But consider for a moment those runners or exercise fiends who prefer gluten-free foods, are gluten intolerant or, worse yet, suffer from celiac disease – a lifelong intestinal disorder that affects one in 132 people in the United States. Traditionally, there has just not been a whole lot on the typical pre-race menu for these folks.

As many of our customers know, celiacs can’t eat gluten, which is a protein found in grains such as wheat, rye and barley. Some of the most common gluten-containing foods in an athlete’s diet are bagels, pasta, crackers and pretzels. These foods are high in carbohydrates, to be sure, but they can spell race-ruining intestinal problems for some, and for those suffering celiac disease, eating gluten is like ingesting poison.

According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, gluten damages the hair-like projections called “villi” that line the wall of the small intestine. If left untreated, it can lead to other health conditions such as anemia, osteoporosis, thyroid disease, and autoimmune reactions. Common symptoms of celiac disease or severe gluten intolerance include abdominal cramping, intestinal gas, distention and bloating, chronic diarrhea or constipation (or both). Less obvious symptoms include depression, dermatitis, bone or joint pain, fatigue and osteoporosis.

The cure is simple: Total abstinence.

Completely removing gluten from your diet allows for healing of the intestine and promotes regrowth of the villi. The time it takes varies and depends on how long the damage has been going on in the intestines. Of course those with gluten intolerance should also follow the same “no gluten is good gluten” regimen. That means no more foods or food ingredients made from grains, including wheat, bran, rye, barley, bulgur, kamut, spelt, wheat germ and semolina.

We said the cure is simple. But it’s not easy – especially if you’re a marathon runner or a triathlete who seemingly requires a diet consisting largely of pasta, bagels and all those aforementioned goodies the night before the big race.

So what’s a dyed-in-the-wool athlete to do?

There are all kinds of gluten-free flours out there, made from rice, soy, corn or potatoes. Most fruits, vegetables, rice, potatoes and dairy products are also a pretty safe bet. And fresh meats, fish and poultry that haven’t been breaded or marinated are also good choices for those seeking an alternative to gluten.

Other carb-rich, but gluten-poor foods you can eat include beans, lentils, hummus and fat-free bean dip. There’s millet, amaranth, quinoa and buckwheat, as well as sweet potatoes, winter squash and corn.

And if you’re heading over to that pasta party, bring along your own plateful of goodies.  The folks at Active.com have come up with some delicious gluten-free meals for those on the run – or about to go on a run.

For instance, how about a meal of scrambled eggs with black beans, salsa and a corn tortilla? No gluten in sight. Or try some marinara sauce over spaghetti squash and white beans. How about a salmon salad with grapes, almonds and curry powder?

Enjoy the party. Slowly savor the salmon as your friends dive into pounds of pasta and sourdough bread smothered in grease.

Your stomach will thank you on race day. And of course, don’t forget about the wheat- and gluten-free line of all natural PureFit Nutrition Bars!

Despite that fact that Congress hasn’t taken any action yet on a bill that would officially designate May as Celiac Disease Awareness Month (resulting in, among other things, increased funding for celiac disease research), PureFit is pleased to be participating in efforts that increase the public’s knowledge’s about the disease.

Recently, we donated more than 700 of our wheat- and gluten-free nutrition bars to the Celiac Disease Foundation’s 20th Annual Education Conference and Food Faire (Saturday, May 15, in Los Angeles, Calif.). If you’re in the LA area and have an active interest in issues associated with celiac disease, the CDF’s Education Conference and Food Faire is a must-attend event. If you’re unable to make it to LA, no worries – unofficially, National Celiac Disease Awareness Month runs through May 31, and a simple Google News search for “Celiac Disease” shows you just how much is going on!

As you may already know, celiac disease goes undiagnosed in 98 percent of people who have it. If you or someone you know experience health-related problems which you think might be related to celiac disease, visit the National Foundation of Celiac Awareness website, where you can learn about celiac disease symptoms, diagnosis and treatment, related diseases, facts and figures, and more. And of course, visit your doctor right away if you’re experiencing anything unusual or out of the ordinary.

