Why follow a gluten-free diet?
Around one in 100 people in the UK are estimated to suffer from coeliac disease, a medically diagnosed, life-long condition which affects the gastrointestinal tract. The only way sufferers can control the symptoms, which range from vomiting and weight-loss to tiredness and breathlessness, is by cutting gluten out of their diet permanately.
Even the slightest trace of gluten can make a coeliac ill
Although this may at first seem drastic, especially to food-lovers, there is still a wealth of wonderful food to be enjoyed. The biggest lifestyle change involves cutting out almost all processed foods (even the slightest trace of gluten can make a coeliac ill) and replacing them with dishes made using only fresh ingredients.
Cookery writer and teacher Darina Allen has worked closely with fellow chef and coeliac sufferer, Rosemary Kearney, to develop delicious gluten-free recipes for everday staples such as bread and pastry. BBC Food put your questions about coping with coeliac disease to Darina who responded with a wealth of practical tips and gluten-free recipes suitable for coeliacs or anyone choosing to follow a wheat-free diet.
I've just been diagnosed as being a coeliac, but what does being a coeliac actually mean?
Coeliac disease is a genetic condition that results in a permanent intolerance to gluten. Gluten is the protein that is found in a number of grains including wheat, barley, rye and oats.
What happens if I accidentally eat gluten?
It depends how sensitive you are to gluten. The reason eating gluten makes coeliacs ill has to do with the villi, which are finger-like projections in the small intestine. The villi increase the surface area of the intestine for the absorption of food and nutrients. In a normal person these stand on end, but in an undiagnosed coelic they become flattened and thus reduce the surface area of the intestine. If a coeliac adheres to a strict gluten-free diet permanently, then the flattened villi will return to normal.
However, if the diet is broken, typical symptoms can include chronic tiredness, lethargy, headache, nausea, vomiting, bloating and cramps, and diarrhoea. If you consistently break your diet, even if you don't suffer any symptoms, you are still risking more serious conditions such as anaemia, thyroid problems, type 1 diabetes, osteoporosis, delayed/stunted growth in children, weight loss, and problems with fertility and pregnancy.
What is the difference between being a coeliac and being wheat intolerant?
If someone suspects they are wheat intolerant, they should initially be tested for coeliac disease. By removing wheat form the diet you could mask coeliac disease without treating it. Wheat intolerance is quite rare, is more likely to affect young children and may be a temporary problem, unlike coeliac disease which is permanent. Associated symptoms of wheat intolerance may include eczema and other skin irritations but it does not affect the immune system. Coeliac disease, on the other hand, is known as an autoimmune disease because the presence of gluten in a coeliac's diet causes an immune reaction.
If someone suspects they are suffering from wheat intolerance or coeliac disease, they must consult their doctor before they consider altering their diet. Under no circumstances should they attempt self-diagnosis.
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