CELIAC DISEASE: SYMPTOMS AND RECOMMENDED DIET TO AVOID DISORDERS

Celiac disease, or celiac disease, is a disease of the small intestine due to the adverse reaction to gluten, a protein contained in some cereals and derivatives of wheat, barley and rye. The intake of foods that contain gluten, such as pasta or bread, leads to different types of intolerant reactions that make it necessary for those suffering from celiac disease to completely eliminate gluten from their diet.

What are the symptoms?

Celiac disease is recognized by several symptoms, which often occur already in the phase of weaning the child, but sometimes these symptoms remain hidden until reaching adolescence and adulthood. When celiac disease occurs in children, irritability is noted, while in infants there is difficulty in development, with retarded growth. If celiac disease occurs during adolescence, it may happen to notice delays in growth, weight loss, fatigue, depression, abdominal pain and swelling. All these symptoms are those of the so-called typical celiac disease. Then there are the symptoms of atypical celiac disease: anemia caused by a lack of minerals (iron) and vitamins (vitamin B12, folic acid), poor absorption of bone calcium which causes premature osteoporosis and vitamin D deficiency, and dermatitis herpetiformis, a disease of the skin recognizable by blistering skin lesions, which are itchy. People with celiac disease often suffer from oral aphthosis, that is, small plaques on the oral mucous membranes. These are the typical symptoms that lead to the recognition of celiac disease, a first signal to be submitted to the attention of the doctor who will then take immediate measures, namely the prescription of a gluten-free diet.
A third type of celiac disease is the silent one, almost totally asymptomatic: that is, the subject is positive in tests for celiac disease, but does not present any typical symptoms, such as irritation of the intestine and skin reactions and inside the mouth. The last possible case is that of potential celiac disease: the serological tests to diagnose celiac disease are positive, but the intestinal biopsy is normal, that is, the subject has a normal intestine, with no signs of the disorder.

The gluten-free diet recommended for celiacs

The doctor prescribes a gluten-free diet for those suffering from celiac disease, which is often followed even by those who do not suffer from this disorder. By eliminating starchy foods such as pasta and bread, in fact, people notice a certain weight loss due to the elimination of complex carbohydrates and sugars, obtaining the coveted flat stomach. However, it is necessary to clarify that the gluten-free diet is not a weight loss diet, but a regimen very specific food prescribed to those who are unable to process and digest the typical flour products derived from wheat and other common cereals. Weight loss can be a welcome effect for those who do not suffer from celiac disease, but the advice, if you are not celiac, is to do not continue with this diet, because the body no longer used to processing gluten could begin to readjust itself and no longer recognize gluten as a "familiar" substance, developing discomfort or intolerances in the long run.

Recipes recommended for celiac sufferers

Those suffering from celiac disease must avoid bread, pasta and other starchy foods, but can find alternative versions of these foods in supermarkets and pharmacies, usually based on flours that they can tolerate: rice, millet, sorghum, buckwheat flour. When it comes to flour-based desserts, there are also great alternatives in stores. It should also be added that the widespread use of bread, pasta and pizza, as recorded in Italy, is also expanding the number of people who are beginning to suffer from some reactions to gluten.
In addition to this, the celiac can eat and invent recipes like anyone else, with the basic foods of the kitchen: meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, cheeses. A good substitute for pasta, to prepare pasta dishes, is rice, or quinoa. Quinoa is a plant rich in beneficial properties, which can be used as flour, as a base to prepare different doughs to replace traditional flour, and as an ingredient for excellent sweet and savory recipes. In short, recipes for celiacs have nothing less than recipes for any type of diet, just a few tricks will be enough to avoid traditional starchy foods.

Discover the best detox foods for a balanced diet

For a good gluten-free diet, it is also important to take foods rich in properties, useful for purifying and detoxifying the body. You can find some examples here: ginger, which among its many properties is digestive and detoxifying, rich fruit and vegetables of vitamins and minerals, and also the superfruit par excellence, avocado, very nutritious and antioxidant.