Celiac

As told to Shaina King

When the doctor called to tell me that my five-year-old daughter tested positive for celiac disease, I was shocked. She’d been out of sorts for a while, but we were just doing routine bloodwork to rule anything out. The doctor had tacked on the celiac test as an afterthought.

Well, it would never be an afterthought again.

Celiac is an autoimmune disease triggered in response to the ingestion of gluten — a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. The body mounts an immune response against the small intestine. Celiac isn’t a fad; it exists whether you “believe” in it or not — an actual, measurable, biological reality. You cannot wish it away (I know, I’ve tried) and ignoring the disease will result in severe illness.

Celiac is simple to manage. You don’t even need meds. All you have to do is completely eliminate gluten from your diet. So just don’t eat any bread, challah, bagels, pizza, pasta, pretzels, cookies, cake, pastries, crackers, fish sticks, knishes, breaded schnitzel, store-bought French fries, or take-out food. Ever again.