Celiac Disease Among Students – Transcript

Claire is a third year gerontology student at St. Thomas University. 

She was diagnosed with Celiac this past month. 

If people with celiac disease eat any foods that contain traces of gluten in them, they get sick. Gluten is found in wheat, oats, or rye. 

As a result, the small intestine is damaged and cannot break down properly, causing many different problems. 

“We had noticed that  I had been losing a lot of hair, and everything I had been eating was going right through me. Like my digestion was really off and my stomach was paining me a lot” 

Some people with celiac react differently to gluten, while some people may only feel discomfort and gas, other can have extreme cases such as diarrhea, weight loss and anemia. 

There is gluten even in meats and root beer. In extreme cases, even crumbs can cause sever pain and digestion discomfort. 

Eating out is difficult, as only a few places offer a gluten free menu. The Blue Door, Boston Pizza, and Swiss Chalet are only a few in Fredericton that do. 

“I miss McDonalds really bad. Um, probably my grandmother’s chocolate cake with peanute butter frosting, that’s what I’ll miss.” 

There is a stand at the Fredericton market which sells gluten-free baked goods every Saturday.  

Claire says the university cafeteria has been very helpful to her. They offer special gluten-free food for every meal if she pre-orders it, and bread whenever she needs toast or a quick sandwich. 

Celiac disease is dangerous if left unchecked, although you may not feel any pain, when you ingest any amount of gluten you are doing damage to your body.  Researchers are working on a pill to take before meals that will help you eat small amounts of gluten. But until then it’s a gluten free diet for Claire and other celiac’s. 

For STU Journalism, I’m Bryannah James.