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Need help avoiding allergens, gluten? Look here

By WTOP Staff

JOSEPH PISANI
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Some good news for those with special dietary needs: Websites and apps are making it easier to find foods, and restaurant meals, that are free of gluten or common allergens such as peanuts, eggs, wheat and dairy.

VineMarket, a website owned by online retailer Amazon.com Inc., recently relaunched to help those with food allergies find snacks and condiments that they can eat. Another site, AllergyEats, finds nearby restaurants that are friendly to those with allergies.

There’s a good reason why companies both big and small are accommodating people with food restrictions. “There’s money to be made here,” says Michael Spigler, vice president of education at the Food Allergy Research and Education advocacy organization. Some 15 million Americans have food allergies, according to FARE.

And avoiding gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, has become trendy after several popular diet books advised cutting it out. And some have serious reasons to avoid gluten: People with the autoimmune disorder celiac disease can’t tolerate it.

Here are some sites and apps people with special diets can check out:

FINDING GROCERIES

VineMarket.com relaunched in March to sell everything from gluten-free pretzels to egg-free double chocolate cookies. A new search function lets you check off which specific ingredients you don’t want in your food. You can click one or several ingredients at a time, and the retailer will give you a list of products without them.

AbesMarket.com, an online seller of organic and natural food and beauty products, has a large selection of gluten-free products ranging from pancake mixes to chocolate bars.

But even if a product is advertised as gluten- or allergen-free, you still need to read the labels to make sure. Spigler recommends reading ingredient lists three times: When you buy the product, when you put it away in the kitchen and when you cook or serve it.

FINDING RESTAURANTS

Online review site AllergyEats.com lets users rate how allergy-friendly restaurants are. They can also write in tips and comments about the restaurant, such as which dishes to eat. You find restaurants near you based on your food allergy or intolerance.

If you’re on the go, AllergyEats has apps for Android and Apple devices. It also has a separate website for places to eat at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. You can find that at AllergyEats.com/Disney.

HealthyOut, which is designed to help diners find healthy takeout food, also has an option to find restaurants that serve gluten-free dishes. You can search for eateries on HealthyOut’s website or on its apps for Android and Apple devices. New Yorkers can also use HealthyOut to order food through the website or app for delivery or pick up. It will offer that option nationwide soon, says CEO and co-founder Wendy Nguyen.

SafeFare.org, launched in April, lists restaurants that employ workers who have taken an allergen-safety course. The site is run by FARE. Spigler says it will add more restaurants to the site in the next six months.

When dining out, it’s still important to ask questions and let servers know about your allergies each time. Food can easily be cross-contaminated in the kitchen.

“There are no guarantees,” says Spigler.

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ONLINE:

AbesMarket: http://www.abesmarket.com/

AllergyEats: http://www.allergyeats.com/

HealthyOut: https://www.healthyout.com/

SafeFare: http://www.safefare.org/

VineMarket: http://www.vinemarket.com/

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Follow Joseph Pisani at http://twitter.com/josephpisani

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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