Posted March 19, 2010
Julia McWilliams was in for a double shock when she was diagnosed with Celiac disease in 2006.
“I had never heard of it,” says McWilliams, 42, a Marlborough resident whose diet had been built around pasta and breads. “The nutritionist I saw gave me a piece of paper listing the things I could eat, and a book of things I couldn’t eat. … I was overwhelmed.”
The second shock occurred at the cash register, when she realized how pricey some gluten-free products could be.
Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder, occurs when the body treats glutens — proteins found in wheat — as foreign invaders.
The disorder can damage the villi, millions of fluttering hair-like structures that line the intestinal tract and absorb nutrients. When their function is impaired, it can cause severe nutritional deficiencies.
The only real treatment is to avoid foods containing wheat. But many available substitutes, from brown rice bread to pancake mixes made with white rice flour, can cost two-to-four times the price of the wheat-based equivalent.
The first year after the diagnosis, McWilliams ate meats and vegetables, but when she found an online support group run by Dr. Bobbie Coughlin of Berlin, who had been diagnosed with Celiac disease 10 earlier, McWilliams’ dietary choices expanded.
McWilliams, who never goes shopping without her cellphone, has made many calls to food manufacturers while standing in a grocery store aisle to ask whether their products are gluten-free.
Until U.S. food labeling laws changed in 2008, caution had been the watchword, Coughlin says. For example, many salad dressings and condiments, including some mustards, vinegars, soy sauce and even hot-chocolate mixes, contained wheat. Now all ingredients must be listed in descending order by weight.
The ingredients tricky to decipher “are the malts, which can contain wheat and barley,” says Coughlin.
More mainstream food manufacturers, including Betty Crocker, are making gluten-free products or labeling their existing products as gluten-free.
McWilliams and Coughlin offer these tips for finding off-the-shelf items that are gluten-free.
–“We advise people to go back to the basics,” Coughlin says. “In our family, we eat a lot of fresh foods, so we don’t buy a lot of processed, packaged foods. Rice, beans, tomato sauce and canned vegetables are usually gluten-free.”
–Read food labels. Because the nation’s food labeling laws require products to list every ingredient, you’re pretty safe, Coughlin says.
–If you’re unsure whether a product contains glutens: Call the manufacturer, McWilliams says. Most products list the company’s toll-free number. “If you can’t get an answer from a company representative, ask for the phone number of the corporate offices and call,” she said.
–A product may not contain wheat, but if it’s manufactured in a facility that also makes food products containing wheat, it can result in cross-contamination. (Think of people with peanut allergies who can’t consume products from facilities where peanuts are also processed.) Not sure if there’s the risk of cross-contamination? Call the manufacturer and ask about their production facilities. Manufacturing practices can change, so you may want to check periodically to ask whether the company is adhering to gluten-free production methods.
–Your biggest expense is gluten-free pastas and gluten-free flours and bread mixes. But many ethnic stores carry gluten-free products, such as rice noodles and rice and corn flours. You can save money by shopping for these products at Asian markets or Hispanic markets, for example, Coughlin says.
–Many kosher foods are gluten-free. Once again, read the label and if you’re unsure, call the food manufacturer.
–Worried about cross-contamination at your local grocery store’s meat or seafood counter? Ask the store manager to keep the breaded seafood products, for example, away from the regular packaged fish fillets.
–Some makeup and lotions can contain wheat germ oil or other wheat byproducts, McWilliams says, so read the label.
–Dining out: “You cannot be shy,” McWilliams says. Though some restaurants may promise to whip up something gluten-free, ask them about cross-contamination. “If the chef is grilling your meat with a spatula he just used to flip a hamburger bun, that can trigger a reaction.” –Learn to balance safety and sanity, says Coughlin. “I could grow my own foods and process them myself, and never eat out, but I want to have a life. I know there are people who disagree with me, but I just read the labels. I tend not to eat the kinds of foods that have mystery ingredients.”
–Many people are overwhelmed at first by what they can’t eat, Coughlin says. “I thought my life was over. I thought I’d never go out to eat again. One of the most important things you can do is get support from an experienced person who has Celiac disease. They’ll give you practical advice. I discovered you can travel, you can enjoy life
McWilliams adds: “With a little bit of work, I’ve been able to cook everything I used to, once I got over the fear of being overwhelmed.”
Date: Mar 16, 2010
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