Coeliac Disease
Coeliac disease is very simple to explain, is when your body reacts to gluten, this leads to both irritation and inflammation of your bowel. The majority of nutrients are absorbed through the lining in your small intestine, gluten damages this lining, which leads to mineral and nutrient deficiencies. Coeliac disease is often hereditary.
The only treatment for coeliac disease is the complete removal of gluten from your diet. This means avoiding gluten in all its forms for life, which sounds difficult. You will need to change all your recipes for all your meals, and be vigilant when eating out.
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.
Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats, this means that almost all baked goods will contain gluten in some form. This includes bread, cakes, pastries, biscuits, puddings and pies made with pastry. Barley is also used in brewing which means that beer is no longer allowed.
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.
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.
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.