About

I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2004.  This was a devastating to me.  It has taken me a long time to realize that this is nothing.  I should count myself lucky that I can control how I feel just by what I eat.  My main symptom with my Celiac is Anemia.  This however, I have been able to control with iron shots. 

I am married to a wonderful man that I have been with for 18 years.  We live on a small farm in Western New York with 3 cats and Miss Allie Mae our Catahoula.  Life is simple and great.  I love it. 

This site helps keep me on a gluten free diet with a little life thrown in. 

Celiac Disease:

What is it?  Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food.  People who have Celiac Disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten that is found in wheat, rye and barley.  Research has shown that timely diagnosis of Celiac Disease is essential to treating or preventing its complications. Celiac Disease is common, affecting an average 1/133 Americans and up to 1/22 for those associated with risk factors.  Celiac Disease is twice as common as Chrohn’s, ulcerative colitis and cystic fibrosis combined.

What is Gluten?

I think Shauna explains is best when she says  ”Gluten is the elastic protein in wheat, rye, and barley.  Its elasticity is why french bread holds together and why angel-food cakes rise so high.  Gluten is the glue that holds together baked goods and pasta.  In fact, gluten comes from the same Latin root as glue.  Think of gluten as the glue of wheat, rye, and barley.”

When someone with celiac eats gluten, the protein becomes toxic and will cause damage to the small intestine that can lead to decreased absorption of essential nutrients.  If left untreated, celiac disease can lead to cancer, iron deficiency anemia, decreased bone density, folate and vitamin B12 deficiency, diabetes, infertility and other autoimmune diseases.

Safe selections:

  • Many plain foods are naturally gluten free:
    • meats, fish, poultry, and eggs; fish canned in oil, brine or water, cured or cooked meats like prosciutto and ham; many sausages (but ALWAYS check the labels)
    • All plain fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen and canned); plain fruit juices; fresh and dried herbs, dried beans, peas, lentils; olives.
    • All plain dairy products, including milk, cream and butter.  Sour cream, cottage cheese, and yogurts are fine if they contain no suspect thickeners.
    • All types of cheese (except processed), such as cheddar, swiss, parmesan, ricotta, goats and sheeps milk cheeses.  Beware of Blue Cheese, blue cheese is often aged with flour.
    • Olive Oil, Canola Oil, and other pure vegetable oils.  Margarine.
    • All vinegars (except malt vinegar)
    • Tamari sauce, if brewed solely from soybeans
    • Chicken, beef, and vegatable broths, IF they contain no hydrolized wheat protein or other source of gluten.
    • Jams and Jellies, honey, sugar, molasses, maple syrup, corn syrup
    • Plain chocolate, (dark, milk and white) and chocolate chips, pure cocoa powder
    • Plain nuts and nut flours, peanut butter
    • Tea, coffee, and pure hot chocolate and cocoa
    • Plain ice cream, frozen yogurts (Check the labels), sorbets
    • Rice (all types: white, brown, converted, jasmine, basmati, Arborio, etc.)
    • Corn (cornmeal, masa harina, grits, cornstarch, polenta, precooked polenta rolls, tortillas, etc.)
  • Some examples of safe  starches are:  Corn, rice and wild rice, potato and tubers, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, tapioca, modified tapioca starch, teff, arrowroot, sorghum, montina, millet, ragi, chickpea, lentil, soy and bean flours.
  • Note on oats:  Oats are considered safe but they are often time processed in a facility where there is the possibility of cross contamination with gluten containing grains.  For this reason, oats are still not accepted by some organizations as gluten free.

GRAINS NOT ALLOWED:

The following grains should not be consumed as they are derived from prohibited grains:

  • Barley
  • Bran
  • Bulgur
  • Couscous
  • Durum
  • Einkorn
  • Emmer
  • Farina
  • Faro
  • Graham Flour
  • Kumot
  • Matzo meal/flour
  • Malt or malt flavoring (can be made from barley)
  • Malt vinegar (made from barley)
  • Orzo
  • Panko
  • Rye
  • Seitan
  • Semolina
  • Spelt
  • Triticale
  • Udon
  • Wheat

HIDDEN SOURCES OF GLUTEN:

