Maddie Swenson

Informative speech outline

February 12, 2020
Introduction

I. On December 26th, 2019 my whole way of life changed. I was diagnosed with
Celiac Disease.
II. After surveying our class, I found that less than 50% of our class knows exactly
what Celiac Disease is. Before I was diagnosed, I have only heard of the term
“Celiac Disease,” but never thought of how extreme it was. However, being
recently diagnosed I wanted and needed to learn more about what exactly Celiac
Disease is.
III. Why I want to talk to you about this topic is because, yes, I have this disease, but
living with it isn’t always easy.
IV. Today, I am going to inform you what celiac disease is, how it affects people, and
societal efforts of providing gluten-free for shopping and dining that have been
made.

Body (transition)

I. So, what exactly is celiac disease?

a. According to the Celiac Disease Foundation: Celiac disease is a genetic,
autoimmune condition in which eating gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye
and barley) cause damage to the small intestine.
b. Commonness of Celiac Disease
i. Rising trend
1. According to the University of Chicago Medicine Celiac
Disease Center “Celiac disease affects 1% of healthy average
Americans. That means at least 3 million people in our country
are living with celiac disease—97% of them are undiagnosed
a. I am one of those 3 million and could have been part of
the 97% if it wasn’t for my other health issues
Transition: Now you know a little about celiac disease, I am going to tell you how it affects
people.
II. How does gluten affect people with celiac disease?
a. Symptoms include: fatigue, weight loss, bloating and gas, abdominal pain,
nausea and many more (Mayo Clinic website)
i. Unrelated symptoms to the digestive system are anemia, headaches,
joint pain and many more…
b. How it affects me
i. Even though the lining of my small intestine is completely flat I do not
have the extreme symptoms if even any. That is why I never knew I
had it until I had a blood test and an endoscopy (explain what that is)
to confirm it.
ii. Because it wasn’t treated earlier it led to other autoimmune disease
issues that I deal with as well, but that is a whole other conversation.
 c. What can’t people eat when they have a gluten allergy/intolerance?
i. Explain how gluten is in many more products other than food.
ii. When going out shopping or to a restaurant it isn’t easy.
d. Treatment of disease
i. Gluten-free diet

Transition: After knowing how celiac and gluten affects people, I am going to tell you about the
societal efforts in providing a gluten-free lifestyle
III. Gluten-free grocery shopping
a. Past: few gluten-free options to choose from
b. Present: because of prevalence of celiac and gluten intolerances there are
many more options to choose from
i. Supermarkets have specific isles now
1. Ex. Hyvee and Walmart
ii. Examples of gluten-free products
1. Chex Cereal and Lucky Charms
2. Banza Pasta
c. Gluten-free options at restaurants
i. Past: none or little gluten-free menu items
ii. Present: many restaurants of fast-food places have options now
1. Labels on menus
2. Example five guys
iii. Technology helps track gluten
1. Apple app store has many options
a. Gluten-free
b. NF Gluten free
c. GF scanner
Conclusion
I. On December 26th my life changed but being diagnosed with celiac disease didn’t
set me back. With today’s help of technology and other efforts it makes anyone
else’s and my life a little less complicated.
II. I have discussed what celiac disease is, how it affects people, and societies efforts
in helping people live a gluten-free lifestyle.
III. Lastly, I now hope you all have a better understanding about celiac disease and
how important it is for someone with the disease to not eat even a little crumb.