Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Gluten-free whaaa? Celiac disease, gluten sensitivities and diet fads explained

I meet more and more people who have celiac disease, and, after talking to each of them, it definitely sounds like a hard lifestyle. They have to watch every single thing they put in their mouth, as gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley) is in just about everything. Going to a restaurant is particularly hard, because although servers may think that their items are gluten-free, they could easily not be aware of a simple ingredient.

I know that some people have sensitivities to gluten, too. More and more people are choosing gluten-free lifestyles, although what I would call "public knowledge" about gluten is still relatively low. I was interested in finding this Web MD article explaining all about the diet trend, the different types of sensitivities and celiac disease.

The article says that, while gluten-free diets may surely be a trend, for some people this disease and sensitivity is very real. Did you know that one percent of the population - meaning one in every 100 people - have celiac disease from gluten?

Just thought I would share!

Do you know anyone who lives a gluten-free lifestyle?

2 comments:

  1. My sister has Celiac disease, so she has to be the strictest of stricts when determining what she can even have NEAR her mouth. It has really forced our family to become knowledgeable about what contains gluten and what doesn't, and you're right, it is a VERY restrictive diet to have to follow!

    Another thing I find interesting is that many people who have gluten sensitivities or Celiac aren't born with them - they are often developed over time (my sister is 21 and was only diagnosed 2 years ago with Celiac). Strange, right?

    Great blog!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much for writing! It really does make you get really smart really quickly, huh? It seems to be a bit different for everyone, too. And it IS really interesting that it can just come out of nowhere.

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