Gluten Free Tips

Archive for September, 2008

If you want to remove gluten from your diet, perhaps because you have been diagnosed with coeliac disease, then you need a gluten free action plan to ensure that your goals can be achieved.

Before outlining the elements of your plan we would first advise you to be positive and enthusiastic.  Removing gluten from your diet is a small problem when compared with the issues that other people who have food allergies have.  Anaphylactic shock is often the result of a deep food allergy or insect bite.  Having an accident when removing gluten from your diet does not carry the same downside as that for people who are allergic to peanuts!

Discipline is your watchword.  Do not mix gluten containing foods with gluten free foods.  One good piece of advice here is to keep a separate shelf or cupboard for your gluten free foods.  In this way there will be little scope for confusion and also you will get into the habit of going to your cupboard for your food ingredients allowing less scope for error.

Your gluten free action plan should also involve people who are more experienced in managing gluten in their diet.  There are many gluten free support groups and most of these are online meaning that you can access the articles, knowledge bases and forums of several of these without having to leave your home.

Get in the habit of reading food labels.  Luckily, these days gluten is an item that is specifically mentioned on many food labels and manufacturers take pride in declaring their products to be gluten-free.  This results in a larger market for their products and helps you to identify which food items can be included in your diet.

Adopt a zero tolerance approach.  Do not accept food items for which you do not know the ingredients and do not accept the “it will be all right” attitude of others, particularly those who are not Celiacs.  If you treat gluten as a toxic poison it will help you to create the mindset where you avoid it in your meal rather than suffering a succession of minor accidents.  You’ll get the full benefits of being gluten free if you truly are 100% gluten free!

Adopt your gluten-free action plan with a positive mindset and live each day gluten-free.  You will soon find that you are so happy with the health benefits you get that the minor inconvenience of having to establish a new routine is soon forgotten.

Coeliac disease is a condition in which a protein called gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley, oats and rye) damages the jujenum (part of the small intestine) and reduces the absorption of food.

Oats contain a protein similar to gluten, called avenalin. Some individuals with coeliac condition can tolerate oats; however, the majority of oat products are contaminated with wheat, rye or barley and this makes them unsuitable for a gluten-free diet.

If a patient with celiac conditions follows a strict gluten-free diet, the small intestine recovers and returns to normal. The incidence of coeliac disease in the UK is estimated to be 1 in 100, although it is thought that 60% of sufferers go undiagnosed.

A life-long gluten-free diet is the only current treatment for coeliac disease. Sources of gluten can be classified into 2 categories; obvious (like bread, pasta, cakes, biscuits, pastries, and pies) and hidden (binders, fillers, or carriers).  This would include spices, flavorings, rusk inside sausages, and wheat starch (used in ice creams, yogurts and sauces).

Not following a strict gluten-free diet makes coeliacs prone to a number of health problems.  If there is reduced absorption of food, vitamins and minerals by the gut, then deficiencies of certain vitamin and minerals can occur (like calcium,  iron, folic acid and vitamin B12). Reduced levels of calcium in the body increase the risk of osteoporosis in later life. Poor compliance to the gluten-free diet- and the constant damaging of intestinal cells – can increase the risk of intestinal cancer.

A dietician can assist in explaining the gluten-free diet, as well as tips on cooking without gluten and analysing labels for gluten-containing ingredients.  The dietician will also offer practical advice on how to follow the diet.

Coeliac UK, a registered charity for people suffering from coeliac disease, produce information on gluten free foods and offer advice and information on all aspects of the condition. They provide information on local coeliac groups that provide an opportunity to meet with others with coeliac disease.   There are also forums on the Internet which enable communication and exchange of ideas with coeliacs all over the world.

Gluten is present in many cereals and staples.  However, there are also other cereals and seeds that are naturally gluten-free – such as corn, rice, quinoa and buckwheat.  Supermarkets cater for the gluten-free diet.  Labeling has improved over the past 5 years and many supermarkets have dedicated aisles with gluten-free products.