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Traveling Gluten-Free as a Teenager

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff 2 Comments

Traveling gluten-free can be a little intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be.  My son mostly travels with us but has attended a couple of hockey tournaments out of town without us. He had to really keep track of his diet on his own.

When my son was first diagnosed with celiac disease, the first thing I taught him about eating gluten-free was: “When in doubt, go without”. Basically meaning, if you can’t verify the food you want to order or eat is gluten-free, don’t eat it. What do you do then? I make sure that my son always has food packed that is safe for him to eat. Even if it is a Snickers bar, which is not the most nutritious choice, it is gluten-free & can hold him over until he can get something safe.

Some of my go-to travel gluten-free food choices are:

  • Think Thin Bars –higher in protein & a good choice to hold you over
  • Carnation Instant Breakfast – all you need is a glass of milk (avoid the Chocolate Malt Flavor as it is not gluten-free)
  • Gluten-free cereal
  • Glutenfreeda Instant Oatmeal
  • Lara Bars
  • Pure Bars
  • Udi’s bread – doesn’t have to be refrigerated
  • Peanut Butter
  • Jelly (you can get smaller packets here)
  • Fresh fruit
  • Yogurt
  • Gluten-free crackers
  • Cheese
  • Nuts

Most hotels will put a small refrigerator in the hotel room if asked. I like to arrange this ahead of time so that there is one available. This way any food that needs to be kept cold, can be. I try to pack things that don’t need to be kept cold, but that isn’t always possible.

I always try to contact any restaurants that are new to us before traveling. If there aren’t any tried & true chains or recommended places close by, I like to talk to the manager myself to see if it would be possible for my son to dine there safely. His last resort, which he used last year, is to call me and have me talk to the server or manager over the cell phone. Don’t you just love technology? Most often, the people he travels with will ask where he can eat to make things easier. My son’s biggest hurdle has been speaking up. He doesn’t like to cause a scene or be different.

So, with a little effort, traveling and sticking to a gluten-free diet can be done without too much stress. I try to focus more on the purpose of the trip & not the food so much. If all of the food groups are not met & a bunch of junk is consumed – so be it. It is only for a short period of time & he can make up for the junk & resume eating a healthier gluten-free diet when he gets home.

Gluten-Free Children’s Arts and Crafts

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

Just when you think you get your head wrapped around gluten-free foods and personal care products, and you think you have everything covered, there is a whole other category to think about…children’s arts and crafts, or adult arts and crafts for that matter. Even if you do not have children, it can be in products you would never imagine..markers, tape, stickers, glue, paints, ink pads, scrapbooking materials, and clay.  It is enough to make one’s head spin.

It may seem like a no-brainer to think that those items are safe, I mean, who is going to eat finger paint?  But the issue comes in cross-contamination.  What happens when those little hands have been playing with clay and then go to eat a snack, or you touch something that you are about to eat after touching something unsafe, in addition to the fact that some people are sensitive to gluten when touched?

In my case, our house is 100% gluten-free, even though it is just me who is gluten-free.  I find it easier to eliminate all possible traces and know that I can be worry-free in my own home. Then comes someone with a gift of playdough for my daughter, and the label clearly states it contains wheat. Thankfully their products are labeled, but in the beginning, I never would have thought to look. In my personal instance, I hated to take a present away from my daughter, so I let her play with her PLAY-DOH at the table on a newspaper.  When she was finished, she had to wash her hands, and I tossed the dough and cleaned the table. This was an exceptional experience and usually, I wouldn’t let her have PLAY-DOH brand dough at home.

Fortunately, today, there are many recipes out there to make the gluten-free and allergen-free dough at home, as well as some manufacturers of allergen-free dough, such as blue dominoes, which is also organic, American-made, lead-free, with no artificial colors, and certified by the Celiac Sprue Association.  Other brands of gluten-free doughs include Aroma and Colorations. The Celiac Sprue Association has also posted a recipe to make the dough, more economically at home:

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup rice flour
  • ½ cup cornstarch
  • ½ cup salt
  • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon cooking oil
  • Food coloring, if desired

Directions:

Mix ingredients. Cook and stir on low heat for 3 minutes or until it forms a ball. Cool completely before storing in a sealable plastic bag.

