About MeHello, my name is Maria!
I'm 12 years old and I love dancing and performing. I've had a condition called coeliac disease since I was born but I only discovered that I had it recently. Coeliac disease(see-lee-ack) is an intolerance to gluten which is found in wheat, oats, barley and rye that can make you sick. Coeliac disease isn't an allergy but an intolerance which means it hurts my stomach and intestine, causing me to feel sick and have diarreha or constipation. I have to be careful of what I eat so that I don’t eat anything that contains gluten. I can eat things that have been close to foods with gluten but I have to be careful that things I eat don’t get flour or anything with gluten in it because I don't want to get sick. |
About Coeliac Disease
My reaction to gluten is caused by a condition known as coeliac disease which is an intolerance to gluten.
About 1 in every 100 people have coeliac disease while gluten allergies aren't very common.
Most people who have coeliac disease don't know they have it until they are much older and some don't ever find out as they assume the symptoms are 'normal'.
Children with coeliac disease encounter symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation, weight loss and poor weight gain, poor growth, stomach pain, throwing up and nausea.
On the other hand, people with gluten allergies can get hives (bumpy red rash), nausea, throwing up, diarrhea, sore or runny noses, sneezing, headaches and asthma symptoms.
About 1 in every 100 people have coeliac disease while gluten allergies aren't very common.
Most people who have coeliac disease don't know they have it until they are much older and some don't ever find out as they assume the symptoms are 'normal'.
Children with coeliac disease encounter symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation, weight loss and poor weight gain, poor growth, stomach pain, throwing up and nausea.
On the other hand, people with gluten allergies can get hives (bumpy red rash), nausea, throwing up, diarrhea, sore or runny noses, sneezing, headaches and asthma symptoms.
Dealing With Coeliac Disease
Every day I have to be careful of my allergy and stay alert.
Because gluten products are so common, I need to be very careful especially when I go out anywhere where there is food because I could get extremely sick.
Because gluten is so common, if I don’t want to get sick I need to be really careful of what I eat so that I know there is no gluten in products I want to eat.
Whenever my parents buy food I need to check the label, normally it will have a message such as 'contains gluten/wheat' so I will know, but sometimes it doesn’t so I always need to check the ingredients.
Because gluten-free food is really rare, a lot of packaging has something like 'gluten-free' on the front or side, meaning it's safe for me to eat.
Also, when I go out I need to make sure I ask the waiter whether the food has gluten in it, if they seem unsure then it's best not to eat there.
One way of avoiding gluten is to use gluten substitutes instead. Such as rice flour, gluten-free flour, corn flour and buckwheat.
Some foods that may have gluten that you wouldn’t really think would have gluten in them are things like these:
Acker meal
Ale and beer
Baking mixes
Baked goods, including cookies, cakes, and crackers
Breaded and batter-fried foods
Cereals
Hot dogs and processed meats
Ice cream
Salad dressing
Pasta
Sauces and soups
Soy sauce
Surimi (mock crab meat)
These foods don’t always have gluten in them but it's important to check.
Some foods that should definitely be avoided are things like:
Butter and butter fat
Cheese, including cottage cheese and cheese sauces
Cream, including sour cream
Custard
Milk, including buttermilk, powdered milk, and evaporated milk
Yogurt
Ice cream
Pudding
On food labels, sometimes the fact that gluten is in the food is hidden beneath some sneaky ingredients. If you see any of these on food labels, it might have gluten in it:
Gelatinized starch
Gluten or vital gluten
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Natural flavoring
Starch, modified starch, modified food starch
Vegetable gum or starch
Because gluten products are so common, I need to be very careful especially when I go out anywhere where there is food because I could get extremely sick.
Because gluten is so common, if I don’t want to get sick I need to be really careful of what I eat so that I know there is no gluten in products I want to eat.
Whenever my parents buy food I need to check the label, normally it will have a message such as 'contains gluten/wheat' so I will know, but sometimes it doesn’t so I always need to check the ingredients.
Because gluten-free food is really rare, a lot of packaging has something like 'gluten-free' on the front or side, meaning it's safe for me to eat.
Also, when I go out I need to make sure I ask the waiter whether the food has gluten in it, if they seem unsure then it's best not to eat there.
One way of avoiding gluten is to use gluten substitutes instead. Such as rice flour, gluten-free flour, corn flour and buckwheat.
Some foods that may have gluten that you wouldn’t really think would have gluten in them are things like these:
Acker meal
Ale and beer
Baking mixes
Baked goods, including cookies, cakes, and crackers
Breaded and batter-fried foods
Cereals
Hot dogs and processed meats
Ice cream
Salad dressing
Pasta
Sauces and soups
Soy sauce
Surimi (mock crab meat)
These foods don’t always have gluten in them but it's important to check.
Some foods that should definitely be avoided are things like:
Butter and butter fat
Cheese, including cottage cheese and cheese sauces
Cream, including sour cream
Custard
Milk, including buttermilk, powdered milk, and evaporated milk
Yogurt
Ice cream
Pudding
On food labels, sometimes the fact that gluten is in the food is hidden beneath some sneaky ingredients. If you see any of these on food labels, it might have gluten in it:
Gelatinized starch
Gluten or vital gluten
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Natural flavoring
Starch, modified starch, modified food starch
Vegetable gum or starch