Celiac Disease / Gluten Intolerance
Dear Friend,
Try my list of suggestions for making your gluten-free diet a manageable part of life. Many of the items include links to information provided by important organizations concerned about your health. You will probably find these websites, and the groups behind them, to be key resources.
Remember, any effort to keep you or your child safe, healthy and happy is worth it!
Gluten Free Diet Suggestions
(Click on titles to view details.)Ask your doctor what to expect with Celiac Disease. Discuss how you might respond to diet changes and medications. The link below will take you to two brochures that may be of help as you learn more about the disease and teach your family and friends.
Know your problem foods. Wheat is not the only grain containing gluten. Beware of others such as barley, rye and triticale. Know also that wheat goes by different names: bran, bulgur, couscous, durum, farina, farro, graham, matzoh, seitan, semolina. And, wheat has close relatives associated with the same health problems: einkorn, emmer, kamut, spelt. Be sure you know about every grain you eat. This list should help, but may be incomplete. The following link to the Celiac Disease Foundation may help.
Celiac Disease Foundaton, Quick Start Guide for Celiac Disease
Beware of confusing food labels. Many foods contain wheat and gluten without stating so clearly. Watch for labels that say: bread crumbs, cereal extract, flour, high protein flour, gelatinized, flavored, modified starch, food starch, pasta, seasonings, vegetable protein or plant protein. Look for these ingredients in: alcoholic beverages, candy, processed foods, sauces. This list should help, but be sure to investigate any ingredient you are not sure about. The following links may be useful.
Celiac Disease Foundation, Quick Start Diet Guide for Celiac Disease
National Foundation for Celiac Awareness, Survival Guide
Understand what “gluten free” really means. The FDA is now working to set a U.S. definition of “gluten free” as containing “less than 20 parts per million”. This will match the Canadian standard. At Dr. Lucy’s, we follow the “20 parts per million” definition already. We buy ingredients from producers that use this definition and we test in our own facility to be sure. We do not use wheat or any other gluten containing grain in our bakery. These safeguards allow us to provide the highest quality foods made without wheat or gluten.
Provide tasty alternate foods at social and school or religious events. Chose items that everyone will enjoy together.
Your family and friends will want to serve foods that every one can eat. Be prepared to let them know which foods are okay and where to get them. Grandma might start a cookie fund for you!
Decide with your doctor if you can safely eat oats. We use oats as an ingredient because we feel they give great texture and flavor to our cookies. They also add nutritive value. We exclusively use gluten-free oats to ensure there is no cross contamination with wheat, barley or rye. We take our decision on the use of oats very seriously and feel it is consistent with the National Institute of Health Consensus Development Conference Statement on Celiac Disease. Our decision is also consistent with Health Canada’s position on oats. We realize that not everyone in the Celiac community agrees with the use of oats and we encourage you to discuss this issue with your health care provider. Make a decision concerning oats that’s right for you.
NIH Consensus Conference on Celiac Disease (see item 5)
Health Canada’s Position on Oats with Celiac Disease
If you dine out, be sure to tell the server about the ingredients you must avoid. You might ask for special food preparation pans and utensils to avoid surfaces that might contain glutens. Avoid fried foods that share cooking oils with breaded items. This is not a time to be timid; if you feel unsure about the situation talk with the restaurant manager. Consider carrying a “Chef’s Card” that explains your requests.
You may download DOC and PDF versions of Dr. Lucy's Chef Cards.
(Right-click link and select "Save Target As..." to save it to your computer or click to open.)
Chef Card [ DOC | PDF ]
Buy a good book on celiac disease. This will save time, money and effort in the long run. Read it and share with others.
Some examples are:
Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic
Living Gluten-Free For Dummies
Consider joining a group that provides information, advocacy, support. You are certain to learn something important.
Celiac Disease Foundation
Gluten Intolerance Group®
Celiac Sprue Association
Other sites of interest:
National Foundation for Celiac Awareness
Celiac Disease and Gluten-free Diet Information
Keep a list of questions for your doctor. This helps you cover more issues at each visit.
We'll even help you say thanks! If you are the first patient to ask us, we'll send your gastroenterologist a free cookie sampler from you!
