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What Is Coeliac Disease

by: JohnFrancis
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Coeliac disease is an intolerance to gluten, this protein is treated by your body as harmful, and causes your bowel to become irritated and inflamed. Gluten damages the lining of the small intestine, and can result in deficiencies of both minerals and nutrients, as they are absorbed through this part of the bowel. There is a hereditary basis to coeliac disease, and it is known to run 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.

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.

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What Is Coeliac Disease

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