For someone with Celiac disease their whole diet has to change, and it’s not easy when a lot of places use wheat flour in the dishes they serve. When it comes to Celiac disease, a person is not allowed wheat period, since it will damage their intestines and digestive tract. However, if they have an intolerance and not celiac disease a person can actually have gluten but it has to be a small amount. A person with celiac disease cannot have wheat, rye, barley or triticale, bulgur, oats, and seitan.
Even though they can’t have wheat, there are substitutes for flour that can be used in place of it; to cook with such as amaranth, arrowroot, banana, barley, brown rice, buckwheat, chia, chick pea, coconut, coffee, cornflower, cornmeal, hemp, lupin flour, maize, millet, potato, and others that can be used in its place.
Celiac disease is diagnosed more than it used to be, and it’s more mainstream since more people have it now. Grocery stores are becoming more gluten free friendly since some ingredient boxes are now labeling their foods certified gluten free. In order to be certified gluten free companies have to go through the program in order to make sure their products meet the certification. Straight from the Gluten-Free Certification program, “The GFCP trademark provides the added assurance to consumers that products carrying the trademark have met stringent requirements for the manufacture of gluten-free products, setting themselves apart from all other products displaying ‘GF Marks’ or making their own gluten-free claims.” The program was created by the Allergen Control Group and the Canadian Celiac Association.
Some products will say gluten free on them, and some will say no gluten containing products are made. There are warnings like made in a facility that processes wheat which means people with celiac disease are taking a risk, since they can’t have it at all.
Some grocery stores can boast having an entirely gluten free section, and plenty of food for people with celiac disease and gluten intolerance to choose from. Wegman’s is one that does since they have entire aisles that are gluten free, and their labeling is unique too since, “We have a gluten free wellness key, orange circle with a G in the center and the words gluten free underneath,” said Trisha Kazacos, the Wegmans nutritionist.
The label makes it easier for people to know if a product contains gluten or not. Wegmans has just opened a location off Midlothian Turnpike in Chesterfield, Va and they also have one in Short pump. A popular place to go to since it’s a huge place with a Pub, and there was the one just in Fredericksburg which is an hour and a half drive.
There is also another place people with Celiac’s can go to called 3 Fellers Bakery, and the unique part about it is the bakery is entire Gluten free.
