What is Celiaco ? by Elena Bau

Today, May 27th is National Celiac Day and from Baïa Food Co. we we want bring closer a reality experienced by more than half a million people in Spain.

What is it?

Celiac disease is a food intolerance to gluten. One of the main drawbacks for these individuals is the prohibition of eating foods containing gluten for the rest of their lives. For example pasta, bread, cereals and beer. And even many others that don't contain it originally, but to which it has been added during processing. For example, rice, sauces, nuts, and cold cuts. If you take any of these products, the gluten present in the food damages the lining of the small intestine, which in turn makes it impossible that the body can properly digest and absorb foodThis situation eventually leads to chronic malnutrition, with deficiencies in calories and essential nutrients.

Another major drawback of celiac disease is that gluten-free products are more expensive than conventional ones and are not easily available. This is due to the additional cost of production, but it doesn't make much sense to pass this on to the end consumer with higher prices.

What do we demand?

On the one hand, More information about this food intolerance is needed to understand what these people experience on a daily basis. We need to empathize with them to understand their situation. On the other hand, we need greater commitment from the food and hospitality industry to offer more and better gluten-free products, and to ensure consumers are informed about dishes containing gluten in restaurants. Finally, more Helppublic for to eliminate the current price gap, which means that celiac patients end up paying 30% more when shopping.

Therefore, we joined our friend Elena Bau who tells us how, through her experience, she has improved and learned to understand her body until she is fully adapted to the intolerances she suffers from. From here we thank her for her collaboration and express that she is a great example for all of us.

When did you realize you had celiac disease? Why? How do they diagnose you? What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this?

Elena: I can't remember not having a stomach ache. In fact, I thought it was normal and that, like me, everyone else had stomach pain after eating. I've been to many doctors over the years, and I guess at some point I threw in the towel, stopped looking for an explanation, and decided to live with the pain. Over the past few years, due to the stress, my pain had worsened, and after stumbling through a few appointments, I found a doctor again, Dr. Vigaray, and I don't think I've ever done anything better in my life! It's been a year since then, and although it took a long time to get my diagnosis because I had other issues (fructose intolerance, anisakis, histamine, helicobacter pylori, bacterial overgrowth...), I can finally say, a year later, that I practically have no discomfort after meals. When I found out I couldn't eat gluten, I'd already been diagnosed with fructose intolerance. Although being celiac, or having any other condition that restricts your diet, is difficult to manage, my least affliction was gluten. We have a culture that revolves around eating, drinking, and being with your loved ones over a beer or wine. Not being able to choose is difficult, especially when you know it's for life. I think society has made a lot of progress in raising awareness about celiac disease, but there's still a lot to do. Not just with this but with many other intolerances. And when I say raising awareness, I'm not saying that when you go to a restaurant, the menu should list the dishes that contain gluten. I'm talking about empathy, I'm talking about trying to understand what it means for someone to go out in their free time to dinner, to a party, or to have a glass of wine and at some point be suffering or thinking that maybe they can't eat anything. They prefer not to say anything so as not to upset others, they don't want to impose restrictions. I think that's a big part of the work, because every day there are more people with food restrictions, and it can happen to anyone. In my case, fructose complicates things much more; it doesn't even appear on restaurant menus...

What changes should you make in your daily life to adapt to this new situation? Adapting to change is always difficult. How did you deal with this initial stage?

Elena: Bad, in about a month they told me that I couldn't eat gluten or fructose and that's practically EVERYTHING, no wheat, no legumes, almost no fruits or vegetables... anything that doesn't have gluten, has fructose and vice versa... and well in my case, what doesn't have gluten or fructose often has histamine, so imagine! I can't choose anymore, I never eat what I want in a restaurant, I eat what I can. It's affected my mood quite a bit, I have a hard time when I condition the people around me and I often get overwhelmed because I'm out and about and it can turn out that I can't eat anything. I only eat what I want at home, everything adapted to my restrictions of course. The people around you, many times and of course always with good intentions, tell you things like, this time nothing will happen to you, and the problem isn't just the one time, it's that you would skip it every day and that can't be. The consequences for your gut if you don't take care of it when you have celiac disease, fructose intolerance, or something else go far beyond a stomach ache. I had to see a psychologist specializing in these types of conditions to learn how to live with my new situation and to help me manage it by making those around me understand how I feel. The people who love you do the best they can, and often the problem isn't with them, but with you. Not being able to eat puts me in a terrible mood, or at least it does me, since I loved to eat.

Once you're settled, what are your tricks that you use in your daily eating routine? How do you Helpn marks like Baïa Food Co. to continue enjoying yourself while feeling good?

Elena: My dietary change was drastic; I stopped eating sugars for fructose, and within a few months, I started to feel terrible. I ate healthy, but it wasn't balanced; my body needed nutrients, and even though I took good care of myself, I ate little fruit and vegetables. It's not easy to know what to eat; you can eat healthy, but that doesn't mean you're getting enough nutrients. I've incorporated carbohydrates into my diet daily (I never did for fear of gaining weight), and to this day, I continue to seek balance between feeling strong and being able to exercise.

In my house, we've never had the habit of eating refined sugars, but because of all this, I had to start reading all the labels and I started to realize all the refined sugar we're consuming.A very basic example: a person who eats canned vegetables may think they're eating healthy because they're eating vegetables, but if the canned ingredients contain sugar or other preservatives, it's not so healthy. And this isn't the user's fault, but the information. We're not informed about how bad sugar is, nor are foods with a list of a thousand ingredients! The industry is geared toward consumption; the life we lead directs us toward it. Eating quickly, not chewing, buying pre-cooked food so we can do a thousand other tasks. Do we prefer to give children pastries before teaching them to eat fruit? because We take longer for her to eat it? And this, I repeat, is not our fault. We are going where we are being led and the time has come to stop and ask ourselves questions. About all the intolerances that exist and are increasing every day, and many other diseases. Each person does the best they know and can. Companies like Baïa Food Co. us Helpn promoting healthy eating and transmitting to us what is important to have a critical spirit when it comes to knowing what we put into our bodies.

Do you, like us, believe that there is still a lot of work to be done regarding celiac patients and their diet?

Elena: I think there's still a lot of work to be done to raise awareness that we truly are what we eat. For example, processed foods for celiacs don't contain gluten, but many contain sugars to counteract this deficiency. It's not that gluten-free processed foods are worse than those with gluten. We shouldn't eat pastries with or without gluten! Just because you have celiac disease doesn't mean you have to eat pastries; that's not the only option. But it's not the only option for those who don't have celiac disease either.

What would you say to someone who's experiencing discomfort and doesn't know if they have some kind of food intolerance? And what about someone who's been diagnosed with celiac disease?

Elena: It's not normal for him to have discomfort and not let it go. We must overcome our fear of going to the doctor.

What is Celiaco ? by Elena Bau

What is it?

What do we demand?

When did you realize you had celiac disease? Why? How do they diagnose you? What's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear this?

What changes should you make in your daily life to adapt to this new situation? Adapting to change is always difficult. How did you deal with this initial stage?

Once you're settled, what are your tricks that you use in your daily eating routine? How do you Helpn marks like Baïa Food Co. to continue enjoying yourself while feeling good?

Do you, like us, believe that there is still a lot of work to be done regarding celiac patients and their diet?

What would you say to someone who's experiencing discomfort and doesn't know if they have some kind of food intolerance? And what about someone who's been diagnosed with celiac disease?

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