Image of a map with a U.S. passport and camera Traveling the world with a wheat gluten allergy I recently had the opportunity to interview Marisa. She is from the United States but travels all around the world for her career. Marisa was diagnosed 25 years ago with a severe allergy to wheat gluten. She carries an EPI-Pen with her in case she is exposed. Not only does Marisa have to worry about ingesting wheat gluten, but also being exposed to it topically. She needs to

Interview with The Celiac from Italy-Part 4 Celiac in the U.S. compared to Italy-is there a difference? Having lived in both the U.S. & Italy what do you find to be the biggest difference/s between the two countries? "The biggest difference is the fad diet culture I mentioned earlier. I really have yet to meet an Italian who eats gluten-free by choice. It is predominantly seen as a medical treatment and therefore regarded with the level of severity necessary. It makes it so

Interview with The Celiac in Italy-Part 3 How difficult is it to find food in Italy gluten-free? Is it easy for you to find gluten-free options at the grocery store? What is gluten-free called in Italy? "Yes, it’s pretty easy. Most grocery stores have a shelf specifically for all the gluten-free products so it’s very easy to find. You can also find some basic gluten-free products in most pharmacies because it’s considered a medical necessity for celiacs to have access to sa

Images of Italy Interview with The Celiac in Italy-Part 2 What is it like to have Celiac in Italy? How knowledgeable is the food industry in Italy in regard to Celiac/needing to eat gluten-free? "Italy is arguably the best country for celiacs. Restaurants are typically very knowledgeable about celiac disease and will communicate whether or not they can accommodate a medically necessary gluten-free diet. The key here is that the gluten-free diet never really became “trendy”