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.

Managing coeliac disease involves the complete avoidance of gluten in all its forms. This means avoiding gluten for life which may be difficult. You will need to adapt all meals, and be very careful when going out for meals in restaurants.

When you are first diagnosed with coeliac disease, you should go to see a dietician or nutritionist, who will work out a diet plan for you. Although it will be difficult to stick to this diet plan, and you will need encouragement, it is imperative that you follow it stringently.

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 also many types of gluten-free flour on the market. These include rice flour, potato flour, buckwheat, and maize flour. A blend of these can be used as a substitute for ordinary flour in whatever recipe you were using.

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.