Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease where when the individual consumes gluten. In essence, the person’s immune system reacts negatively.
While only one per cent of the population suffers from this disease, as awareness spreads, more businesses and restaurants are now trending to be more inclusive of the needs of the few.
Gwynn Amethyst is a part of that one per cent, and since being diagnosed, she has to be extremely careful of where she eats. If a person who is celiac ingests any gluten, they can experience essentially the symptoms of food poisoning.
“[I’ve suffered] from pretty much everything out of a Pepto-Bismol commercial. For me, it was actually like I was very bloated, abdomen distended.” Amethyst said. “I did find that concentration was hard. And I find that my energy levels get affected quite badly, especially if gluten is like accidentally given to me through cross-contamination.”
Many individuals who are celiac share a kitchen space with a significant other or roommate, making the cross-contamination of gluten much more likely.
Amethyst was diagnosed in late 2023, finding that the adjustment to a gluten-free lifestyle was hard while living with her partner Declan, so they both decided to switch to a gluten-free diet.
“It was not only an adjustment for me, but for him as well.”
With this impairment, eating out can be an issue. But in the past few years, the gluten-free community has grown. Whether this was through taking steps to be more inclusive, or just for diets, restaurants and bakeries are more often to offer gluten-free alternatives to cater to the celiac/gluten-free community.
“There’s options everywhere you go. Like it is something that is pretty mainstream, which is really nice.” Amethyst said. “I do find I am a little bit anxious… We mostly just cook at home because we are able to control the ingredients and everything that’s in it.
“There’s a couple places that we go to, Canela, has a gluten-free dedicated case. There’s a little store in the Crossroads Market. I think it’s called Cookie Jar, it’s 100 per cent dedicated gluten-free. There is also this bakery just off Macleod called Just Sweet Enough and it’s a diabetic bakery and everything there is also gluten-free as well.”
Unfortunately, while many businesses do offer gluten-free options, the possibility of cross-contamination exists.
“Many people working in restaurants may not realize that if gluten has touched the food, it is no longer safe for a person with celiac disease to eat.” Emily Halliday from Calgary Celiac said.
“Learning how to safely serve a person with celiac disease isn’t as straightforward as you would think. There are many common ingredients that contain gluten, and the people working in the kitchen don’t always realize that they are serving food that is not safe for a person with celiac disease.”
