The time has come for the Celiac installment! Of course, let me make this 100% clear, Celiac Disease is NOT a food allergy. It is not a wheat allergy either (that’s a different top 8 allergen which will get its own post, but not now, don’t want to confuse you!) Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease that can never be outgrown. However, since May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month, and deserves its own “what to avoid” post, I’m delivering that to you today.
Basically, gluten can be in anything (just like other food allergens), but it is super sneaky and cross contamination is rampant. Gluten is the natural protein in the cereal grains of wheat, barley, and rye. Gluten is in the endosperm of the grain (a tissue produced int he seeds), nourishes plant embryos during germination and provides the elasticity or “chewiness” of gluten containing foods. Gluten is a composition of two smaller proteins: gliadin and glutenin, which make up “gluten” as a whole. (It’s a complex protein for sure!)
A quick overview of Celiac Disease (you can read more here in my other post): About 1 in 133 people have true Celiac Disease. When gluten is ingested, the body literally attacks itself, thinking gluten is an evil invader that must be destroyed (i.e. autoimmune response). The body specifically attacks the small intestine which damages and destroys the villi (little “finger-like hairs” lining the intestine. This damage leads to inflammation which then restricts the body from being able to absorb essential nutrients from anything being digested. Obviously this is a major problem (especially since Celiac can go undiagnosed for so long). With this long-term damage, various other conditions can occur along with severe nutrient deficiencies. These include: anemia, weight loss/gain, osteoporosis or osteopenia, other food intolerences, other autoimmune diseases like Type 1 Diabetes or MS, GI specific cancers, seizures, neurological disorders, infertility or miscarriages, and other digestive organ damage.
Scary stuff and extremely serious. The only way to prevent further destruction to the body and to bring Celiac-self back to health is to adhere to a STRICT gluten-free diet (really it’s a lifestyle) for life. No gluten. No picking the croutons off a salad, no licking the frosting off a cupcake, no cooking with a wooden spoon or using a toaster that gluten containing bread has touched. No cross contamination. NO! It is never okay to “cheat”. Unless you want to destroy your body (potentially killing yourself) or live in the bathroom for the next 3 days, you just can’t. It also takes a while for the body to heal once on the correct diet. You may feel better after a few weeks, 2 months, 6 months, even a year. It takes time depending on how long your body has been under attack and everyone is different.
MY LATEST VIDEOSAs little as 6mg of gluten could be harmful. It is the maximum standard set at 20ppm (parts per million) of gluten for a food to be considered safe. Really, even a crumb accidentally in your bowl of soup can affect you. The symptoms of Celiac Disease include: abdominal pain/distress, diarrhea, vomiting, constipation, stool that is oily/foul/”fatty”, fatigue, migraines/headaches, weakness, joint pain, skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis, canker sores, depression, brain fog, loss of period, in children we see failure to thrive or delayed puberty. The list of symptoms is long and can really include anything or include nothing at all. You may have Celiac and have no symptoms (thus making it so hard to diagnose and dangerous. If someone in your family does have Celiac, you too should be blood tested for the Celiac antibody with a tTG-IgA test. These are not always accurate and an endoscopy and sample taking of the small intestine can lead to better results (you must be eating gluten for the most accurate results).
It’s only estimated that .6 to 6% of people have a gluten intolerance. This article is so spot on, please read. But most people who think eating gluten-free (who don’t gave Celiac) makes them feel better, it’s most likely due to eating healthier to begin with and removing a lot of processed foods. They most likely are suffering from a wheat allergy/intolerance or FODMAP sensitivities. Otherwise, gluten is not bad for you, so please stop thinking it is and that you should go gluten-free. Don’t.
Okay, so I gave you a longer run-down than I’d planned, but when I start talking Celiac, I can go on for days! I’m sure you’re waiting eagerly now for the gluten list. There’s a lot (I had to make the text super small to fit it all!), and again, none of these lists for comprehensive (I try, but gluten or some other food allergen, can appear in anything and that’s even without cross contamination!)
Now, a note about oats. Oats are a gluten-free grain. They do not contain gluten. However, in most commercially processed foods that contain oats, the oats are grown in the same rotated field and processed in the same plant, on the same machinery as wheat (which does contain gluten). Thus, ONLY certified gluten-free oats are safe for a Celiac to consume. Even then, there are some cases where the proteins in oats, called avenins can have negative effects on Celiacs. This is rare, but can happen, especially in large consumption. The certified oats I like to buy are from Gluten Free Harvest or Trader Joe’s. (And from those you can make you’re own oat flour too!)
