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Business & Tech

Getting the Skinny on Gluten-free Living

OMG It's Gluten Free Cafe co-owners Eileen Greenawalt and Julie Scianna share key information about living with celiac disease and gluten intolerance during national Celiac Disease Awareness Month.

At one point, Frankfort resident Julie Scianna thought she was dying of ovarian cancer.

But it turned out to be celiac disease. The disease is no picnic, but it's better than a diagnosis of ovarian cancer, and switching to a gluten-free diet has turned Sciana's health around 180 degrees.

Business partner Eileen Greenawalt has an acute gluten intolerance, which produces symptoms similar to celiac disease but is not currently thought to cause the same kind of permanent damage to the intestines, according to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center.

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Years ago, Greenawalt went on the medication Celebrex for severe arthritis and battled a number of other serious health problems over the years. When she finally switched to a gluten-free diet, Greenawalt revealed that all of her arthritis went away within a week and a half.

"I'm off of all my anti-inflammatory meds now," she said.

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Their stories mirror those of millions of other Americans who live with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance.

Sound like medical mumbo jumbo? Read on. In honor of Celiac Disease Awareness month, Patch would like to share with you the skinny on gluten and gluten-free living.

It's Not an Allergy

  • Wheat allergies are common and fairly straightforward; celiac disease, on the other hand, is more complicated and complex. Yet it also may be more common than you think, affecting an estimated 1 percent of the U.S. population or 3 million Americans, although 97 percent of them are undiagnosed.
  • As an actual autoimmune disease, the ingestion of gluten, in any amount, causes permanent damage to the small intestines. Celiac disease, if left untreated, can lead to other health problems like Type 1 Diabetes, thyroid disease, liver disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
  • A gluten intolerance, like Greenawalt's, falls somewhere in between an allergic reaction to wheat products and the irreversible damage of celiac disease, both of which involve the immune system. While symptoms can be severe and long-lasting while undiagnosed, their impact is erased when gluten is removed from the diet.

It's Not in Your Head

  • Those living with celiac disease or a diagnosed gluten intolerance quickly realize when they've ingested gluten, even a tiny amount. For people like Scianna and Greenawalt, gluten can cause gut pain, gas, diarrhea, nausea, bloating, joint pain, migraines, weight loss, fatigue, moodiness and much more.
  • The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center states in its fact sheet that "...the disease can lead to the development of other autoimmune disorders, as well as osteoporosis, infertility, neurological conditions and in rare cases, cancer."
  • Greenawalt said studies she has read show "failure to thrive" babies and children with autism show remarkably improved growth and behavior when put on a gluten-free diet.

It's Not Random

  • Celiac disease is genetic. One in 133 Americans have celiac disease. 1 in 22 will have celiac disease if an immediate family member (parent, child, sibling) has it. One in 39 will have the disease if an extended family member has it (aunt, uncle, cousin).
  • Note: Gluten intolerance does not yet show a genetic link, although scientists continue to study its patterns. However, the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland estimates that 18 million Americans (or or 6 percent of the population) have a gluten sensitivity.

It's Diagnosable

  • A blood test, or series of blood tests, can determine if a person has celiac disease. In some cases, a biopsy of the small intestine may be used to confirm findings.

It's Treatable

  • Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. By eliminating those foods and their by-products from your diet, those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance experience much-improved health.
  • "Food is our medicine," said Greenawalt. "Just take the gluten out of your diet."
  • Food can also be a bane. Gluten hides in unexpected places like candy, coffee drinks, snack foods, ice cream, soups, salad dressings and sauces -- anywhere a product might need a thickening ingredient.
  • Read your food labels, advised Greenawalt and Scianna, and try to eat foods with less than five ingredients. Think fresh. Think raw.

Scianna and Greenawalt started out of a personal passion to find quality, fresh gluten-free foods that the whole family will love, not just the person with the gluten intolerance. Together with chef Andrew Hebda, their Frankfort-based business has rapidly expanded, under the guidance of Chicago restauranteur Richard Melman of Lettuce Entertain You fame.

"We are not allowed to put something on the menu unless it gets the thumbs up from Richard Melman and his executive chef," said Scianna.

OMG's baked goods and dinner entrees are now not only carried in local grocery stores like Berkot's Super Foods and local restaurants like Jenny's Steakhouse, but will soon be found nationwide as they have partnered with US Foods, a national supplier for health care and educational organizations. They are also in talks with Disney to carry their products in all of its resorts, theme parks and cruise ships.

For more information, visit the cafe, located at 19810 Harlem Avenue, or call (815) 469-4900.

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