Each day this month, I will be posting something about Celiac Disease.
Day 7:
We're going back to the basics again today. Yesterday, I gave the definition of gluten from Merriam-Webster. Today, I'll tell you what gluten is in.
Gluten includes wheat, barley, and rye.
Simple enough, right? Why do you see this as an overly simplistic explanation?
Tomorrow, I'll touch on the topic of oats.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Celiac Disease Awareness Month - May 6, 2014
Each day this month, I will be posting something about Celiac Disease.
Day 6:
Today, we're going back to the basics. I did something that even I've never done before. I looked up gluten in the dictionary. Thanks to merriam-webster.com, I was able to get the following definitions:
Merriam Webster definition:
a substance in wheat and flour that holds dough together
full definition: a tenacious elastic protein substance especially of wheat flour that gives cohesiveness to dough
origin of gluten: Latin glutin-, gluten glue
Medical definition of gluten:
a gluey protein substance especially of wheat flour that causes dough to be sticky
Concise encyclopedia definition:
Mixture of proteins not readily soluble in water that occurs in wheat and most other cereal grains. Its presence in flour makes production of leavened baked goods (see baking) possible because the chainlike gluten molecules form an elastic network that traps carbon dioxide gas and expands with it. The properties of gluten vary with its composition, which differs according to the source. Thus, doughs range from soft and extensible to tough and elastic, depending on the gluten in the flours. Persons with an allergy to gluten can often eat rice or spelt products.
Does this help you to understand celiac disease better? Why or why not?
Day 6:
Today, we're going back to the basics. I did something that even I've never done before. I looked up gluten in the dictionary. Thanks to merriam-webster.com, I was able to get the following definitions:
Merriam Webster definition:
a substance in wheat and flour that holds dough together
full definition: a tenacious elastic protein substance especially of wheat flour that gives cohesiveness to dough
origin of gluten: Latin glutin-, gluten glue
Medical definition of gluten:
a gluey protein substance especially of wheat flour that causes dough to be sticky
Concise encyclopedia definition:
Mixture of proteins not readily soluble in water that occurs in wheat and most other cereal grains. Its presence in flour makes production of leavened baked goods (see baking) possible because the chainlike gluten molecules form an elastic network that traps carbon dioxide gas and expands with it. The properties of gluten vary with its composition, which differs according to the source. Thus, doughs range from soft and extensible to tough and elastic, depending on the gluten in the flours. Persons with an allergy to gluten can often eat rice or spelt products.
Does this help you to understand celiac disease better? Why or why not?
Monday, May 5, 2014
Celiac Disease Awareness Month - May 5, 2014
Each day this month, I will be posting something about Celiac Disease.
Day 5:
I'd like to once again touch on how common celiac disease is because I finally found a statistic that really helps to put things in perspective.
Have you ever heard of crohn's disease?
Have you ever heard of ulcerative colitis?
Have you ever heard of cystic fibrosis?
Do you know anyone who has any of these conditions? Had you ever heard of celiac disease prior to being diagnosed?
Why do I ask?
In 2003, the University of Maryland Medical Center discovered that celiac disease is more common than crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and cystic fibrosis combined. Surprised? I know I was.
If you'd like to read more from this study, you can find the original link here.
Day 5:
I'd like to once again touch on how common celiac disease is because I finally found a statistic that really helps to put things in perspective.
Have you ever heard of crohn's disease?
Have you ever heard of ulcerative colitis?
Have you ever heard of cystic fibrosis?
Do you know anyone who has any of these conditions? Had you ever heard of celiac disease prior to being diagnosed?
Why do I ask?
In 2003, the University of Maryland Medical Center discovered that celiac disease is more common than crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and cystic fibrosis combined. Surprised? I know I was.
If you'd like to read more from this study, you can find the original link here.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Celiac Disease Awareness Month - May 4, 2014
Each day this month, I will be posting something about Celiac Disease.
