Celiacs: When dining out, proceed with caution.

I've mentioned this a few times in previous posts. However, it bears repeating because of a news story that broke out last week, in regards to a Celiac coming in contact with cross-contamination.

A woman in Connecticut contacted a local TV station after being 'glutened' at a restaurant. Kate Bradley, who is diagnosed with Celiac disease, was very excited to find out that a local pizza restaurant now had gluten free pizza. Immediately, she placed an order. During her lunch hour, she sat down for some pizza. After taking a few bites, she noticed some breaded eggplant underneath the spinach on her pizza. She notified the staff of the issue. A few minutes later, she fell ill.
Bradley decided to contact the local TV station in hopes to raise awareness of the severity of the situation.
The owner of the restaurant emailed Bradley, saying that the restaurant is not 100% gluten free. Therefore, he cannot guarantee the safeness of their gluten free products. He plans on implementing some changes on how his kitchen staff does things, in hopes this reduces the risk of cross-contamination (source: http://www.wfsb.com/story/23591500/woman-gets-sick-after-eating-pizza-described-as-gluten-free).

Here is where I'm going to become a tad preachy.

We have Celiac disease. We cannot go out to eat on a whim. We have to be careful. Yes, many restaurants have gluten free menus. However, this DOESN'T mean you WON'T get 'glutened.' We have to do our homework. We have to research. We have to call the restaurants ahead of time. We have to give staff ample time to prepare for our order.
All Celiacs have made this same mistake: We've gone into a restaurant because they now offer gluten free options. We enthusiastically eat our food. We feel pretty normal to be eating in a restaurant with our friends. Several minutes later, we get violently ill.
It's going to happen. However, we need to learn from the experience and be careful the next time around. 95% of the restaurants out there aren't classically trained on how to handle gluten free food orders. We have to look at every restaurant (whether they have a gluten free menu or not) as a risk.

If you want to eat somewhere, do your research. Call the restaurant ahead. Let them know you're coming, and what you require. Take the necessary precautions so you don't get 'glutened.'

Am I saying that after taking precautions you won't get sick? No. It can still happen. This is why I say, "Proceed with caution."

photo credit: http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/ab/06/24/ab0624f8aae34462ab04ee8c324328c2.jpg

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

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

Celiac Women At a Decreased Risk for Hormone-Related Cancers.

When it comes to Celiac Disease, there really are not many benefits to the disease. However, research has shown that women, who have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, are at a lower risk for hormone-related cancers, which include Endometrial, Breast, and Ovarian Cancers. Women with Celiac Disease are 15% less likely to develop Breast Cancer, 40% less likely to develop Endometrial Cancer, and 11% less like to develop Ovarian Cancer. Researchers believe that this is due to a decreased level of female hormones that promote reproductive Cancers. Sources: http://thesavvyceliac.com/2012/09/22/celiac-may-reduce-breast-cancer-in-women/ http://www.celiac.com/articles/23048/1/Women-With-Celiac-Disease-At-Lower-Risk-for-Hormone-Related-Cancers/Page1.html (photo courtesy of: http://uvahealth.com/services/digestive-health-1/images-and-docs/landing_page_main_digestive2.jpg/image_large )

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