Gut-Wrenching Food Prep Videos Show the Dangers of Celiac Disease

Philadelphia, PA, April 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For a person suffering from celiac disease, delicious food like cupcakes and pizza might as well be topped with razorblades and thumbtacks. That’s part of the takeaway from a new campaign led by Beyond Celiac and a coalition of other celiac disease organizations to highlight the seriousness of celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune disorder that damages the small intestine when gluten is ingested. 3.2 million Americans suffer from celiac disease, which currently has no cure or pharmaceutical treatment.  

The first week in May, which is Celiac Awareness Month, Hill Holliday, one of the top creative marketing agencies in the country, will launch a creative campaign that features social media content, digital videos and a designated website – www.KnowCeliac.com – and is designed to educate, raise awareness, and even more importantly, inspire compassion for sufferers of the disease. Convened by Beyond Celiac and created in partnership with other organizations that serve the celiac disease community, including the Canadian Celiac Association, the Celiac Disease Foundation, the Gluten Intolerance Group, and the National Celiac Association, the KnowCeliac.com campaign includes social media content and digital videos.

The campaign highlights visually enticing food-prep videos that feature seemingly delicious items like pasta salad, cupcakes, and pizza.  However, there is one jarring twist – they include ingredients like razorblades, scorpions, and thumbtacks, viscerally communicating just how painful it is for people with celiac disease to eat food that contains gluten.

“One of our biggest challenges is helping people better understand what people with celiac disease go through on a daily basis," said Alice Bast, CEO of Beyond Celiac. “Eating gluten-free is a life-saving necessity for someone with celiac disease, not a lifestyle choice. We are pleased to have been able to lead in this effort and hope this campaign helps to educate as well as inspire compassion and empathy for those who live this reality.”

The reality is that 83% of Americans with celiac disease are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions. Celiac disease can also lead to a number of other disorders including infertility, reduced bone density, neurological disorders, some cancers, and other autoimmune diseases.

“Our mission at Beyond Celiac is to advance research to find treatment options and, eventually, a cure for celiac disease. Generating more awareness about the disease helps to further this purpose,” Bast concluded.

About Beyond Celiac

For more than 15 years, Beyond Celiac has been the leading patient advocate and research-driven celiac disease organization working to drive diagnosis, advance research and accelerate the discovery of new treatments and a cure. By engaging with the top scientists in the field, awarding research grants, and supporting the community, Beyond Celiac envisions a world in which people with celiac disease can live healthy lives and eat without fear – a world Beyond Celiac.  www.BeyondCeliac.org