Gluten-Free offerings / Starters

Dessert and specials changed daily

We operate with separate equipments and gluten-free products,

and entertain allergic concerns

Proponents of “Vera Cucina Italiana” / True Italian cooking in philosophy / technical execution / taste

Ingredients used / hormone-free meats / organic-natural / local / No GMO / No Trans – fats / No antibiotics

“Clean plate project “list available on request / List of prohibited chemical ingredients not used in our restaurants

Coeliac Disease (Celiac) What is it?

Celiac disease is a significant medical condition that can result in a number of serious consequences if not diagnosed and treated properly. It is a permanent intestinal intolerance to gluten in food. Celiac disease is a condition in which the mucosa (lining) of the small bowel (intestine) is damaged. This results in a flattening of the tiny finger-like projections, called villi, which line the bowel. The function of the cells on villi is to break down and absorb nutrients in food. In untreated celiac disease, the lining of the intestine becomes inflamed and has a characteristic flat appearance. This is referred to as villous atrophy. The surface area which enables the absorption of nutrient, and minerals is seriously reduced which can lead to nutritional deficiencies. In people with celiac disease the immune system reacts abnormally to gluten, causing small bowel inflammation and damage. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and oats.

People are born with a genetic predisposition to develop celiac disease. They inherit a particular genetic make-up with the genes DQ2 and DQ8 being identifies as the “celiac genes”. Gene testing is presently available through some pathology laboratories, by blood test or buccal swab test. It is suspected that environmental factors also play a role. In many cases, the condition will not have been diagnosed in other generations, however a first degree relative (parent, brother, sister, child) has about a 10% chance of also having celiac disease.

Celiac disease affects Caucasians and West Asians. It is uncommon in the oriental Asian and full-blood Australian Aboriginal populations.  People with celiac disease remain sensitive to gluten throughout their life, so in this sense, they are never cured. Even if symptoms disappear, damage to the small bowel can still occur, if gluten is ingested. However, after the removal of gluten, the small intestinal lining steadily returns to normal or near normal, and so does the absorption of food and nutrients. People with celiac disease should remain otherwise healthy as long as they adhere to a diet free of gluten.

Relapse occurs if gluten is reintroduced. The disease was once considered to be a childhood condition, which only produced symptoms in very young children. It is now well recognized that symptoms can appears for the first time at any age from infancy to senior years. Many have few or no problems during childhood but develop symptoms only as adults. In addition, the symptoms of celiac disease can range from severe to minor or atypical and can even be clinically silent.

Some symptoms may be confused with irritable bowel syndrome, or wheat or other food intolerance, while others may be put down to stress, or getting older. Celiac disease is treated by a lifelong gluten free diet. By specifically removing the cause of the disease, this treatment allows abnormalities, particularly that of the small bowel lining to recover. As long as the diet is strictly adhered to, problems arising from celiac disease should not return.

At the start of the treatment it may be necessary to supplement current deficiencies of nutrients. Some people may also have a transient intolerance to lactose (the sugar found in milk), at the time of diagnosis and may be advised by their doctor to temporarily restrict the amount of lactose in their gluten free diet.

The normal digestion of lactose should return once the bowl repairs with the gluten free diet. In some people, a low lactose diet is required for a longer period of time. Today many chefs and manufacturers across the globe are working together to create new foods, high in taste and without gluten. A whole range of ingredients are now found in elite marketplaces, and the sophistication of the recipes are so elaborate that people who are intolerant to gluten do not have to feel different in their selection any longer.

This article was sourced and translated from the Celiac Society in Italy.

Walter Potenza

 www.waltersonfederalhill.com