Gluten-Free Diet Awareness

Do you know someone who follows a gluten-free diet?  If so they are part of the 1% of Americans who have Celiac’s Disease.  

Celiac’s disease is your body’s intolerance for any food that contains gluten.  You’ll find gluten in many foods.  These include wheat, barley, rye, malt, brewer’s yeast and oats.  If you check food labels, many foods contain some of these items.

If you eat gluten it affects your small intestine and its lining.  Consequently, there is damage to your lining and it keeps nutrients from being absorbed.  

After eating a food with gluten you could experience diarrhea, fatigue, weight, iron deficiency and anemia.  It can be very serious and super uncomfortable.

Your diet needs to change but that doesn’t mean that you can’t eat good food.  As with many of us trying to eat healthier you can eat lots of vegetables and fruits.  Beans, nuts, seeds, fish and lean meats are gluten free too.  There is gluten-free pasta and grains like rice, millet, quinoa and buckwheat.

Additionally, you need to be cautious when you eat at a restaurant.  Be sure to check with the servers to see if eggs are cooked on a separate grill from pancakes or french fries are cooked in a separate oil from chicken fingers for example.

The good news is that there are a lot of great resources for you.  

Private Home Health Care knows there are good cookbooks, dietitians and support groups where you can share recipes. You can also check out this website www.eatingwell.com for lots of good information.

#Gluten-FreeDietAwarenessMonth