In addition to playdough and clay, we have to be sure to monitor all art and craft supplies, even tape.  Some common brands of safe products include:

  • Glue: Elmers, Ross
  • Tape/stickers: 3M brand including Scotch tape and Post-It Notes, RoseArt stickers, Mrs. Grossman’s stickers
  • Paint: Crayola*, Palmer (All), Elmers (all Elmer’s products are gluten-free, except for the finger paints), Ross (finger paints contain gluten)

Always remember to double-check all art and craft supplies for hidden gluten.  It may not be stated on the package, so it is always good to call if you are unsure.  There are many brands that will have gluten-free supplies that are not listed above, but many are not, so always confirm.

*All Crayola products are gluten-free except for the Crayola Dough.

Possible Treatments for Celiac Disease

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff Leave a Comment

There are many conflicting opinions about whether or not we should be placing our hopes on medication for celiac or gluten intolerance. Many people would take a drug in a New York minute if they could, just so they could eat a “normal” diet so to speak. Others argue that “normal” for us is avoiding gluten since our bodies clearly provide proof that we can’t tolerate and digest gluten properly.

Everyone should do what works for them as always, but presently about 60% of people who are told to follow a gluten-free diet for medical reasons do not do so. Many live on over-the-counter medications and eat whatever they want to. Even some insanely wealthy people do this which is baffling since they can afford to purchase the finest gluten-free foods from around the world. They can also afford to eat at the finest restaurants that offer gluten-free meals.

In the end, it might all come down to convenience. Would people rather spend a couple of hours tracking down safe places to dine out at on vacation, or take a pill or enzyme and eat wherever they want to? The answer for the majority of Americans seems to be the latter. They want things to be easier and that’s understandable to a degree. It’s concerning though that our culture seems to consume prescription medications like they are candy.

If you watch the news in Europe, you’d think the American population was made up of a bunch of drug addicts. It’s quite alarming really.  While many counties use herbal medicinal treatments, a vast majority of Americans are happy to pop pills, even when they have horrible side effects. An example of this happening is depression treatment. St. John’s Wort is commonly used with much success by many people in Europe for the condition. There are few, if any, negative side effects for people using this natural supplement. Alternately, most Americans with depression are taking mind-altering drugs that most of the time, have pretty bad side effects.

The companies that make St. John’s Wort supplements do not have salespeople going into doctors’ offices around the country to give out free samples as the prescription medication companies do. Therefore, many Americans are not even aware of the existence of St. John’s Wort. Count the commercials for depression medications on your nightly newscast sometime. It’s shocking how many drug advertisements are run daily, all day. It was once prohibited by law for pharmaceutical companies to advertise on TV. Finally, the big pharma lobby won out and Congress changed the law to allow them.

For many who can’t eat gluten, taking some type of drug seems the best option for them to feel “normal” again. Not everyone feels abnormal and many of us have never felt better since going off gluten, but there is something to be said for not having to worry about gluten for every meal, snack, and event we might encounter in a day. This week in the L.A. Times, there is an article that explains the research being done to try and conquer celiac disease. The method of using hookworms sounds particularly gross but apparently, they brought relief to some partaking in the study. Hopefully, any treatment that is forthcoming will do more good than harm to those who choose to take advantage of it.

Can Celiac Disease be Misdiagnosed as IBS?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

YES! Not surprisingly, several readers recently sent in this question. This is likely due to the fact that Dr. Oz’s popular TV show aired a show (or part of one) about celiac disease last week. Though there were some glitches in the celiac segment, most of the information shared was factual. All of the information shared by Dr. Peter Green of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University was completely accurate, of course. Dr. Green’s book “Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic” should be required reading for every doctor in this country.

When Dr. Oz’s guest, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, mentioned that for years she’d been diagnosed with IBS many years prior to her finding out she actually had celiac disease instead, internet Google searches about celiac lit up the world wide web – at least in the U.S. The day after the show aired Google reported an increase of over 360% for the term celiac disease. That is fantastic news! Think of the millions of Americans suffering from IBS who are getting very little, if any, relief from their IBS medications. Hopefully, anyone who fits that profile and missed Dr. Oz’s celiac show has a friend that saw it and will tell them about it.

