Coeliac disease is a chronic condition that can be easily managed by avoiding gluten containing products. By cutting them out of your diet, you allow your symptoms to settle and your body to heal.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including spelt), rye, barley and oats.
The most common sources of gluten include bread, biscuits, cakes, pastry, pizza, pasta, batter and breadcrumbs. Beer also contains gluten (although gluten free beers are now available). Ingredients within packaged foods can also come from a gluten source.
So, what can you eat? Many foods are naturally gluten free. These include fruit and vegetables, fresh meats, eggs, nuts and legumes, milk, fats and oils and gluten free grains e.g. rice, quinoa, buckwheat and corn. Furthermore, there are now many gluten free products available. You can be confident that products displaying the ‘gluten free’ label are safe. Also, in Australia, if any ingredient in a product is derived from wheat, rye, barley or oats, then this must be declared on the food label.
It is important to remember that a gluten free diet can easily be a healthy diet; just because the chocolate biscuits are labeled ‘gluten free’, this doesn’t mean that they are a healthy choice!
