Celiac Disease Awareness Month: What you need to know about Celiac Disease.

Celiac Disease is an inherited autoimmune disease that affects 1 in 100 people in the world. Approximately 97% of people who have Celiac Disease do not know they have it. When Celiac Disease is left untreated, it can put the sufferer at risk for osteoporosis, infertility, cancer, and even death.

What happens when someone with Celiac Disease ingests gluten?
Gluten, a protein that is found in wheat, barley, rye, and most oats, triggers an immune response when it is ingested into the body. The body begins to attack itself, resulting in malabsorption of nutrients (gluten kills the villi in the small intestine. Villi are responsible for absorbing nutrients). This brings about symptoms of diarrhea, pain, and more than 300 other symptoms associated with Celiac Disease. Symptoms vary from person to person, and they vary in severity.

While there is no cure for this disease, it can be treated by a life-long, strict adherence to a gluten free diet.

You may be thinking, "I see gluten free food all the time. How hard can it be?" You'd be surprised. While there are more gluten free options than ever before, it doesn't mean that all options are safe for Celiacs. There are a lot of sneaky companies out there that put harmful ingredients in GF food, causing the sufferer to relapse in their symptoms. Eating out is even worse. A story broke out, stating that many GF options at restaurants actually have gluten in them.

Celiac Disease is much more severe than any intolerance or allergy to wheat and gluten. It's an actual disease. People with Celiac Disease have actually died from having Celiac Disease. Joe C (Kid Rock's rapper friend) died from Celiac Disease in the early 2000s. My grandmother (diagnosed in the 1980s) died from both dementia and Celiac Disease in 2007.

Why do I care so much about Celiac Disease?
I was diagnosed with it over 12 years ago. I had gotten very sick in the months leading up to the diagnosis. The doctor did a blood test and I tested positive for the disease. Following the diagnosis, I went in for a intestinal biopsy. Again, I tested positive for the disease. It was official, I had Celiac Disease, just like my grandmother. I was diagnosed before the gluten free craze started and no one knew anything about Celiac Disease or gluten free food. Dating was tough, going out with friends was tough, and I cried every time I went to the grocery store.
Despite how much is available, gluten free-wise, it is still a slap in the face when I look at the ingredients of so-called gluten free foods, and see "Contains: wheat, barley, gluten, etc." A law was passed years ago that was supposed to stop this behavior, but I guess the laws still don't take Celiac Disease seriously.

This is why awareness needs to be brought to this illness. Even though there has been an emphasis on gluten free food in the last several years, the focus has been taken away from Celiac Disease. More research needs to be done, studies need to be conducted so we can find a cure, and we need to be taken care of when we go out to eat.
Guys, we cannot be afraid to speak up. People die from this illness, it must be taken seriously.

I'm a mom now, and I worry that I could have passed Celiac Disease to my son. If he ends up having the gene for Celiac Disease, I don't want him to deal with the eye rolls and the people who scoff at us. There needs to be more awareness, more compassion, more research into this illness. If you, or someone you know, has Celiac Disease, stand up and spread awareness.

 #CeliacDisease #CeliacDiseaseAwarenessMonth #GlutenFree #GFree #GlutenFreeDiet #IAm1in100

Aldi's rolling out A TON of gluten free items. Find out when they will be available!

Aldi's is my favorite grocery store because they offers their own inexpensive gluten free line. I have been buying their gluten free items for years and I have never had an issue.

Well, you can imagine my happiness when I found out they were unveiling more GF items.
Along with their breads, cheesecakes, pretzels, mixes and more, they will be adding the following items:

• Chocolate Frosted Donuts
• Ravioli
• Skillet meals
• PB&J bites
• GF Linguini
• More bread items
• Croutons
• Empanadas

These items will be in every Aldi's store as of May 8.

Get your reusable bags ready! May 8th will be here before you know it. And like I said, this Celiac has NEVER had an issue with their brand LiveGFree.

You have Celiac Disease. Does that mean your kids have it too?

If you have Celiac Disease and you recently had a child, you may be wondering if you passed the disease onto your child. After all, we all know that Celiac Disease is an inherited autoimmune disease. I inherited Celiac Disease from my grandmother.

Now that I have a child of my own, one of the first things I worried about is that I passed the Celiac gene to him. I told my son's pediatrician that Celiac does run in the family and that I have it. I expressed general concern that my son might have the gene. My son's pediatrician told me that they usually do those types of tests in a few years, so it's something they will probably test for when he turns 3, unless symptoms become present (luckily, he's been handling gluten foods pretty well).

Anyways, I did some research on genetic risks and found out that the general incidence of Celiac Disease is around 1%. If there is a family history of Celiac (and if a first degree relative has been officially diagnosed with it), the likelihood of your child developing it ranges from 4-16%.
If you have Celiac and you're a new parent, it's advised that you continue your regular appointments and screenings.
It is also advised that you do not remove gluten from your child's diet before testing. As you all know, removing gluten from your diet before being tested will give you an inaccurate result. With CD, you don't want your kids to have an inaccurate test result.

What tests will they do on your child?

• tTG
• EMA
• DGP
• Total serum IgA
• Endoscopy to confirm diagnosis

What about genetic testing?

