Along with our regular menu, we offer gluten-free foods. What is gluten and why do we offer a gluten-free menu?

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate a protein called gluten, found in wheat, rye and barley. Gluten is found mainly in foods but may also be found in products we use everyday, such as stamp and envelope adhesive, medicines and vitamins.

Celiac disease is a genetic disease, meaning it runs in families and sometimes can be triggered after surgery, pregnancy, viral infection or severe emotional stress.

Recent findings estimate about 1 in 133 people have the disease.

It is important to remember that since the disease is hereditary, family members of a person with celiac should be tested. A person with celiac may not show any symptoms and gone untreated can cause complications like cancer, osteoporosis, anemia, seizures, birth defects and miscarriage.

However, with treatment and a gluten-free diet any damage can be repaired and the symptoms stopped. Improvements can start within days of following the diet. And the small intestine is usually completely healed in 3 to 6 months in children and within 2 years for older adults. (Healed, meaning a person now has villi that can absorb nutrients from food into the bloodstream.)

A gluten-free diet means not eating foods that contain wheat, (including spelt, triticale and kamut), rye and barley. In other words, a person with celiac should not eat most grains, pasta, cereal and many processed foods. This makes it very difficult for those with celiac to eat out.

It is for this reason that we have worked very hard to make a menu that includes gluten-free foods that are also very tasty. So that everyone can go to festivals and events without worry of getting sick.

We are now partnered with Gluten-Free Goodies on Kingston Pike with our Cafe to offer those with celiac or other food allergies a full restaurant so that they can have one more place to go out to eat and feel safe.

We are the Happy Badger and here- "We cater to you!"

For more info on Celiac please visit these sites:

www.Celi-Act.com

www.recognizingceliacdisease.com

www.glutenfreeworks.com