There are tons of gluten-free products out there now to help ease along the transition to health. You can find all my trusted gluten-free brands here and of course every recipe on my blog is gluten-free which you can find here. I also have a Gluten-Free page with all my past gluten-free living posts which you can check out here.
This November 3rd will make 6 years of being gluten-free for me! I’m a self-proclaimed Celiac gluten-free veteran now and am always glad to answer your questions, offer advice, and share my tips and experiences. If you need to chat or have questions you can leave a comment below or email at strengthandsunshine {at} gmail {dot} com.
***Check out the other “What To Avoid” posts: Soy – Egg – Dairy – Corn***
So tell me:
+ Do you have CELIAC DISEASE? Do other members of your family have it or the gene? (I’m not asking about non-celiac gluten-free experiments.)
+ If you could have one more gluten-filled food (and you’re gluten-free), what would it be? A huge-ass chewy bagel….full of gluten elasticity! 😉
+ Any other questions I can answer or post requests for this month of Celiac Disease Awareness?
Sources and more info:
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Eileen Kelly says
My oldest daughter is having a lot of issues with gluten. I have sent her this post. It has so a lot of info that is so helpful. I didn’t even think blue cheese could be an issue. It is incredible how much what we eat affects the body.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Exactly why “gluten-free” is a strict medical diet and lifestyle for those with celiac disease!
Emmalene says
Oh my, it’s a minefield! I’m so lucky that I can eat what I want (within reason) – I don’t think I’d be very good at avoiding those foods that i like but don’t like me…
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Good thing that we learn to remake our old favorites to be safe!
Veronica Marks says
Thanks for such an informative and comprehensive article! I’ve known I have Celiac disease for about six years now, and I love when I find an article with good, correct info. Thanks also for including your lists of ingredients to watch out for. Even though I have become used to looking for those, I seem to forget about one or two of the common ones!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Woohoo! My 7 year “anniversary” is coming this November! I’m glad I could provide a good article for you still!
Jessica|Gluten Free Foods says
Every now and then I will crave “real” pizza… but it’s once in a blue moon these days. Fight against celiac disease. 😉
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Pizza is on of those things i don’t! (One of the last things I ate and was so deathly ill from!!)
masala girl says
i’m not gluten free but try to eat a variety of grains. my biggest pet peeve is when people say they are eating gluten free, but they don’t think about cross contaimination, or gluten additives in foods (aka they are just doing it to try and eat healthier/following a fad/ are eating “wheat free” not gluten free), and they think they know all about it, even though they’ve been following the fad for just 2 weeks or so. people need to be more informed. love that you are sharing these resources !
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
This resource is for people with Celiac Disease.
Patricia Brown says
Whenever I hear about Celiac disease, gluten crossed in my mind. I had suffered from this autoimmune disease and it took 2 months before I got back my normal health condition. When I still don’t know about this condition, my condition, I had this chronic fatigue, I felt so feeble whenever I woke up and felt so nauseous. My friend once joked me that i maybe pregnant. That was so impossible! So, I went to the hematologist and had a check-up, yeah, as expected, celiac disease is the most anticipated diagnosis So, she advised me to cut-off gluten products which I found it so difficult to do so, but I really want to suffer anymore though. Thanks that you have included foods that may contain gluten which is really helpful.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
It’s not so difficult once you get started. If you have Celiac Disease the only “cure” is to not ingest gluten. There is no other way, so I feel as though you seem a bit confused on that?
Margie @ Fit Biscuits says
Really informative post! Lots of times people get confused with Celiac disease and gluten intolerance. I do agree that Celiac disease is really scary stuff.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
It’s a bit more than “scary stuff”, haha!
Sherry says
Very informative post.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thanks!
kimmythevegan says
Great info Rebecca! I don’t have celiac disease.. .but I do have a compromised immune system and unfortunately, consuming gluten sometimes triggers things to go all haywire with my hormones. I try to stay away from it as much as possible… it’s tough sometimes though. It is in so many things. At home, I have no problem, eating out can be tough sometimes.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Eating out is always the scariest and hardest!
All that's Jas says
Great post! Thanks for sharing at Thursday Favorite Things!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thanks!
Bonnie Banks says
Hey there! I rather “stumbled upon” your blog as well via my friend Anne Marie with Musings of a Vintage Junkie 🙂 Anyhow, my baby sis has Celiac’s disease and nearly died before they found it. SOOOOO glad they found it! Seems like all 5 of us siblings have some form of auto immune disease. How odd is it that only Tonya has Celiac? Lord knows I wouldn’t trade her! I want to thank you for your info-graphic! VERY informative! I’ve never really understood what all my sis couldn’t eat. Now I know and I have you to thank for this. THANKS!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thank you so much for stopping by and reading dear! I’m glad you could find this post helpful!
