The modern Celiac disease is considered an inherited condition-in which the small intestine cannot digest the prolamins in wheat, rye and barley, or gluten proteins– with an estimated one in about every 110 people suffering from it. That’s well-over two million people in the U.S. alone. To add to the bleak picture, researchers have put the number of undiagnosed celiac patients at over 90%. Ninety-percent: that is the number of individuals that are unsure if they have, or even oblivious to it.
A gluten-free, wheat free diet is currently the only-known treatment for Celiac Disease. Left treated, it will become more severe and an individual’s quality of life can significantly suffer. CD will cause malnutrition, inflammation of the small intestine, and a myriad of autoimmune-deficiency disease-like intestinal cancer and rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, CD can jeopardize females’ choice to give birth and can even facilitate miscarriages.
Typical symptoms have, historically, been: chronic fatigue, continual diarrhea or constipation, irritable and inconsistent bowel movements, random rashes, and/or joint and bone pain. More symptoms include unwanted weight loss or the inability to put-on weight and anemia-which is an iron deficiency.
Other symptoms are-but not limited to- an iron deficiency (anemia), joint/bone pain, and/or frequent bouts of diarrhea or constipation. Irritable rashes sometimes spread to regions like the knees, upper-back, and head; they can also form along the buttocks, chest, and neck. Furthermore, do not go undiagnosed and see your physician–let him know that you suspect you might have CD. Only the physician is can diagnose CD, and with the help of him and a dietitian, you can live a less-worrisome, better life.
There are many products and companies out there that specialize in catering to CD patients. If you have it, it’s far preferable to help them supply your diet-instead of relying wholly on the traditional supermarket or super grocery store. A few that come to mind are Avena Foods, Gluten-Free Oats, Cream Hill Estates, and Bob’s Red Mill. Those are organizations that are also online and only a small sampling of the supplier.
A wheat-free, gluten free diet, basically, consists of anything that does not contain the gluten protein. For the CD, the gluten protein is your enemy-your foe, that you want to stay away from as much as humanly possible. Gluten is found in all sorts of foods and beverages: pasta, cereal, baked goods, soup, soy (the kind with wheat), beer, many lunch meats, and even many candies.
When you’re going down the grocery aisle, you have to look carefully at the labels. FALCP, a government organization that oversees food-labeling and other aspects of food and drink, guarantees that all foods with known-allergies be labeled “wheat free”, in addition to the other types of food allergies.
You can generally consume the following: any type of food made with a flour that’s not made from grains (such as corn meal flour, wheat free flour, gluten free flour, and rice flour), potatoes and items with potato starches, chickpeas, Quinoa, millet, lupin, and amaranth. That’s just the short list, anyhow. Also, there a ton of online suppliers of gluten free food-food that would normally be off-limits, but modified to suit the person with celiac disease.
Here’s another handy list of wheat free, gluten free (which are synonyms) items. Skim or low-fat milk, Kraft American cheese, Most aged-cheeses, Meat with no additives like poultry, seafood, eggs, pork, etc. As long as no grain has been added to it, and it’s no fried or breaded, meat is usually safe. Most corn items, like cornmeal and kernel corn, are safe, Soybeans, amaranth, potatoes, and rice are also generally safe.
Marisca DeJolie is a normal housewife and mother who decided years ago to become a food expert for the sake of her health and that of her family. She has recently found The Gluten Free Family site and it excited about all the health benefits that a diet gluten free can have and invites you to learn more as well.