Living With Celiac Disease

Someone who has been diagnosed with celiac disease is unable to eat food that contains gluten. Gluten is a protein that is found in barley, some medicines, rye, and wheat. The immune systems of those with celiac disease have an unusually reaction to gluten that causes the system to attack and to damage the lining of the small intestine. Once the lining is damaged, the body cannot receive the nutrients from the food that is eaten and is therefore unable to nourish the body.

Individuals may not be aware that they have celiac disease because usually there are no symptoms of the disease. As long as an individual with the disease continues to eat products containing gluten, the damage to the small intestine will continue.

Celiac disease is an inherited disease, which means it runs in families. Children as well as adults can develop the disease. Individuals with celiac disease will notice a lot of gas, diarrhea, will experience stomach pain, will feel tired often, have changing moods, and experience weight loss and perhaps an itchy skin rash that has blisters. Other individuals, who have the disease, show no symptoms of the disease. When symptoms do show, they mimic symptoms of other diseases, which make celiac disease difficult for doctors to diagnose.

The only known treatment for celiac disease is for the individual to avoid eating foods processed/made with gluten. Once diagnosed with celiac disease and the individual learns to avoid gluten, the small intestine should begin to heal.

The foods to avoid are all foods that contain grains, such as barley, rye and wheat. Wheat grain includes farina, graham flour, semolina and durum. Also avoid bulgur, kamut, kasha, matzo meal, spelt and triticale.

You have to be careful about cross-contamination especially when buying grain in bulk-food stores. Oat products may be contaminated with wheat, so unless you know for sure that it is pure oats, it is best to avoid oat products as well.

Individuals with celiac disease can eat:

Fresh meats, fish and poultry (that is not breaded or marinated), most dairy products, fruits, vegetables, rice, potatoes, and gluten-free flours such as rice soy, corn, and potato flours can all safely be eaten by those with celiac disease.

The following foods are usually made from grains that contain gluten (unless marked as gluten-free or made from corn, potato, rice or soy flour):

Breads, cereals, crackers, cookies, cakes and pies, gravies, sauces, and pastas.

Malt flavoring, modified food starch and certain medications, vitamins, lipstick, and sticky substances like envelopes and stamps contain smaller amounts of gluten.

Cross-contamination can occur when foods are prepared on boards or counters, from cutting boards, utensils and condiment containers.

Gluten-free products can be found in grocery stores, online, and in many specialty grocery stores in most major cities. Those with celiac disease need to recognize their need for vitamins, calcium and for mineral supplementation.

Small amounts of gluten that has been eaten can still cause damage even if no symptoms are felt. Those who go on and then off, on and then off a gluten-free diet can experience serious complications.