May is Celiac Disease Awareness Month and I have committed to blogging about the disease each week this month, in honor of my daughter, Meredith. Last week I shared facts about the disease and also signs and symptoms. You can read about that here. This week, I am going to share information related to eating gluten free and cross contact. The only way to effectively control celiac disease, is to eat a strict gluten free diet. It can be very difficult to stick to a gluten free diet, especially if you don't know what foods contain gluten. Individuals with celiac disease or non-gluten sensitivity must avoid protein from the following grains: wheat, rye and barley.
It is frustrating and time consuming to navigate the gluten free diet. I personally have spent a lot of time reading labels and learning about ingredients. In the future, Meredith will be able to navigate this herself, but she is not quite ready.
Unsafe ingredients include wheat grain, all types, including wheat flour, wheat bran, wheat germ, hydrolyzed wheat protein, and wheat starch. The following are ingredients that have to be avoided:
* Wheat grain
* Barley grain and barley flour
* Malt, malt extract, malt flavoring
* Rye grain and rye flour
* Triticale grain and triticale flour
* Oats (unless they are labeled gluten free)
* Brewer's yeast
* Modified food starch made from wheat
* Dextrin made from wheat
Some of the packaged foods that can contain wheat are:
* Bouillon/Broth
* Communion wafers
* Deli/lunch meat
* Gravies, sauces, and marinades
* Imitation meat and seafood
* Licorice
* Salad dressings
* Soups
* Seasoned potato/tortilla chips
* Seasoned rice mixes
* Soup
* Soy Sauce
* Teriyaki Sauce
* Vegetables in sauce
* Veggie burgers
While most people are aware that those with celiac disease have to avoid certain foods, they are not aware that they also have to avoid other products. Art supplies, personal care products, alcoholic beverages, vitamins, supplements, and medications can also contain gluten.
Cross-contact can occur at home, but most often occurs in when eating out. It doesn't take much gluten to make someone with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity sick. A crumb is even enough to start the autoimmune response. Cross-contact occurs when a gluten-free food is exposed to an ingredient containing gluten. This makes it unsafe to eat. For instance, if someone orders a hamburger without a bun, if the burger is prepared and then put on a bun, it results in cross-contact. This hamburger would need to be thrown away and new one prepared. The crumbs that the bun would leave on the hamburger can be enough to make the person sick. Individuals with celiac disease cannot use the same toaster that others in the home use, due to cross-contact concerns. We chose to no longer use a toaster in our home and often toast things in the oven.
Individuals with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity cannot eat gluten free foods that have been fried in the same oil as foods that contain gluten. When our family is out to eat, we have to make sure that if Meredith wants to eat fries, they are prepared in a different fryer. If she gets fries that are prepared in the same oil as breaded chicken, fish, etc. this will make her very sick. In many cases, she is not able to order fries because most restaurants do not have an additional fryer to prepare them safely for her.
These are just a few things that we have to look out for in order to keep Meredith safe and healthy. There are many, many more and as I stated before it can be very frustrating, not only for us, but for Meredith as well.
Next week I plan to share information on some of our favorite places to eat and some of Meredith's favorite gluten free foods and snacks!
PLEASE NOTE: I am in no way an expert, but wish to share as much as possible about this disease in an effort to raise awareness and better understanding for those who suffer with this disease. Please be sure to consult your physician if you believe you may have Celiac disease for a proper diagnosis.
To find more information about Celiac Disease, go to: www.celiac.org or www.beyondceliac.org
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