When Deborah Liedke of McCandless was diagnosed with celiac disease in the 1960s, there were few resources to help her and no gluten-free baked goods in stores.

Ms. Liedke's grandmother, who loved to bake, tried without success to make tasty baked goods with alternative flours.

Now there are two local gluten-free bakeries and mainstream grocery stores carry gluten-free products. Even changes in food labeling laws have been a boon to celiac sufferers, she noted. Forty years ago, fillers and stabilizers, which often contain gluten, didn't have to be listed on labels.

In fact, resources for gluten-free and related diets now are so abundant that it would be impossible to list them all. Here's a sampling:

• East End Food Co-op, Point Breeze, 412-242-3598, www.eastendfoodcoop.com.

• Frankferd Farms, Saxonburg, 724-352-9500, www.frankferd.com.

• Sunny Bridge Natural Foods, McMurray, 724-942-5800, www.sunnybridgenatural-foods.com.

• Trader Joe's, East Liberty, 412-363-5748, www.traderjoes.com.

• Whole Foods Market, Shadyside, 412-441-7960, www.wholefoodsmarket.com.

• Giant Eagle Market District holds monthly gluten-free seminars that include a presentation, food demonstration, taste-testing and a question-and-answer session.

This month, nutritionist Judy Dodd is conducting:

"Living Gluten Free: Sandwiches and Wraps" from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. April 29 at the Bethel Park Market District store, and 2 to 3 p.m. at the Shadyside Market District.

• Lori Bakes Gluten-Free: Lori Karavolis, owner of the bakery/cafe in McDonald presents a "GFCF 101" class twice a year (she did one March 7); call 724-207-0009.

These cookbooks all have been released within the past few months:

• "Gluten Free and Easy" by Robyn Russell (Sellers, $16.95).

• "Allergy-Free Cookbook" by Alice Sherwood (DK Publishing, 224 pages, $25). Gluten-, dairy-, egg- and nut-free variations are shown for each recipe.

• "The Eat Well Cookbook: Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free Recipes for Food Lovers" by Jan Purser and Kathy Snowball (Allen & Unwin, 192 pages, $24.95).

• "Gluten-Free Baking Classics" by Annalise G. Roberts (Surrey Books, 144 pages, $16.95).

• "The Gluten-Free Vegan" by Susan O'Brien (Marlowe & Co., 190 pages, $16.95).

• "The Gluten-Free Vegetarian Kitchen" by Donna Klein (Penguin, 212 pages, $18.95).

• "Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free & Dairy-Free Recipes" by Grace Cheetham (Duncan Baird, 176 pages, $19.95).

• "So, What Do You Eat?" by Stephanie Hapner ($19.95, www.weslee-originals.com). Written by the mother of a teenage son with multiple, serious food allergies. Recipes are free of corn, wheat, refined sugar, cow's milk and peanuts. Many are also free of gluten, egg and soy.

Be wary; many sites sell products that may be expensive or of limited value. Also, simple Google searches for specific recipes (i.e. "gluten-free cookies," "GFCF chicken nuggets") often turn up blogs where families post favorite GFCF recipes; these can be some of the best. Here are a few Web sites we've used:

• gfcf-diet.talkaboutcuringautism.org/recipes/kids-only-gfcf-recipes.htm. Thus far, one of our favorite sources for recipes that actually seem to work.

• www.gfcfdiet.com. Includes long list of gluten- and casein-containing additives, which can help shoppers learn which products to avoid.

• www.csaceliacs.org/recipes.php, Includes good formulas for substituting alternative flours for regular wheat flours.

-- Rebecca Sodergren