Here at PureFit, we’ll be marking Celiac Disease Awareness Month all throughout the month of May. In addition to supporting celiac disease-related groups like the Celiac Disease Foundation, we’ll also be posting celiac disease-related news and information here on our blog.

Thanks to the growing influence of the Web, more information than ever is now available to help parents understand their child’s rights when it comes to schools making accommodations for students with food allergies and intolerances.

To begin with, it’s important to know that according to the U.S. government, public schools are not necessarily required to make an accommodation for children with celiac disease, and if a school does choose to make accommodation, the gluten-free substitution does not need to be identical to that of the non-gluten-free option.

Taking a step backward for a moment, in 1973, the United States Congress passed Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of physical or mental disability and states:

No otherwise qualified individual with handicaps … shall, solely by reason of her or his handicap, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance…

To be protected under Section 504, a child must have a disability that is defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; has a record of such an impairment; and, is regarded as having such an impairment.

Sadly, celiac disease by itself does not qualify a student for special accommodations, even under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

In 1990, Congress passed the Americans with Disability act. Title II of the Act requires equal availability and accessibility in state and local government programs and services, including public schools. The U.S. Dept. of Agriculture oversees school lunch programs and requires public school systems to provide substitutions for “qualified disabled students” whose disability restricts their diet, but since many school systems are set up to follow the qualifications associated with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, celiac disease — because it isn’t defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities — rarely qualifies for special accommodations.

It seems for now at least, parents of children with celiac disease must be extremely strong and vocal advocates for their kids. To learn more about what you can do to help your child and their school navigate the myriad of issues associated with celiac disease and back to school, visit the Celiac Sprue Association’s Getting Along at School web page.

Curious to see if you have the genes associated with celiac disease? Now you can without ever leaving your home! Prometheus Laboratories, a San Diego-based pharmaceutical company, recently received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for MyCeliacID, the first do-it-yourself, at-home, saliva-based genetic test dedicated to celiac disease.

Approximately 1 in 100 Americans have celiac disease. Some have common symptoms, such as bloating, diarrhea, and general gastrointestinal distress, while others have symptoms like anemia, infertility, weight loss, or osteoporosis. It is estimated by the celiac community that 60% of children and 41% of adults newly diagnosed with celiac disease had no symptoms at all.

From Tiffany Janes of Atlanta Gluten-Free Food Examiner:

Most people with celiac know that the tests for these conditions are lacking greatly in terms of accuracy. False negatives on the blood panel alone have been quoted in the 20% range. Obviously, if someone tests negatively on the blood test, their doctor isn’t likely to schedule a endoscopy looking for further indications of celiac disease.

Even when people have the endoscopy is performed, many doctors take only one or two biopsy samples. Dr. Cynthia Rudert of Atlanta explains that the proper way to do that test, is to take at least six samples since the small intestine is so ling. Taking only two samples might not catch the damaged villi. This might result in a false negative or inconclusive results.

Many in the medical community who are “in the know” about celiac, prefer to use the California based lab Prometheus Labs for their patients celiac blood tests, among other things. To quote one doctor “generic lab techs don’t know how to read a celiac panel. That is why so many people with celiac are testing negative for it”. If you have a celiac blood panel run and can get your doctor to use Prometheus to interpret it, you should do so.

MyCeliacID uses a recently approved saliva-based version of the blood test used by doctors — it is said to identify distinct genetic sequences associated with celiac disease, and is touted as the only test that provides you with a measurement of risk of developing the disease relative to the general population.

MyCeliacID is available online. According to the company website, a licensed physician will review and place the order in accordance with state and federal law after a test request is made online. Then, after testing is performed, the physician will review and release the result (accessed online via a secure link, usually within 7 days from receipt of the saliva sample).

Learn more at MyCeliacID.com.

