Celiac & Gluten
Gluten Free diets are our specialty! Whether it be due to celiac, gluten intolerance, wheat allergy, autism or other heath reasons -- a gluten free diet is not as complicated as it may seem at first. Learn more about celiac disease below:
Celiac Disease is one of the most common and most under diagnosed auto-immune conditions in this country today; with about 1 in 100 people affected in the US alone, (and about 1 in 25 when gluten intolerance is taken into account). Celiac disease is a an autoimmune disorder, not a food allergy. Celiac disease is an inflammatory condition of the small intestine, induced by gluten. Celiac disease causes damage to the small intestine, which can lead to malabsorption of nutrients. A genetic intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, triggers this destructive reaction of the immune system. Other terms for celiac disease include gluten sensitive enteropathy and non-tropical sprue. A wheat allergy, wheat intolerance, and gluten intolerance are all different than celiac disease -- but -- people with any of the four can benefit from a gluten free diet.
Most people with celiac disease have few symptoms and may be misdiagnosised with intestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome. While some patients with celiac disease are truly asymptomatic or have symptoms related to an associated autoimmune problem. Any which way celiac disease is serious and one cannot 'cheat' and expect to get healthy. Eating even small amounts of gluten results in damage to the small intestine --and remember there may or may not be any repercussionary symptoms -- and you are still at risk for resulting problems.
Simply put -- DON'T EAT GLUTEN IF YOU HAVE CELIAC DISEASE.
A gluten-free diet should not be started until all diagnostic tests are completed, as the withdrawal of gluten can change test results. The recommendation by physicians, nutritionists, naturopaths and osteopaths to try a gluten-free diet as a trial of therapy for gastrointestinal symptoms, without biopsy confirmation of the diagnosis, should be discouraged.
With celiac, and for most folks, make sure your diet includes foods in which you can consume your vitamins, minerals, and protein.
Key Nutrients Needed
- Fiber
- B Complex Vitamins
- Iron
- Vitamin D
Some great medical information about Celiac
New England Journal of Medicine Review Article about the medical progress on Celiac Disease by Dr. Green and Dr. Cellier passed on to me by the Suffolk County Celiac organization
The "bottom line" about Celiac
Economic Benefits of Increased Diagnosis of Celiac Disease in a National Managed Care Population in the
United States JOURNAL OF INSURANCE MEDICINE article by Peter H. R. Green; Alfred I. Neugut; Afzal J. Naiyer; Z. Collette Edwards; Susan Gabinelle; Vijit Chinburapa
The Benevolent Baker is -not- responsible for the information on external sites; nor is the Benevolent Baker associated with any of the sites in the above links. All information on this site is for referential use only and is not mean to act as a replacement for trained medical involvement.