Annika Dhariwal

Annika Dhariwal (born 2004) is a U.S.-based teenage entrepreneur - founder of Gluten-Free Jio. She has been living with Celiac disease since she was nine years old, and since then has gained recognition for inspiring other children and adults to have a gluten-free diet. She is actively working to raise awareness about Celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and gluten insensitivity.
Gluten-Free Jio, a blog and a website started by Dhariwal in 2018, has grown into a global community where people living with celiac disease can seek help and get comprehensive knowledge about being gluten-free in India and abroad. She also serves as the Brand Ambassador of Beyond Celiac.
==Biography==
Dhariwal was born in 2004 in New York to Indian immigrant parents. Her father is a first-generation entrepreneur and her mother is a homemaker. While growing up, Dhariwal traveled a lot between the United States and India, where her dad was establishing a new office.
In 2006 Dhariwal joined the Harley school in Rochester in 2006 and whenever the family used to stay in India, she attended Strawberry Fields High School, Chandigarh. As a result, she spent her first few years of schooling on two different continents, learning in two different educational systems.
In 2009, the family permanently shifted to India when Dahriwal was in 8th grade. She then enrolled in a boarding school back in the United States. Currently, Dhariwal attends Cheltenham Ladies College, a boarding school overseas in the U.K.
===Diagnosis===
In 2014, Dhariwal was diagnosed with Celiac disease. Her mother noted that she seemed shorter and skinnier than other children of her age. She also noted that Dhariwal was becoming increasingly fatigued and ill. As a result, she took Dhariwal to her pediatrician, Dr. Lenhard. The TTG (trans tissue glutaminase) test resulted in an extremely high value of 14.4. She was then taken to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester to visit Dr. Brown, a gastroenterologist, where she underwent a biopsy and was diagnosed with Celiac disease.
===Transition to Gluten Free===
She consulted with expert nutritionists to begin her gluten-free journey after being diagnosed with Celiac disease. She was in the United States at this point, and there were lots of gluten-free options available in restaurants and supermarkets.
The dietician informed her of the dangers of untreated Celiac disease, such as nutrition-related problems like osteopenia and osteoporosis, iron deficiency anemia, and other auto-immune illnesses.
To avoid cross-contamination, her family set up a separate kitchen for Annika to prepare her meals. It was critical that all family members and workers who might cook be informed of gluten-free dietary restrictions. Annika's TTG level dropped to 18.7, which was normal after she followed a rigorous gluten-free diet for about a year.
===Gluten Free Jio===
In 2018, Dhariwal started a website called Gluten-Free Jio. Since then she has been sharing valuable information on living a gluten-free life by demonstrating her daily practices and sharing her story - what all troubles she went through and what any person with a Celiac disease can come across.{{cite web |title=brightpunjabexpress Daily news paper E-Paper |url=https://brightpunjabexpress.com/e-paper/#flipbook-df_2477/5/ |website=Bright Punjab Express |access-date=13 April 2022}
As a social project, Gluten-Free Jio aims to raise awareness and provide information on celiac disease, by following a gluten-free diet. She is actively engaged in raising awareness about this disease in India, not only to improve India's grasp of what it entails but also to improve the likelihood of diagnosis so that no one has to suffer from Celiac Disease without knowing what it is or how to manage the symptoms. As of 2022, Glutten Free Jio has become a major informative platform and has grown into an inclusive community. 
===Beyond Celiac===
Seeing her involvement in social awareness, Dhariwal was appointed as the Brand Ambassador of Beyond Celiac in 2021. It is a foundation that is working to drive diagnosis, advance research, and accelerate the discovery of new treatments and cures.
==Personal life==
Born in 2004 to Manipal Dhariwal, the founder and ceo of Netsmartz and Amrita Dhariwal, a homemaker. Annika is an only child. She has been in a boarding school, Cheltenham Ladies College, since age 11. She aspires to be an entrepreneur.
==In the media==
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==References==
==External links==
* Official website
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Category:2004 births
Category:Entrepreneurs
Category:American women business executives
Category:American women in business
Category:People from New York City