What Is Your Ethnic Origin?

[tiredofdoctors]

Hmmm. . . I'm kind of a mutt, too

Father's side: His Father: Definite German and English

His Mother: ????? Never disclosed

Mother's side: Her Father: GERMAN

Her Mother: German and Irish

Pale skin, blue eyes, but brown hair (well, actually more gray now, but . . . I'm a "decided" blonde . . . woke up one day and "decided" to be blonde! )

[nogluten-]

Swedish,Dutch,French,American Indian,Scots-Irish

[Guest SusieQ]

I think is more prevalent in European countries and North America because we are more apt to eat a lot of grain. I think that they will find when Asian people, or any other race that comes here start eating a more Canadian/American diet, they will start showing up with the Disease as well. At the moment, I think the Asian diet still is mostly rice, which wouldn't raise the problem in a lot of people.

Just my thoughts

I was going thru old posts, and even though this is old, I just had to reply. The Asian population eats a lot of soy sauce and oyster sauce. They eat it on almost everything. These foods have wheat added to them. This may be something recent, I don't know that these foods always had wheat in them, but they do now.

I think they probably have some cases of celiac that just aren't being identified.

[Guest atlchris]

I'm a European mix and my celaic came from my father's side

Father's side: Irish and Austrian/German/Italian

Mom's side: Italian and Scottish

I'm 6'3" with dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes. When I was little I had very blonde hair.

[tiredofdoctors]

Forgot this part: I'm 6'1" and when I was a kid, I had almost white-blonde hair -- it didn't get to be brown until after my first child was born -- it was kind of weird. No one at my 5 yr. class reunion knew me, because my hair had always been light, and here I was with this dark hair.

[fisharefriendsnotfood]

Canadian!

Actually German and Polish.

-Jackie

[paulasimone]

long ago british / american indian (creek, supposedly)

olive complexion, dark hair and eyes

re: white hair

mom's hair went totally white at 23. i started in my 20s, but am still mostly brown at 32.

re: not looking your age

people usually think i'm much younger.

[elye]

My mother was born in Hungury, my father was English descent. I'm fair skinned, blue eyes.

In Hungury, every few years the school children going into first grade are tested for Celiac, as there is a high rate of the disease there. Finland is also high. If a child is found to have Celiac, the whole family is tested.

It is believed that the earlier they are found, the cheaper it is to treat, as they don't usually get the secondary auto immune problems when caught early. Perhaps North America should learn from them

This is indeed interesting...Finland has--by far--the highest incidence of type one diabetes per capita in the world. Another auto-immune disease that is so often associated with celiac. A few years ago, this statistic was paired with another one--the Fins also consume a lot more milk than anyone else in the world. There is now, therefore, research being done on the role of dairy products and the immune system's self-destructive attacks. If babies are kept away from milk for a couple of years, could they avoid the onset of diabetes...and perhaps celiac disease? Sounds plausible to me. Pretty compelling stats from Finland.

[munchkinette]

I was going thru old posts, and even though this is old, I just had to reply. The Asian population eats a lot of soy sauce and oyster sauce. They eat it on almost everything. These foods have wheat added to them. This may be something recent, I don't know that these foods always had wheat in them, but they do now.

I think they probably have some cases of celiac that just aren't being identified.

I've been talking about the wheat issue a lot lately with my friend. She is a fabulous cook (parents had a Chinese restaurant) and a microbiologist so it's very useful. She's also Cantonese. We talked about the soy sauce yesterday. There are a few kinds of soy sauce that people use in Asia, and a lot of the stuff in America isn't quite authentic. She buys a lot of imported stuff from Asian markets. There are definitely a few varieties of soy sauce, and one of them might have wheat anyway. She said that real steamed pork buns and other little dim sum goodies are supposed to be made with rice flour. I saw that thread about the lumpia wrappers and I mentioned it, but she said that a lot of egg roll wrappers are still supposed to be rice.

One thing she did mention though was that northern/Shanghai style Chinese food is VERY different and has a lot more wheat/bread/oil stuff that you might find in Middle Eastern food. So some Asian food might actually be "authentic" and some might just have lots of extra crap in it in American brands.

[Guest Robbin]

I have read the cultural connections has to due with - when the people started to cultivate wheat. Northern Europe was later to begin farming. Ireland had suffered the potato famine, the main source of their diet. The less time for the area population digesting wheat, the higher incidence of gluten sensitivity and Celiac. Well that's the theory of the caveman /Paleo diet.

But isn't Celiac supposed to be *Greek* for suffering of the gut?

Laura

I read that too, Laura, and it makes sense. Sometimes when people of one ethnicity change their diet to another, it causes all kinds of problems. Look at the problems native Hawaiians and native Americans have with diabetes. I am 3/4 English, 1/4 Swedish. It's not a wonder I have this problem, huh? Very fair, light green eyes, auburn hair. Get sunburns in 15-20 minutes!!

