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    Danna Korn
    Danna Korn

    Diagnosed with Celiac Disease? How Lucky You Are!

    Reviewed and edited by a celiac disease expert.

    It’s true, though, you DO have the key to better health: A gluten-free diet.

    Celiac.com 06/08/2010 - At first, a diagnosis of celiac disease can be daunting, to say the least, and for some people, even devastating.  It means giving up some of your favorite foods—pastas, breads, pizzas, cakes, cookies, and pretzels—at least as you used to know them.  So why should you consider yourself lucky if you’ve been diagnosed with celiac disease?  Because you’ve been given the key to better health.

    Okay, so I’ve never been good at saving the punch line for the end.  It’s true, though, you DO have the key to better health: A gluten-free diet.

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    Still not feeling like you just won the lottery?  Well, consider this: Celiac disease is the most common genetic disease of humankind—yet for every person diagnosed with celiac disease, 140 go undiagnosed.  They may still suffer from gastrointestinal distress, headaches, depression, joint pain, or other symptoms.  Many are told they have “irritable bowel syndrome,” fibromyalgia, or chronic fatigue syndrome—and that there’s nothing that can be done for them.  “Go forth and live your life in misery,” is, in essence, their lifetime sentence.  You, however, know that simply a dietary modification (no, I didn’t say a “simple dietary modification,” and you’re probably acutely aware of the difference) is the key to better health.

    The gluten-free diet is a medical necessity for our family, but it is also a healthy way of life.  Sometimes I used to think, “If only I could not have to worry about making tonight’s meal gluten-free, I’d make…” What?  What would I make?!?  Would I make macaroni and cheese from a box?  Ick!  Would I make spaghetti?  So what!  The gluten-free stuff is just as good these days.  Would I make a quick trip to Kentucky Fried Chicken or a pizza place?  Oh, now there’s a healthy meal (well okay, every now and then maybe!).

    People often tell me they find the cost of the gluten-free diet to be prohibitive.  True, the cost of a loaf of gluten-free bread could buy you an entire meal in some restaurants…but think of this: What if your condition required prescription medication?  The cost of even some of the cheapest medications could buy (at least) a loaf of gluten-free bread each day.

    We are fortunate to live in a time when celiac awareness is at an all-time high.  Gluten-free foods are delicious and readily available (even the “PollyDanna” in me couldn’t have said that with so much conviction 13 years ago when we first began this lifestyle!).  These days, customer service reps on the other end of the toll-free lines at food companies actually know what we’re talking about when we ask if their products are gluten-free.  Excellent cookbooks and resource books abound, as do support groups and seminars. 

    Yes, if you’ve been diagnosed with celiac disease, you can consider yourself lucky for a number of reasons.  If you’ve read my books or heard me speak, you know my mantra, so sing it with me now:  “Deal with it…don’t dwell on it!”  Before long, you too will realize how very lucky you are.



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    Recommended Comments

    Guest Sara Gird

    Posted

    Wow....I have been saying this to anyone who would listen for many years now. Was diagnosed 13 years ago when no one even knew what Celiac was. How much healthier can a diet be than fresh vegetables and meats and fish without all that processed stuff that everyone else eats. Glad to hear it from someone else!!!

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    Guest Yafa Greenzweig

    Posted

    When people ask me what the secret is to my healthy figure and perfect BMI, at almost 48-years-old, I no longer think of my mandatory gluten-free diet as a curse. It is a blessing!

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    Guest Kay Idol

    Posted

    A very encouraging article for those of us who have celiac disease. I have yet to think of it as a blessing.

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    Guest LReburn

    Posted

    A wonderful positive outlook on a less than wonderful diagnosis. You have given me a new vision for a life long issue with wheat gluten, and for me corn too. I have lost twenty five pounds since eliminating wheat and corn from my diet. I am more clear headed and feel healthier. Thank you!

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    Guest Becky

    Posted

    Fabulous article...I have been saying this to many people for many years. I have been a diagnosed celiac since I was 18 months old and I am now 38. I live in Kenya and every time I meet a new group of people they ask me how I cope without eating gluten and wheat-based products. I tell them I look at it as a way: to keep me trim and fit because I do not have access to all that bread and all those sweet snacks that are so easy to eat if you are not gluten free. Give me a bowl of fruit or a plate full of broccoli any day!

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    Guest Nancy
    Fabulous article...I have been saying this to many people for many years. I have been a diagnosed celiac since I was 18 months old and I am now 38. I live in Kenya and every time I meet a new group of people they ask me how I cope without eating gluten and wheat-based products. I tell them I look at it as a way: to keep me trim and fit because I do not have access to all that bread and all those sweet snacks that are so easy to eat if you are not gluten free. Give me a bowl of fruit or a plate full of broccoli any day!

    I too live in Kenya, Becky, and would like to know how and where you were diagnosed because I suspect my husband has coeliac disease.

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    Guest WildEdibles

    Posted

    I haven't been diagnosed but I had a hint that I was having issues with wheat. I switched my diet took out all wheat, oats and barley and am using less sugar when I make things by scratch.

    I feel so much better my belly doesn't hurt anymore even my woman time has less pain.

    But the energy level of improvement WOW!!

    I lost way too much weight but now that I have found buckwheat I am starting to put some weight back on I can make nice breads and deserts still cutting the sugar in recipes having issues with blood sugar levels too low usually but things are starting to balance out. Thanks for all the information. I think my 2 kids have issues too with sugar and wheat but they love my new baking so a switch for them might make them feel better as well...thanks again!

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    Guest laurie
    I too live in Kenya, Becky, and would like to know how and where you were diagnosed because I suspect my husband has coeliac disease.

    My father lives in Kenya and a physician there suggested he may have celiac disease. Does anyone happen to know if blood tests are available in Kenya?

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    Guest Eunice
    I too live in Kenya, Becky, and would like to know how and where you were diagnosed because I suspect my husband has coeliac disease.

    Hi, I am a Kenyan and I think that my brother who is 31, and has been sick all his life but has being treated for acute eczema has problems with gluten. Do you know of a doctor in Nairobi where we can take him for blood test? Please help.

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    Guest admin
    Hi, I am a Kenyan and I think that my brother who is 31, and has been sick all his life but has being treated for acute eczema has problems with gluten. Do you know of a doctor in Nairobi where we can take him for blood test? Please help.

    Be sure to join our forum to get help: www.celiac.com/forums/

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  • About Me

    Danna Korn

    Danna Korn is the author of “Living Gluten- Free for Dummies,” “Gluten-Free Cooking for Dummies,” “Wheat-Free, Worry-Free: The Art of Happy, Healthy, Gluten-Free Living,” and “Kids with Celiac Disease: A Family Guide to Raising Happy, Healthy Gluten-Free Children.” She is respected as one of the leading authorities on the gluten-free diet and the medical conditions that benefit from it.


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