Celiac Disease and THE DIET!

Sorry it's been a while since I've last posted.

Some of you may be wondering exactly what Celiac disease (CD) is and why it's so important to get properly diagnosed. CD is an autoimmune disease where your immune system attacks the villi in your small intestine. This disease is also known as gluten-sensitive enteropathy or gluten intolerance. There are also several misdiagnosises that come along with CD they can include IBS and Crohns. There are also over 300 possible symptoms with CD which makes it very difficult to diagnose.

What happens is your body becomes intolerant to gluten. This can happen at any time in your life. Once it happens, it doesn't go away! When you eat gluten your immune systems thinks it's an intruder and begins attacking the gluten proteins. As it attacks the gluten proteins it also causes damage to your small intestine. In severe cases the villi (fingerlike projections that absorb nutrients, kind of important) become completely flat so that they absorb nothing. The walls of your small intestine also become inflammed. Even trace amounts of gluten can cause a severe reaction in some people.

Now gluten is a tricky protein to find. I have developed my own way of searching for the protein. I look for it in three steps:

1. Look for the main grains.
Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley, triticale, spelt, and kamut. Most oats also contain gluten because they are contaminated (only bad if you're gluten intolerant) by wheat.

2. Look for additives.
Gluten containing grains are frequently used as additives in our daily food. While there are many additives the main ones I look for are malt and modified starches.

3. Look for contamination.
In 2006 the FDA made a regulation that all food containing wheat must be labeled. While it's not mandatory to label any contamination done through the lines, many companies due. It is always a good idea to stay away from food items that could be contaminated in processing.

Beyond these few steps there are also several foods that are just a good idea to stay away from:
soups, bouillon, beer, blue cheese (mold used to make it often comes from bread), hot dogs, cereals (unless labeled gluten free, GF), communion wafers, salad dressings, fried foods, soy sauce and other oriental sauces, spice blends, malt vinegar, and Worchesterchire sauce.

Hope this clears up any questions about Celiac disease and the diet.