The Gluten Free Lifestyle Fad Sweeping Over American Society Today

When the gluten reaches the small intestine, it activates the immune system to attack the intestine lining. Destroying the finger like projections called Villi which are involved in the absorption of the nutrients.

In the essay, “Against the Grain,” Marina Keegan discusses her journey living with Celiac Disease. Keegan kicks off the essay describing what she will eat on her death bed, Oreo’s, hamburger’s, pizza, donuts, a beer, and so on, she basically lists the core foods in the diet of the average American teenager. Keegan leaves the reader wondering: “Why those specific foods? Maybe they are her favorite?” These questions are then answered in the following paragraph. She states that she is allergic to gluten and continues on to discuss how she was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and how her life was growing up with the uncommon allergy. Keegan includes personal experience, facts, and evolution of her thoughts to uncover how Celiac Disease has impacted her life.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the ingestion of gluten damages the lining of the small intestine and thus leads to a wide range of symptoms and health issues. However, it is often confused with gluten intolerance or misrepresented as a dietary restriction. Consequently, most people assume cutting off pasta and baked goods from one’s diet for a limited period of time is enough to cure it. Therefore, it is necessary to raise awareness of the true definition of celiac disease and to familiarize people with the seriousness of this illness. This blog is my platform to share my story with this medical condition. My aim is to highlight the fact that having celiac is a lifelong journey that goes far beyond bread and cookies. My ultimate goal is to reveal the impact of the disease on one’s lifestyle and to uncover the concealed and invisible aspects of being celiac.

Celiac disease is a fairly common disease but is not very well known. Celiac disease, or celiac sprue, is a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten (Hill, Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of celiac disease in children, 2011). Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats. People with celiac disease who eat foods containing gluten experience an immune reaction in their small intestines, causing damage to the inner surface of the small intestine and an inability to absorb certain nutrients (Hill, Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of celiac disease in children, 2011).

Desiree Ferrandi, a 50-year-old female who I had the pleasure to meet and interview, is 1 out of the about 3 million people in the world suffering from Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease is just one out of the many chronic illnesses that affect nearly 3 million people in America. It is a disorder that can lead to intestine damage if gluten is ingested. A strict, gluten-free diet is the only current treatment. Celiac, like other chronic illnesses, not only affects the health and body of someone, but it affects all aspects of one’s

One health condition that affects people is Coeliac Disease; this is intolerance to the protein ‘gluten’ which is found in wheat, barley and rye. When coming into contact with gluten the body produces antibodies which then attack the lining of the bowel. This then affects the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from food and can even lead to

Celiac disease is seen in about 1-2% of the population, with a 2:1 woman to men ratio (Lisa Ring Jacobsson, 2011). I choose this topic because celiac disease and gluten-free diets seem to be on the rise. In the past, the diet and lifestyle changes for people with celiac disease was very challenging, but in recent years there has been an increase in the amount of people being diagnosed with celiac disease. There is much more information out there about these special diets. Life has become much easier for those with celiac

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by ingestion, of gluten-containing foods. The disease results from inappropriate T cells immune response against gliadin in genetically predisposed people. Individuals with this disorder have high levels of antibodies to a variety of antigens. The resulting immune response produces a strong inflammatory reaction that results in loss of absorptive villi from the small intestine. After the subsequent lesions are widespread, they may weaken absorption of macronutrients and micronutrients. Small bowel involvement

Celiac disease is primarily a digestive condition triggered by consumption of the protein gluten resulting in an immune reaction in the small intestine, which leads to inability to absorb certain

As a celiacs daughter I quickly adapted the “gluten free” life style out of convenience for my mother. I would even find myself going to restaurants asking for the gluten free menu and strictly sticking to the diet in and out of my household. I was aware that I was lacking some nutrients by not eating gluten but to make up for it I took vitamin D pills and everyday women health vitamins but little did I know that was not enough to keep me healthy. I was not aware of the risks I was putting myself at by eliminating a whole category of food. I was lacking my body of calcium, fibre and iron as well as other nutrients.

Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects about 1 in 133 Americans. Those with Celiac must stick to a strict gluten free diet in order to heal the lining of their intestines. When people with Celiac ingest gluten, their body triggers an immune response that attacks the small intestine. Some experience mild discomfort and bloating while others experience a more serious reaction which can make them very sick for many days. Having Celiac can change your life dramatically, but in the past five years the selection of gluten free foods has significantly improved. In 2007, Phil Zietlow proposed the “Gluten Free Project” to General Mills. He was not the only person to propose this major

Of the suggestions, an adoption of the gluten-free diet has made its way to the top of the list. The gluten-free diet has shown tremendous improvements in overall quality of life for people with fibromyalgia. Usually, the gluten free diet is suggested for people who have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. What had been brought to light is that symptoms that typically spawn with Fibromyalgia also spawn with Celiac Disease. Thus, an idea was born to test the adoption of the gluten-free diet in those who have fibromyalgia. A study published in the journal of Rheumatology International discovered that a gluten-free diet produced drastic improvements in symptoms that occurred with Fibromyalgia. Patients reported that they were able to fully return back to normal activity and work. Other reported that they were able to completely stop taking their prescribed medication with no undue stress. Many explained that they went into total remission and had no symptoms return while adhering to the Gluten-free diet. Most of the subjects reported a combination of two or all three discoveries. A select few tried to ease gluten back into their regular meals. Instantly, symptoms returned and did not disappear until those individuals reincorporated the gluten-free diet into their lives once

Life changing, life long, no cure! This paper is to give knowledge and inform readers on what Celiac Disease is, who it effects, what it affects, and try to explain how it can interrupt a normal, life style to where most of us take for granted. Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you found out you could not eat normal everyday foods that most of us take for granted? What if one day you woke up and found out you could not eat something as simple and as popular as pizza? That you could not eat bread, cake, cookies, lasagna, spaghetti, or even drink beer? That every time you did, you would get sick. Well, for a growing percentage of Americans, that is what is

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease, meaning that the body’s immune system is responsible for the ill symptoms by attacking the body’s cells. This is different from an allergy, in that basophils and eosinophil are specifically responsible for allergic responses (Celiac Disease Foundation). When an individual with coeliac disease consumes wheat, barley, or rye [which contain the protein gluten]; it triggers the immune system to attack the body. The small intestine is usually a main target; specifically the villi, which are finger-like projections that line the small

The harmful effects of gluten can be easily avoided by simply staying away from food containing gluten. Scientists are finding more and more destructive health issues caused by gluten, but the problem is that the symptoms are varied and are often misdiagnosed (Stellpflug). Unfortunately, because the symptoms are so varied it is often found that many people go through irrelevant treatments and unhelpful medications (which just cause more side effects) before finding out the real source of their problems, gluten (Stellpflug). These people’s health problems and potentially deadly symptoms could be completely cured by changing