Coeliac disease

• Rice, potato, maize and corn
• Fresh fruit and veg
• All hard cheeses
• Sauces thickened with cornflour

• Anything containing wheat, barley, rye or oats. This includes any food containing ordinary flour such as bread, cakes, pastries, puddings and pies.
• Products containing thickening agents which may use starches and gluten
• Prepared meats including luncheon meat and sausages
• Some ice-creams
• Soy sauce

You must also be careful with medicines. Tablet fillers can contain gluten and some cough medicines contain alcohol which can be gluten derived.

As children get older they’re under pressure to conform and try different foods. Anything that sets them apart from the pack is difficult to cope with but if a child with coeliac disease does start to eat foods containing gluten, the damage to the intestine will return. They will get diarrhoea and suffer weight loss with the consequent deficiencies of vitamins and minerals. So parents do need to make sure that children understand how important it is to stick rigidly to the regime.

Helpful Organisations:

The Coeliac Society in the UK is an excellent and active organisation providing information and advice about coeliac disease. They have local meetings all over the country and provide recipes and lists of foods that can and cannot be eaten.

Another very useful organisation for people with coeliac disease (and indeed almost any other long term illness or syndrome) is an organisation called Contact a Family. They provide information but also support and give contact names and numbers of people with the condition who are willing to share their experiences with other sufferers.