Also of note on the show, was an important comment Dr. Green made about fertility issues. He mentioned that many times he sees celiac patients that are about to undergo fertility treatments but he suggests they wait to see if they are able to get pregnant after starting the gluten-free diet. Dr. Green said that in some cases, the person is pregnant in a year or so. Do you know how much money fertility treatments cost? Do you know how many fertility treatment centers routinely test patients for celiac? Less than 10% of them do even though in Dr. Green’s book, he explains that roughly 10% of people who have fertility issues might have problems with celiac or gluten intolerance.

The list of celiac symptoms is long (read the Celiac-Disease.com post about them here) but possibly two of the most overlooked health problems that can be directly related to celiac or gluten intolerance are IBS and infertility. If you think you might have issues with gluten, take the symptoms checklist test on the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness website. It’s free and only takes a few minutes to complete.

Due to the publicity about celiac that Dr. Oz’s showed generated last week, this is a great time to be a Gastroenterologist in the U.S. For those of us who’ve been around the gluten-free block so to speak, keep in mind that the more people that follow the gluten-free diet, the more food options we’ll have. As with anything – even big-screen TVs – more product options bring lower prices overall. The gluten-free diet should not be viewed as either a weight loss diet or something to undertake lightly. But for the 95% or so undiagnosed people with celiac, a gluten-free diet is most certainly called for.

Have a question about the gluten-free diet that we haven’t covered yet?  You can now submit your questions here! (Note: All medical questions should be directed to your physician)

Is there a Link between Celiac Disease and Infertility?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

We are addressing this question only because so many of you want to know and there is plenty of credible information that can be referenced on this topic. Many celiac medical experts have studied and weighed in on the issue.

According to most celiac experts, the answer to this question is YES. If you ask a fertility doctor about it, you’re likely to be told no – if the person you’re speaking to has even heard of the condition. In this country, most fertility clinics do not test their patients for celiac disease. Fertility treatments cost thousands of dollars, and most couples have several treatments. One might conclude that it is not in the best interest of fertility clinics to test their patients for celiac disease, which is treated only with a diet. But in fairness to fertility “experts”, it should be noted that most of them were never educated about celiac in medical school. Doctors can’t find something they are not looking for, of course.

Though there is no guarantee that following a gluten-free diet will result in a pregnancy, some people report having difficulty getting pregnant before they find out they have celiac. Some of them also report that following the gluten-free diet faithfully allowed them to get pregnant, so it can and does happen. This is not to suggest you – or anyone you know who is having problems getting pregnant – start the gluten-free diet in hopes of getting pregnant. It is to say that celiac is certainly something to rule out when speaking of unexplained infertility.

There are many reasons for infertility, including untreated celiac disease.  Even so, very few fertility doctors are educated about celiac and even fewer fertility clinics routinely test their patients for celiac disease. Is this shocking?  Absolutely.  The more you find out about celiac disease and gluten intolerance, the more you’ll find out that U.S. doctors are years behind many other countries on this issue. Celiac specialists are aware of the most up-to-date information on these conditions here, but the average U.S. doctor does not know much, if anything, about celiac or gluten intolerance.

Both men and women can be affected by infertility and celiac. Therefore, it only takes one partner to have celiac and not know it, to have a problem with fertility. For that reason, It’s a good idea to test both parties when looking for celiac as a culprit in unexplained fertility issues.

Dr.  Stefano Guandalini, M.D. of  The University of Chicago Celiac Center wrote a very interesting article about this topic that is worth reading if you or someone you know is interested in this issue. Studies indicate that on average 6% of women who have unexplained fertility might have celiac which might keep them from getting pregnant.  The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness has other interesting facts posted about this issue.

In his book Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic, Dr. Peter Green of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University, explains that patients with unexplained infertility issues in many parts of Europe and South America are routinely tested for celiac disease. Dr. Green goes on to say that it’s an exception when patients with this problem in the U.S. are screened for celiac.

Can you imagine that something as simple and inexpensive (compared to fertility treatments) as the gluten-free diet might be the simple answer for some struggling couples to be able to have a child? The situation is truly pathetic.

Have a question about the gluten-free diet which we haven’t covered yet?  You can now submit your questions here! (Note: All medical questions should be directed to your physician)