Celiac disease used to be a rare disorder caused by a reaction to a protein called alpha-gliadin, which is a main component of wheat, rye, barley and oats, but is now very common. This alpha-gliadin protein causes a reaction in the mucous lining of your intestine, which triggers an inflammation in your bowel tissue that impairs your body’s ability to absorb important nutrients and causes serious health problems – like malnutrition and diarrhea - due to the inflammation and the loss of vitamins, minerals and calories. Celiac disease is better known as an intolerance to gluten.
Symptoms
First symptoms
- Behavior changes
- Abdominal distention
- Diarrhea
- Weight loss
- Nutritional deficiencies
Other symptoms:
- Nausea
- Abdominal swelling
- Chronic indigestion and gas
- Paleness
- Foul-smelling stools
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Irritability
- Muscle cramps
- Joint & bone pain – leading to growth retardation and softening of the bones
A person with celiac disease may have no symptoms.
Diet
Eliminate
- All foods containing gluten from your diet – wheat, rye, barley, oats
- Any processed, thickened or prepared fruits
- Any processed, creamed or breaded vegetables
- Restaurant-styled, commercially prepared vegetables with cream sauce or cheese sauce.
- Candy
- Ice cream
- Cereals containing malt or malt flavoring derived from barley
- Cereals containing wheat, rye, oats, barley, bran, buckwheat or bulgur wheat
- Processed or canned meats
- Beer
- Most infant formulas
- Baked goods containing wheat, rye, oats, barley, bran, buckwheat or bulgur wheat
- Hard liquors made from cereal grains
- Most breakfast cereals – read labels
- Pasta & noodles
- Salad dressings
- Dairy
- Salty and processed snacks
- All fatty foods
- Fast food
- Condiments prepared with wheat, rye, oats, or barley such as some ketchup, chili sauce, soy sauce, mustard, bottled meat sauces, horseradish and steak sauces
- Some dry seasoning mixes – read labels
- Pickles
- Processed soups and bouillon
Good Foods
- Baked goods made from arrowroot, carob, cornmeal, pea, potato, rice, sorghum, soybean, or tapioca starch or flour
- All fresh or frozen fruits
- All fresh or frozen veggies – especially sweet potatoes and yams
- All fresh meat, poultry, fish and shellfish
- Dried peas and beans
- Nuts
- Peanut butter
- Most soy protein meat substitutes – read labels
- Tofu
- Pure corn tortillas
- Grits
- Popcorn
- Potatoes
- Potato chips
- Rice
- Rice noodles
- Rice cakes
- Cereals like puffed rice, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies, Kellogg’s Sugar Pops, Post’s Fruity and Chocolate Pebbles, cream of rice – find the organic versions of these cereals and ones lower in sugar content
Hidden Gluten
- Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP) or Texturized Vegetable Protein
- Flour or cereal products – any thickening agents
- Vegetable protein
- Malt or malt flavoring
- starch
- Vegetable gum
Recommended Vitamins, Minerals, & Supplements
- Amino acid complex
- Multi-vitamin
- Vitamin A
- Beta carotene
- Vitamin E
- Vitamin B complex
- Vitamin B12
- Folic acid
- N-acetyglucosamine
- Vitamin K
- Zinc
- Calcium
- Copper
- Salmon oil
- Magnesium
- Psyllium seed
- Vitamin C
- Recommended herbs
- Alfalfa
- Slippery elm
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| melsQuiz answer |
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| melsBuzz |
- You need to take Celiac disease seriously. Once you change your diet, you are going to feel so much better.
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| melsAdvice |
- Eat plenty of fresh veggies
- Eat plenty of legumes (lentils, beans, and peas)
- Eat rice bran
- Eat nuts and sunflower seeds
- Any foods rich in iron and B vitamins
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| DidYouKnow? |
- Gluten is found in many nutritional supplements. You need to always read labels
- Lactose intolerance can occur with celiac disease
- Aloe vera – taken in small amounts – can help decrease inflammation
- Celiac disease affects approximately 1% of healthy, average Americans. That means at least 3 million people in the U.S. are living with celiac disease — 97% of them are undiagnosed
- There are more than 2,000 gluten-free food items available in the United States. From 2004 – 2005, sales of gluten-free foods increased by $77.8 million (a growth of 14.6%). The U.S. Department of Agriculture projects that the gluten-free industry’s revenues will reach $1.7 billion by 2010.
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| melsTips |
- Do not eat sugary foods
- Do not eat processed or refined foods
- Avoid dairy products, chocolate and bottled dressings and sauces
- Watch for hidden sources of gluten. Products that list “cereal fillers” or “hydrolyzed protein” most likely contain gluten
- Substitute rice, potato, cornmeal, or soy flour for wheat flour
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| melsQuiz |
- Celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune disorder. True or False?
- When a person who has celiac disease consumes gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, what does their immune system do?
- Does The Roman Catholic Church require that for a valid Eucharist the bread must be made from wheat?
- What type of matzo do people with celiac disease use for Passover?
- The first known recording of celiac disease – the symptoms not the name – were noted in which century?
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| melsQuiz Answers |
- True
- The individual’s immune system responds by attacking the small intestine and inhibiting the absorption of important nutrients into the body.
- Yes
- Oat matzo
- According to Wikipedia, Aretaeus of Cappadocia, living in the second century, recorded a malabsorptive syndrome with chronic diarrhea. His "Cœliac Affection" is a translation of the Greek κοιλιακος (koiliakos, abdominal). It gained the attention of Western medicine when Francis Adams presented a translation of Aretaeus' work at the Sydenham Society in 1856. The problem, Aretaeus believed, was a lack of heat in the stomach necessary to digest the food and a reduced ability to distribute the digestive products throughout the body.
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