• All testing will do is determine whether your child has the genes needed for Celiac Disease development.
• Also, a positive result does not mean that Celiac is present. One-third of the general population has the Celiac genes. All it means is that the illness could develop, and if you have the illness, your child will need to be screened regularly.
• A negative genetic test result means that your child does not have Celiac Disease.  

Mamas, whatever the case may be, hang in there. Be strong for your child. You got this.

 #CeliacDisease #Celiac #GlutenFree #GF #GlutenFreeDiet #Genetics #Health #kids #celiackids

Study suggests that we are paying 2 to 3 times more for "gluten free" food that still contains gluten.

Last week, I wrote about how those of us who are gluten free are unknowingly buying food that still contain a dangerous about of gluten in it. As if that was infuriating enough, when you add the cost that we already pay for our food, it's enough to have steam actually come out of your ears.
Researchers studied 5,600 food tests over the course of 18 months. The results came back that 1 in 3 food items were not gluten free, meaning, it tested ABOVE 20ppm.

Over 5 years ago, a law was passed that companies who want the GF label had to test under 20ppm. The simple fact that these errors continue to happen is just putting those of us with Celiac Disease at risk for serious complications (cancer, infertility, osteoporosis, death).

Look, I know a small portion of us can be overbearing with having to be completely GF. However, these food issues are playing with our lives. None of us want to be sick, and we certainly don't want to die from complications related to Celiac Disease.
I really hope that food companies and restaurants get their act together.
Also, I have a sense of humor and I try to be positive and make light of situations. However, this situation isn't funny.

One third of gluten-free food contain gluten, study finds.

If you have Celiac Disease, or a gluten sensitivity, dining out at restaurants these days may seem like a dream come true. With more restaurants offering gluten free options, it is making it easier to dine out....or is it?

A study, published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology, found that gluten resides in 32% of restaurant foods marked gluten free. It was also found that 52.3% of GF pizzas contain gluten, and nearly 51% of GF pastas contain gluten. The researchers tested the food with the Nima device, which uses a small sample of food to detect gluten.

While this may seem shocking and somewhat criminal, the USDA law that grants manufacturers the ability to label packaged food GF if it tests under 20ppm, does not apply to restaurant foods.

My Two Cents
I highly urge you all to speak to your waiters about their GF options. With Celiac Disease, you can't take any risks. I also recommend that you stick to 100% GF restaurants. I will be posting about random GF restaurants across the country.

source:
https://nypost.com/2019/04/19/almost-a-third-of-foods-labeled-gluten-free-contain-gluten-study-finds/

 

100% gluten free restaurant opening in Louisville, KY.

If you are gluten free and living in the Louisville, Kentucky area, a new 100% gluten free restaurant is coming your way. Silly Axe Cafe will be located at 2216 Dundee Road, where the old DiOrio's Pizza and Pub used to be.

The menu will feature pasta salads, quesadillas, and multiple assortments of sandwiches. ALL will be gluten free. Those of you who are wondering if the place can be trustworthy, I have some good news for you. The owners maintain a gluten free diet due to allergies. The owners are also thinking about adding some GF favorites to the menu (fried chicken and mac & cheese).

Read on to learn more about this gem of a restaurant:
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/money/louisville-city-living/2019/01/25/gluten-free-restaurant-silly-axe-cafe-opening-louisville-highlands/2667223002/

My Two Cents
I wish I were in Louisville. I would practically LIVE in a place like this!
If you live in the Louisville area and you check out this restaurant, let me know how it is!

Are Celiacs at a higher risk for Coronary Artery Disease?

It's not easy living with Celiac Disease. We have to go through our ingredients with a fine toothed comb, and be mindful of what soaps we use, what makeup we put on, and even what toothpastes we use.

Along with the many life changes we make post-diagnosis, we also have to deal with the other illnesses we are at high risk for; Coronary Artery Disease being one of them.

Those of us with Celiac Disease are twice as likely to develop Coronary Artery Disease than the general population, this according to R.D. Gajulapalli M.D.

Gajulapalli said this about the discovery:
“People with celiac disease have some persistent low-grade inflammation in the gut that can spill immune mediators into the bloodstream, which can then accelerate the process of atherosclerosis and, in turn, coronary artery disease. Our findings reinforce the idea that chronic inflammation, whether it’s from an infection or a disease, can have an adverse role in coronary artery disease and heart health in general.”

Researchers studied medical records of patients from more than a dozen hospitals. Over 24,000 of these patients were diagnosed with Celiac Disease. Compared to the control group, Celiacs had a higher prevalence of Coronary Artery Disease.

Gajulapalli said this in his conclusion:
“This is an important study because it highlights a specific patient population who might be at higher risk for coronary artery disease, even in the absence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. We were surprised by the strength of the association, especially in younger people. Patients and doctors should be aware of this association. Whether patients with celiac disease will need more intense risk factor modification like in diabetic patients with coronary artery disease will need to be studied.”

My thoughts:

I'm sure I'm not alone in feeling overwhelmed by these findings. We Celiacs have enough on our plate to deal with. Unfortunately, this is a reality that we need to face head-on.
I hope all my fellow Celiacs will join me in bringing up this study to our doctors. I see mine next month (both my PCP and my GI doctor). I'm going to print this out for both of them to read. This specific matter of the heart should not be ignored. Our risk is two-fold.

To find out more about Coronary Artery Disease, click here.