Healthy Considerations

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.

Sticking to a completely gluten free diet will require perseverance and encouragement. You may need to consult a dietitian to begin with, this will ensure that you do not miss out on necessary nutrients.

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.

Gluten is also found in processed foods where wheat flour is used as a binder, filler or processing aid. Wheat starch is processed to remove the protein, but still contains some traces of gluten as it is not possible to remove all protein. When flour is used as a processing aid, or as part of another compound, it does not have to be declared on the label. If you are unsure, check with the manufacturer or with your local coeliac society.

Meat, fish, cheese, fruit and vegetables are all foods that are naturally gluten-free. And although cross contamination may occur during processing, rice, beans and some cereals are also gluten-free.

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 advisable to substitute a single gluten-free flour in the place of wheat flour, you should use a blend of two or three different gluten-free flours instead. Some gluten-free flour, such as pea flour or buckwheat, have strong flavours which may not taste very nice in some recipes.

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Written by John Francis