Lifestyle Innovations

Lifestyle Innovations Gluten-Free Meal Plan eliminates all gluten containing foods from the diet, which helps gluten sensitive and celiac patients.

What is celiac disease?
Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition caused by the consumption of gluten proteins (wheat, rye, and barley) containing foods. This affects the small intestine by causing inflammation and malabsorption of critical nutrients.

Digestive symptoms of gluten intolerance are: Abdominal pain and bloating Chronic diarrhea Vomiting Constipation Pale, foul smelling or fatty stool Weight loss Irritability
Celiac disease affects nearly 3 million people in the U.S., although 97% of them are undiagnosed. Only 1 out of 8 patients has digestive symptoms, which leads to a vast majority being misdiagnosed because symptoms are contributed to other conditions. These symptoms can include many of the following:
unexplained iron-deficiency anemia fatigue bone or joint pain arthritis bone loss or osteoporosis depression or anxiety tingling numbness in the hands and feet seizures missed menstrual periods infertility or recurrent miscarriage canker sores inside the mouth an itchy skin rash called dermatitis herpetiformis	Number of People Affected by Chronic Illness:

What other conditions are connected to celiac disease?

Those who have celiac disease may have other diseases in which the immune system attacks the body’s healthy cells and tissue.

How do you test for celiac disease? Blood Tests Anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTGA) Anti-endomysium antibodies (EMA) HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 gene tests Anti-gliadin antibodies (AGA-IgG and AGA-IgA)		Intestinal Biopsy – When blood tests and symptoms suggest celiac, a small intestine biopsy may be recommended to confirm the diagnosis. Tiny pieces of tissue are removed from the small intestine to check for damage to the villi. Villi are miniscule, finger-like protrusions lining the small intestine that help absorb nutrients. An endoscope is eased through the patient’s mouth and stomach into the small intestine. Instruments are passed through the endoscope to obtain samples. Dermatitis Herpetiformis – Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH) is an intensely itching and blistering skin rash that affects 15 to 25 percent of celiac patients. This usually occurs on the knees, elbows and buttocks. Digestive symptoms may not be present with the rash. Blood tests and biopsy are used to diagnose DH. Patients do not need an intestinal biopsy if the antibody test and skin biopsy have the typical findings.
How is celiac disease treated? A gluten-free diet is the only treatment for living with celiac disease. For most patients, following this diet may stop symptoms, heal existing intestinal damage, and possibly prevent further damage. Depending on the duration of gluten exposure, the patient might need additional vitamin supplementation to boost low levels of critical nutrients. Vitamin D Vitamin B complex Calcium Iron and many more depending on lab analysis and physician recommendation

Allowed Foods
amaranth	legumes	rice
arrowroot	millet	sorghum
buckwheat	nuts	soy
corn	potatoes	tapioca
flax	quinoa	yucca

Foods to Avoid
wheat	kamut	semolina
rye	wheat bran	white flour
barley	wheat germ	Durum flour
spelt	Enriched flours	Graham flour