How to Live With Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is an intolerance to gluten, the protein found in wheat, rye, oats and barley. The only method of treatment is to eliminate gluten from the diet, which can be quite a challenge since it's found in so many food products.

Difficulty:

Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Cookbooks
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B Complex
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Vtamin K
• Bread Makers

1. Avoid eating wheat, rye, barley and oats and all baked products containing these grains.

2. Watch out for other grains. Durum and semolina are wheat products. Spelt and kamut are also versions of wheat. Bulgur is a type of processed wheat, and triticale is a cross between wheat and rye.

3. Read labels carefully. Gluten, especially wheat gluten, is used in a large number of processed foods. These include cold cuts, prepared meats, breaded foods, cheese spreads, soy protein meat substitutes and many canned goods.

4. Beware of labels that read "modified food starch" or "food starch." It can be either corn or wheat.

5. Check the labels on condiments such as ketchup, vinegar, pickles, soy sauce and syrups. All may contain gluten unless specifically labeled "gluten-free."

6. Order simple foods without sauces and gravies when eating out. They're less likely to contain gluten.

7. Know that aside from corn and rice, a wide variety of other grains such as beans and peas (legumes, pulses) are used in gluten-free cooking.

8. Learn to use other, less common grains. Bread and pasta made from rice and corn are available at health food stores and some supermarkets.

9. Use tapioca, cornstarch, arrowroot or eggs as thickeners.

10. Try baking with different flours. Chickpeas, lentils and Job's tears can also be used as substitutes, and are available in health food stores.

11. Invest in a cookbook for gluten-free diets.

12. Drink wine, rum, tequila or sake if you wish to have an alcoholic beverage. They're generally safe. Some vodkas may also be safe.

13. Take a high-potency multivitamin and mineral complex. It should contain at least 10,000 IU of vitamin A and 400 IU of vitamin E. Fat soluble vitamins are not well-absorbed in people with celiac disease, so supplementation is necessary.

14. Use alfalfa tablets. Take 2 to 3,000 mg daily. They're a good source of vitamin K, which is also not well-absorbed with celiac disease.

15. Take a high-potency B complex vitamin, at least 100mg daily. B vitamins are not well-absorbed with celiac disease.

Tips & Warnings

• You may want to join a celiac support group and find out how other people manage to survive in a gluten-laden world. They may be able to give you tips on foods to avoid, new cookbooks, restaurants that serve gluten-free food, and other information.

• Limit or avoid processed foods as much as possible. This will drastically decrease any accidental contact with gluten. Eat a diet of fresh whole foods.

• Buy a bread machine if you wish to bake your own breads. It will make it a lot easier and you can experiment with different flours.

• Sometimes lactose intolerance may also be present in people with celiac disease. If symptoms remain after following a gluten-free diet, you should assess if you're lactose-intolerant and remove all milk and milk products from your diet.

• Assuming a food is gluten-free can be dangerous to your health. Many processed foods contain emulsifiers, thickeners and other ingredients derived from grains. These include salad dressings, gravies, vegetable mixes, commercial soups, ice cream and sherbet. The labeling may not clearly indicate this.