I want to be able to use this blog to inform people who don't know what Celiac Disease is. I want them to know that it is possible to have an allergy to gluten. When I first heard of it, I just thought gluten was a funny word. But now that I have an allergy to it, I know that it's a serious condition. It's as serious as having a peanut allergy, or a shellfish allergy. For those who are unfamiliar with Celiac disease, I'll tell you what happens in simple terms, or at least how I understand it. If I were to eat something with gluten in it, the food will break down and everything like normal food, but damage is done to the intestines. The intestines are torn apart and unable to absorb nutrients. If this continues for too long, a person can become malnourished and other health problems can occur.
But luckily, there are ways to prevent that! All I do is eat gluten-free. Meaning I don't eat anything with wheat, barely, rye, or oats. It can get really tough, though, because some things are not right there in front of you to see that they are gluten free. Sometimes, you have to read the ingredients really well, and even if something doesn't say "wheat" doesn't mean it's gluten free. That's the really frustrating part.
There's so much I want to say about myself and my experience with Celiac disease. But I'll save those for later posts.
I want to try to reach out to other teens/young adults who have this and share experiences. It would be beneficial to me, because I'd have someone who understands what I'm going through and can give their own advice, and it will benefit others as well, because I will do the same for them. I also want to try to reach out to spread general awareness, because this is a growing issue. Having Celiac disease is becoming more and more common. I would like everyone's help who's willing to get the information to restaurants and companies, while providing helpful information to others who are gluten-free.
So welcome to my life of having Celiac disease.
No comments:
Post a Comment