails while they slept had to give up receiving phone calls in the middle of the night from, say, a relative having an emergency. The Do Not Disturb feature (turned on in Settings and adjusted in Settings, Notifications) turns off all sounds but can make exceptions. If you want to be notified whenever one of your favorite contacts calls you, the phone will ring. Another optional feature of Do Not Disturb lets calls ring through if a person calls twice in a row within three minutes. Do Not Disturb can be set to work on a daily schedule, like from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., so you don’t have to remember to turn it on. People who are trying to maintain separate work and personal lives may even set this to work after they leave the office, only allowing calls from certain groups (like family and close friends) to ring between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. If your phone’s silent switch is on, the phone won’t make noise no matter how Do Not Disturb is set.

Panorama

In iOS 6, Apple (as it often does) took a feature that’s already available in many smartphones and made it a lot simpler to use: capturing panoramic photos. In Camera, select Options at the top center of the screen and choose Panorama. A small on-screen diagram will appear to guide you as you click the shutter button once and pan the phone from left to right, following an on-screen arrow along a center line. Panorama works on the iPhone 4S and 5, as well as the newest iPod touch.

Better Sharing

IOS 6 has improved sharing in two significant ways: It’s now integrated with Facebook and enables sharing directly from the places where people think about sharing. You can share to Facebook using various tools such as the Notification Center screen (pull this down from the top of the screen and select Tap to Post in Facebook); using Siri (tap and hold the Home button before saying, “Post to Facebook”); or by clicking a share button (a square with an arrow) on nearly any screen—including photos.

Until now, iOS forced people to open Facebook, select Photo in the app and then choose an image to share. Now, people can tap the share button while looking at a specific photo and send that photo out to Facebook. Likewise, you can now add photos or videos to emails as you’re composing them—not by starting with photos. This is something people naturally do on their desktops as they add photos or videos to emails. Do this by tapping anywhere on the screen in the body of the email to see the Select, Select All, Paste options appear. Then tap on the right arrow and select Insert Photo or Video.

App Store

While Apple’s App Store now holds 700,000 apps, the revamped App Store app for iOS doesn’t look overcrowded thanks to a more organized layout. Search results appear in card format, one per screen. By swiping one app to the left, another appears. Developer information, reviews from other users and screen shots of the app appear in a helpful, methodical format. While the old App Store forced people to scroll down a lot, this App Store makes better use of the horizontal plane. It does a better job of displaying Genius, a feature that suggests apps you might like according to those you’ve purchased.

Maps

Apple is now shipping its own Maps app, replacing Google’s Maps app on devices receiving the update. This app takes some getting used to, and its maps appear a bit more zoomed in, overall. But its turn-by-turn directions (available on the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad 2 or later) will be a big help for people who want a hands-free option for driving: Just plug in your destination address, pick a route and tap start to hear navigation instructions announced out loud as you drive. The text of the directions still appears on the device’s lock screen, in case you put it down and it locks and you need to quickly glance at the next step.

Siri

Apple’s voice assistant, Siri, has been updated to do more and now works on the latest-model iPad and iPod touch as well as the iPhone 4S and 5. Siri can now open apps and do more with them; I composed a Facebook message and never touched any keys. But it still has its inaccuracies: In a quiet office, I said, “Launch Google Plus,” which Siri interpreted as “Lunch Google Plus,” and then said, “I found 15 lunch restaurants, 11 are fairly close to you.” This is a failed experience that happens all too often.

Freedom from Wi-Fi

Now, the FaceTime video chats you make on iOS can be conducted over cellular, not just WiFi. This works on the iPhone 4S and 5, as well as the newest iPad, so long as it has cellular data capability.

