Allergized» celiac disease

How Do You Find Out Of You Have Wheat/gluten Sensitivity?

Maya — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 09:37:52 +0000

I know I don’t have an allergy to them, but I do feel bad a lot, I”m trying to go through the foods I eat daily. (on doctor’s advice) and I’ve heard of sensitivities.

What are the signs of wheat/gluten sensitivity?

First, get all of that out of your system. Don’t eat any wheat/gluten items for at least a week or maybe two. Then eat something wth wheat or gluten in it. Write down how you feel. Start keeping the record on day 1, when you first make the decision to do this. Write down what you eat at each meal, and write down how you feel several times a day. Keep track faithfully.
After you add either a wheat or gluten food, then don’t eat either again for another week or more. Then add the other one to your diet. Again, record everything you eat and how you feel.
After a while, you should see if what you ate affects how you feel.
This is the way one doctor (Dr. Feingold) used to find out what food allergies children had. He treated children who were though to have behavior problems, and most often it turned out to be reactions to food additives!
I knew several families who had children who behaved terribly both at home and in school, and once they got on the Feingold Program, you’d have thought Supernanny had taken over! The children became very well-behaved and all the families were happy!
Anyway, I figure using his method will help you discover what your allergies are, if any.

Do you suspect a wheat/gluten intolerance or do you suspect Celiac Disease? For more information on Celiac Disease visit http://www.celiac.com. What exactly are your symptoms? Some of the symptoms related to Celiac and gluten intolerance are: nausea, constipation or diarrhea, headaches, malnutrition, malabsorption, chronic fatigue, stomach cramps or pains, excessive gas and/or burping, depression and other mental disorders, brain fog, anemia, etc… The list goes on and on. If you suspect Celiac Disease it is diagnosed through a simple series of blood tests and often an endoscopic biopsy. Diagnosis really isn’t a big deal. If you test negative for Celiac, you may want to consider being tested for gluten intolerance by Enterolab (www.enterolab.com). They’re a private lab headed by a very well respected doctor in the Celiac community. They can diagnose Celiac/gluten intolerance through a stool sample. It’s about $375 for the full panel, this includes testing for several other food sensitivities. Generally insurance will not cover this testing, but it’s worth it. It’s considered to be far more accurate and sensitive than traditional Celiac testing.
Your other option is to do an elimination diet. Eliminate everything from your diet that could be a possible sensitivity including especially the top 8 allergens. Stay on this diet for three weeks. Then, begin to add one food back in each week. OR you could do the opposite and just remove wheat/gluten from your diet and see if your health improves. Don’t forget about simple things like cosmetics, soap, old toaster contaminated with crumbs, shampoo, lip gloss, old wooden utensils, etc. Gluten hides EVERYWHERE.
Rest assured that if gluten really is your problem, there is lots of support out there and you can still lead a relatively normal life with no gluten. I don’t even notice my Celiac Disease anymore after 3 years. I do all of my own baking and have come up with some fabulous recipes. Definitely visit http://www.celiac.com and http://www.glutenfreeforum.com for more information. They’re extremely helpful on the forum and can answer any additional questions you might have.

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Celiac Disease – Allergy To Gluten (mostly Wheat). What Can I Substitute For Flour In A Recipe?

Maya — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 09:43:05 +0000

Tomorrow is bosses day, and my boss is allergic to wheat. All of the girls in my office are baking something for their department head and we are going to do a little surprise party thing.
I was going to make an upside down pineapple cake that’s bases off of corn meal – thinking that would be safe for my boss. But the recipe I found also calls for 1 cup of flour.
Does anyone know a substitute for those Gluten Free ppl? Thanks!

I would most likely go for either rice flour or almond flour/ground almonds. The almonds will change the taste a lot, but if he likes almonds/marzipan he will love it.
You can use a gluten free mixture made to behave as much as possible like ordinary flour, but these come in big bags, and are not cheap, so not really worth buying if you’re not going to be using it again.
Other things that can be used to substitute for flour in various different ways are potato flour, soy flour, gram flour (besan/chick pea flour), but none of these seem suitable for the recipe you are talking about.

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Is It Difficult To Find Gluten Or Wheat-free Food Products (for Someone With Celiac Disease) In Europe?

Maya — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 03:24:23 +0000

North America seems fairly accommodating for those with a wheat or gluten allergy, but I am wondering if it will be difficult to travel in Europe- particularly places like Italy where pasta is such a dietary staple and part of the culture.

