Ask Questions About Nutrition and Celiac Disease
Do you have unanswered general nutrition questions about the gluten-free diet and lifestyle?
Melinda Dennis MS, RDN, LDN
NCA Senior Nutrition Consultant
Katarina Mollo MEd, RDN, LDN
NCA Director of EducationOur dietitians are happy to answer your general nutrition questions about celiac disease. Please submit questions that are applicable to a general gluten-free audience. We regret that personal clinical questions (medical history, labs, supplements, etc.) cannot be addressed.
Time allowing, every effort will be made to answer all submitted questions. Some questions may be chosen to be anonymously included in the e-newsletter also posted on this website and/or the Gluten-Free Nation print magazine.
Ask The Dietitian
Answers To Your Questions
Note: This information is provided by NCA and Melinda Dennis, NCA's Senior Consulting Dietitian or Katarina Mollo, MEd, RDN, LDN, NCA's Director of Education. This information is meant for educational purposes and is not intended to substitute for personalized medical advice or replace any medical advice provided directly to you by your health care provider. This information can be printed and used in consultation with your physician or dietitian. No liability is assumed by NCA, Ms. Dennis or her nutrition consulting service Delete the Wheat, LLC. or Katarina Mollo, MEd, RDN, LDN by providing this information.
Tests for celiac disease
Q: What are the current standard tests to diagnose celiac disease? Celiac disease (CD) is diagnosed by evaluating symptoms, conducting blood tests and a small intestinal endoscopy (biopsy). People with CD can have many different symptoms or no symptoms at all, up to 200 symptoms are associated with CD, here are some of the most common ones: Gastrointestinal Malabsorption- related
Gluten allergy
Q: Is “gluten allergy” the correct term to use in regards to having celiac disease? Thank you. Celiac disease (CD) is not an allergy but an autoimmune disease. People with CD have an autoimmune reaction involving IgA antibodies when gluten is ingested. An allergy is different and involves a different branch of the immune system, so the term gluten allergy
Manufactured in shared facility
Q: I just bought a product labeled gluten-free but it has this statement: “this product was manufactured in a plant that also processes wheat products.” I am very confused, is it still ok to eat? A lot of manufacturers put these advisory statements on their products and this can be very confusing for the consumer. An important thing to note
Straws
Q: I’ve been reading a lot about plastic straws being swapped out for wheat/pasta/gluten-containing straws. Are most non-plastic straws made from a wheat ingredient? Being a celiac, is this one more thing we need to be aware of when dining out? As we have become more aware of the negative environmental impacts of plastic straws, other alternatives have entered the
Do I need to check that my medication is gluten-free?
Q: Do I need to check that my medication is gluten-free? You should always check anything you are ingesting, that includes medications. Gluten may be used as a binder or filler in medications, although this is rare according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).1 However, you should always check your medications for gluten-free (GF) status. It is important to
Tolerating beans
Q: I just switched to a plant-based diet and I am having a hard time tolerating beans is this normal? It is quite common to react to beans and high quantities of fiber when first introduced. It is best to introduce high fiber foods like beans gradually. Beans contain indigestible carbohydrates called oligosaccharides. Humans lack the enzyme to break them down