Coeliac Disease

by John Francis

To put it simply, if you have coeliac disease, your body treats gluten as harmful, which will lead to inflammation and irritation of the bowel. The lining of the small intestine becomes damaged and, as many nutrients are absorbed in this way, this can lead to deficiencies in minerals and other nutrients. Coeliac disease can affect people of all ages, and often runs in families.

The only way to manage coeliac disease at this time is by avoiding gluten in all forms. This can be difficult, as the only real option is to avoid gluten for life. All meals will need to be adapted, an evening with friends and in restaurants will be.

It is advisable that you consult a dietician when you are first diagnosed with coeliac disease, as they will ensure that your diet is not lacking in important nutrients. It will be very difficult at first to stick to a completely gluten-free diet, but you must persevere.

Most baked goods will contain gluten, as it is a protein that is found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats. Unfortunately this means that you will longer be able to eat cakes and pastries, biscuits, bread and pies. If you enjoy having a beer that will be scratched off the list too as barley is used in the brewing process.

Processed foods often use wheat flour as a binder or filler which means there is gluten present in these products. I have heard some people say that wheat starch is gluten-free as the protein is processed out of it, however it is not possible to remove it all and there are often traces left. Processed foods do not have to declare wheatflour as an ingredient when it is used in this way, so you should check with the manufacturer if you are unsure about its gluten-free status.

There are many foods and food products that are naturally gluten-free. Meat, fish, eggs, cheese, milk, fruit and vegetables are all in this category. Rice, beans and some cereals are also gluten-free, although cross contamination may occur during processing.

There are several different kinds of gluten-free flour available to use, including potato flour, rice flour, and buckwheat, as well as corn flour. Wheat flour can be substituted with a blend of these gluten-free flours for any of your recipes.

However, most of your recipes will not work if you substitute only one type of gluten-free flour for wheat flour. It is always best to use a blend of several different gluten-free flours. Many of the gluten-free options have a very distinctive flavour which may not work well in all recipes.

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