Day 4:
Have you ever heard of the celiac iceberg? In short, it's meant as a way to describe the number of undiagnosed individuals. Yesterday, I gave the prevalence of celiac disease (which is approximately 1 in 133 individuals). Today comes the shocker. Only about 1 in 10 of those who have celiac disease have been diagnosed.
This is one of the major reasons awareness is so important. There are numerous factors that affect this statistic, but increased awareness can help the undiagnosed individuals to receive the diagnose (and to feel better via a gluten-free diet).
Do these numbers surprise you? What do you think of these statistics?
Day 4:
Have you ever heard of the celiac iceberg? In short, it's meant as a way to describe the number of undiagnosed individuals. Yesterday, I gave the prevalence of celiac disease (which is approximately 1 in 133 individuals). Today comes the shocker. Only about 1 in 10 of those who have celiac disease have been diagnosed.
This is one of the major reasons awareness is so important. There are numerous factors that affect this statistic, but increased awareness can help the undiagnosed individuals to receive the diagnose (and to feel better via a gluten-free diet).
Do these numbers surprise you? What do you think of these statistics?
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Celiac Disease Awareness Month - May 3, 2014
Each day this month, I will be posting something about Celiac Disease.
Day 3:
Day 3:
How common is celiac disease? The current figure is 1 out of every 133 individuals have celiac disease. This figure increases to 1 out of 22 if you have a first degree relative with celiac disease.
This figure also changes based on ethnic heritage with range from 1 in 80 to 1 in 300.
Recently, medical professionals have hypothesized that the actual figure is 1 in 100, but the new figure has not been widely accepted yet.
Comparisons:
Currently, about 1 in 10 individuals have diabetes.
Currently, about 1 in 10 individuals have diabetes.
Currently, about 1 in 150 individuals have a peanut allergy.
Which figure do you generally quote when asked? Do the comparisons surprise you?
Friday, May 2, 2014
Celiac Disease Awareness Month - May 2, 2014
Each day this month, I will be posting something about Celiac Disease.
Day 2:
What happens when someone with celiac disease ingests gluten you ask?
I visited the National Institute of Health website again for the answer to that question:
When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or destroying villi—the tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine. Villi normally allow nutrients from food to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished, no matter how much food one eats.
Celiac disease is both a disease of malabsorption—meaning nutrients are not absorbed properly—and an abnormal immune reaction to gluten. Celiac disease is also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy. Celiac disease is genetic, meaning it runs in families. Sometimes the disease is triggered—or becomes active for the first time—after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress.
How do you describe it when someone asks how gluten affects you?
Day 2:
What happens when someone with celiac disease ingests gluten you ask?
I visited the National Institute of Health website again for the answer to that question:
When people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, their immune system responds by damaging or destroying villi—the tiny, fingerlike protrusions lining the small intestine. Villi normally allow nutrients from food to be absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. Without healthy villi, a person becomes malnourished, no matter how much food one eats.
Celiac disease is both a disease of malabsorption—meaning nutrients are not absorbed properly—and an abnormal immune reaction to gluten. Celiac disease is also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy. Celiac disease is genetic, meaning it runs in families. Sometimes the disease is triggered—or becomes active for the first time—after surgery, pregnancy, childbirth, viral infection, or severe emotional stress.
How do you describe it when someone asks how gluten affects you?
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Celiac Disease Awareness Month - May 1, 2014
Each day this month, I will be posting something about Celiac Disease.
Day 1:
The first step to awareness is understanding the basics, right? That is why I'm defining celiac disease. This information comes from the National Institute of Health website:
Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, and lip balms.
This is quite the simplistic definition, but there might not be a simple way to define it.
How do you define celiac disease?
Day 1:
The first step to awareness is understanding the basics, right? That is why I'm defining celiac disease. This information comes from the National Institute of Health website:
Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, a protein in wheat, rye, and barley. Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in everyday products such as medicines, vitamins, and lip balms.
This is quite the simplistic definition, but there might not be a simple way to define it.
How do you define celiac disease?
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