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New products make gluten-free diet easier to maintain
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Barbara Ziska has eaten a gluten-free diet for seven years, ever since she was diagnosed with celiac disease, an inherited autoimmune disorder that affects the digestive process of the small intestine.
When a person who has celiac disease consumes gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, the individual's immune system responds by attacking the small intestine and inhibiting the absorption of important nutrients into the body, according to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. By going gluten-free, Ziska, of Endicott, is able to help control her symptoms.
"The diet is very, very important once you realize what you've got going for you," she said, adding that it took her four decades to get a correct diagnosis.
The symptoms can vary, causing a greater degree of difficulty when it comes to getting diagnosed.
"The average length of time it takes for a symptomatic person to be diagnosed with celiac disease in the U.S. is four years," according to the center. "This type of delay dramatically increases an individual's risk of developing autoimmune disorders, neurological problems, osteoporosis and even cancer."
Ziska certainly isn't alone in her diet or experience. She's one of seven siblings, and four of them have celiac, two have Irritable Bowel Syndrome and one, due to a late diagnosis of celiac, passed away from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma three years ago. Now, out of her five children, four have celiac disease and one grandchild was recently diagnosed.
Eliminating gluten
By going gluten-free, it means Ziska eliminates foods from her diet that have gluten-containing cereals, such as wheat, barley, rye and oats. Most people on a gluten-free diet also cannot have gluten as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent.
Not everyone on the diet has celiac. Some people have an intolerance to wheat, while others may experience complications due to other autoimmune disorders.
The Celiac Disease Center reports that among average, healthy people, one in 133 have celiac. As more people are diagnosed, gluten-free products and diets are becoming more popular.
For those first diagnosed, removing all gluten from their diet can seem daunting, especially when gluten can be present in everything from sour cream to cereal.
Kathleen Czebiniak of Castle Creek began a gluten-free diet three years ago after a celiac diagnosis and saw many "replacement" items on the market, such as brown rice pastas. She found the answers to most of her questions online.
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"The largest source of information regarding recipes, safe foods, manufacturer's items and even chain restaurant menu information was the Internet and still is," Czebiniak said.
A growing market
Many merchandisers and store owners in the United States say they see a growing need for gluten-free products.
Pharmacist Todd Landry, owner of Clintwood Pharmacy in Binghamton, recently opened Healthy U in the University Plaza in Vestal. Aside from health foods, the store caters to those with gluten intolerances by stocking and labeling all gluten-free foods.
"I was actually surprised by the number of people who are looking for gluten-free foods," Landry said, adding that the store will offer nutritional consultations and possibly gluten-free cooking classes in the near future.
Sales of gluten-free foods increased by $77.8 million, or 14.6 percent, from 2004 to 2005, according to the Celiac Disease Center. And, the U.S. Department of Agriculture "projects that the gluten-free industries' revenues will reach $1.7 billion by 2010."
Finding products
In 2004, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act became law. This made it possible, for the first time, for people with celiac disease and those with special food requirements to look at a food label and determine in a few easy steps if a product was safe to eat.
"Physically, it's easy to stick with a gluten-free diet," Czebiniak said. "Mentally it's taxing sometimes because you have to plan everything you're going to consume. You can't just grab a pizza."
Karen Rose of Apalachin knows the feeling of always having to plan. She follows a gluten-free diet due to celiac, as does her daughter, Molly, who was diagnosed three years ago at the beginning of her first year of college.
"The biggest difficulty for (me and my daughter) is socially," Rose said. "People think we have a choice and we could 'cheat.'"
But cheating can result in stomach pain, skin conditions and fatigue, among many other things.
"It puts us in an awkward and uncomfortable situation every time we eat outside our own control," Rose said.
Healthy U in Vestal is one of many local health food stores and grocers that sell gluten-free products. Kirkwood resident Tracy Ayers made Wegmans her first stop when she was diagnosed with celiac.
"When I was there I started crying, overwhelmed at my situation," she said. "An employee comforted me, and then spent an hour with me showing me the gluten-free items throughout the store."
By Kaitlyn Kurosky
Source: Press & Sun-BulletinAll rights reserved.