Celiac Disease 101
In today’s day and age, many people are aware of gluten-free foods. Eating gluten-free seems to be a trend, but what exactly is celiac disease? According to Beyond Celiac, “celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that’s triggered by consuming gluten and results in damage to the small intestine”. Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, barley, and rye.
If you have celiac disease, you have to eat gluten-free. You also have to avoid cross contamination (for example: cross contamination would occur if croutons containing gluten were originally on an otherwise gluten-free salad and then picked off).
When reading food labels, someone with celiac would have to watch out for wheat, barley, and rye, not just wheat. Barley and rye can be tricky! The learning curve can be pretty steep with celiac, but with more and more practice it does get easier.
Common symptoms of celiac include diarrhea, fatigue, and a skin rash called Dermatitis Herpetiformis. If your doctor tests you for celiac, it would likely be via bloodwork or an endoscopy with biopsies. The only “cure” for celiac at the moment is a strict gluten-free diet. But there are many companies working on a treatment and eventually a cure!
You can learn more about celiac disease, symptoms, and treatments at BeyondCeliac.org.