New Software Program Makes It Easier for Canadian Celiacs to Check Their Foods

Approximately 1 in 133 persons in Canada are believed to be affected by celiac disease, according to some estimates, and the Canadian Society of Intestinal Research states that some medical sources believe the figure is closer to 1 in 200 Canadians.

Celiac Disease, also known as celiac sprue, is an autoimmune disorder. In order to develop celiac disease, a person needs to have the celiac gene, some kind of "trigger" or activation of the gene, and be eating gluten. People with celiac disease can't eat gluten, a grain-based protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and triticale. When they do, the protein sets off an immune response that causes damage to their small intestine. Symptoms of celiac disease vary widely, as do their severity. Some people don't have any symptoms at all. Others may experience diarrhea, bloating, abdominal cramping, anemia, fatigue, muscle cramping, pain in the bones or joints, unexplained weight loss, weakness, decreased ability to clot blood, osteoporosis, depression, mood changes, and more. There is no cure, but the disease can be treated with a gluten free diet.

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to tell which products are gluten free because gluten often “hides” in other ingredients like hydrolyzed vegetable protein, plant protein, spelt, soy sauce, and malt. The Canadian Celiac Association recently published a Pocket Dictionary which lists food ingredients that are acceptable for those on a gluten free diet and those which must be checked. Now Canadian Celiacs have another tool to help them locate products they can use.

The Clan Thompson Celiac Food SmartList for Canada provides gluten information on over 2050 products available in Canadian stores. The software program makes it easy to search on products by name (such as "Bick's Baby Dill"), category (such as "Pickles") or manufacturer (such as "Bick’s"). Information is verified directly with each manufacturer and a “Comments” field is included to help users make informed decisions. Typical comments might include: “Manufactured in a facility that does not process any products containing gluten.” or “Company does not guarantee that any product is 'completely' gluten free.”

Clan Thompson is a family owned business located in Maine, USA. Partners Lani K. Thompson and Jeffrey Thompson decided to open their business in 1997, shortly after Lani’s husband was diagnosed with celiac disease. Since then, five other members of their family have learned that they, too, have the disease.

Their Celiac SmartList software has been available in the US for approximately eight years where it is endorsed by Dr. Cynthia S. Rudert, a Board Certified Gastroenterologist in Georgia, specializing in Celiac Disease. Dr. Rudert is the Medical Advisor for the Celiac Disease Foundation and for the Gluten Intolerance Group, two national associations in the USA.

Over 100 manufacturers and 50 categories of food are represented in the Canadian SmartList software, including a category for restaurant menus. Versions are available for Windows, Mac OS X or Palm OS.

Download a FREE DEMO at: http://www.clanthompson.com/ad_canSL.php3