Gluten Free at Trinity

As in any diet, regulation and attention to effects is necessary in a gluten free diet.  When a Celiac ingests gluten THEY WILL FEEL THE SIDE EFFECTS.  Weather it is intentional or not, gluten will hurt me.  But, these side effects of eating wheat can be helpful in identifying an unknown source of gluten in my diet.  These side effects are different for every Celiac but my biggest short term clue is heart burn.  When I eat gluten I will have heart burn, others may have an upset stomach or even diarrhea.  Anyway, for the past few days after spring break I have noticed having some heart burn.  This clue has gotten me thinking about what I eat and have concluded that something in my breakfast, from Home Zone, is the cause.  So I decided to stop eating Home Zone and am immediately feeling better.  I am less tired and I can concentrate better.  I am glad that I did this but I also need to follow up on this by speaking with the dining hall chef to find a solution.  This is an ongoing problem but I thought it would provide more incite into my condition.

What is Gluten Free?

Some of you may be wondering, what is gluten free?  So I will start my blog by telling you a little bit about it.  At the beginning of last semester my family and I were diagnosed with Celiac disease.  Celiac disease is a genetic disorder that makes it impossible to digest Gluten, a protein found it wheat and other grains.  When a celiac ingests gluten, the gluten molecules tear up the small intestine, making absorption of nutrients into the body very hard.  Many people are effected by this malabsorption in different ways (there are over 200 symptoms) making diagnosis very difficult.  Celiac disease is a life long disorder and the only cure for these symptoms is to eat Gluten Free.  For the past semester and a half, that is what I have been doing to help heal my intestine and recover.  This blog is an account of my Gluten Free life at Trinity.