Tips for gluten-free eating
One out of 133 Americans has celiac disease, according to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, and as many as 41 percent of adults and 60 percent of children who have it are without symptoms. Celiac is an inherited auto-immune disorder that affects the lining of the small intestine. When a person with celiac disease eats gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley, the immune system attacks it and interferes with absorption of nutrients, causing many different health problems, including anemia and osteoporosis.
Avoiding gluten is the best way to prevent further damage, but in our society, gluten is found in everything, from bread to condiments to multivitamins. Although other starches can be substituted for wheat, rye and barley (such as foods made with buckwheat, quinoa, sweet potatoes, corn, beans, brown rice and nut flours), many foods are “contaminated” with gluten, making them unsuitable. Even a tiny amount of gluten can cause intestinal damage, and that is why it is so important that people with celiac not only read food labels carefully, but also have their own condiments, toaster, etc. to avoid cross-contamination.
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