Coeliac disease is an immune disease exacerbated by gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats. It affects roughly 1 in 100 people.
Coeliac sufferers are afflicted with inflammation and damage to the small intestine when they consume gluten. This can result in nutritional deficiencies in addition to physical discomfort.
When left untreated, coeliac disease can cause considerable bowel damage and lead other health problems such as osteoporosis and iron deficiency anaemia.
Symptoms can vary considerably in suffers, but the only way to treat the disease and minimise bowel damage is to maintain a strict gluten-free diet. In some cases, a person with Coeliac Disease may have no symptoms at all but still have bowel damage.
Avoiding gluten when you’re not a sufferer of coeliac disease leads to unnecessarily restricting your diet of certain foods that may otherwise be suitable for you to consume!
It is essential that you actually receive a diagnosis of coeliac disease before potentially jumping to conclusions and omitting gluten from your diet. These steps can be taken with your GP who will guide you through the process.
An Accredited Practising Dietitian who has experience with managing people with Coeliac Disease can provide education on foods containing gluten, foods to include and avoid in your diet, label reading for coeliac disease and developing a plan with you that is suited to your lifestyle and what’s important to you.
You can read more about a blog on Coeliac Disease here