Celiac Disease: The Italian Connection
It is amazing how a personal connection will suddenly get you to write about a topic you've been meaning to explore for at least a year. I hadn't heard about Celiac Disease until about a year ago when I hired a personal organizer to come to my office and help me straighten things out. She brought her lunch one day and explained that she couldn't eat gluten because of Celiac. Even more interestingly, she told me many Italians and those of Italian descent have Celiac. I think she even mentioned how common it is in Ireland. My ears perked up for the moment as I have both Irish and Italian blood (about 1 in 250 to 1 in 300 people in these populations have Celiac). She suggested I do an article on how people with Celiac can travel to Italy -- just how do you eat your way through Italia without eating bread and pasta? Great idea, I thought...and filed it.Well, now I've just been told I need to at least temporarily go on a gluten-free diet for medical reasons. I may well have Celiac and will get tested for that (it can develop at any time during life). So just how am I going to travel through Italy if I can't eat gluten. I've just started researching this topic and will share more as I go along. I'd also love to read your suggestions in the comments section of this blog. I didn't realize that I won't be the only one in Italy with this problem, consider this info from Keepkidshealthy.com:
In Italy, where celiac disease is common, all children are screened by age 6 so that even asymptomatic disease is caught early. In addition, Italians of any age are tested for the disease as soon as they show symptoms. As a result of this vigilance, the time between when symptoms begin and the disease is diagnosed is usually only 2 to 3 weeks. In the United States, the time between the first symptoms and diagnosis averages about 10 years.
Also today, I learned about a new Web site for gluten-free travelers: Glutenfreeguidebook.com Hilary Davidson hasn't covered Italian travel yet but does give tips for visiting other places.
And there's another great site, Celiactravel.com - they offer gluten-free restaurant cards in 38 languages including Italian!
Labels: celiac disease, food in italy, gluten-free travel
posted by Kathy McCabe, DreamofItaly.com | 5:42 PM
8 Comments:
Hi,
just wondering if you know that going on a gf diet BEFORE celiac testing can lead to false negative results on the testing...(due to healing of the intestinal villi in response to a gf diet). Dr. Green's book on Celiac explains this, as do many of the celiac-related websites.
Cheers, (yes, I'm celiac!),
Kim
No, I didn't know that! Thank you for letting me know. The reason I need to do the gluten-free diet is not because of Celiac (it is a long story) BUT I'm also starting to suspect I may have it. I'll talk to my doctor. So much to learn on this topic. And I love to dive into a topic, so will get Dr. Green's book.
It's been a lot in the press lately Italy -- perhaps because the spokeswoman for celiaci is stunning actress Claudia Koll http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudia_Koll
and there are a lot of guides about where to eat, here's one from the national assoc. www.celiachia.it/ristoratori/default_eng.asp
HTH
Nicole
www.zoomata.com
Thanks for the info., Nicole! Hope you noticed that I added a link to your terrific site (zoomata.com) in our blog list of Travel Friends.
yes, I did. grazie e buon lavoro...
Hi everyone,
I am Italian and my daughter has celiach disease. Celiach disease is not more common in Italy then in any other country, just our public health system works well, meaning everyone gets diagnosys and reasonable good treatments, paid with taxe money no extra health insurance is needed.
Not all children in Italy get checked, but they all see their physicians on regular basis and so it is easier to spot first symtoms (it is a very complex pathology).
If you are planing a trip in Italy this site may help you http://www.celiachia.it/
You'll find a list of informed restaurant and B&B.
Enjoy your trip in Italy, and try Italian risotto you won't miss pasta!
ciao
Paola
Hi,
I have a blog site about traveling gluten-free, called "Way of the Celiac Traveler." www.wayoftheceliactraveler.blogspot.com. I started it when I moved to Italy in 2005, writing about my 2 years of living and traveling there. Since returning to the States last year, I continue to write about traveling with celiac disease, with my most recent trip being to New Zealand.
Hi,
I have a blog site about traveling gluten-free, called "Way of the Celiac Traveler." www.wayoftheceliactraveler.blogspot.com. I started it when I moved to Italy in 2005, writing about my 2 years of living and traveling there. Since returning to the States last year, I continue to write about traveling with celiac disease, with my most recent trip being to New Zealand.
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