Reprinted from the Health District's quarterly publication mailed to district residents (Summer 2006)

When Gina Mohr-Callahan dropped from 128 pounds on her 5’3’’ frame to a mere 89 in two years, everyone could tell something was wrong, but no one could figure out what.

“It’s not like I wasn’t eating,” says Mohr-Callahan, a cooking teacher and food writer. “I love to cook and have always been aware of eating a healthy diet.”

As it turns out, the culprit behind the 53-year-old’s weight loss was hiding in that healthy diet. Mohr-Callahan is among the nearly 1 in 100 Americans living with Celiac Disease, or gluten intolerance. Found in all forms of wheat and related grains such as rye and barley, gluten damages villi, the tiny hair-like projections in the small intestine that absorb nutrients from food. Left untreated, the disease can cause damage to the small bowel and increase the risk of associated disorders ranging from iron-deficiency anemia to osteoporosis to intestinal lymphoma.

Long before developing a life-threatening condition from Celiac Disease, those living with it experience a long list of ailments, from chronic diarrhea to weight loss to fatigue.

“Because its symptoms mimic so many other diseases, it is often misdiagnosed,” said Linda Flyr, national contact support manager for the Celiac Sprue Association. The nonprofit organization serves more than 10,000 members involved with 100 support groups across the country.

Susan Stewart, chairwoman of the Association’s 175-member Northern Colorado group, had been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. When she just kept getting worse, she pushed for further testing. Two years ago, she and her two young daughters were diagnosed with the disease.

“Trying to make this major lifestyle change is really overwhelming at first,” says Stewart. “A lot of the people who come to the meetings are newly diagnosed and need help adjusting their diet.”

Wheat isn’t just in obvious things like bread, it is also a component in items like soy sauce and often doesn’t show up on food labels. When creating their new diet, those living with Celiac Disease also need to make sure they are getting enough fiber.

“A lot of the substitutes for wheat flour, such as potato starch and rice flour, don’t have much fiber,” says Dianne Moeller, a registered dietitian with the Health District. “A good intake of beans, fruit, nuts, seeds, veggies and other fiber-rich foods is needed.”

After the initial acclimation process, living with Celiac Disease becomes manageable.

In the seven years since her diagnosis, Mohr-Callahan has focused on gluten-free cooking.

“Come over to my house for dinner, and you would just enjoy a wonderful meal,” she says. “You’d have no idea it was gluten-free.”