Posts Tagged ‘Healthy Diet’

Two Types of Gluten Disease: What’s the difference?

Posted on: September 12th, 2013 by Medi-RentsBlogger

gluten free textThe two types of gluten-related diseases are celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity disease. Over three million people across all races, ages and genders suffer from gluten related diseases.  Medi-Rents will compare the two diseases and explain what to do in case of you or someone you know having celiac disease.

 

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that damages the small intestine and the villi, or finger like strands, in your small intestine. This happens because your body isn’t getting enough nutrients from the food you take in. The gluten protein can be found in foods like wheat, barley or rye.  Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is less severe than celiac disease and it causes minimal intestine damage and isn’t genetically based.

 

Celiac disease affects one in 133 Americans and can affect any person at any age.  NCGS affects around eighteen million Americans and it only affects adults. Although symptoms may vary from person to person, celiac and NCGS do share similar symptoms and some people who may not realize they have one of these diseases may not feel any symptoms at all.  Symptoms may include:

 

  • Abdominal pain
  • Fatigue
  • Infertility
  • Nutritional deficiencies
  • Weight loss
  • Delayed growth
  • Depression
  • Anemia

 

Doctors or specialists may take a simple blood sample from you to test for celiac disease and sometimes may need to perform a small intestine biopsy to confirm the diagnosis, while NCGS doesn’t have any lab tests to diagnose it.

 

If either celiac disease or NCGS go untreated or undiagnosed, both can lead to further complications such as osteoporosis, infertility, thyroid disease or cancer. The end result and only treatment for either disease to eat a strict, 100% gluten-free diet for the rest of your life.

 

Medi-Rents promotes that you, or someone you know, who may have a gluten disease to get tested.  Medi-Rents can help with any enteral nutrition you may need. An added plus is that most of our enteral products are gluten free!

Going Out to Eat with a Gluten Disorder

Posted on: September 10th, 2013 by Medi-RentsBlogger

Celiac DiseaseIf you or someone you know has a gluten disorder, such as celiac disease, you know how complicating and frustrating it can seem getting food from a grocery store or local market. What do you do if you want to go out to eat instead of staying at home?  Today, Medi-Rents will discuss ways of looking for gluten-free restaurants and what you can order.

 

We have all been to great restaurants with great food. But, have you been to a GREAT restaurant before? The Gluten-Free Resource Education Awareness Training (GREAT) restaurants are a part of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. These two groups provide training to foodservice professionals to meet gluten-free needs of their customers and to serve gluten-free meals safely and confidently.

 

It will take time to research and try different foods to know what kind of tolerance you have towards certain foods, which will make it more challenging when eating out. Before you order, ask to see a gluten-free menu or tell the waiter about your condition.  Even though celiac disease isn’t an allergy, it may be easier to explain to the waiter that your gluten disorder is an allergy, so they can prepare your food accordingly. An example if you happen to order eggs at a larger, sit-down breakfast chain is they put pancake mix in with eggs to fluff them up.  Ask your waiter to make prepare your eggs with a fresh cracked egg only.

 

If you’re thinking about going out this weekend for something different try doing these things:

 

  • Call ahead to see if the restaurant offers a gluten-free menu.
  • When ordering, ask how the dish is prepared, if they’re any spices or mixes and if there any garnishes.
  • Is there a separate preparation area for gluten-free food, separate cookware or do they use a separate cooking or frying area?
  • Be proactive.  If you feel your meal isn’t what you ordered, ask to speak to the manager.

 

Medi-Rents can’t prepare your food, but we can provide you with enteral and nutritional supplements.  If you want to go to a Maryland restaurant that is GREAT Certified, check out Z Pizza in Rockville or Sweet Sin Café in Baltimore.