Celiac Disease & Eating

As  I mentioned in my last post, May is Celiac Awareness month. Most people think “well, it is a gluten thing” and if it doesn’t directly impact them – there isn’t much to investigate about the disease. Well, this isn’t the case. We should all be aware about Celiac disease and how it is liked to food. First, not everyone who goes gluten-free truly has Celiac disease. Only about 1 in 100 people — about 1 percent — have Celiac disease, an inherited autoimmune disease that causes damage to the small intestine when gluten is ingested. Less than 1 percent of people have a doctor-diagnosed wheat allergy in which a true allergic response to wheat (which contains gluten) can include skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. Second, grain-free doesn’t have to be your lifestyle. In fact, grains have many benefits and you shouldn’t cut out all grains if you have Celiac disease. Options for people with Celiac disease include amaranth, millet, buckwheat and quinoa, all of which have tons of nutritional benefits. Third, gluten does hide where you might least expect it in food. You can often find gluten in veggie burgers or salad dressings. Gluten can also be hiding in vitamins and some medications. Again, gluten-free or not, reading labels is super important. Celiac disease is something we should all become familiar with, especially during this month. I have some amazing resources, recipes and health plans available for those with gluten-sensitivity or Celiac disease. Please don’t hesitate to contact me for further information and/or services.