Celebrating Stuart Applebaum’s 40 Years In Publishing

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Stuart Applebaum

My high school friend, Stuart Applebaum, is celebrating his 40th Anniversary working for Random House Bertelsmann, where he is currently Executive Vice President, Communications. He has held that title for many years. Stuart is one of the most prominent spokespeople in the publishing business. While he has gone from promoting hard cover, printed books to eBooks, Stuart believes that the core essential skills necessary for being a book publicist haven’t changed all that much since he started. He explained, “Yes, there presently are a lot fewer newspapers, magazines, and local talk shows than there are Facebook pages, YouTube uploads, Twitter Feeds, and blog posts for us to work with. Now, we’re into search and discovery. The basic challenges however, remain the same — to motivate the consumer to buy our book, not the competitor’s and to craft and deliver our most compelling messages and persuasions to convince everyone of our point of view.”

Stuart was always pragmatic. I first met him when he was the editor of the sports page for Jamaica High School’s newspaper called “The Hilltopper.” I was a columnist covering girl’s sports. He had to edit my copy, poor thing. After we graduated, I am sure I wasn’t on his radar screen, but he was on mine. When I saw him quoted in the New York Times the first few times, I think I stared at his name for hours. I couldn’t believe that I knew someone of that stature. I finally got the nerve to call him and he was as gracious as gracious could be. He probably had no idea who I was, but invited me to lunch in the Random House executive dining room. We continued to meet for lunch a few times a year for over two decades.

We gossiped at each lunch about my clients. He loved hearing about some of the corporate suits with big egos or the entrepreneurs with even bigger ones. When I complained that I couldn’t get ink for a client, his suggestion was that I fire the company. He said, “You have to know when to say goodbye and move on to a better opportunity.” I freaked. Give up a client? Say no to a check? That just wasn’t in my realm of thinking. Many years later, I know just what he meant and have taken his advice more than once.

One year we got lucky because of the connection to Stuart and got to work for a new division that was being created to explore “New Media” in the world of printed books. Our assignment was to help identify content that would be suitable for digital distribution. No one at the time thought that one day we would be carrying around one single gadget that housed hundreds of books in it. Years ago when I visited Random House, I would go back to my office with bags of books. Today I get recommendations to download.

Time marches on, but Stuart has pretty much remained the same. He is married to his job. No wife, no kids, no vacations. You can catch him every morning on the streets of Manhattan walking from his apartment across the street from the 92nd St Y to his office on Broadway and 55th Street and back again after work. In a recent speech he gave to his cohorts celebrating his anniversary he said, “I never found anyone or anything as satisfying as my job. When I do, I will make this change. Till then you will find me at my desk.”

Stuart, don’t change a thing. You are a true gift to everyone who knows you well. Happy Anniversary!

Driving Ms. DigiDame

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You may think that I wrote about this gadget before but I didn’t. I did write about how highway driving makes me very nervous so I wanted to buy a video camera to record reckless drivers. No one seems to be paying any attention to the roads anymore. I look at every car that passes. I carefully scrutinize the driver. Their minds seems to be preoccupied and no one is acutely aware of where they are and what they are doing.

I beg Eliot to watch out for all the other nuts on the I-95 or Long Island Expressway. Every time we are out for a drive, I see folks behind the steering wheel texting, yakking on their cells, putting on makeup or even polishing and/or clipping their nails. It makes me nuts that people can be so callous.

That is why I wanted to tell you about GoSmart Clip. It’s a snap-on tool. The GoSmart Clip securely holds and clips any smartphones to car steering wheels, or other places, so you can access information quickly and safely. I don’t particularly love any set of eyeballs that aren’t on the road, but the GoSmart Clip seems to be somewhat of a solution to the ever increasing problem of using GPS or making phone calls.

I have embedded a video so you can see how the GoSmart Clip works. It was designed to allow people to use their hands for other things besides holding their phones.

Other GoSmart Clip Uses:

•Hands-free conversations: Talk on your cell phone safely, hands-free.

•At the airport or train station: Secure it to a backpack, suitcase, or shoulder bag and work, send emails, texts, Skype, or watch a video while waiting.

•At the gym: Fasten it to a cardio machine and listen to music, read, or watch a video while working out.

•On a purse or bag: Attach it to the strap or handle of a purse or shoulder bag for easy access to your cell phone.

