What is Celiac?

Gluten-Free Basics:

·         What is Celiac:

Celiac is an auto-immune disease affecting the small intestine.  A person with Celiac cannot digest, or tolerate gluten in any form.  This is not a food allergy but an inability for people with Celiac to digest wheat proteins or absorb nutrients.  This wheat protein breaks down the ‘villi’ in the small intestine much like an open wound.  After a period of time this ‘wound’ will become something much worse, if one who should not eat gluten continues to do so.  

Is Celiac an allergy?  No.  It’s an intolerance to gluten, the wheat protein.  But, because it affects the small intestine it interferes with nutrient absorption, as well as increases the chance for an unhealthy internal environment where illness can progress.

Will I outgrow Celiac?  This is a debatable question.  My answer is not likely or no.  

Will eating gluten free cause me health problems if I don’t have Celiac? No!  Will eating a piece of fruit cause you problems.  Just because you eat gluten-free flours does not mean you will develop problems with gluten containing flours or foods.  

Is Celiac a hereditary illness?  Yes.  Most often one of our parents had it.  It is passed from parent to child.

Are oats gluten free?  Only gluten-free oats are gluten free (check out Bobsredmill.com) Most oats, corn and other products are processed on wheat processing lines, in wheat processing facilities, etc…  

If something says it’s gluten-free can I eat it?  That depends on your health.  If you are gluten intolerant, the answer is no!  Not everything that says it’s gf, actually is.  Dominos has a gluten free pizza, but it is prepared in the same facility as other regular pizzas.  It touches the same surfaces, hands, pans, etc… as the other pizza dough.  So, if you have been diagnosed through blood tests, food diaries, etc… do not eat at establishments that are not a dedicated gf facility.

How do I know if I have Celiac?  You need to be tested for it.  Not all blood tests are proof positive though.  You could have Celiac or Gluten Sensitivity, but if you are already on a gluten free diet and you get tested, the test will most likely be negative.  You have to be ingesting gluten every day in order to have the antibodies built up to this offender.  So, get tested first.  If the test still comes back negative but you notice a healthy improvement in your symptoms after removing gluten, stop eating gluten and consider yourself gluten intolerance or sensitive. 

Will a little gluten be harmful to someone who has Celiac?  Yes!  From personal experience it affects the entire immune system, which for myself meant two weeks of serious health issues.  On one trip to Olive Garden, eating just a salad (no croutons) with house dressing (supposedly gluten-free), I went into total auto-immune shutdown.  While some people experience mild symptoms, others can have very serious problems from consuming gluten.  With that said, you should keep in mind that symptoms can change from one person to the next as well as their degree of intolerance.  In my opinion, it is always best to be safe and abstain [in the event you have Celiac or Gluten Sensitivity] from all gluten.

Keep in mind that while you may have varying external symptoms, inside you have damage that you cannot see.  An external symptom is your body’s way of saying, you’ve gone too far, stop before it’s too late.  Pay attention to what is happening to your body and listen.  

What happens when someone eats gluten, who is gluten intolerant?  Many people will suffer intense abdominal pain, others will suffer from mild abdominal pain.  It depends on where and to what degree your small intestine has been affected.  Gluten Sensitive individuals may experience headaches, weight loss, cramping, pain, fogginess in thinking, depression, tremors, seizures, allergies, aches, joint pain, skin rashes, acne, mouth sores, these are all symptoms of gluten intolerance and sensitivity as well as many other allergens. Every individual is different.  You can find out if you have a problem by eliminating (for a time) all gluten containing foods from your diet and then reintroducing it.  Chart your symptoms and what foods you eat by keeping a food diary.  If you remove the offending food and you improve in health, you’ve found the guilty food.  Before completely removing gluten containing foods, get tested with a blood test.  It is important to do this BEFORE you remove gluten from your diet.

Is going gluten-free really difficult? With hindsight my answer is no. Lol!  The examples of ‘clean-out’ given previously, are a great way to keep your kitchen free of gluten.  While it may sound stressful and overwhelming, once you make it a habit, and lean toward a more gluten-free friendly kitchen, your stress will be alleviated.  

While it does take some getting used to, the real dilemma is affording the cost of such a change in diet.  If you have been diagnosed it is an absolute must that you change what you eat.  Buying in bulk is the biggest advantage when preparing gf foods.