Life With Celiac Disease – Diet and Lifestyle Tips
What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac Disease is a digestive disorder that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing proper nutrients we need for staying healthy.
Patients who have Celiac Disease cannot tolerate gluten, found in wheat, rye, barley and possibly oats.
Celiac Disease is associated with a number of other Autoimmune Diseases such as Diabetes Mellitus type 1, Autoimmune Thyroiditis, Primary Biliary Cirrhosis, and Microscopic Colitis.
When people with Celiac Disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging the small intestine. The tiny, finger-like protrusions lining the small intestine are damaged and/or destroyed.
More severe Autoimmune Diseases and Disorders that can be associated with Celiac Disease:
- Addison’s Disease
- Down Syndrome
- Intestinal Cancer
- Intestinal Lymphoma
- Lactose Intolerance
- Thyroid Disease
- Type 1 Diabetes
Best Diet for Celiac Disease
Improving Your Diet for Control Over Celiac
Many people with Celiac disease can manage their symptoms through a modified diet. You will need to identify which foods trigger your symptoms and eliminate those foods as often as you can.
You may be able to learn new ways of preparing a diet based on what your body can digest properly, when used along with the prescribed supplementation.
Celiac disease diet list of foods to avoid
- Gluten
- Carbonated beverages
- Caffeinated beverages
- Fruits that contain seeds
- Vegetables that contain seeds
- Legumes (Beans, broccoli, and cauliflower)
- Sugary and starchy foods such as pastries, cookies, bread, pasta
These are common sources of inflammation and eliminating these foods will often alleviate your Celiac disease.
Symptoms of Celiac Disease
Symptoms of Celiac Disease vary and tend to be different for each person. This is part of the reason why Celiac Disease is hard to diagnose.
- Abdominal Pain
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Sore/Pain in bones, joints and/or muscles
- Decreased appetite (may also be increased or unchanged)
- Rashes
- Lactose intolerance
- Stools that float, are foul smelling, bloody or “fatty”
- Gas/ bloating
- Unexplained anemia
- Fatigue
What Causes Celiac Disease?
Celiac Disease is triggered by foods that contain gluten.
Such foods are:
- Bread
- Cookies
- Pasta
- Pizza
- Oatmeal
Anything that contains wheat, barley, rye or oat, are considered “gluten” which can trigger Celiac Disease.
Avoid the following foods:
- Carbonated beverages and caffeine
- Greasy, fried and processed foods
- Gas-producing foods (lentils, beans, legumes, cabbage, and broccoli)
- Spicy and/or highly seasoned foods
- Dairy products
- Chocolate
Foods that may be regularly eaten in any quantity
- Ripened Bananas
- White rice
- Eggs
- Fish (broiled or baked-avoid shellfish)
- Chicken Soups (No Cream Soups)
- Fresh Chicken or Turkey
- Cooked vegetables
Breakfast/Snack Options
- Bagels
- English muffin
- Plain Cereals (e.g., Cheerios, Cornflakes,
Cream of Wheat, Rice Krispies, Special K - Ripened Banana
- Eggs
- Fruit juices (except prune juice)
- applesauce, apricots, banana (1/2), cantaloupe,
canned fruit cocktail, grapes, honeydew melon,
peaches, watermelon
Lunch/Dinner Options
- Enriched refined white bread or buns
- Alfalfa sprouts, beets, green/yellow beans, carrots,
celery, cucumber, eggplant, lettuce, mushrooms,
green/red peppers, potatoes (peeled), squash, zucchini - Well-cooked, tender meat, fish and eggs
- Potatoes (no skin)
- Vegetable juices
- Arrowroot cookies, tea biscuits, soda crackers,
plain melba toast - White Rice
For more information on diet restrictions and suggestions for your Autoimmune Disease, call A.M.P. Floracel® at 954 637-7613 to speak to a specialist today!
Treatment for Celiac Disease:
Celiac Disease is very hard to diagnose because most of its symptoms are similar to ones in other digestive diseases. People that have this disease have a high count of Antibodies in their blood. Antibodies are proteins that help fight off foreign substances in your body. In the case of Celiac Disease, antibodies react against the body’s own muscle or tissue. Like most diseases, your doctor will take a series of blood test to determine your diagnosis.
Tests and procedures used to diagnose Celiac Disease include:
- Blood Tests
- Biopsy
- Endoscopy
Blood tests can detect higher than normal levels of certain Antibodies in individuals with Celiac Disease. Antibodies are specialized proteins that are part of our immune system that work to eliminate foreign substances in our body. For people with Celiac Disease, their immune systems may be recognizing gluten as a foreign substance and producing elevated levels of antibodies to get rid of them. Your doctor may also want to order an endoscopy if he/she feels that there is a possibility that you might have Celiac Disease. Your doctor will then conduct a biopsy and take a sample of your intestinal tissue (in your small intestine) to see if there is any damage to the Villi.
Endoscope: A procedure that allows your physician to analyze the esophagus, stomach, and small bowel by inserting a thin, flexible tube into your mouth. The camera inside the tube will display the images on a monitor.
Lifestyle Tips for Celiac Disease
Considering that avoiding gluten should be your main focus in keeping the disease at bay, the first thing you should learn properly is to scan the ingredients in grocery stores. When in doubt, it’s always best to consult your doctor, pharmacist or nutrition specialist should your internet sources fail to reassure you of your diet choices.
Celiac can also block essential vitamins, nutrients, and calcium from being absorbed, which are fundamental to maintaining vital bones. In such cases, supplementation can ensure your vitamin levels (calcium and Vitamin D in particular) are at appropriate levels.
Incorporate fitness in your daily routine to help correct secondary symptoms of Celiac Disease, such as weight fluctuations and imbalanced muscle-to-fat ratio. Get acquainted with local eateries and restaurant chains which are on board with the necessary gluten-free options. Just because you have this condition doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat delicious food.
Order celiac disease supplements with aloe vera
The Amazing Health Benefits of the Aloe Vera Plant
The Aloe Mucilaginous Polysaccharide molecule is an all-natural, non-toxic, organic molecule. The AMP molecule has been known to not only support but enhance the body’s immune system due to all the following properties: Anti-Inflammation*, Antioxidant*, Anti-Bacterial* and Anti-Viral*
