Polls

What's your main reason for being gluten-free?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Gluten-free info and “self-diagnosis”

We have said it before and will say it again: a big part of our mission at Custom Choice Cereal is to raise awareness for celiac disease and gluten intolerance. This requires that we also never stop learning, and you are actually our greatest resource!

We asked you about your road to diagnosis with celiac or gluten intolerance, and 24.2% said that you are self-diagnosed. In another one of our 3-second-polls, 73.3% of you primarily rely on the internet and blogs for gluten-free information. We must admit that we do the same but focus on the pages that we have identified as reliable resources, which we share with you in the right sidebar.

Warning over online health adviceA recent British study warns about the dangers of self-diagnosis of celiac disease and gluten intolerance. Results of the surveyed parents show that

  • <50% correctly identified all gluten-containing foods
  • 45% wrongly thought that maize contained gluten
  • 98% correctly identified that gluten was in wheat
  • only 38% could identify all gluten-containing foods

This can make life for the doctors who are aware of celiac disease much more difficult. Why? Well, a diagnosis cannot be made on a gluten-free diet, and it is literally very painful to be forced back to a gluten-containing diet for a correct diagnosis.

As Dr. Nadeem Afzal of the Southampton General Hospital points out correct treatment and education about it becomes crucial in getting the child back to 100%”. He also admits though that online searches and self-education reflect the age in which we live – we should embrace new technology as a useful starting point.”

By the way, you also need an official diagnosis to be able to deduct higher expenses for gluten-free food from your taxes!

Thoughts on 5 steps to living gluten-free

I came across a very interesting and helpful blog entry at Jens Gluten Free Blog this morning.  It is a guest blog entry written Nancy Kohler who suffers from multiple food intolerances and authors the blog The Sensitive Pantry.  I liked the post because it tackles how people with a gluten-intolerance or celiac disease can start out living gluten-free.  Nancy put more details in her blog, but the basics of her 5 steps to living gluten-free are

  1. Accept. It means a change in life-stlye
  2. Learn. About gluten.  From a dietitian, websites, blogs, iPhone apps
  3. Read. Ingredient labels.  Don’t hesitate to call a manufacturer
  4. Eat. Cook gluten-free recipes.  Choose GF options at restaurants
  5. Live. Embrace your new life-style.  100%

This list is a very good starting point.  There was a comment to the blog that I totally agree with, and I therefore add it here because I believe it is important:

  • Join. A support group.

The Gluten Intolerance Group, Celiac Sprue Association, and Cel Kids Network are great resources to learn from others and share experiences.  It is also important to realize that there is No Need to Panic – plenty of people are in the same situation though it might be intimidating at first. We had a little discussion here at Custom Choice Cereal and agreed that continuously reading a couple of the outstanding gluten-free blogs that are available (see our blogroll on the right hand side) is crucial and should be included in “Read”.  I wanted to thank Nancy for this great blog entry because I am sure it helps a lot of people who are overwhelmed by their diagnosis.

Gluten-free is tax deductible

Here are some good news:  the additional costs resulting from the purchase of gluten-free food items instead of the comparable conventional food that contains gluten are tax deductible.  Details on how to qualify for these tax deductions and a short “to do” list can be found on our page with information about celiac disease.  Let’s hope the IRS keeps this rule up, and make sure you keep all receipts from your gluten-free food purchases!