As I shared in this post, for the last 21 years, the Celiac Sprue Association has designated October as “Celiac Disease Awareness Month.” What I didn’t know when I wrote and posted that blog entry is that a lot of other organizations, including the American Celiac Disease Alliance (ACDA)—a group comprised of college and university researchers, nonprofit foundations, pharmaceutical companies, food manufacturers, and celiac support groups—have, for the last half-dozen years or so, celebrated “National Celiac Disease Awareness Month” in May.

Digging a little deeper, I learned May is also National Digestive Disease Awareness Month, so it seems fitting many celiac-focused organizations are interested in acknowledging the fifth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar as “National Celiac Disease Awareness Month.”

Personally, I think the estimated 1 in 130 Americans who suffer from wheat and gluten intolerance are lucky so many organizations care enough about Celiac Disease that they actually disagree over when its official “awareness” month should be observed.

For PureFit, the confusion simply means we have two designated and widely recognized opportunities to raise awareness about solutions to managing this awful disease (that is, until Congress gets off its lazy you-know-what and does something about H. CON. RES. 70: a Congressional resolution introduced by U.S. Congresswoman Nita Lowey of New York’s 18th Congressional District, calling for Congressional support and acknowledgement of the goals and ideals of National Celiac Awareness Month in May only).

With an estimated one in 130 people in the United States having celiac disease — most of whom are undiagnosed — it was clear to me that something needed to be done to provide a healthy alternative in the nutrition bar category. (If you are unfamiliar with celiac disease, please read my February 25, 2008 blog post “What is Celiac Disease?”) Eight years later and we’re still going strong, as are organizations like the Celiac Sprue Association — a nonprofit  dedicated to helping people with celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis through world-class education, research and support — and the Celiac Disease Foundation — a Studio City, California-based organization that strives to provide support, information and assistance for people affected by celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis (CD/DH).

You may not have noticed but October is “Celiac Awareness Month.” If you feel you might have celiac disease or simply do not do well on foods that contain wheat and gluten, everyone here at PureFit strongly suggests that you see your doctor and get tested.

If your doctor suspects you have Celiac Disease, they will probably order a simple celiac blood panel for gluten antibodies. If the results of the blood test show you or a loved one have a high level of antibodies to gluten and to certain other proteins in the intestinal lining — a sign that you could have celiac disease — your doctor may talk to you about conducting a small bowl biopsy to confirm the diagnosis (trust me, that sounds a lot worse than it really is).

In any event, get tested and be sure to tell your friends and loved ones that there’s no time like to present to start feeling better! October is Celiac Awareness Month… spread the word!

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Note: Celiac Disease is sometimes spelled “Coeliac Disease”

Another Note: If you’re wondering about the “g” symbol that appears at the top of this post, it comes from Trader Joe’s and is their way of displaying products in which no ingredients or sub-ingredients contain gluten.

The fact that PureFit bars are gluten-free is important to many people but especially to those who suffer from Celiac Disease. Celiac Disease (also called celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, gluten-sensitive enteropathy, or, simply, CD) is a genetic, autoimmune, intestinal disorder triggered by gluten. It affects, on average, 1 out of every 133 people, and yet 97 percent of people who have Celiac Disease don’t even know they have it. As many as three million Americans are believed to have Celiac Disease, and, if left untreated, these people run the risk of additional complications including, but not limited to, osteoporosis, cancer and autoimmune diseases.

For somebody who has Celiac Disease, exposure to gluten (wheat products) damages the villi of his or her small intestine making it difficult for him or her to absorb essential nutrients from food. Currently, the only effective treatment for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet.

PureFit has long been committed to making a product that is gluten-free, but we also feel it is vitally important to educate people about Celiac Disease. This is a topic to which we will continue to return over the coming months, and it is one that is core to the PureFit philosophy. In the meantime, for additional information on Celiac Disease, check out the following resources:

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA)

Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF)

Celiac Sprue Association (CSA)

PureFit is a proud supporter of the Celiac Sprue Association (CSA).