Celiacs disease is very common although not many people know about it. Celiacs is an autoimmune disorder that affects the digestive system. People who have it, myself included, have an intolerance of gluten. Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, barley, and rye. This protein causes the small intestine to lose its ability to absorb nutrients. So if someone with celiacs is eating gluten, they are essentially becoming malnutritioned. The symptoms of celiacs disease are somewhat like having lactose intolerance. They include upset stomach, nuasea, headaches, and various other digestive issues. The syptoms are a little different for everyone. About 1 in 130 people have this intolerance in the United States, althought only about 3% of these people know about it. It cannot be cured, so you have it for life. To stay healthy you must simply eat a gluten free diet.
Since gluten is found mostly in wheat, it does limit your diet. You cannot eat regular bread, pasta, or foods made out of dough. No pizza, sandwiches, brownies, bagels, anything with breadcrubs or crust on it, etc. You also have to check ingredients to make sure you do not eat anything with maltodextrin or modified food starch in it. These ingredients can be found in anything from from potato chips, to frosting, to toothpaste. They are usually used as a filler in products and they contain gluten. You might think, well what can you eat?, since just about everything is made with some kind of wheat. A gluten free diet consists mostly of rice, potato, and corn products. Also fuits, vegetables, and protiens are okay. There are also a lot of gluten free products out there made from things like rice or tapioca flour. A few of them taste gross but most are good. Unfortunatley most gluten free products are pretty expensive. Nine dollars for a box of gluten free icecream cones isn't exactly cheap. This makes it hard for some people with this intolerance to eat gluten free. I think to make it easier to deal with this intolerance, gluten free food should cost less. Other than that, this diet is not really that hard to follow.
For more about celiacs go to:http://www.celiac.org/
2 comments:
Great post Aili. So sorry to hear about your disease, it really seems like a big pain in the butt. I actually have a relative that has not officially been diagnosed yet, although when stay about from high Gluten food feels much better. I feel like gluten is in everything. Although, I have Crohn's Disease and many of the foods you listed that you shouldn't eat are many of the same I cant. I'm sure they are very different, although they do have some things in common with the intestines, and an auto immune disease. Are there any medications that you are on, or is it just strictly diet. If you do eat the wrong foods, does it cause pain? Take a look at my alternative medication post- acupunture is a miracle if you are having pain. Good luck!
One of my friends suffers from the same condition. She actually just visited over the weekend - and it's always important to be sure we have foods she can eat on hand. It took quite a while to diagnose and she was awfully sick in the process. To say the least, I understand what you have to go through on a regular basis. At least more stores are selling gluten free foods now!
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