by Leigh Campbell, photos by Grace Hodes

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Nearly two million Americans have Celiac disease, a huge spike compared to a decade ago, according to a new study from the Mayo Clinic. Gluten is most commonly found in wheat and grains, meaning people who are gluten free cannot have common foods like pizza, cookies, bread, bagels and donuts. Most of these foods are central to life at STA according to sophomore Maddie Thompson, who suffers from gluten intolerance.

According to celiac disease sufferer and drama teacher Shana Prentiss, the sudden spike in people going gluten free is due to doctors becoming more aware of the symptoms.

“We are way too grain dependent in this country,” Prentiss said. “The first thought for me when I was diagnosed was that I was just devastated. What am I going to eat? But the reality is that I feel so much better, I have so much more energy, I am not in pain all the time.”

Gluten free diets are characterized in three types: Celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and as a weight loss diet.

Celiac Disease

“Every once in a while I see a donut and I think that that sounds really good,” Prentiss said. “I actually feel fortunate that I do get sick from it. What prevents me from doing it is knowing how horrible I will feel after.”

Celiac disease is a genetic, permanent intolerance to gluten usually triggered by a traumatic event, according to Prentiss. The new Mayo Clinic study also suggests that celiac is four times more common now than it was 50 years ago.

“I started feeling really sick and awful all the time and I really had no idea,” Prentiss said. “I probably spent about six months trying to self diagnose it, trying to cut certain things out of my diet.”

Celiac is an autoimmune condition, which means that it causes nutritional deficiencies and may result in conditions such as iron deficiency anemia, osteopenia and osteoporosis. People suffering from Celiac can have severe intestinal damage as well as gassiness, abdominal pain, abdominal distension and diarrhea if they consume gluten according to americanceliac.org.

“I get an instant headache, my stomach swells and gets bloated to where it is almost hard,” Prentiss said about her reaction to gluten. “I get really bad stomach pains in my intestines. I just feel sick for days.”

Gluten Intolerance

Bagels, no. Goldfish, no. Pretzels, no. Granola bar, yes!

This is what Thompson was thinking as she looked over the tennis team’s snacks before her match. After being diagnosed in 2009 with a gluten intolerance she has had to adjust to life without gluten.

“I can’t just eat whatever I want anymore, and I’ve had to completely change my diet,” Thompson said. “I have to always think about what I’m eating. I can’t just see something my friend’s eating and say, ‘Oh that looks good,’ and take a bite.”

Unlike Celiac disease, a gluten intolerance does not cause permanent intestinal damage and the symptoms severity vary from person to person. It is characterized as “gluten sensitivity.” A person with gluten sensitivity has Celiac-like symptoms but does not actually have the disease, according to americanceliac.org.

Gluten Free Diet

The gluten free diet has become a popular way to shed a few extra pounds, according to CBS news. Sophomore Viridiana Hernandez recently decided to try the gluten free diet for two weeks at her doctor’s suggestion to lose weight with the diet.

“I like wheat and I used to eat that every day, and now I can’t,” Hernandez said. “I think [the diet] has been working because my stomach doesn’t hurt as much.”

Prentiss also encourages people to try a gluten free lifestyle.

“I eat more fruits and vegetables and more fresh foods,” Prentiss said. “So in many ways it has been really good for me. I definitely eat less processed foods than I used to.”

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Fast facts about gluten:

1. According to CBS news, 1.8 million Americans have Celiac disease.
2. According to CBS news, 1 percent of U.S. adults have Celiac disease today.
3. Celiac disease is four times more common now than it was 50 years ago, according to CBS news.
4. Americans will spend an estimated $7 billion this year on foods labeled gluten-free, according to the market research firm Mintel.
5. Marketers have estimated 15 to 25 percent of consumers want gluten-free foods, according to CBS news.
6. There are 4,598 Google citations of nonceliac gluten sensitivity for every science journal article about the condition – more than ten times the number of citations for breast cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, lung cancer, or celiac disease itself, according to a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.