Autoimmune diseases are such a tricky thing. But we autoimmunies are strong! Once we learn to navigate our illness, we can still thrive! XOXO
Lauren @ ihadabiglunch says
I stumbled upon this and I just have to say, this is so, so informative. You should submit this to the Huffington Post or something, seriously! You have such a great way of writing so that the average person can really understand, but at the same time it isn’t dumbed down. Thank you! I don’t avoid gluten but I really had no idea that people with celiac disease can’t touch anything that’s touched gluten.
That infographic is wonderful! I bet that’s being pinned left and right 🙂
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Hahahaha! Seriously, thank you so much! I could have went on and on with this post and I just hoped it made sense to everyone! I’m glad it and didn’t sound to rambley! I’m also so glad you could learn something from it! Thanks dear! XOXO
Jane says
Just pinned your infographic, thank you! I am in the transition stages, New celiac. I miss being able to eat out with my family, there aren’t any places that cater to celiacs where I live. I’m still trying to figure out what I can eat. Just had a recent mishap with mayo, feeling pretty ill after glutening myself. So much to learn, happy to of found your blog!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I’m glad you found it helpful!
It can be a huge learning process! I always remember a stupid slip-up I had. I bought “wheat-free” brown rice cereal, thinking it was gluten-free too. Well…my stomach knew right away that was not the case! It has barley malt in it so it wasn’t gluten-free!
Roz K. Walker - Goodbye Boss Hello Kids says
This was so educational. I don’t have celiac disease and don’t have anyone close to me with it. But I’ve heard a lot about it and have wondered what it was. This post made it so clear. My son has food sensitivities, so we have a long list of foods to avoid…at least I used to think it was long until I saw your list! If he could have something on his list, it would be a stack of pancakes from IHOP.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thank you dear! I hope you could learn something!
I’ve gotta say, I love my vegan/gf pancakes more then I’ve ever loved pancakes in my life! I finally found the right formulas that work and don’t miss “real” ones!
Stacey says
Thank you for this! I have Celiac and I always love when people tell me they are gluten free because it helps their thyroid but then are scarfing down a yummy looking donut or pizza.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Hahaha, the best 😉
Lesa says
Thank you for this post. It was really wonderful for me to read. I have been struggling with health issues and did see Peter a Greens practice. I had one of the celiac gene but not the other. I want gluten free since I have severe IBS. They had suggested I try it, bug bottom line I believe it is a strict eye on FODMAPS for me. I have the classic FODMAP symptoms and I dont know why I never suffered so badly as starting seven years ago. I guess our bodies change and we must adapt our diet. I am glad you found out your problem and are able to heal your body. Knowledge is the key and cutting out gluten non- celiac is not a lot of times the answer. Have a great TGIF tomorrow.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
GI issues are so difficult to diagnose correctly! It can be so much trial and error! I’m glad you enjoyed the post dear! Be well! XOXO
Amber says
uhm, LOVE THIS, LOLed so hard
” Do other members of your family have it or the gene? (I’m not asking about non-celiac gluten-free experiments.)”
because i hate when I say I have celiac and people go “omg i’m gluten free too” and then eat a rice krispy treat/drink a beer…
I MISS SICILIAN PIZZA
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Hahaha I know! I assumed people would get made at me for even writing that, but it’s the truth and I am a Celiac who does NOT take kindly to uneducated “experiments” and undertakings 😉
Pizza was one of those things that made me SO sick that I’ve just never craved a real pizza again! Haha!
There was this pizza at one of my family’s favorite places, that they put penne pasta on. Pasta pizza! Like total gluten horror!
Emily @ Zen & Spice says
Thanks for writing all of these allergen/celiac posts! The graphics will be a great resource to refer my clients to.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I hope they can help someone!
Natalie Heather says
YAYYYY! I love that you have a post about celiac disease. I don’t know how, but I completely missed that May was awareness month. I have celiac disease (diagnosed 6 years ago) and my uncle has celiac disease. Only my mom has been tested and she’s ok: my siblings and father aren’t convinced they need testing since they don’t feel sick – they have trouble understanding the you-can-have-no-symptoms-and-still-have-celiac side of things.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yea, I think my brother has it too, but he won’t ever get tested (even though he shows tons of signs!)
Farrah says
I loved that meme you posted on your IG about being so badass, only you could kick your own butt! 😛 This is such a great post, with so much important information in it! I think too many people think of it as a “[fake] allergy” and it really ruins it for people who really do have Celiac Disease (and I’m sure “Food Babe” didn’t help -_-).
“They most likely are suffering from a wheat allergy/intolerance or FODMAP sensitivities. Otherwise, gluten is not bad for you, so please stop thinking it is and that you should go gluten-free. Don’t.” <– For serious.
