A Celiac Disease Diet - The Only Way to Fight Celiac Disease By Jay Hurwitz
A celiac sufferer is someone who experiences serious physical and emotional reactions when they eat foods containing gluten. Their bodies cannot tolerate gluten and never will. The only known celiac disease treatment is a celiac disease diet - a lifetime diet that is free of gluten. Understand this about celiac disease treatment: what is food to one is poison to another. Celiac disease treatment simply means following a diet that avoids food products that contain gluten. Food products that contain gluten are made from wheat, rye, and barley and traces of them. This diet rules out all ordinary breads, cakes, pastas, and many convenience foods.
Other than this, celiac food consists of much of what everyone else eats.
What foods are OK to eat on celiac disease diet? Food options on a celiac disease diet are not as limited as one may think. Many foods are naturally gluten-free. Also many of the foods that are considered to be celiac food have been enjoyed by celiac sufferers prior to diagnosis of the disease.
Celiac food includes:
fresh meat, chicken, fish eggs cheese milk, cream, butter all fresh fruit, salads, vegetables potatoes rice and maize nuts and seeds jam marmalade honey some brands of chocolate some brands of ice cream
sugar sunflower oil and olive oil
Please note the emphasis on the word fresh. What are the foods to avoid on a celiac disease diet? Before I give you a list of foods that must be avoided on a celiac disease diet, it is important that you understand that gluten is "hidden" in many processed foods. Processed foods like pre-prepared meals, cereal, frozen french fried potatoes, snacks, and sauces such as mayonnaise, mustard,and soy sauce often contain gluten. These are just to name a few to give you an idea. The celiac suffer needs to learn how to carefully read the labels on processed foods because glutenous traces are often found in them.
Even many non-food items like cosmetics, vitamins and household cleansers contain gluten. It is best to get professional advice from a dietician or nutrition specialist to compile a list of all foods and products that must be avoided.
Gluten is found in the following foods:
Bread, pasta and breakfast cereals cakes, pastries, donuts, cookies Malt vinegar, soy sauce, mustard and mayonnaise Some tinned soups and sauces potato chips, pretzels and similar snacks mixed vegetable oil can contain wheat-germ oil many candies many ice creams
You are going to have to learn how to carefully read food labels and make sure that the food you will be picking up from the supermarket shelves is celiac food. Fortunately, there are products today which are gluten free. Celiac disease diet - drinks that are OK and not OK Fortunately, a celiac disease sufferer will be able to carry on drinking many of his/her favorite drinks as before (prior to diagnosis of the disease). The big exception is beer. Almost all beer is brewed with malted barley or wheat and so will contain gluten. There may be a gluten free beer on the market now.
Spirits made without any grain such as brandy, wine, mead, cider, sherry, port, rum, tequila and vermouth do not contain gluten. Although straight Bourbon is made from corn and wheat, rye or barley, the gluten in these grains is removed by the process of distillation. Whiskey on the other hand will likely contain gluten as the malted barley or rye is often added after the grain mash has been distilled. And, the labels on liqueurs and pre-mixed drinks should be examined carefully for glutenous ingredients. Non alcoholic drinks that are OK to consume are:
coffee tea fruit drinks cocoa many carbonated drinks
Once again, you must read labels carefully. A celiac disease diet need not be boring Some people may think that cooking food for people on a celiac disease diet is boring and routine. As I said earlier, celiac food options are not as limited as one may think. People on a celiac disease diet still eat many of the foods they ate before they were diagnosed, but they replace some ingredients with gluten content with ingredients that are gluten free. To keep diversity in their diet, people on a celiac disease diet can still enjoy bread and pasta made out of potato, rice, soy, or bean floor. Today it is easier, since there are manufacturers who sell gluten free bread, pasta and other food. Also there is a plentiful supply of gluten free recipe books that can be purchased on Amazon and elsewhere. Lastly, there are celiac disease support groups in every state in the USA. One of the benefits offered by these groups is a sharing of so many gluten free recipes. A boring celiac disease diet is down to a boring and perhaps lazy cook. It need not be that way. With 2 million celiac sufferers in the United States, can you afford to remain ignorant about the disease and its only known treatment, a celiac disease diet. I think not, if your care about your health and well being and that of your loved ones.
Everything you must know about the dangers of gluten : Gluten Demystified