Almost 25 percent of the population considers themselves to be gluten intolerant. Of those people, one percent are actually diagnosed with Celiac’s disease.

Overall, the symptoms of Celiac’s disease are vague, and the same symptoms can easily have other causes. But in general, symptoms include typical bowel issues such as constipation and diarrhea (and a host of other digestive problems), muscle cramps, rashes, joint and bone pains, and issues caused from malabsorption like osteoporosis, and anemia, and can even be the cause of seizures.

These symptoms are all autoimmune related, meaning that the body emits an autoimmune response to attack the gluten, which in turn, destroys the villi. When those are destroyed, it creates a smooth surface area (along with inflammation) in the intestines and you lose your ability to absorb nutrients. So that’s why it leads to calcium deficiency and anemia.

Simply giving up gluten will alleviate these symptoms (I know, it’s not that simple–but stores such as Whole Foods and other gluten free companies have made it easier to follow a gluten-free diet.)

But here’s the rub–Celiac’s disease can be tested for, BUT, if you have restricted gluten from your diet, the test will be worthless because it requires measuring the higher levels of certain antibodies that the body as produced to fight the gluten. So no gluten, no antibodies–you get the idea.

Restricting gluten from the diet is the remedy for Celiac’s disease, but there are certain reasons that you may want to know that you have it. On the top of the list is probably the fact that if you’re diagnosed with it, the medical care is most likely covered on your insurance. Also, because Celiac’s is genetic, the chances of your offspring having it go up to 1 in 4!

As a nurse, I’ve come in contact with several people that are pretty sure that they have Celiac’s disease, and would like to be tested, but they can’t tolerate the symptoms of adding gluten back into their diet to simply go get the test.

So if you’ve already given up gluten, you may decide that the benefits of testing for Celiac’s do not outweigh the consequences. But if you’re having some of these symptoms regularly, (pay attention at Thanksgiving and Christmas when we tend to eat a lot of Gluten rich foods) it may be worth having a discussion with your doctor.

Kim Wirth is a registered nurse in Austin, Texas with significant experience helping people to live full lives without the presence of gluten in their diets. Send her questions at kwwirth@yahoo.com

It can be hard to know for sure, but if you are gluten intolerant (and 25 percent of the population is), you could be experiencing difficulty absorbing the needed vitamins from food and even your supplementation.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, hops (are we making beer?)and rye–So if you’re eating whole wheat, it’s in there. Gluten is the protein that causes elasticity (the bubbles of air in the bread and gives it its texture and allows the yeast to rise).

Your body’s immune system is designed to protect it from foreign invaders. When people with celiac disease eat foods containing gluten, their immune system forms antibodies to gluten which then attack the intestinal lining. This causes inflammation in the intestines and damages the villi, the hair-like structures on the lining of the small intestine. Nutrients from food are absorbed by the villi. If the villi are damaged, the person cannot absorb nutrients and ends up malnourished, no matter how much he or she eats.

People that have Celiac’s disease have a genetic predisposition for the condition–similar to diabetes. We’re unsure of all the causes, but we know that stress can trigger the genetic disposition to manifest.

So if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms (webmd) try eliminating gluten from your diet for a week. It’s not that hard–just stay away from anything with wheat, rye, and barley in it (yes, beer would be on that list).

Check out this slide show on WebMD’s site talking about the first steps in eliminating Gluten (webmd.com-gluten free diet)

Kim Wirth is a registered nurse in Austin, Texas with significant experience helping people to live full lives without the presence of gluten in their diets. Send her questions at kwwirth@yahoo.com

Slightly crunchy, slightly chewy, chocolaty with a hint of orange. These crowd pleasers are gluten-free, dairy free, egg free, nut free.

• ½ cup dairy free margarine (may substitute with butter)
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup silken tofu (may substitute 1 egg)
• 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla
• ¾ cup quinoa four
• 3  tablespoons baking coco
• ½  teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cup Arzu Original Flavor
• 3  tablespoons molasses
• 1 teaspoon orange zest

Preheat oven to 350* Cream margarine and brown sugar in large mixing bowl. Add tofu and vanilla and mix well. Slowly add quinoa flour, coco and salt, blend well. Add Arzu, molasses and orange zest and blend well. Drop by teaspoonful on to parchment lined cookie sheet.

• Bake for 10 – 12 minutes.
• Makes 4 dozen cookies.
• Nutritional information for 1 cookie:

Calories 50, Fat 2 gm, Saturated fat 0gm, Trans-fat 0 gm,  Cholesterol 0, Sodium 15 mg, Carbohydrates 7 gm, Fiber 1 gm, Sugar 3 gm, Protein 1 gm,Iron 2 % RDA