Celiac Disease

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What is Celiac?

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder that damages the small intestine of those affected when gluten is ingested in the small intestine. Their body rejects the gluten when it enters the small intestine and your immune system attempts to destroy the gluten. Little tiny hairs inside the small intestine that absorb nutrients from food are damaged during the attack, and when they are too damaged, they cannot absorb nutrients properly.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1507175109712{margin-bottom: 45px !important;}”]

What to do if you suspect you have Celiac

If you think you may have celiac disease, there are two things you need to do. First, check for the common symptoms that occur when you have celiac. If you have some or all of the symptoms, you need to get into a professional as soon as possible, celiac irreversibly damages the small intestine anytime gluten is ingested, if it goes untreated for a long period of time, your small intestine will not be able to properly absorb nutrients from the food you eat. If left untreated Celiac can cause many other autoimmune disorders.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”2260″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” eltd_css_animation=”element_from_fade” css=”.vc_custom_1507173045201{margin-bottom: 50px !important;}”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”2242″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” eltd_css_animation=”” css=”.vc_custom_1507175160904{margin-bottom: 45px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1507173077706{margin-bottom: 45px !important;}”]

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and triticale. It’s a structural part of the plant, and holds it together, giving it structure and rigidity. There is nothing wrong with gluten itself, and in fact, if you do not have celiac or a non-celiac immune deficiency, there is no benefit to going gluten-free. People may think that a gluten-free diet is healthier and makes them feel good, but it is usually just the fact that you are eating fewer grains that contain proteins and sugars and eating more things like fruits, vegetables, and protein. It also has an inherent placebo effect. If you go to all of that work trying to eat gluten-free, you want to see a difference in your health, even if it is not there.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”parallax” type=”full_width” text_align=”left” background_image=”2248″ full_screen_section_height=”no” section_height=”250″][vc_column width=”1/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1507173765148{margin-top: 50px !important;}”][no_elements_holder number_of_columns=”one_column”][no_elements_holder_item aligment=”center” animation_name=”fade_in” advanced_animations=”no”][no_pie_chart type_of_central_text=”percent” show_percent_mark=”with_mark” separator=”no” percent=”1″ percent_font_size=”45″ active_color=”#ffffff” noactive_color=”#0a0a0a” text=”of the global population has Celiac” text_color=”#0a0a0a”][/no_elements_holder_item][/no_elements_holder][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″ css=”.vc_custom_1507173809391{margin-top: 50px !important;}”][no_elements_holder number_of_columns=”one_column”][no_elements_holder_item aligment=”center” vertical_alignment=”middle” animation_name=”fade_in” advanced_animations=”no”][no_pie_chart type_of_central_text=”percent” show_percent_mark=”with_mark” separator=”no” percent=”83″ percentage_color=”#000000″ percent_font_size=”45″ active_color=”#ffffff” noactive_color=”#0a0a0a” line_width=”10″ text=”of Celiac Americans are undiagnosed” text_color=”#0a0a0a”][/no_elements_holder_item][/no_elements_holder][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][no_elements_holder number_of_columns=”one_column”][no_elements_holder_item aligment=”center” vertical_alignment=”middle” animation_name=”flip_in” advanced_animations=”no”][/no_elements_holder_item][/no_elements_holder][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” video=”” padding_top=”25″ css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1507215010968{margin-bottom: 35px !important;}”]

Common Symptoms

  • Iron-deficient anemia – (low red blood cell count) Intestinal damage due to gluten damages the small intestine and prevents proper nutrient absorption.
  • Chronic fatigue – while not 100% sure, it is believed that the fatigue comes from malnutrition because the body cannot absorb all of the proper nutrients.
  • Growth Stunt (in children) – a significant stunt in growth from a high percentile to a lower percentile in a short amount of time, that is due to malnutrition in the body.
  • Low IgA count– The body does not make enough IgA antibodies, which fight off infections in the body.
  • Lack of nutrients, vitamin deficiency – Body is unable to absorb all of the nutrients from food due to damage in the small intestine from consuming gluten.
  • And hundreds more

Complete your Symptom Checker if you think you have Celiac Disease.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Associated Problems

While damage to the small intestine is the main problem associated with celiac disease, there are a few other health effects that it can cause. If celiac is left untreated, you are much more likely to be diagnosed with other autoimmune disorders, such as:

  • Type I diabetes
  • Multiple Sclerosis(MS)
  • Dermatitis herpetiformis(skin rash)
  • Anemia
  • Osteoporosis
  • Epilepsy
  • Migraines
  • Intestinal cancer
  • Lactose intolerance – The small intestine’s job is to absorb nutrients from food that passes through your system. Natural sugars that are in milk such as lactose, aren’t properly digested if you have undiagnosed celiac, and long-term effects can result in lactose intolerance.
  • Osteoporosis and Osteopenia – Because your small intestine cannot properly digest calcium, your bones do not get all of the nutrients that you need, this will result in lower bone density and weaker bones overall.
  • Iron deficiency – If you do not absorb enough iron through your food, your body cannot make the required amount of red blood cells in your body. Red blood cells transport oxygen around your body, and iron deficiency often results in making you tired and having shortness of breath when exercising.
  • Infertility – Women who are not on a gluten-free diet, may have out of control celiac, they will find that it is hard to become pregnant, and if they do, they are highly likely to miscarry. If the celiac goes undiagnosed for a long period of time, these effects may not be reversible.

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Treatment Options

Although there is no known cure for celiac disease, there is something you can do to treat it. That treatment is a 100% gluten-free diet. If there is no gluten going into your body, it will not attack your small intestine and damage it. Once you maintain a gluten-free diet for a long period of time, the small intestine will begin to heal itself, but you must always remain gluten-free, or more damage will occur.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Foods With Gluten

  • Pastas
  • Noodles
  • Bread and Pastries
  • Croissants, pita, naan, bagels, flatbreads, cornbread, potato bread, muffins, donuts, rolls
  • Crackers
  • Pretzels, goldfish, graham crackers
  • Baked goods
  • Cake, cookies, pie crusts, brownies
  • Cereal & granola
  • Granola made with oats that are not gluten-free
  • breakfast foods
  • pancakes, waffles, french toasts, crepes, and biscuits
  • Breading and coating mixes
  • Croutons
  • Stuffing and dressings
  • Sauces and gravies
  • Flour tortillas
  • Beer
    • Unless it is marked as gluten-free, any malt beverages
  • Energy bars and granola bars
    • Contains wheat and oats that are not gluten-free
  • French fries
  • Batter may contain wheat of flour, also cross contamination in the fryers
  • Potato chips
    • Seasoning may have malt vinegar or wheat starch
  • Processed lunch meats
  • Candy or candy bars
  • Soup
  • Cream-based soups use flour, they also may have barley
  • Multigrain and “artisan” tortilla chips and tortillas
  • Salad dressings and marinades
  • Starch or dextrin
  • Brown rice syrup
  • Meat substitutes
  • Made with wheat gluten.
  • Veggie burgers, veggie sausage, imitation or fake bacon, imitation seafood, tofu (tofu is gluten-free but when it is cooked, a lot of times that sauce will have gluten, also cross-contamination when you are at a restaurant, especially fried tofu)
  • Soy sauce
  • Pre-seasoned meats
  • Cheesecake filling
  • Sometimes has wheat flour
  • Eggs from restaurants
    • Sometimes pancake batter is put in scrambled eggs and omelets, but eggs are gluten-free without any additives

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