Did you know that 1 in 133 people in the United States have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease? Alarming and definitely worth bringing up to your doctor if you are suffering from autoimmune issues, intestinal problems or have a family history or direct family member that has Celiac. More and more people are now being correctly diagnosed with Celiac disease as awareness about it has increased, however it is estimated that 85% of those who suffer from Celiac are undiagnosed in the USA.
May is Celiac Awareness Month and since we deal with Celiac Disease every day in our household, I thought it was worth reminding everyone about the prevalence of Celiac Disease.
What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that mostly impacts the small intestine and your bodies ability to absorb nutrients. Gluten (found in wheat) triggers a reaction that destroys the healthy villi in the small intestine which causes this mal absorption of nutrients. Celiac can also trigger many other symptoms and autoimmune diseases long term – from cancer to diabetes to MS and more.
For Kyle, it’s also made him have issue when he consumes too much sugar or dairy products as he struggles to digest them properly so will lose nutrients in his stool and get bathroom issues if he eats too much of those foods. At 3 years old he even had 8 cavities – GASP! – due to his bodies inability to properly absorb nutrients like Vitamin D and Calcium, his tooth enamel gave way to all that decay. (So my dentist suspects and other doctors suggest!)
The Good News about Going Gluten Free
Going gluten free is a super easy! Kyle was diagnosed at age 4 and he RAVES about his new diet. Lucky for us, he has embraced the extra attention this past year and he finds it exciting to be gluten free as it allows him to shop in a special aisle at the store and eat all sorts of new treats….. Trust me, I wish he did not have this disease as I worry about his long term health since he is so young to be diagnosed with it, and there are certainly times that it isn’t always so easy – like when we are at a restaurant or traveling, however, Kyle’s attitude is always optimistic.
Thanks to brands like Glutino and Udi’s and many more, today it truly is easy to go gluten free thanks to many of the delicious healthy gluten free brands readily available in grocery stores for convenience chefs like myself.
Look at these yummy treats!!!!! We love all of these products shown here and all of us enjoy them along with Kyle.
We love making homemade pizza on Udi’s Pizza Crust too. It is delicious! The Pop Tarts from Glutino are real favorites for Kyle as well.
Note: Thanks to Udi’s and Glutino for sending us product coupons and samples of their products over the past year so we can share them with Kyle and our readers. As always, all thoughts and opinions are our own.