Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that attacks your small intestines. This month of May is celiac disease awareness month. The reason I want to inform you of this is because people have this disease and they must go gluten-free. I thought I had this when I had a medical problem last year and it turns out I have a gluten intolerance that you must go gluten-free.

There are a lot of people who have this disease and there is not a cure for it yet and all you can do is go gluten-free. Which could be a challenge and expensive. With that said I will explain the symptoms.

Bloating

• Constipation

• Gas

• Nausea or vomiting

• Pain in the upper stomach

These are the symptoms that could affect you in the long run if you get gluten which is tons of foods. Gluten is a protein in wheat, rye, barley, or other grains. There are hidden ingredients in our food. It is important to read the ingredients and know what is in the food that you buy.

If you have noticed your health declining, it's important to see a gastroenterologist who can help. Many of us with gluten intolerance and celiac disease have struggled to trust doctors and often find ourselves doing our own research. However, with the right doctor, you can get blood tests and an endoscopy, which involves taking a small tissue sample from your intestine. Celiac disease can be diagnosed at any age, and sometimes people may not realize they have it for years.

We are lucky to have more options to buy gluten-free and go out for a bite to eat. If you have celiac-disease, you do need to call restaurants to ask a million questions to see if they are gluten-free and have no cross-contamination.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14240-celiac-disease