Last updated on June 15th, 2023
The term “gluten-free” has become a food industry buzzword over the past few years. Why? Because celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that’s triggered when people eat gluten, is more common than ever. In fact, an article from the New York Times states that celiac disease was four times more common in 2009 than it was in the 1950s.
The Celiac Disease Foundation claims that one of the reasons celiac disease may be more prominent today is because of our increasing dietary reliance on gluten-based foods, like bread and pasta. And because anyone of any age can have celiac disease, your food service team needs to understand how it affects seniors because there’s no cure for the condition. The only way to treat it is to follow a gluten-free diet.
What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder “where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine.” Villi line the small intestine, and this bad reaction can damage those villi and prevent the intestine from absorbing essential nutrients. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, the condition affects about 1 in 100 people worldwide.
Many symptoms of celiac disease are digestive, like diarrhea, weight loss, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. However, adults are less likely to have digestive symptoms. They’re more likely to experience symptoms like iron-deficiency anemia, fatigue, bone or joint pain, arthritis, osteoporosis or osteopenia, liver and biliary tract disorders, depression or anxiety, and more.
And just because some of your residents didn’t enter your senior living community with celiac disease doesn’t mean they can’t still have it. Elderly Onset Celiac Disease is also becoming more common, and it’s often misdiagnosed. Understanding the symptoms of Elderly Onset Celiac Disease can help you properly treat affected residents in your community with the right type of diet.
What is Elderly Onset Celiac Disease?
Elderly Onset Celiac Disease is when someone develops celiac disease at age 65 or older. Symptoms like anemia, micronutrient deficiencies, constipation, and obesity are more common in elderly patients than younger ones.
Besides the symptoms that present when eating gluten, celiac disease can also lead to longer-term issues. One study found that people with celiac disease were almost twice as likely to have Coronary Artery Disease.
Because some of these symptoms can also be attributed to the normal aging process, diagnosing celiac disease in older people can be difficult. One survey of elderly celiac patients found that a substantial number of patients were incorrectly diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) years before being diagnosed with celiac disease, leading to an average delay of 17 years in the diagnosis.
Untreated celiac disease can lead to developing other autoimmune disorders like Type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS). It can also lead to developing conditions like dermatitis herpetiformis, neurological conditions, and intestinal cancers.
How to Serve Gluten-Free Meals at Your Community
Making sure your residents are properly diagnosed and following the right treatment plans are essential to keep them in the best health possible. Gluten is a protein that’s typically found in wheat, rye, and barely. Some common foods that have gluten include pasta, bread, crackers, baked goods, cereal and granola, and sauces and gravys that use wheat flour as a thickener. That list probably contains a lot of food you serve to your residents on a regular basis, and it may seem difficult to be able to adjust to a gluten-free menu for those with celiac disease. But it can (and absolutely should) be done for the long-term health of your residents battling the autoimmune disorder.
The Celiac Disease Foundation states that when preparing gluten-free food, it’s extremely important that there’s no cross-contact with foods that contain gluten. For example, don’t use the same toaster for regular bread and gluten-free bread, and make sure to have separate cutting boards for gluten-free meal prep.
Residents following a gluten-free diet can still have balanced, delicious meals. Some foods that are naturally gluten-free include fruits, vegetables, meat/poultry, fish/seafood, dairy, and beans, legumes, and nuts. Because of the recent rise in celiac disease and the popularity of gluten-free diets, many food brands are now making gluten-free versions of foods like pasta, bread, and pizza crusts.
Popular substitutes for wheat flour include potato, rice, soy, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, bean flour, sorghum, corn flour, and tapioca starch extract.
It’s important to read the labels of every ingredient you use for your gluten-free meals. The Celiac Disease Foundation has a great guide here about how to properly read labels to ensure everything you’re serving works with a gluten-free meal plan. And when you’re in doubt, just don’t use that ingredient. You don’t want to exacerbate a residents’ condition, so it’s better to be safe than sorry. Work with your dietitian and each resident’s health team to figure out which foods are best for their diet.
How Celiac Disease Friendly is Your Community?
We understand that your residents may have a variety of conditions that all require special diets, and throwing another type of diet into the mix might be challenging. But your dining team’s top priority should be keeping all residents healthy, happy, and safe.
Culinary Services Group specializes in being able to provide a variety of diets at communities like yours. And we make sure each meal is delicious (gluten-free food doesn’t have to be boring!). If you’d like some help bringing more gluten-free meals to your community, feel free to contact us here.
