Identifying Celiac Disease And Dealing With A New Diet
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008Recently I tested positively for Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease (also known as Coeliac Sprue Disease) is an autoimmune issue with a person’s small intestine. It exhibits itself in a broad range of symptoms from fatigue to diarrhea. Some believe it may be related to autism if suffered during infancy. Treating it involves a pretty significant and permanent change to your diet and lifestyle.
Thankfully I discovered a great website on most matters relating to shifting to a gluten free diet: Symptoms of Gluten Intolerance. Because of this website, I’ve learned lots about the meaning of Coeliac Sprue Disease and how to shift to a gluten-free diet.
It can truly be a challenging change. I discovered that many believe more difficult long-term symptoms may occur if Coeliac Sprue Disease is not treated properly. The reason for this is that an intolerance to gluten generally causes bad absorption of nutrients, which often results in malnutrition. It’s quite possible to be malnourished and not realize it until your body has already suffered some substantial damage.
I’m glad this site offers a useful gluten-free pantry so you may easily stock your kitchen with the necessary alternative ingredients to assist you to adapt to your new gluten free diet.
I have found thoroughly comprehending Celiac Sprue Disease a little difficult at first for a number of reasons. First of all it is frequently mentioned as a wheat allergy but this is not correct. Instead it results from a poor autoimmune response to gluten, a protein in wheat (and several other grains), but this is not the identical thing as a wheat allergy. This autoimmune response to gluten can cause damage to the mucosal lining of an individual’s small intestine (thus the potential for malnutrition).
And to make it even more difficult, this is not simply an intolerance to gluten, either. A person can officially test negative for Celiac Disease but still suffer a substantial problem with a gluten intolerance. A standard blood test or an intestinal biopsy may enable your physician to diagnose Coeliac Disease, but you can still be gluten intolerant and it may be truly challenging to identify it without a cut & dry test. This condition is labeled non-Celiac Gluten Sensitive, or NCGS.
To put it less technically, this problem — whether officially identified as Celiac Sprue Disease or not — means you suddenly must strictly change your diet. You would be surprised how much of your daily food intake utilizes stuff that contain gluten. I mean… absolutely no bread at all? Scary!
Thankfully this website quickly offered me a nice list of gluten-free bread recipes, all of which turned out startlingly delicious.
DISCLAIMER: I do wish my telling my simple tale helps individuals visiting this blog, but please note that I am not a doctor so you should consult with your physician before taking any medical advice from the World Wide Web.