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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.

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.

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.

Processed foods often use wheat flour as a binder or filler which means there is gluten present in these products. I have heard some people say that wheat starch is gluten-free as the protein is processed out of it, however it is not possible to remove it all and there are often traces left. Processed foods do not have to declare wheatflour as an ingredient when it is used in this way, so you should check with the manufacturer if you are unsure about its gluten-free status.

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.

However, most of your recipes will not work if you substitute only one type of gluten-free flour for wheat flour. It is always best to use a blend of several different gluten-free flours. Many of the gluten-free options have a very distinctive flavour which may not work well in all recipes.

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