October/November - Coulee Region Women's Magazine

| HERSTORY | FOOD |
Beyond the Bakery Aisle
Eating gluten-free is key to health for individuals with celiac disease.
by Shari Hegland
Contributed photos
Recipes analyzed by Gundersen Lutheran registered dietitians
For nearly 20 years, Mary Lou Balts has lived without wheat,
rye, barley or any of their derivatives. It can be a difficult undertaking,
but it is becoming easier as grocers and restaurants meet the needs of
the growing population who must avoid gluten—a protein found in
those popular grains.
It took months for the La Crosse nurse and her doctors to find the
cause of her drastic weight loss, lethargy and embarrassing symptoms
that required being near a bathroom at all times. The diagnosis: celiac
disease, an autoimmune disorder in which the body’s reaction to gluten
damages the lining of the small intestine, responsible for nutrient
absorption. “Basically, I was starving to death. I was malnourished,”
she says.
A “huge challenge”
Discovering the cause was a relief, but it also offered a huge challenge.
The only treatment for celiac disease is complete avoidance of gluten.
Sound easy “I went through the grocery store for three hours,” Balts
says, “and picked up six items.
“There is so much hidden gluten, we get to be very good label
readers,” she says. While wheat is sometimes clearly identified on food
labels as a possible allergen, rye and barley are not always as easy to spot,
and oats may be cross-contaminated during harvesting and processing.
Wheat turns up as coatings on medications and in modified food starch
used in many processed foods. And, of course, it is the primary flour in
breads, cakes, cookies, cereal, crackers and pasta.
Research and creativity
In the last two years, Tracie Happel and her two teenagers are also
becoming masters at reading ingredient levels, but they don’t let their
gluten-free diet keep them from being active. “All it is, really, is getting
rid of bread and pasta products, so we eat more vegetables and fruit
and chicken,” she says. Of course, there are also times when gluten
turns up in the most unexpected places. The Onalaska teacher, who
competed in her fourth Ironman triathlon in September, has learned
the hard way, midrace, that some flavors of Gatorade contain gluten
in the form of modified food starch.
“I know within 10 minutes if I have something with gluten,” she
says, due to swelling in her fingers and toes and a tingling feeling.
While a growing selection of gluten-free products is available from
local grocery stores and specialty shops, it can be a challenge to make
the transition. Happel and her children have yet to find “sandwichworthy”
bread for their lunches or her favorite workout treat of peanut
www.crwmagazine.com OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2011 41