The Gluten-Free Diet

What is Gluten? Gluten is a protein found in all forms of wheat, rye and barley. It’s most commonly found in foods, but can also hide in medicine, vitamins and make up. After being diagnosed with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, you should schedule a meeting with a skilled dietitian or nutritionist as soon as possible to help you learn the basics of a gluten-free diet and find ways to adapt it into your lifestyle.

Treatment of Celiac Disease & Gluten Sensitivity: The ONLY treatment for celiac disease is adhering to a life-long gluten-free diet. All forms of wheat, rye and barley must be eliminated from your diet. Research is ongoing to find treatments for the conditions, however there are currently no medications or surgeries to cure the diseases.

What Happens if you Eat Gluten? Gluten is essentially toxic to people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity. Unlike an allergic reaction, someone with celiac or gluten sensitivity will not go into anaphylactic shock if they eat gluten. Instead, they may experience physical symptoms such as diarrhea, severe abdominal pain, skin rashes or headaches. Continuing to consume gluten puts one at risk for long-term damage to the small intestines. Additionally, there are no medical treatments to prevent the body from responding once gluten has been ingested.

Unsafe Foods

Here is a basic list of items containing gluten. Always be on the lookout for these keywords, especially on packaged and prepared foods.

Safe Foods

There are hundreds of grains and other food items that are safe and gluten-free. In fact, there are actually many more items you can eat than you cannot. Many who have an issue with gluten also have other food intolerances, which results in exploring other diet types such as vegan diets, dairy free diets and ketogenic diets. This is just a short list of some of the many gluten-free items that are safe.