  • Check vitamins, herbal supplements and medicines-  Check out www.glutenfreedrugs.com
  • Check anything that may get in your mouth such as toothpaste, lip-gloss, chapstick and lipstick.
  • Communion wafers
  • Dairy substitutes
  • Dextrin
  • Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (may use wheat, rye, oats or barley as hydrolyzed plant protain, HVP, HPP protain source)
  • Imitation seafood
  • Licorice
  • Luncheon meats
  • Modified food starch ( may be derived from wheat)
  • Play dough- checkout Aroma Dough for a safe source
  • Salad dressings, soups, and gravies
  • Seasonings
  • Soy sauce

Symptoms of Celiac:

Celiac Disease affects people differently.  Some people develop symptoms as children, others as adults.  One factor though to play a role in when and how celiac appears is whether or how long one was breastfed, the later symptoms of celiac disease appear and the more atypical the symptoms.  Other factors include the age at which one began eating foods containing gluten and how much gluten was eaten.

Symptoms may or may not occur in the digestive system.  For example, one person might have diarrhea and abdominal pain, while another person has irritability or depression.  In fact, irritability is one of the most common symptoms in children.

Symptoms of celiac disease may include one or more of the following:

  • Recurring abdominal bloating and pain 
  • Chronic diarrhea
  • Weight loss
  • pale
  • foul-smelling stool
  • unexplained anemia
  • gas
  • bone pain
  • behavior changes, muscle cramps, fatigue
  • delayed growth
  • failure to thrive in infants
  • pain in the joints
  • seizures
  • tingling numbness in the called dermatitis herpetiformis
  • tooth discoloration or loss of enamal
  • missed menstrual periods

Anemia, delayed growth and weight loss are signs of malnutrition.  Malnutrition is a serious problem for anyone, but particularly for children because they need nutrition to develop properly.

 Some people with celiac disease may not have symptoms.  The undamaged part of their small intestine is able to absorb enough nutrients to prevent symptoms.  However, people without symptoms are still at risk for the complications of celiac disease.

How is Celiac Disease Diagnosed?

Diagnosing celiac disease can be difficult because some of its symptoms are similar to those of other diseases, including irritable bowel syndrome, Chrohn’s Disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulosis, intestinal infections, chronic fatigue syndrom and depression.

Recently, researchers discovered that people with celiac disease have higher than normal levels of certain antibodies in their blood.  Antibodies are produced by the immune system in response to substances tha the body perceives to be threatening.  To diagnose celiac disease, physicians test blood to measure levels of antibodies to endomysium and tissue transglutaminase.

In the tests and symptoms suggest celiac disease, the physician may remove a tiny piece of tissue from the small intestine to check for damage to the villi.  This is done in a procedure called a biopsy: the physician eases a long, thin tube called an endoscope through the mouth and stomach into the small intestine, and then take a sample of tissue using instruments passed through the endoscope.  Biopsy of the small intestine is the best way to diagnose celiac disease.

Screening for celiac disease involves testing asymptomatic people for the antibodies.  Americans are not routinely screened for celiac disease.  However, because celiac disease is hereditary, family members–particularly first-degree relatives–of people who have been diagnosed may need to be tested for the disease.  About 10 percent of an affected person’s first-degree relatives (parents, siblings or children) will have the disease.  The longer a person goes undiagnosed and untreated, the greater the chance of developing malnutrition and other complications.

What is the Treatment?

The only treatment for celiac disease is to follow a gluten-free diet, that is, avoid all foods that contain gluten.  For most people, following this diet will stop symptoms, heal existing intestinal damage, and prevent further damage.  The gluten-free diet is a lifetime requirement.  Eating any gluten, no matter how small the amount, can damage the intestine.  This is true for anyone with the disease, including people who do not have noticeable symptoms.

A gluten free diet means avoiding all foods that contain wheat (including spelt, triticale, and kamut), rye, and barley.  In other words most grain, pasta, cereal and many processed foods.  Despite these restrictions, people with celiac disease can eat a well-balanced diet with a variety of foods, including bread and pasta,  For example, instead of wheat flour, people can use potato, rice, soy or bean flour.  Or, they can buy gluten free bread, pasta and other products from special food companies.

Plain meat, fish, rice, fruits and vegetables do not contain gluten, so people with celiac disease can eat as much of these foods as they like. 

To be continued….