[Moongirl]

I feel like the outsider in this discussion, my mother and father are both Armenian, (middle eastern area) as far back as anyones knows my grandparents and great grandparents are also. Im 5'3, right now im 103lbs used to be like 130 in high school. I have brown hair, medium/olive complextion (i tan easily) and have hazil green eyes.....

[germanguy]

German / German

One thing I recognized is that the farther north i travel the more people i see who look like they could have celiac disease... For example, when I went to Amsterdam (in the Netherlands, which are located north of Germany) last year I saw a lot of ppl looking like I was a couple of years before my diagnosis (pale and stuff). I don't see so many here in southern Germany. I even thought about walking up to them and tell them that they should get tested, but then again, i was kinda stoned most of the time during my stay in Amsterdam!

By the way, my dad's side of the family looks really northern european (tall, blonde hair).

I am also kinda tall (6'2') and have light brown hair.

[Canadian Karen]

but then again, i was kinda stoned most of the time during my stay in Amsterdam!

Is it true that in the cafes, they have menus posted on the walls giving you choices of all different kinds of hash?

Karen

[germanguy]

Is it true that in the cafes, they have menus posted on the walls giving you choices of all different kinds of hash?

Karen

lol it is true, just like food menus! Not in regular cafes though...

Only in places called coffee shops (i think they need a special license)!

It's a crazy but fun city... I felt kinda relieved after leaving it by train 3 days later.

By the way, I also met a lot of Canadians and Americans there!

[nettiebeads]

Amsterdam was my 3rd ex's dream vacation. I'd like to see it, but not the cafe's you were at.

[Jean-Luc]

I am a mutt ... French Acadian, English and Irish .. mainly French Acadian.

It appears the family traits for celiac disease run from my mother's side (English, Irish and French).

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Forgot this part: I'm 6'1" and when I was a kid, I had almost white-blonde hair -- it didn't get to be brown until after my first child was born -- it was kind of weird. No one at my 5 yr. class reunion knew me, because my hair had always been light, and here I was with this dark hair.

My hair used to be light brown with coppery highlights, but darkened with each baby until it's VERY dark brown (except for a few white hairs). It's also gotten much thinner, unlike the rest of me . I've always looked much younger than I really am.

I should note that I haven't been officially diagnosed with anything yet--I had a rash that sure loooked like DH, bloodwork showed normal IgA, but VERY high IgG (and bloodwork was done 1 week after a 10-day prednisone course), and I feel great after getting rid of gluten!

Oh--I'm 3/4 Russian Jewish and 1/4 Welsh, blue-green eyes, oval face.

[Jean-Luc]

Sorry. Forgot to add, I'm short 5'5" ... bald, no hair when I did have hair it was dirty blonde .. i.e. in the summer it would turn quite blonde .. in winter brown. Hazel eyes.

[par18]

Mother (Swedish)

Father (German)

Have found no one else on either side of family tree with celiac disease. I suspect someone else may have symptoms but no one is talking. All I can do is make them aware that it exists and let it go.

Tom

[Martyg]

Just came upon this and it seems to have been around for quite awhile. Very interesting subject.

Both my Mom and my Dad were Romanian. Both sets of Grandparents came over in early 1900's. I am second generation born here. My hair (before it turned grey) was brown and dark brown eyes, with light olive complextion. Both parents also brown haired and brown eyed. Not sure if my Mom (deceased 14 years) was celiac, but she did have a lot of gastro problems. My Dad, bless him, had no health problems at all. He died at the age of 94, when he was hit by a car.

Go figure. I've had bowel and stomach problems ever since I can remember. Diagnosed with Colitis when I was 17 and thereafter with IBS. Had bloodtest in 2005, diagnosed with celiac and have been gluten-free since July 2005. I am also hypothyroid (diagnosed in 1999) and a vegatarian. The diet is challenging at times, but I do feel so much better.

Marty

[ebrbetty]

dad/ italian

mom/ irish

[nathela]

dad/ italian

mom/ irish

HI everybody!

My father is Italian/Deutch/German/jewish/armenien/bielorussian.

My mother is Italian/French/Mediterranean(unknown grandfather, but from south Europe)

I am blond, with green eyes, pale skin.

My mother is Celiac (she has the gene 8). I do not know for my father.

I am learning a lot, thanks!

[Guest BellyTimber]

Mainly English - from various different parts of the country

A bit Belgian

A bit Jewish too!

[Canadian Karen]

dad/ italian

mom/ irish

Wow! You got a double WHAMMY! Both countries have HIGH celiac rates!

Karen

[trents]

I don't know about there being a higher incidence of Celiac's disease in the Scandinavian countries but it must also be quite common in Italy because in that country they routinely screen children going into school for it.

BTW, I'm English with maybe a little Scotch-Irish from mom's side.