From what I understand, in the larger cities it is rather easy to get food. However, you may have to ask for some products at the pharmacy instead of it just being out in a store b/c of the health care laws there covering specialty foods.
I have found that there are many, many gf travel sites online, so I would recommend that you spend some time educating yourself. Personally, I used those and then contacted local celiac support groups in advance to find out where the best/safest places to eat, where to buy foods, etc. so when I finally got to my destination I already had specific stores and restaurants in mind (and addresses in hand). Good luck!

In most european countries you can find it easily. In larger cities no problem at all, not necessarily in supermarkets, but in bio-shops and,of course, pharmacies and most drugstores.
In the countryside you probably need pharmacies. As for the post communist countries it is more difficult, countries like Hungary, the Czech republic will be more advanced in this
respect than poland, bulgaria, romania, etc. as for ex yugoslvia, Slovenia should not present a problem to you. The so-called island-hopping tours (Greek isles) would be difficult to do for you.

As for turkey- istanbul is no problem, Anatolia still is…

Italy:

You should be able to find gluten free products quite easily. My cousins just visited from Italy and they said that they have everything there that I can eat in their stores. The grocery stores are big there, and you should find everything you are looking for.

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Wheat Allergy?

Maya — Sun, 31 May 2009 21:35:36 +0000

I’ve been wondering if I could be allergic.I’ve been eating ALOT of special k bars lately. I’ve been extremely bloated for about 3 days now, it’s so uncomfortable, I’m swollen in my hands. Can’t breath right.
I do this a lot sometimes, but I’m just now making a connection.
Is there anything else that could be causing this?

It sounds like you have angioedema from wheat or brewers yeast or gluten or whatever else is in special K and similar food. Angioedema can cause swelling of the hands and stomach, etc. You may have a mild case and the reactions could get more severe over time. I would always carry benadryl and an epipen in my purse. It wouldn’t hurt to get tested for Celiac Disease if you find out its gluten you are reacting to.

To be on the safe side, consult your doctor and get tested for allergy.

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If You Have Celiac Disease Or Wheat Allergy, What Foods Do You Eat?

Maya — Wed, 13 May 2009 09:33:57 +0000

I was diagnosed with coeliac disease 7 years ago, and the diet is very nutritious and easy to follow. Basically, you are not really depriving yourself of anything, because, there are so many healthier alternatives for coeliacs. You can eat all fruits and vegies, fresh meats, glutenfree cereals, youghurts, icecream, dairy products, ohh, the list goes on. The only thing that you must avoid, obviusls, is anything that is wheat based, and anything that contains gluten. See, it is the protein in the wheat, called gluten, which damages the lining of a coeliacs stomach. If you have just been diagnosed, then, you have to become an expert at readind labels. Anything and everything you buy, be sure to read labels, as youd be surprised that wheat is in so many things. I didnt know till 2 years after my diagnosis that soy sauce had wheat in it, but you can buy the wheatfree soy sauce. Also, cornflour is wheat based. Be sure to buy (maize) cornflour. There are also alot of foods, including chocolate and junk food that contain glucose syrup (from wheat), but these foods are very safe for coeliacs, because what alot of them dont know is that, yes, glucose syrup is derived from wheat, but once it is processed, there is no detectable gluten found in the syrup whatsoever. I could go on and on, but if you have any more questions, feel free to ask.

I have been eating gluten free for over 5 years now. I started out eating vegetables, fruits, and non processed meats. The first thing I added was salad dressings and how to read the ingredients in them really got me started reading labels and how to find gluten. My favorite salad dressing is Annies Roasted Red Pepper Vinegarette.
The key for us is shopping and only bringing home gluten free things and then everything is ready to go and if you keep shopping for things that really taste good rather than just being passable, then your friends will even eat your foods without any problems. This weekend we are having two other couples spend the weekend and they will eat all my snack food without any problem.
About the only thing that we haven’t been able to replicate to an acceptable level is biscuits. And that is mainly because I made really good ones and haven’t spent much time trying to replicate them.
I eat a relatively low carb diet most of the time and find that George Stella’s two cookbooks are almost naturally gluten free.
Whole Foods carries a pretty good selection of gluten free things. As a matter of fact, our local whole foods store is having a gluten free tour of the store this Thursday(1/17).
I also regularly eat out and more and more restaurants will take care of gluten free diets. Carrabbas has a gluten free menu as well as many chains.
Wine is acceptable and Anheuser Busch has had a gluten free beer out for a year now called Redbridge.
If you have anymore questions feel free to contact me.
The important thing is to look at all the things you can have and not concentrate on what is off limits.