•On a shopping cart: Attach to the grocery store shopping cart to view shopping lists, text, or talk without having to hold a phone.

•At the beach: Strap to a beach umbrella for music at the beach.

•At the golf course: Attach to golf cart to keep score or view maps.

•On a boat or back seat of a car: Attach it to a boat steering wheel or the back of a car seat head rest to watch movies.

•On your belt: Attach to your belt to use as a phone stand to prop at an angle to easily view the screen.

•On a baby stroller: Attach it to a baby stroller to talk on the phone or soothe the child with music, a book or favorite video.

The GoSmart Clip is priced at $24.95 through Amazon.com.

A Gluten-Free Internet Journey

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Sheryl Goldstein

I am on a mission.

I have just a few months to turn Sheryl Goldstein, a gluten-free cookbook author, into a well-known advisor to corporations who are now catering (no pun intended) to all those living with Celiac, or to those who just feel better by eating gluten-free foods. Celiac is a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy. The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten. Click on Celiac to learn more about it.

Sheryl was diagnosed with Celiac disease at the age of 50. She quickly learned that her prognosis would be good if she just changed her nutritional diet to gluten-free foods. She already was an excellent cook who enjoyed producing dinner parties for family and friends. So, Sheryl decided to incorporate gluten-free foods into her entertaining repertoire. Before long her cookbook, The No Gluten Solution, was created. Now it is time for the next big step. Sheryl’s journey is not going to be any different than other major rock star chefs who have started with a local fan base and then expanded nationally, and eventually, worldwide.

That is where I come in. Because of my agency’s vast experience using the Internet and social media platforms, we are going to help Sheryl reach out to thousands, if not millions, of people who need her help. Of course, we are looking for major sponsors to help reach a huge audience, but most of our beginning efforts will be on Sheryl’s website http://www.noglutensolution.com and on Sheryl’s Facebook fan page.

We encourage you to “Like” “The No Gluten Solution” fan page on Facebook so you can get all of the latest info Sheryl dishes out and be sure to read her blog on her website. The real reason I am writing about Sheryl is because this is a great opportunity to utilize the six degrees of separation that the Internet affords. You know me, I know you, and I can introduce you to Sheryl if you need some personal advice. For all others, if you are living the gluten-free life and have any suggestions, please share. That in itself is one of the greatest assets of social networking.

Meanwhile, here are some personal words from Sheryl.

You’ve just been told that you have to give up gluten…now what?

5 things to do to get started:

  1. Take a breath, it’s not as hard as it seems. Within days of eliminating gluten from your diet, you will feel like a new and better you! There is no better incentive than finally having your health back to get you energized to begin the gluten-free journey. Of course, you will have moments that you feel sorry for yourself but remember that no gluten is a gift and not a sacrifice.
  2. Read, study, reread and study again the list of grains that contain gluten and the hidden sources of gluten.The more you have this knowledge “ingrained” in your head, the easier it will be to stay gluten-free. It takes time, along with the knowledge to make this transition a way of life. Carry a list with you and refer to whenever you are food shopping and dining out.
  3. Don’t keep secrets. Telling your family, friends and co-workers that you are eliminating gluten from your diet will make the transition easier.This support is one of the best ways to help you stay gluten-free. Believe me, they will want to eat what you eat once you have it all figured out.
  4. Go through your refrigerator, pantry and cabinets and either eliminate all products containing gluten or set-up a dedicated area in your kitchen for your new gluten-free products and ingredients.In addition to the obvious gluten items that you can identify from study sheets, you will have to learn to read the labels on other items that could contain hidden gluten. Make the first step easy and simply eliminate any food product you are not sure about and you can check it out at a later time.
  5. Go forth into the market. Make a list of all the things you CAN eat and fill your refrigerator and pantry with these foods. Your favorite fruits, vegetables, unprocessed meats, poultry, fish, lots of ice creams, chocolate, wine and nuts are naturally gluten-free. Add foods that look good in the ever expanding gluten-free sections of grocery and health food stores. I promise you will not feel deprived.