August 15, 2009 @ 6:46 pm
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects 1 out of every 133 people. The trigger for Celiac sufferers is gluten. Eating gluten “creates an immune-mediated toxic reaction that causes damage to the small intestine and does not allow food to be properly absorbed.”
When my partner Wendy was diagnosed with celiac disease almost 2 years ago, we really didn’t know what “gluten-free” meant in terms of eating, dining, cooking, drinking, etc. Celiac disease forces a gluten-free existence upon those who are diagnosed with it. Celiac disease is enormously different from gluten intolerance as gluten causes a celiac sufferers own body to attack itself. It’s not about intolerance to gluten, it’s about survival.
Symptoms of Celiac Disease May Include One or More of the Following:
via Celiac Disease Foundation
- Recurring bloating, gas, or abdominal pain
- Chronic diarrhea or constipation or both
- Unexplained weight loss or weight gain
- Pale, foul-smelling stool
- Unexplained anemia
- Bone or joint pain
- Behavior changes/depression/irritability
- Vitamin K Deficiency
- Fatigue, weakness or lack of energy
- Delayed growth or onset of puberty
- Failure to thrive (in infants)
- Missed menstrual periods
- Infertility male & female
- Spontaneous miscarriages
- Canker sores inside the mouth
- Tooth discoloration or loss of enamel
While it isn’t easy to eliminate gluten from one’s diet, Wendy and I have become experts in gluten detection and gluten-free baking/cooking solutions. Since I do not have celiac disease, I still eat products that contain gluten, but I am extremely mindful of contaminating anything that Wendy may ingest. I keep my wheat-based cereals in a separate cupboard and order pizza only when Wendy is out of town. It was difficult for Wendy to give up foods that she had enjoyed for most of her life: pizza, bread, pasta, bagels, waffles, pancakes and cereal. Thankfully, Wendy was never a beer drinker! There are gluten-free alternatives to most wheat-based foods, but a lot of them have strange aftertastes and do not have the same consistency as the gluten-based versions. With the tenacity of an alchemist, Wendy has figured out how to make the tastiest gluten-free pancakes that I have ever eaten!
What’s interesting to me is that most of the recipes that I make on a consistent basis are gluten-free: Polenta chili, Ground nut stew, Tomato soup, Sweet potato bisque and Chickpea and spinach soup.
Resources for people with Celiac Disease:
- “How Celiac Disease Works“
- Gluten-Free Girl
- The Expense of Eating With Celiac Disease
- Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center
- Celiac Chicks
- Celiac Disease Foundation
- Center for Celiac Disease Research: University of Maryland School of Medicine
- Celiac Disease Insights: Clues to Solving Autoimmunity
Delayed onset and the future of Celiac Disease:
People with celiac disease are born with a genetic susceptibility to it. So why do some individuals show no evidence of the disorder until late in life? In the past, I would have said that the disease process was probably occurring in early life, just too mildly to cause symptoms. But now it seems that a different answer, having to do with the bacteria that live in the digestive tract, may be more apt.
These microbes, collectively known as the microbiome, may differ from person to person and from one population to another, even varying in the same individual as life progresses. Apparently they can also influence which genes in their hosts are active at any given time. Hence, a person whose immune system has managed to tolerate gluten for many years might suddenly lose tolerance if the microbiome changes in a way that causes formerly quiet susceptibility genes to become active. If this idea is correct, celiac disease might one day be prevented or treated by ingestion of selected helpful microbes, or “probiotics.”
Bonus: Recently on an episode of Top Chef Masters, the chefs were tasked with creating a gluten-free entree. Michael Chiarello’s quinoa spaghetti with salsa verde and pine nut gremolata was the winning gluten-free dish:
Update: Gluten-free and Celiac Disease resources in Corvallis, Oregon
- Nadine Grzeskowiak, Gluten-Free RN, office in downtown Corvallis
- Living Earth Bakery - gluten-free baked goods
- Oregon State University And The Gluten-Free College Student
