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What is celiac disease? Lately, it seems like every other person you know is being diagnosed with it. Find out the symptoms, causes and treatments here. 

ChickRx expert Peggy Korody, Registered Dietitian, says: 

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. It’s triggered by the consumption of gluten, which is in bread, pasta, cookies, pizza and other foods containing wheat, barley or rye. It can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea.

It can be difficult to detect, but there are some symptoms you can try to look out for. Some of the symptoms can include: bloating/gas, diarrhea and/or constipation, fatigue/lethargy, joint pain, and headaches. Obviously, these are pretty common things that can happen to us with or without celiac disease – and that’s why it’s hard to detect.

If you have one or more of these symptoms, this does not mean you have a sensitivity to gluten or celiac disease. However, if you suspect that you have celiac disease, you may want to get tested. It is important to note that one needs to be consuming gluten for accurate results. The first step would be to have a blood test to test for certain autoantibodies, which is a protein. If you test positive, an intestinal biopsy would need to be performed to confirm the diagnosis.

Celiac disease is hereditary, so if a family member has been diagnosed, you may want to get tested too. Internationally, one-percent of the worldwide population has celiac. On the west coast of Ireland and Sub Sahara (Ethiopia) the statistics are slightly higher with 1 in 65 being diagnosed, and Northern China and India have a higher rate than the rest of Asia.

Unfortunately, there is no treatment to celiac disease right now. If you have been diagnosed with celiac disease or are sensitive to gluten, I would suggest using a “food as medicine” approach to your diet. You should focus on whole foods versus highly processed gluten-free packaged foods, use nutrition-dense alternative ingredients, and learn some culinary skills for cooking with gluten-free foods.

There are a few grains you might want to add to your new gluten free diet. One is buckwheat, which is a great source of protein, is high in fiber and a good source of B vitamins. Use it in soups, hot cereal and pasta dishes (it has a nutty taste). Another is millet, which is one of the oldest grains around. It’s high in magnesium, vitamin A, B-complex and fiber (it’s great as a side dish). If you can find millet flakes, you can eat them as a cereal or use for baking.

Another great grain is quinoa, which is high in protein. In fact, it is very similar to the protein you get from milk. Also, quinoa is a good source of fiber, B-complex and iron. Quinoa can be used as a side dish, in salads, for baking and with pasta.

Got more questions? Post them in the comments below or head on over to ChickRx.com.

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