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What’s The Difference Between Celiac Disease And A Gluten Allergy?

Maya — Wed, 13 May 2009 03:26:24 +0000

A gluten allergy is just like any allergy and releases histamines and causes issues like hives, sniffles, and anything else that your body can do reacting to it.

Celiac disease is a gluten intolerance caused by the gluten changing the lining of the small intestine, flattening the villi in the intestinal wall and eventually leaking through into the body where it causes problems. Plus the changes in the intestinal wall and flattening of the villi cause malabsorption of nutrients and disruption in the digestion and elimination cycles of the body.

The malabsorption of different nutrients can cause different symptoms that makes celiac disease hard to diagnose. Also the disruption in the digestive cycle also makes celiac disease mimic other symptoms and masks the diagnosis.
Now to complicate things, people can have either a gluten allergy or gluten intolerance or both. They could also have just a wheat allergy and gluten intolerance. All sorts of combinations.

People with celiac disease have to watch for cross contamination just like someone with an allergy. One reference I have read estimated that the tip of a knife of a piece of cake was enough gluten to cause troubles for a celiac. So not much gluten to cause problems.

Celiac disease is a condition in which the lining of the small intestine is damaged by an allergic reaction to the food protein gluten which is present in a number of grains. It is said to be an auto-immune disease since antibodies produced by the immune system against specific gluten components, namely gliadin, cross react with intestinal tissue which contains similar proteins.

Gluten consists of many long elastic chains of proteins lined along each other, giving it the characteristics of a dough. Not all of them cause Coeliac disease, but some can cause irritation to the small intestine, enough to hinder the cells of the lining from enzymes production to break down foods. To confirm if a person is Non Coeliac Gluten Intolerant – NCGI – they should do an elimination diet.

Avoid all gluten food for at least two weeks and then introduce it. If symptoms return, and previous tests were negative or inconclusive then it shows that the person is NCGI. People with NCGI suffer from similar symptoms of food intolerance and Glutenzyme that is capable of breaking down gluten proteins can be the solution for a normal diet reducing or eliminating symptoms associated with NCGI.

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How Many Of You Have Celiac’s Disease Or A Wheat Allergy? What’s The Hardest Part For You?

Maya — Tue, 12 May 2009 21:32:24 +0000

I was diagnosed 6 months ago with Celiac’s disease. There have been alot of different struggles, but the hardest part for me is the fear of eating anywhere but home. I’d like to know what your experiences have been and how you’ve gotten through them.
Thanks!

I know how you feel. I was diagnosed in 2003. Eating out is challenging at times, but doable, even in an Italian restaurant (and there is some REALLY GOOD Italian food that is naturally gluten-free).
First, knowledge is your friend. Learn the safe and forbidden ingredients at the websites listed below. That way you’ll know what you shouldn’t even consider ordering.
Second, never be worried about saying to someone “I don’t mean to be difficult, but have a severe reaction to certain types of food …” as a preface for asking your friend to explain what’s in her “secret” recipe or for a waiter to check with the kitchen on whether you can eat something. Also, feel free to use that as an excuse to make substitutions, even if a waiter tells you substitutions aren’t allowed. Restaurants want your business and their managers know that you wil not visit them if you cannot eat their food.
Third, if you’re going to a social event where food will be served (weddings, business parties, etc.), there is absolutely nothing wrong with eating before you go and then just nibbling on safe foods while you’re at the event.
Finally, explore types of foods you’ve never tried before. Many cultures use no gluten-containing foods in many dishes. There are recipe and food blogs all over the web that can help you.

My mom and brother are both celiacs. My mom is also allergic to a few other things because she went on eating wheat for so long, not knowing what she had.
My mom makes me watch out for my brother when we go anywhere without her, I’ve learned to ask questions for him. Even at other peoples’ houses, I make sure that there is no wheat in his food or he’ll be sick for weeks.
At restaurants, ask questions about the food. Sometimes they may be able to make the food different for you, just quickly explain your situation and stress how important it is that no wheat/gluten touches your food.
Once when we went out to eat, my mom ordered something that would normally have bread crumbs on it. She told them no bread on hers, that she couldn’t have it. When they brought her food out, it had bread crumbs all over it. She had to explain again and make them get her a new one. Just the other day we went to a sushi place. I have been there before, my mom had not. She was asking me questions every few minutes, trying to make sure she wouldn’t get ‘glutinated’ as she calls it. In the end she and my brother were fine, no signs of glutination yet.

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