Celiac disease is a difficult thing to go through. It can change your life completely, food-wise. Celiac disease is a disease in which the small intestine is hypersensitive to gluten, leading to difficulty in digesting food. Even the smallest crumbs of gluten can set it off. Some symptoms may be: diarrhea, bloating, gas, anemia, or no symptoms at all which can be dangerous.

Some people start noticing signs of celiac when they are younger. “I was eleven when I could no longer eat my favorite cereals,” said junior Payton Norie. “My throat would close, or I’d feel super nauseous, or everything would be kind of hazy and I’d feel really sick.” 

Gluten is in a lot of food products, diets would be altered by a lot. “When I first got diagnosed, I had to cut it immediately out of my life, that was a really big change,” said Norie. “I had to look at every label, I had to make sure the gluten didn’t touch anything I ate otherwise I would have a bad reaction, so it kind of changed a lot.” 

Celiac disease can affect people around you when you have it as well. Diets will need to be changed, cross-contamination will need to be prevented. Gluten-free food products will fill the pantry and/or fridge or freezers. “My mom actually has a gluten sensitivity, so it was kind of easy for me to adjust through her,” said Norie. “My dad, however, had to cut out a lot of food so it wouldn’t touch me or my mom. So my family’s diet really changed a lot.” 

Living with celiac disease can be really tough. “Take it day by day, try eating some gluten-free options if you know you have it. Try being slow about incorporating it into your diet, making it a little bit at a time,” said Norie. If you think you might be suffering from gluten intolerance or celiac disease, visit https://www.beyondceliac.org/ or https://celiac.org/ for more information.