This has the potential to be a very long post (don't say I didn't warn ya), but I wanted to take a minute to educate my readers (who are mostly my friends) about Celiac Disease. I sometimes forget that not everyone knows about the disease and I get really sick of always having to explain it so hopefully this is helpful for anyone interested. My disclaimer: I AM NOT A DOCTOR. If you think you may be gluten intolerant please see your doctor. This is meant to help educate my friends and family, and not to be taken as medical advice.
Gluten Sensitivity:
There is a very wide range of gluten sensitivity. You can have Celiac Disease, you can be gluten intolerant, you can simply get a bit of an upset stomach when you eat gluten, or you can be anywhere in between. The hard part in diagnosing any of it is that the symptoms can be all over the board. Some one with gluten intolerance can be far more physically ill than some one with Celiac Disease, you can have Celiac Disease but show no symptoms, or, again, you can be anywhere in between. As if that's not confusing enough, the symptoms themselves are all over the board. There are over 300 different symptoms associated with gluten intolerance and Celiac Disease. The most common ones revolve around stomach and intestinal "issues" but can include anything from skin rashes to neurological conditions and depression. From there, the neurological symptoms can be anything from a "brain fog" to symptoms associated with autism and MS. Obviously, this is far more complicated than "just an allergy" as I've heard it referred to.
Celiac Disease vs. Gluten Intolerance:
The difference between Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance is a little more straight forward. If you have Celiac Disease, any time you ingest gluten it is actually damaging your intestine. Gluten intolerance can cause you to be super sick but does not damage your intestine. This damage makes it difficult, or if its been damaged long enough, impossible for you to absorb nutrients and, if not taken care of, can lead to a million and one other problems including infertility and some cancers. The amazing part of all of this is that once you stop eating gluten your intestine is able to completely heal itself. Depending on how long the damage has been taking place, it can take a few years to fully heal. Now I've had people ask me, "Do you actually have Celiac Disease or just an intolerance?" To me that is an absolutely absurd question. Either way, if you can't eat gluten, you can't eat gluten. There are plenty of people with "just an intolerance" who get way sicker (is sicker a word?) than I do from eating gluten.
Gluten Free Food:
Gluten is found in wheat, barely, and rye. Most people know the obvious, but wheat can be found in almost anything processed or frozen, and often hiding in things you would never expect. Basically eating gluten free means eating a very natural diet (which I think everyone should eat regardless).. .veggies, fruit, meat, potatoes, rice, dairy, etc. There are also a ton of gluten free options to replace your bread, pasta, etc. Doesn't sound so hard does it??? Well, it gets tricky. . . .
Cross Contamination:
A HUGE thing I have to worry about is cross contamination. In theory, oats are gluten free. BUT if they have been harvested, processed, or packaged on the same machinery as wheat they are NOT gluten free. This is the case for A LOT of food. Items labeled as gluten free are often processed in a completely separate facility to insure no cross contamination. Most of that info can be found near the ingredient list on a package. This is part of why eating a natural diet is far easier then trying to navigate packaged food. This whole cross contamination things gets even trickier when you go out to eat. The best way to explain it is to give an example. . . There are a lot of places that now offer gluten free pizza. The problem is, if they make that gluten free pizza and, for example, have some flour on their apron from a regular pizza and a fleck of the flour falls on my gluten free pizza, it's been contaminated. That can be enough to make a person sick for days. Personally, I can tell if I ingested it, it won't make me violently ill, but even that speck is damaging my intestine. It's easy to think, well I'm not super sick so no big deal, but it is still damaging my insides even if I'm not physically ill. Make sense?? Just because a restaurant has a gluten free menu doesn't mean it's safe. Unfortunately, you really have to talk with managers, cooks, etc if you want to be sure. This also makes it difficult to eat in others homes. You can have the best of intentions making me something gluten free but if it was mixed with the same spoon or in the same pan as something else, I just can't eat it. Plus, gluten is found in so many places that you don't even think to look if you aren't used to it including spices, non-organic meat, sauces, dressings, beverages, etc.
How to treat a Celiac:
If you work in a restaurant. . don't be an asshole. I am not "doing that gluten free thing" to lose weight, you telling me "I'm sure you'll be fine" is not encouraging, and telling me "there are no substitutions" before you even hear my request just pisses me off. If you don't have, can't make, or just don't know about anything gluten free, that's ok. Just tell me. I'm not going to get mad, I am not going to demand you make something special, I just need to know so I don't eat something and get sick. I try my best to research and contact places before going out to eat and usually just have a few questions when we get to a restaurant. Just be nice and be HONEST about your food.
If you are a friend or family member. . .my not being able to eat certain things bothers YOU a whole hell of a lot more than it bothers me. I am perfectly content with a drink and a salad if there's nothing else I can eat. I don't care that I can't eat the cookies and if you want to go out to a certain restaurant than by all means lets go! Let me worry about me. If I have a special request I will let you know. And PLEASE do not be offended if you make something and I don't eat it, or if I ask to see the package something came out of. It's nothing to do with you or your cooking. Finally, do NOT feel guilty eating something in front of me. Yes, there are foods I miss, but its ok. Don't not eat something because of me, that just makes me feel bad. It has been a huge mental and emotional journey through this process that I never expected. I have been so grateful for my friends and family who have embraced learning about the disease and who have even experimented with making me special foods. I appreciate all that more than you know, but most of all I just want to be able to enjoy my time with you without the constant focus being on food. And one final note, Celiac Disease is forever. I will never be done with this and odds are, if Dan and I ever have children, they will have it too. So my one last request is, please, please don't ask me if I'm done with that "diet thing".
So there it is, your lesson for the day! I may have made it sound horrible, but it really isn't all that bad. It's been a big adjustment but nothing I couldn't handle, and my quality of life has only gotten better since being diagnosed. I really am happy to answer any other questions you might have. While I don't like talking about it in every single social situation, I don't mind answering questions at all! It's a lot to understand and it's becoming more and more prevalent now-a-days. I am happy to do what can to help people understand it a little more!