I have two friends in med school with Celiac Disease, so I learned to make a lot of gluten-free things when we had potlucks so they could eat too! :]
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Hahahaha, o god…FoodBabe 😛
It’s SO important to talk about and raise true awareness for. So many people don’t know the facts so we need to help alleviate that!
Gluten is only the devil if you have Celiac, haha! It’s not bad! We’ve (humans) have been eating it forever!!!
Wooohoo! Celiac friends!
Yaitza says
thanks for sharing this list girly! Happy Celiac Awareness Month
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Haha, yes! XOXO
Alex Caspero MA,RD (@delishknowledge) says
Really informative post! Thanks for sharing your experience and putting together that infographic!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thank you dear!
Lora says
I had no idea that blue cheese could contain bread mold! That’s crazy!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I know! Many are safe, but sometimes the mold does come from a gluten containing source!
Felicia says
Such an incredibly helpful post! – Have you checked out the Ingredient1 app? It sounds like you’re a gf veteran but it’s a great way to discover new and healthy gf foods!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I’m always finding new foods!
Michele @ paleorunningmomma says
I do tend to believe FODMAPs are the problem for me with ibs, although I’ve never been tested for celiac nor has anyone in my family. With this I avoid gluten since it’s in many of the offending grains, but I don’t worry about cross contamination when out. With diagnosed celiac though obviously you need to be 100% strict, it’s good that you know exactly what you need to avoid to stay healthy!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Totally! But I feel you. With IBS or a FODMAPs there is just so much to consider and so many triggers. Finding what works can be so hard, especially with no “specific” diagnosis!
Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says
This is such a great resource. I’m really grateful I don’t have any needs for eliminating any foods from my diet, but it’s people like you who are so needed to help people who do live a healthier life. bravo!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thank you dear!
Rachel says
My mom and sister both have celiac disease, unfortunately autoimmune disease runs in my family. Type 1 diabetes is also an autoimmune disease, celiac and type 1 diabetes frequently travel together so I got tested recently. I don’t have it but I’m happy that I decided to get tested. People frequently turn up their noses at the “gluten-free fad” but don’t realize there are so many people who live with an actual disease that means they need to avoid all of those things on your list.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Yes! A lot of Celiacs end up with Diabetes 1. Autoimmune diseases do run in packs….unfortunately 🙁
Natalie @ Feasting on Fruit says
I heard that it was Celiac Awareness month recently and my first thought was ‘I know Rebecca is going to have awesome posts on the topic this month!’ And of course you don’t disapoint 🙂
The % of people with a gluten intolerance surprised me! I agree that many feel better eating gluten free because they are simply eating healthier. But I also think that some grains are just easier to digest than others. My body just loves rice and digests it super well, so not eating gluten and eating more rice simply makes me feel better 😀
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Rice is a power grain! It is super easy on the belly! At least the less fiberful varieties!
And XOXO, thank you 😉
Linda @ Veganosity says
This is fabulous Rebecca. Thank you so much for giving the thumbs down on the whole gluten free diet hysteria that is so trendy right now. It makes me crazy! Also, thanks for explaining the GF oats issue. I always wondered why it was the one grain that might or might not have gluten. Now it makes sense.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
It makes me crazy to…and sad :/
Yea! It has it’s own “gluten-like” protein, but naturally is totally safe. It just gets mixed up with wheat all to often!
Evolve with Mary says
You always share great information. I never thought about the yellow flags foods that ‘might’ contain gluten. I don’t have Celiac but a few of my friends do.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Gluten can lurk in anything and every thing 😉
Regina says
My child has gluten sensitivities but hasn’t been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. However I think some of your suggestions could be helpful for him as well. A healthy diet is always a good way to go.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Of course they can!
Alanna says
Love your take on this subject. It is especially important for new diagnoses to know the importance of cross contamination.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
That’s what always is the hardest during the transition!
Sam @ PancakeWarriors says
I had no idea about some of the yellow flags – I’m glad you shared this with us!! Love your what to avoid series!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thank you dear! Really everything can be a yellow flag! Haha!
Erin says
I have celiac disease, and I want a big mac. SO bad. I know it’s gross, but when you can’t have it, it becomes so appealing! lol
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Hahaha 😛
Emily @My Healthyish Life says
I would have a big bowl of Life cereal. That was my favorite growing up! Oh and yes, I have celiac 😉
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Omg! Life was so good! Brings back memories of my grandparents house! My brother and I would always ask for cups full of dry Life cereal to munch on when we drove home! Haha!
Kelly says
This has been such a great series, Rebecca. Well done!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Thanks Kelly!