Welcome to my gluten-free world! I am delighted to introduce Glutena, a character created from my personal experience with coeliac disease. As someone who knows the challenges of living gluten-free, Glutena is here to guide and inspire you with helpful insights, delicious recipes and tips. This blog is for anyone who needs to eat gluten-free and needs encouragement and support to enjoy food (again). Let's make this journey delicious and enjoyable together!" – Celine
Why Glutena?
My profession is event manager. At the time when the name Glutena was born, I was about to start my training as an event manager and was doing an internship at a festival. At this festival, catering was always provided for the crew at lunchtime. The catering staff were of course aware of my coeliac disease, but the chef didn't know my name or couldn't remember it. One day, however, he greeted me with ‘Glutena’ and said that was my kryptonite.
A brief explanation, because I didn't know either: Kryptonite – from the world of Superman – stands for something or someone that is a particular weak point, which suddenly makes you vulnerable despite your strength.
For the rest of the production, it was just ‘Glutena, I'll bring your food out right away!’ Since I thought the name was so cool and wanted to start a gluten-free blog anyway, I thought it was a perfect fit.
Who am I and how did I get diagnosed with coeliac disease?
My coeliac disease was only discovered when I was about 16, rather by chance.
The trigger was an upcoming Cooper test at school. Even as a child, I had severe iron deficiency (ferritin) and was quickly out of breath even when climbing stairs. At the same time, my physical condition was getting worse and worse: despite getting 10 hours of sleep, I fell asleep in class, my hair was falling out in clumps and my fingernails were brittle.
My mum sent me to the doctor to get a full blood count. The results: extremely low ferritin levels, borderline TSH and significantly elevated thyroid antibodies. Nevertheless, the doctor said nothing needed to be done. Since my mum is a nurse and noticed that something was wrong, she kept looking – first haematology, then endocrinology.
The endocrinologist reacted immediately: the antibody levels were much too high. An ultrasound revealed an enlarged, inflamed thyroid gland – diagnosis: Hashimoto's disease.
Since Hashimoto's disease often occurs in conjunction with other autoimmune diseases, I was also tested for coeliac disease, diabetes and adrenal insufficiency. The blood test already showed abnormal coeliac disease values. A subsequent gastroscopy confirmed the diagnosis: the intestinal villi were already significantly damaged.
However, thanks to my strict gluten-free diet, they have now fully recovered.
For a more gluten-free life, follow me on Instagram!
Under Tips & Tricks you will find suggestions for making life with coeliac disease as easy as possible.