Sufferers of coeliac disease know well how difficult life can be. A lot of the food products we can buy in the shops contain wheat or wheat derivatives, examples being bread, cakes, biscuits, nearly all cereals, pasta… the list is nearly endless.
Sufferers have an intolerance to gluten, which is the proteinous outer covering found on wheat and many other grains: it is the gluten that damages the intestinal wall causing failures in water and vitamin absorption Unfortunately, the problems do not end there, for coeliacs often have several other food intolerances, for example, lactose (milk/dairy).
Causes of coeliac disease vary widely. In some cases, there is thought to be a genetic source while, in some other cases, it may be triggered by a virus or by stress. One of the greatest problems is that it often goes undiagnosed for several years leading indirectly to behavioural issues.
If you are a sufferer, having a special dietary regime is guaranteed, since eating the right foods will not only help prevent a further or worsening condition but will also give the body a chance to recover.
If the diagnosis of celiac disease comes relatively late, it will be necessary to re-learn dietary habits, perhaps having to read every label on everything you buy to eat. This will be tough to begin with but will become easier as you learn what works and what doesn’t.
The first, and probably most important, change must be to avoid anything (and everything) that contains gluten – that’s wheat and most other grains.
This will be quite difficult but can be done. If you like bread (and similar) foods you might be pleased to learn that you can buy gluten-free products, including bread. If you want to experiment, get some gluten free flour and try some variations. Don’t forget that oats and corn, generally are different – you may be able to cope with them.
Of course, quite a lot of everyday foods do not contain gluten, for example, fruit and vegetables. Not only are they good for you but they will help supply many of the vitamins that you may have been missing. They can be cooked in a variety of ways and may also be eaten raw. Of course, these might by spiced up with a variety of sauces and dips, but be careful – some of these may contain the gluten products you are trying to avoid.
While eating fruit and vegetables is fine, you must eat proteins. Proteins are to be found in all meat, fish and eggs. Note that this does not extend to ‘processed meat’ which often are coated with batter or breadcrumbs and may contain dairy products. Some proteins can be taken from dairy products but when a celiac also has a lactose intolerance, there may be problem: then, soya milk and similar products come into their own.
At first sight, changing to a celiac diet seems very hard to achieve but, if the dietary adjustments are made, your health will improve and you will feel a good deal more normal.
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