2023-10-30 09:38:53
1% of the Spanish population has celiac disease and yet, between 80 and 85% are not diagnosed. In recent years diagnoses have increased in said disease and therefore, Celicidad, website specialized in foodhas created a digital, free and specialized guide in celiac disease, which is now available for schools.
This is the sixth edition of ‘Celiac disease at school’ and intends combat misinformation about celiac disease in addition to advising teachers and other school professionals.
Lorena Pérez, content director of the Celicidad website states: “There is a lot of misinformation and many myths about celiac disease and teachers who spend so much time with children should have some basic notions about what happens to their celiac students, what it means to follow a correct gluten-free diet.”
What is celiac disease or glutenas follow a correct and complete gluten-free dietbasic notions about others eating disorders, what foods may be contaminated and should be avoided with celiac disease; these are some of the most important points collected in the digital guide.
“These are basic questions so that professionals in educational centers can broadly understand what it means to have to follow a gluten-free diet strictly every day and also know how to distinguish what is a safe product for celiacs from what is not. ”says Lorena Pérez.
Three myths about celiac disease
The guide developed by Celicidad is responsible, among other tasks, for deny some hoaxes and myths about celiac disease.
‘Celiac disease is cured’: Celiac disease cannot be cured, it is treated.
‘Celiac disease is an intolerance’: It is neither an intolerance nor an allergy. It is an immunological disease.
‘Celiac disease has degrees’: There are not different degrees or levels of illness, there are different symptoms.
Gluten and celiac people
Gluten is a protein present in most cereals such as wheat, barley or rye. People with celiac disease They cannot consume these cerealsnor consume products made or derived from them.
The main cereals that contain gluten are: wheat, rye, barley, spelled, triticale, farro, kamut, green spelled and bulgur.
He Gluten consumption in the West is widespread. However, it is not an essential protein for life, in fact, experts point out that from a nutritional point of view It is not an “interesting” element either.
Therefore, beyond knowing that there are cereals with gluten that should always be avoided, it is necessary to keep in mind that This protein can be found in a large number of products and it is necessary
that people with celiac disease are able to identify at all times whether the product they are going to consume contains or does not contain gluten.
Eating with a celiac person and not contaminating food
Infographic extracted from the Celicidad online guide for schools.
What a correct gluten-free diet should be like
A feeding gluten-free can be just as healthy, balanced and tasty than a diet with gluten. The gluten-free diet is based on products that naturally do not contain gluten: meats, legumes, fish, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, eggs, etc. As long as they have not been processed, they are gluten-free.. And if they have been prosecuted, they will have to check the labeling.
Besides carbohydrates from gluten-free cereals should be added such as corn, sorghum, teff, rice, buckwheat, etc. which in their natural form are also suitable (When used as ingredients or processed, they will need to be specifically labeled “Gluten Free” (we will go into this further).
If in a product/food we find expressions like “May contain traces of gluten” o “has been processed in a factory that processes gluten-containing cereals”this would tell us that are not
suitable for celiacs due to risk of contamination/cross contact. Even if we find the expression “Very low in gluten”, it is useless, as we will see later.
The most advisable thing, as the guide states, is never give it to any celiac a product we are not interested in 100% sure it is gluten free.
Among the foods that celiacs cannot eat, the following stand out: bread, pastries, cookies, pizzas and pastas.
But the less gluten
Furthermore, the guide states that the Federation of Celiac Associations of Spain classifies food and products depending on their gluten content, and difference:
Conventional: contaminated by their fabrication process. We know they will be gluten-free because of their labeling, ‘gluten-free’ or equivalent.
Specifics: Specially formulated by the industry for people with celiac disease. They are always labeled ‘Gluten Free’.
Not suitable: They contain gluten as ingredients or in trace form. Backpacks hanging outside a school classroom in Valencia. EFE/Biel Aliño
Celiac disease in schools
that the dining room menus are gluten-free, that they can bring their food suitable for celiacs from home or the content of the diets, are some of the concerns of parents, who also highlight the importance of teachers and classmates Be aware that students have celiac disease.
The guide is about respond and approach concerns of school professionals and families.
Furthermore, since childhood it is It is essential that celiac children feel integrated despite their dietary restrictions and this means Let everyone around you know what it really means to be celiac.
The center’s professionals must pay attention to celiac disease Because food can be contaminated in the dining room with a gesture as simple as having gluten-containing bread crumbs fall on a gluten-free plate.
“That is why it is so important to have basic knowledge about cross contamination/cross contact; if a child puts bread with gluten on the plate of a child with celiac disease, that gluten-free food will already be contaminated,” says the director of the website. Celicidad Lorena Perez.
The recess time is also a important momentin which both the educational center staff and the classmates themselves, They must know the student’s situation with celiac disease.
Within the dining rooms, An important point is that For the full integration of the little ones it is important that gluten-free alternatives are as similar as possible to the dishes offered on the menu with gluten.
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