Celiacs: What To Do If You Accidentally Eat Food Containing Gluten.

Going Gluten Free is never an easy transition, as I have stated many times on this blog, but, the transition is worth it. However, accidents DO happen and you may accidentally ingest Gluten. Depending on your level of the disease, you could start feeling the effects within hours, and the symptoms could last for days. I have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease for two years now, and I have had my run ins with being “glutened.” It is not pretty, you are going to feel like crap for a little while. When I am "glutened," I get painful stomach cramping, rashes, bloating, minor stomach upset, fatigue, and chronic diarrhea. The diarrhea can be a problem for me, because my potassium levels drop very low.
I’m going to share with you ways to help you feel comfortable, as you ride it out.

Drink Tea- Drinking tea, mainly peppermint tea, can help you with the stomach upset, plus it will help you stay hydrated. Tea will help relax you as you ride this Glutened period out. Make sure the tea is Gluten Free.
Eat light- If you have upset stomach, eat light. Eat what ever you would eat if you had a stomach bug. Avoid dairy, especially if you have the diarrhea symptoms.
Heating Pad- Heating pads can help alleviate the discomfort of stomach cramps.
Laxatives- People in the Celiac community have taken laxatives to help get the gluten poison out of the body faster. Do not go overboard with the laxatives. Some Celiacs have become dependent on them. If you do end up with diarrhea, make sure you keep up with the fluids, and make sure you are eating enough Potassium in your diet.
Just ride it out- There is no magic pill to get rid of these symptoms. The best thing that you can do is just allow your body to do its thing and get better. With all these symptoms, you will feel quite fatigued. Allowing yourself to rest a bit will help your body work faster to get better.
Imodium- People have said that Imodium will help with discomfort.

Being "Glutened" will happen, we just need to be more careful next time. We have this disease for the rest of our lives, and we will encounter this situation every once in a while. The only thing you can do is ride it out. Stay hydrated, avoid dairy, eat light, drink tea, and use the heating pad.

(photo courtesy of: http://ts4.explicit.bing.net/th?id=H.4928613449664795&pid=15.1)

Celebrities who have Celiac Disease

Getting diagnosed with Celiac Disease can be pretty tough (believe me, I remember how hard it was for me). You may be the first among your family and/or friends that has been diagnosed as Celiac. It can be lonely (even though my grandmother had it, and I was partially raised by her, she had been gone for a few years when I was diagnosed. I had no one). What gave me some comfort was that I was not alone. Some of the celebrities I look up to were also Celiac Disease sufferers. People like Elizabeth Hasselbeck and Emmy Rossum had been living with the disease for years before I was diagnosed. I researched both and learned a lot from them. Also, learning that my first celeb crush has 2 Celiacs in his family really helped me feel less alone. Here is a list of celebs who have diagnosed Celiac Disease: Elizabeth Hasselbeck (public figure) Emmy Rossum (actress) Wil Wheaton's mom and sister Meg Cabot (author) Sarah Joy Brown (actress) Joe C (rapper who frequently performed with

To Eat Gluten Free Oats, or Not To Eat Gluten Free Oats?

When you're diagnosed with Celiac Disease, you are given a list of what food you cannot eat. Wheat, Barley, Rye, and Oats. However, you find that there is such a thing as gluten free oats. You wonder if it is safe for you to chance eating it. You think to yourself: "It's gluten free, so it cannot be too bad, right?" Depending on how sensitive your Celiac is, it may be bad. While a majority of Celiacs may be able to stomach gluten free oats, and granola, there are a small percentage of us that cannot handle GF oats and granola. I fall into the sensitive category. I loved eating oatmeal, before I was diagnosed with Celiac. After I was diagnosed, I was lost. It was not until a month or two after my diagnosis, where I discovered gluten free oats. I picked some up, and started eating it every morning for breakfast. It was not until day 3 of eating GF oats, where I began to feel sick. My stomach was cramping, I was fatigued, I was nauseated. I thought I had been "

South Park's Gluten-Free Ebola Episode

photo credit: southparkdigital Greetings Celiac Warriors! Recently, South Park did a gluten free episode that got a lot of attention in the gluten free and Celiac communities. For the most part, the reaction has been positive. Many folks, including myself, found it hilarious. You may be wondering what the episode was about. I'm going to give you the cliff notes version: The episode starts off with the kids returning to school after their start up company fails. Then the show cuts to the teachers lounge where the teachers are discussing Mr. Mackey who has gone gluten free. Mr. Mackey comes back and starts blaming all the world's problems on gluten. A co-worker becomes annoyed by all the gluten free talk and starts screaming at Mr. Mackey to shut up. Mackey states that behavior problems are due to gluten consumption. A female teacher expresses interest in going gluten free. Later on, the boys are on the radio promoting an "epic" party. Callers ask the boys i

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