Food looks different when you suffer from Celiac disease. Seemingly normal food can have frightening ingredients, causing serious pain for someone with Celiac.
Photo credit: knowCeliac.org
A cupcake isn’t simply a cupcake. Neither is a piece of pizza or bread or pasta. It’s severe abdominal pain or 300 other symptoms. This video shows how “normal” food appears to those who suffer from Celiac disease.
May is Celiac Awareness month, and here are some facts from knowceliac.org to help us learn more:
Celiac disease is NOT the latest diet fad.
While some people eat a gluten free diet as a choice. Celiac disease isn’t a choice. It’s a serious, genetic autoimmune disorder triggered by consuming even the smallest amounts of a protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, and rye. The only treatment: a lifelong gluten-free diet.
Source: Celiac Disease Foundation
Celiac disease is more than watching what you eat. Far more.
Celiac disease can lead to a host of additional health problems like infertility, neurological disorders, heart disease, and some cancers.
Source: Celiac Disease Foundation
Social isolation is one of the most common issues for people with Celiac disease.
Food is at the heart of most social gatherings. Food that usually has gluten in it. That can make a person feel alone. You can read more about my daughter’s personal journey with Celiac on Nationwide Children’s Hospital Flutter page.
Source: Beyond Celiac
There are over 300 symptoms of Celiac disease which can make it difficult to diagnose.
It is estimated that 83% of Americans who have Celiac disease are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.
Source: Beyond Celiac
There is no cure for Celiac disease.
It can only be effectively treated with a gluten-free diet.
Source: Celiac Disease Foundation
If you don’t suffer from Celiac disease, how can you help? Be supportive and compassionate.
What if everyone you know took 60 seconds to learn more about Celiac disease? And what if that 1 minute was enough to help others see that Celiac disease is real, even if its effects can’t always be seen on the surface? Watch this 1 minute video on Celiac Disease.
Many people simply don’t know about Celiac disease. You can help spread the word. Sufferers need our support and help to find a cure.
For more information, visit these sites:
Beyond Celiac, Canadian Celiac Association, Celiac Disease Foundation, Gluten Intolerance Group, National Celiac Association
This material was adapted from knowceliac.org by Shannon Carter, MS, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Fairfield County, carter.413@osu.edu
Reviewer: Christine Kendle, MS, RDN, LD, Extension Educator, Family and Consumer Sciences, Tuscarawas County
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