What is Coeliac Disease?
Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease, where the bodies defence mechanism becomes overactive and attacks the cells and tissue in the body.
A sufferer’s small intestine is damaged by the disease, which destroys the tiny, strand like hairs, called villi, which line the intestines. The villi normally allows the body to absorb nutrients from food and transfers them into the bloodstream. Without this villi in the body, no matter how much food the person eats they will become malnourished.
As a result sufferers of the disease develop intolerance to the protein Gluten. When they eat this protein, it triggers an immune reaction that can make them ill.
Gluten can be found mostly in food but can also be found in other products such as medicines, vitamins and even lip balm.
What are the Symptoms?
Symptoms of the disease vary greatly and can range from very mild to severe. The symptoms are not just found in the digestive system and can affect other parts of the body.
Child sufferers are more likely to suffer from symptoms related to the digestive system, including diarrhoea, vomiting and weight loss.
- Digestive symptoms such as diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain/cramps or bloating.
- Vitamin, iron or folic acid deficiency – iron deficiency can lead to anaemia.
- Tiredness, lack of energy, exhaustion and headaches.
- Alopecia – hair loss.
- Dermatitis Herpetiformis – a type of skin rash.
- Missed periods or repeated miscarriages in women, infertility in men.
- Mental symptoms including the onset of depression or anxiety.
- Joint or bone pain and numbness.
As the disease can sometimes be symptom-less to begin with, or because people often mistake the symptoms for other ailments such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, it can often go un-diagnosed for a long period of time. This is dangerous as it increases the chances of a person developing long-term health problems as a result of the disease. For this reason if you experience any of the above symptoms for a long period of time it is always worth visiting a doctor to be tested.
As Celiac’s suffer from an autoimmune disease they often have other related diseases that involve the bodies’ immune system attacking itself. These can include thyroid disease, type 1 diabetes, Rheumatoid arthritis, liver disease and Addison’s disease – when the glands that produce important hormones are damaged.
Treatment
By ensuring that you are only eating foods that are naturally gluten-free, you will be taking a big step to dealing with the disease.
A good way to ensure that you are doing this is to be referred by your GP to a dietician. They will be able to provide you with a personalised eating plan and will help you remove gluten from your diet.
There is a wealth of information on the Internet that is only a Google search away. Support groups and forums are a good place to chat to other sufferers and read more about easy diet tips.
By following a diet of this type, the damage that has been done to your small intestine will begin to be repaired. To ensure that you remain well, you must permanently cut Gluten from your diet as even a small amount can cause more damage to the small intestine.
Diet
A simple rule that is worth remembering when considering what food is or is not suitable for a gluten free diet is this – stick to fresh, simple ingredients.
By buying fresh ingredients and cooking meals yourself you can personally ensure that nothing used in the cooking process is unsuitable for you to eat.
Foods that you can eat include all types of rice, potato, plain meat, dairy products and all types of vegetables.
Foods that should be avoided include pasta, sauces (such as gravy or marinades), batter, anything containing mono-sodium glutamate, malt, beer, processed meat and most importantly any food that contains wheat, barley, rye and oats (such as bread).
Cooking Advice
Here are 5 great tips which can be taken into consideration if you suffer from celiac disease, or if you are cooking for someone who does.
- Check the labels – Avoid barley, wheat, oats or rye. As a rule canned and pre-packaged meals are more risky and best avoided by sufferers of the disease
- Keep it fresh –Cook your meal using the freshest, least processed food available to you.
- Dressing – Do not use pre-prepared sauces in your meal as they are often made with mayonnaise or flour that are both unsuitable ingredients. For salads why not try a simple homemade dressing? When dressing potatoes or other vegetables, go with butter or margarine for a tasty accompaniment.
- Cross-contamination – Make sure that remnants of any cooking that was not gluten free have been thoroughly removed from both your preparation and cooking areas.
- Coeliac friendly foods – Fortunately there is an increasing number of foods that are now available on the market which are manufactured without wheat and gluten. Some supermarkets carry a good range or check out your local health food store. Keep a few jars of Table B’Hote cooking sauces in your kitchen cupboard for a quick and easy and delicious gluten free meal. Choose from their wide range of sauces, including Chilli, Bolognese and Cottage Pie sauces which are certified gluten free, delicious and nutritious at the same time.
Hopefully these tips will allow you to create both tasty and celiac friendly meals in your own home. |
