Celiac disease is a condition where your immune system attacks your own tissues when you eat gluten, which damages your gut (small intestine) so your body cannot properly take in nutrients. Celiac disease can cause a range of symptoms, including diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating.
There is a big difference between gluten sensitivity/intolerance and Celiac. Sensitivity is just that, but Celiac can be deadly. People with gluten intolerance may have some of the same symptoms and may want to avoid gluten. But they don’t show an immune response or damage to the small intestine. Celiac disease can also cause a loss of bone density and reduced spleen function (Hyposplenism).
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that’s triggered when you eat gluten. It’s also known as celiac sprue, non-tropical sprue, or gluten-sensitive enteropathy. It can develop at any age after people start eating foods or medications that contain gluten. Research hasn’t found a definite cause of celiac disease, but it tends to run in families and might be linked to certain genes. Stressful medical events such as a viral infection or surgery can trigger it, so can stress or emotional trauma.
Gluten is: a protein in wheat, barley, rye, and other grains. It’s what makes dough elastic and gives bread its chewy texture. When you have celiac disease and you eat foods with gluten, your body has a reaction that is not normal. The part of your body that fights disease (the immune system) starts to damage your small intestine. It attacks the tiny bumps (villi) that line your small intestine wall. The villi help your body take in nutrients from food into your bloodstream. Without the villi, your small intestine can’t take-in enough nutrients, no matter how much food you eat. Eventually this can lead to malnourishment, as well as loss of bone density, miscarriage, infertility or even neurological diseases or certain cancers
Diagnosis: Doctors use information from your medical and family history, a physical exam, and medical test results to look for signs that you could have Celiac disease. Doctors diagnose celiac disease with blood tests, biopsies of the small intestine, skin biopsies, and genetic tests.Most people with celiac disease never know that they have it. Researchers think that as few as 20% of people with the disease get the right diagnosis. The damage to your intestine is very slow, and symptoms are so varied that it can take years to get a diagnosis. If your celiac condition isn’t better after at least a year without ingesting gluten, it’s called refractory or nonresponsive celiac disease.
If you have celiac disease and accidentally eat something with gluten in it, [not all food labeling lists gluten] you may have symptoms including: (a) Abdominal pain, (b) Anemia – unexplained low blood count that makes you feel tired, (c) Bloating or a feeling of fullness, (d) Constipation or Diarrhea, (e) Gas, (f) Heartburn, (g) Nausea-vomiting, (h) Stools that are pale, ”greasy” with a strong odor, (i) Bone or joint pain, (j) Muscle cramps, (k) Painful itchy, blistery rash -dermatitis / Herpetiformis, (l) Headaches or fatigue, (m) Mouth ulcers, (n) Nervous system injury – numb or tingling hands or feet, (o) Balance problems, or changes in awareness, (p) Unexplained weight loss, (q) Lactose intolerance due to damage to the small intestine.
Celiac disease can be dangerous if you don’t get treatment. Complications may include: (a) Damaged tooth enamel, (b) Lactose intolerance, (c) Malnutrition, (d) Nervous system problems like seizures or pain and numbness in your hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy), (e) Pancreatic disease, (f) Weak bones, (g) Cancer, including intestinal lymphoma and small bowel cancer, (h) Type 1 diabetes, (i) Osteoporosis, (j) Thyroid disease, (k) Multiple Sclerosis, (l) and/or Anemia.
Some facts about Celiac Disease: (a) It is a chronic autoimmune disease, which means that you cannot “grow out” of it, (b)1 in 100 people worldwide have celiac disease, (c) It can affect every organ in your body. (d)Lifelong adherence to the gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac disease, (e) Many people with celiac disease are asymptomatic, meaning they don’t experience any external symptoms at all. (f) Everyone with celiac disease is still at risk for long term complications, (g) People with celiac disease have an increased incidence of microscopic colitis and inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis, (h) People who are recently diagnosed with celiac disease are commonly deficient in fiber, iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, folate, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B12, and vitamin D,
Any food product that is labeled “gluten-free” cannot contain more than 20 parts per million of gluten, which is the alleged “safe threshold” of gluten consumption for people with celiac disease. Many processed foods do not include gluten as being present or listed in the ingredients section of the labeling of the product. The easiest way to avoid gluten “exposure” in a food item – eat fresh – avoid processed food.
Until I started researching this subject, I did not realize that gluten “is everywhere”. Being a Celiac person trying to find something “safe” to eat is like walking in a ‘landmine” of potential danger in a fashion. I will try to identify known food that should be avoided – and it is a lot of food products.
Don’t eat foods that are typically made with grains, such as beers, ales, lagers, malt beverages, and malt vinegars (versus liquors like rum made from sugar cane, tequila made from agave plant and brandy made from distilled wine – not made with gluten) bread, cake and other baked goods, breakfast cereals, pasta or noodles, crackers, “commercial” sauces and gravies. Also avoid gluten-containing grains like – wheat. barley, rye, triticale, farina, wheat berries, farro, couscous, durum, semolina, graham, brewer’s yeast, wheat starch, granola or energy bars, potato chips, candy or candy bars, “commercial” salad dressings, marinades, meat substitutes- such as seitan or “veggie burgers”, soft and hard pretzels, doughnuts, muffins, pancakes and waffles, hot dogs, prepared lunch meats, processed cheese, egg substitutes, canned soups and soup mixes, puddings and instant dessert mixes, certain ice creams, French fries and other fried foods, flavored tofu, certain condiments – although condiments seem like unlikely sources of gluten but many popular ones harbor gluten – soy sauce, barbecue sauce, salad dressings, marinades, cream sauces, spice blends, gravy mixes, ketchup, etc…
Common products like medications and toothpastes can also contain gluten, so it’s important to check the label – use your magnifying glass to read them. Gluten is hidden in vitamin supplements, sweets, licorice, ice tea mixes, herbs mixes – the “list” is exhaustive. If it is any kind of processed food it is wise to be suspicious as these items potentially have gluten as an included ingredients but may not necessarily be listed, or may be listed by some named source you do not know/recognize.
Raw (singular) spices, seasonings and herbs that are made from plants are gluten-free. If you’re buying a seasoning mix, always read the label to ensure no wheat, barley or rye have been added. Spices sold singularly, i.e. there’s only one ingredient in the ingredients list—it should be safe.
These foods are always gluten-free: Fresh Fruits and Vegetables, Meat and poultry, Fish and other seafood, Dairy- although this could be a problem due to lactose intolerance, beans and nuts, Rice, Corn or Maize, Soy, Potato, Tapioca, Flax -flaxseed an ingredient [ in lieu of gluten], labeled Gluten-free: cereals, pasta, whole grain breads and crackers, energy bars, meatless meal products, and snack foods, Chia – chia seeds is added to cereals, and Gluten-free labeled crackers, beverages, breads, and other baked goods. If you have a serious lack of nutrients, your doctor may have you take gluten-free vitamins and mineral supplements and may give you medication if you have a skin rash.
After eating a gluten-free diet for a few weeks, your small intestine should begin to heal, and hopefully feel better. Generally the small intestine should heal completely in 3 to 6 months, and the villi working again. If you are older, it may take up to 2 years for your body to heal. People with Celiac disease need to follow a gluten-free diet for life.
So, when someone you know says they cannot eat gluten, take them seriously as this is a “significant” medical condition with serious and painful consequences and potentially life-threatening, if this food restriction is not followed.
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