For many, the thought of thoroughly reading the ingredients of every meal they eat is a challenge. For Shauna James and others with gluten intolerances, it's a necessity.
"I have to think about every bite of food," said James, who was diagnosed with gluten intolerance, or celiac disease, two years ago and runs the blog, glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com, which addresses celiac issues.
Gluten is the elastic protein in wheat, barley and rye, and hides in many foods.
"Gluten is the glue that holds together baked goods and pasta," James wrote on her blog. "In fact, the name 'gluten' comes from the same Latin root as 'glue.'"
According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, if celiacs ingest gluten, the tiny hair-like projections in the small intestine are damaged and cannot absorb nutrients, such as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, fats, minerals and, in some cases, water and bile salts.
If left untreated, the disease can lead to a multitude of nutritional and immune-related disorders such as anemia and osteoporosis and can even be life-threatening.
When celiacs eat gluten, they can become sick, with abdominal pain, headaches, nausea, fatigue and a whole slew of other flu-like symptoms, according to James, who said she had the disease her whole life and never knew it.
"People are genetically disposed to celiac, and I had low-level effects my whole life," James said. "We don't know why, but trauma can wake up this disease."
AWARENESS
Trauma is what woke up James' celiac disease. Injuries from a 2003 car accident wouldn't go away, and when she came down with a case of the flu in 2005, the illness became so severe she ended up in the hospital.
James is not alone. According to Stanford Hospital, as many as 1 in 133 people in the United States, from a variety of ethnic groups, suffer from this disease. However, the vast majority of them have gone undiagnosed.
"Doctors used to think the disease was much more rare than it is and believed it only occurred in children, who grow out of it," James said. "Now awareness is rising."
James was diagnosed after friends told her about a report on National Public Radio about celiac disease and thought of her. She had a blood test for it and was officially diagnosed.
"Life is not over!" James declared. "There are two ways to look at this disease: that life is going to be harder, or that, now, for the first time, I can be healthy."
CONTROLLING THE DISEASE
There is a way to control celiac disease, but it takes a lifelong commitment to not eating gluten, according to the Celiac Disease Foundation.
Gluten doesn't just hide in pastries and pasta; harmful ingredients can include unidentified starch, malt, fillers, binders, modified food starch, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, excipients, extenders, texturized vegetable protein and hydrolyzed plant protein.
Glutin may even be used as a binder in some pharmaceutical products.
"The hardest part is avoiding processed foods, and many other foods you wouldn't think would contain gluten, but it does," James said. "Now that I have cut gluten out of my diet, I have never felt better in my life."
DINING OUT
Just because celiacs must be very careful about what they eat, that does not mean they cannot enjoy great food, according to James.
"Awareness is growing, so many restaurants and grocery stores, like PCC and Whole Foods, carry gluten-free food," James explained. "There are many great restaurants, too."
Madison Valley's Café Flora, 2901 E. Madison St., is one restaurant dedicated to offering alternatives for people on a gluten-free diet.
"It's really difficult for those who have that sensitivity to eat out," said Mariam Samsel, restaurant manager for Café Flora. "They feel safe eating here, and we love to make that accommodation for them."
Café Flora is always working on new alternatives, according to Samsel. "We make gluten-free desserts, too. We have a chocolate marquise and a triple chocolate sorbet. We are also testing scones and muffins for Mother's Day."
James' fiancé, executive chef Daniel Ahern, serves a completely gluten-free menu at Madison Park's Impromptu Wine & Art Bar, 4235 E. Madison St. He said he started cooking gluten-free after meeting James one year ago.
"It was because of her, and also because I like to help people," Ahern said. "Lots of people (celiacs) come in and are wowed because they can actually go out and eat."
According to James, many restaurants that care about quality offer gluten-free food.
"These restaurants are not special diet places. Most people wouldn't even realize they are eating gluten-free meals," James said.
To raise more awarneess about celiac disease, James recently wrote a book, "Gluten-Free Girl: How I Found the Food That Loves Me Back... & How You Can Too," which will be released in October during Celiac Awareness Month.
"I wanted to share my story with others, in hopes more will get diagnosed," she said.
Symptoms*
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Abdominal bloating
Abdominal pain/discomfort
Nausea/vomiting
Constipation
Rapid filling after small meals
Excessive gas passage
Fatigue/weakness
Muscle or joint pains
Depression
Anxiety
what Celiac can lead to*
Anemia
Decreased bone density
Lactose intolerance
Short stature
Delayed puberty
Infertility
Recurrent miscarriages
Nerve dysfunction
Dental enamel defects
Intestinal cancer
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