Celiac Awareness

I was reading a post over at www.glutenfreefun.blogspot.com about all the hype in the media about eating gluten free. Both good and bad.  You can read her blog post by clicking  HERE.   

I have a firm belief in getting the appropriate diagnosis from a doctor before venturing into a lifetime commitment of gluten free eating.  It's not easy,  or cheap and it can cause a lot of frustration in social situations. 

So many articles pose the question, "Who should eat gluten free?" 

Well, we eat gluten free because of an autoimmune disease called Celiac.  My daughters intestines literally attacked themselves because of her inability to tolerate gluten.  She was constantly running to the bathroom and spent too much time curled up in a ball with tummy aches.  Especially right after she ate. 

In hindsight I truly believe that she was suffering from the Celiac long before her diagnosis with type 1 diabetes.  They are both autoimmune diseases and one could have triggered the other.  The what-if's play through my mind often.  What-if we had figured out the Celiac and started a gluten free diet sooner?  Would that have prevented her body from triggering the diabetes?  I will never know.  So we just deal with it one day at a time. 

I am ever so grateful for all the awareness for Celiac Disease and the variety of products we are now able to find in our local grocery store.  However, it pleases me most when I hear the correct information given about Celiac Disease. 

I am amazed by my daughter every day by her ability to refuse the yummy cookies, donuts and bread that she used to enjoy.  It is not an easy commitment, but she does it out of necessity.  Not choice. 

This is a video with a song written by a newly diagnosed Celiac himself.  The song made me smile:)