Celiacs Disease and Gluten Free

Do you feel sick after eatting? Do you have to plan to be near a bathroom after every meal? Do you always feel run down even after you've eatten. Do you have allergies, I bet you do and maybe don't even know it.

Do you know what gluten is? Gluten is a protein composite in foods processed from wheat, barley and/or rye. It's also used as a filler in ketchup and ice cream. In vegan and vegetarian foods it's used as a meat substitute. It's even used in over the counter prescription vitamins and cosmetics such as lip stick, lip gloss, and lip balm. Even the glue on an envelope contains gluten. And do you know that some countries don't even list gluten as an ingredient because gluten has been deemed a low risk food.

So what does that mean to you? For most of us it means absolutely nothing but for those with an allergy or even a sensitivity to gluten it can mean a lifetime of constantly adjusting your diet, and if you don't you're always going to feel sick and bloated, have no energy and spend a lot of time in the bathroom. And it can lead to other more complicated diseases.

Celiacs Disease is an abnormal immune reaction to a component of gluten called gliaden. Celiac Disease damages the small intestine and interfers with the absorbtion of nutrients. When a person eats gluten it destroys the villi. Villi are small protrusions on the intestine wall that allow nutrients to be absorbed through the wall membranes and into the bloodstream. If the villi are destroyed you can't absorb nutrients and then you become malnourished and then it doesn't matter how much food you eat you still won't absorb what you need to survive. Celiac Disease is genetic in nature so it tends to run in families.

Symptoms of Celiacs Disease vary so much due to age, consumption of gluten and the amount of damage to the villi. In infants and children the symptoms can be:

Abdominal bloating and pain, Chronic diarrhea, vomitting, pale,foul smelling or fatty stool, wt loss and irritability,

Children developing Celiacs Disease can actually be more at risk as nutrition is critical to normal growth and developement If untreated it can lead to failure to thrive and hospitalization.

Adults are more likely to have these symptoms: iron deficiencies, fatigue, bone or joint pain, arthritis, bone loss depression or anxiety, tingling numbness in hands and feet, seizures missed menstrual periods, infertility or miscarriages canker sores or an itchy skin rash

The only treatment for Celiacs Disease is a gluten free diet. For most people the damage done to the intestines can be healed if they follow the diet. If untreated it can lead to malnutrition, liver diseases and cancer of the intestines.

My Cousin has 2 kids that have sensitivities to gluten. It didn't really affect us much, we didn't spend a lot of time with them. But at the holiday gatherings it really hits home. They can't eat the stuffing, and they have to be careful what meat they chose and then there are the pies. I usually make the pies and the only ones they can eat are the ones that they can easily scoop the filling out of because they can't eat the crust. It breaks my heart to see these young sweet kids are so limited at a family dinner because the rest of us haven't changed for them.

I mean how hard can it be? they can't eat wheat products but there are alternatives available. So instead of using store bought bread we may have to make our own buns and use them in the stuffing instead. We can substitute rice,soy or potato flour for wheat flour. And instead of just throwing together the pie shell and filling I might actually have to make the pies from scratch. Yes it is a little bit more work then I've been used to but it will really be worth knowing that these kids can sit at my table and eat whatever they want without worry. So if you do know someone just do your homework, plan your meals with them in mind, trust me if you can find a great recipe most people won't even notice the substitutions