Gluten Free diets for Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is the condition in which gluten causes injuries to the small intestine upon contact. It’s thought that about 2 million people in the United States suffer from the disease and not everyone that has it experience symptoms.
Symptoms of Celiac disease include:
- bloating
- diarrhea
- gas
- weight loss
- cramping
- fatigue
- anemia and vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
If you have experienced the symptoms it’ll be helpful to know that once you’ve found a way to eliminate grains from your diet your symptoms will subside and your small intestine will have a chance to heal itself. Everybody’s body is different but most people see an improvement in their symptoms in a few weeks to a few months.
Gluten is the protein part of barley, wheat, rye, and other grains. As you can guess, if you have Celiac disease there is a wide variety of foods in which you’ll need to avoid.
But with a change in diet and careful observation there is a way to be successful and live without the symptoms of celiac disease.
Paying special attention to everything that you put into your body is absolutely necessary in order to have a gluten free diet. It’s obvious to look at the ingredient labels of products such as breads, cookies, and other grains-containing foods.
But gluten is used in such a wide variety of products that you have to make sure your health-care professional gives you a detailed list of everything you should avoid or ask about when it comes to the things you eat and the products you use.
A few places in which you may not expect to find gluten are: lipstick, lip gloss, glue, body powder, beer, hot chocolate, ice cream, seafood, soups, bologna, nuts, canned vegetables, potato chips, and malt vinegar.
Many people are surprised to find out that these products often contain gluten and should be avoided.
These items are only a small portion of the products to be aware of, so stay informed about other products as well.
Though there are many restrictions you can still enjoy a wide variety of foods that are gluten free.
Corn, rice, potato, buckwheat, millet, lentils, amaranth, and soy are all naturally gluten free.
You can also enjoy: Plain meat, fish, chicken, eggs, low fat milk, evaporated milk, block cheese, fruit juices, soy flour, lentil flour, rice, potato flour, some rice cakes, cereal (without malt extract), rice crackers, corn tortillas, and much more.
Though many products are naturally gluten free, somewhere along the manufacturing line gluten is added to the product.
This is where you have to be careful.
Though you may think something is gluten free, always check because you never know what has been added to a product.
The bright side of things is that because so many people suffer from celiac disease you can look in many grocery stores and find gluten free products.
There are countless websites online that will share tips, recipes, and products that are helpful in the maintenance of celiac disease.
When seeking help for celiac disease you should contact a licensed dietician. They will be able to steer you in the right direction and give you many more tips for living with the disease.
Remember to ask for other names that gluten may go by in the ingredient label on foods. You want to make sure that you can spot it anywhere.
To date there is no cure for the disease. Maintaining a strict-diet and paying special attention is the only way to protect your body if you have celiac disease. If you just found out that you have the disease it can feel devastating.
But remember that there are others that are dealing with the same thing and they are willing to help.
People all over are living wonderful lives while adhering to their gluten free diet.