Coeliac Awareness Week runs from the 10th to the 16th May.
This year's Coeliac UK Awareness Week is taking place from the 10th to the 16th May.
The theme of the week this year is #ShineALightOnCoeliac to make life better for everyone who needs to live gluten free.
What is Coeliac Disease?
Coeliac Disease ('Celiac' in the USA and Canada) is a lifelong autoimmune condition, where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue. In Coeliac Disease the immune system mistakes substances found inside gluten as a threat to the body and attacks them. This can trigger a number of painful, horrible, stressful and uncomfortable symptoms.
In the UK it's estimated that 1 in 100 people have the condition.
Visit the Coeliac UK website for more information.
Living a gluten free life
Having suffered from a range of symptoms for around ten years I finally received a positive diagnosis of Coeliac Disease following some 'interesting' and in-depth tests and procedures in 2008. It came as a relief to finally have a name for the mysterious cause of my illnesses and ailments, but at the time I was only given a brief summary and told that I'd have to "cut down on bread and beer". It was only later when I met with a Gastroenterologist and a dietitian that I found out that the only treatment for people with Coeliac Disease is a strict, life-long gluten free diet.
Shine a light on Coeliac
With the possibility of meeting up with family and friends, and once again visiting restaurants means people with Coeliac Disease need to again take the risk of eating and drinking items prepared by other people.
Trusting other people to provide gluten free food can cause feelings of worry and exclusion. And the last thing anyone needs now is more isolation. So Coeliac UK is looking for everyone to shine a light on Coeliac Disease together to make life better for people who need to live gluten free.
Check out the #ShineALightOnCoeliac web page for more information, advice, fundraising ideas, recipes, challenges and activities.
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