To help raise awareness of Coeliac disease we are having an open day here at Hardwick Motor Company on Thursday 20th February. To help us to promote this we will be having a special visit from Emily Plant who is the current Miss Mansfield Outstanding Teen and the event will be covered by the friendly presenters at Mansfield Radio station 103.2. As well as joining us at Hardwick’s Emily will be doing a tour of the area’s local businesses and venues to help raise awareness of Coeliac disease which she is passionate about as she has the disease herself. Emily has set a personal goal to raise £3,000 and we want to support her in this in any way we can. So come down to see us between 11:00 am – 13:00 pm for a meet and greet, have a Tea or Coffee and perhaps make a donation by purchasing a cake!
What is Coeliac disease?
Coeliac disease or celiac disease is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects the small intestine. Classic symptoms include gastrointestinal problems such as chronic diarrhoea, abdominal distention, malabsorption, loss of appetite and among children failure to grow normally. Contray to the beliefs of many, coeliac disease is not an allergy or an intolerance. It is what is known as an “autoimmune” condition, which along with type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, means that the immune system accidently attacks healthy tissue, and the body is not therefore properly protected against infection. In the case of coeliac disease, it’s gluten that causes the problem.
Treatment: Gluten-free diet
What is gluten?
Gluten is the collective name for the proteins that are found in wheat, barley, spelt, rye and triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye). When combined with water, these proteins act as a glue, making dough elastic, allowing breads to rise, and helping food to keep their shape. This is what gives “glu-ten” its name.
When gluten in ingested by someone who has coeliac disease, the immune system mistakes gliadin, a substance that makes up gluten, as a threat and attacks it. This damages the lining of the small intestine, specifically the million finger-shaped growths called villi, which become inflamed and flattened (this is known as villous atrophy). As the villi are in charge of absorbing nutrients, this then leads to malnutrition, illness or deficiencies.
THE PAINFUL BIT...
The reactions to eating gluten when you have coeliac disease differ from person to person, and also range in intensity from mild to possibly severe. Symptoms include:
– Bloating and flatulence
– Diarrhoea, constipation or a combination of both
– Nausea
– Abdominal pain
– Weight loss
– Iron, folate, zinc or vitamin D deficiency
– Mouth ulcers or dental defects
– Tiredness due to malnutrition
– Slowed growth (in children)
Although unpleasant, these symptoms can be helpful in diagnosing the condition initially. It is not in fact known why certain people have coeliac disease, but it affects one in every hundred people in the UK. According to Coeliac UK, only 24% of those who have coeliac have been diagnosed, which could mean that there are currently around half a million people who are living with the disease and don’t know.
There is currently no cure for coeliac disease, and the only treatment is to adapt to a gluten-free diet. As well as all the many “free-from” products out there, here’s a guide to ten great food swaps you can make:
Help Emily (photographed below) to raise awareness....
We look forward to seeing on on Thursday 20th February 2020
Coeliac UK the charity for people who need to live without gluten.
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