Coeliac Disease

Coeliac disease is very simple to explain, is when your body reacts to gluten, this leads to both irritation and inflammation of your bowel. The majority of nutrients are absorbed through the lining in your small intestine, gluten damages this lining, which leads to mineral and nutrient deficiencies. Coeliac disease is often hereditary.

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.

Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats, this means that almost all baked goods will contain gluten in some form. This includes bread, cakes, pastries, biscuits, puddings and pies made with pastry. Barley is also used in brewing which means that beer is no longer allowed.

Wheatflour is often used in processing foods were can be used as a filler or binder. The gluten protein is removed from wheat starch, but there may still be some traces left as it is not possible to remove it all. When wheatflour is used in this way it does not have to be declared on the label, so you must be careful. It is always best to check with the manufacturer or with the coeliac Society if you are worried about any product.

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.

It is not usually possible to simply substitute one type of gluten-free flour for wheat flour, it is always better to use a blend of different flours. Some gluten-free flours have a distinctive flavour and texture which may work better in some recipes than others.