First off - 'Chin Up and Keep Yourself Cheerful'

When you discover you have a life-long condition, it can make you feel low and depressed at times. It is quite normal to feel this way. If you have just been diagnosed, you may feel as though your life will never be the same again.

Many people feel so relieved to be free of the distressing effects of undiagnosed Coeliac’s Disease or a gluten allergy, that at first they are just glad to be feeling healthy and normal again.  After a while though, you may feel irritated and depressed by having to conform to what can be a challenging diet.

You may find that you feel “different” because you can’t eat the same foods as your friends. Some well-meaning people may tell you it won’t hurt you to have a small amount of gluten-containing foods to “cheer yourself up”, others may try to tell you it’s all in your mind and to stop being “faddy”, not understanding the condition at all. 

Our advice is to learn the facts about Coeliac’s Disease, so you can educate others about it. Remember that no one can make you feel inferior unless you allow them to do so. At some stage of life, virtually everyone will have to face some type of illness, so be thankful that yours is one that is managed simply by diet; no battery of medication or hospital visits.

As for the food you can’t eat, well, it’s probably going to make your friends fat anyway! Just think how good you’re going to look on the beach next year!  Learn to make mouth-watering gluten free desserts and cakes and offer them round and then watch the change on people’s faces! Pretty soon you will be envied for your diet.

Don’t allow yourself to feel like a victim; if you are managing your GF diet well, you are doing really well at managing your life generally. Talking to sympathetic friends and relatives all helps, or you might want to join a group of other people who have Coeliac’s Disease. Contact Coeliac UK to find your local group and get in touch!

Get out for walks as often as you can; walking really lifts your spirits and clears your mind. Find other things than food to focus on; join a new class or take up an interest.

Some people find that doing part-time voluntary work with those less fortunate makes the world swing back into its proper perspective and you realise things are not as bad as you thought. Indeed Coeliac UK are always looking for fundraisers and local volunteers. Why not aim to be their fundraising champion of the year? Find out more here.

The gluten-free diet is almost the healthiest diet around (as long as you don’t over-indulge in too many of those wonderful GF cakes you are going to bake.)

You are doing the best thing you can, not only at the moment, but also for your long-term health into very old age by sticking to it. Enjoy it!

The importance of a healthy GF diet 

This could be when you start to yawn but most people are so glad to be feeling better that they will do anything to stay well. With Coeliac’s Disease, it’s easy; just consider everything you put into your mouth (before you put it in, that is!) 

As Coeliac’s is an auto-immune disease, you want to give your body the best chance possible to recover and stay well. To do this, you need to think about the basic rules of healthy eating; plenty of fruit and veggies, some protein and dairy, not too many carbs, especially those containing fats and sugars. It is important that you eat from all of these groups to be healthy. 

At first, you may find your body rebels against some of these ‘good for you” foods, for example, some newly-diagnosed coeliacs have lactose intolerance, so cannot digest dairy products.

This should settle down in time but it is important to ask your GP about calcium supplements. Lactose-free products, such as milk, are available but again you may need to go easy on these for a while. 

Some people may find that soy products are difficult to cope with; many gluten-free products found in supermarkets contain soya, so it’s back to the label-reading.

Also, some fruits may give problems for a while; for example, pineapple is particularly scouring to the digestive system, so you might want to give this a miss.  The big area where people on gluten-free diets tend to need help is with carbohydrates, particularly cereals; eliminating gluten-containing products is going to put ordinary breads, pasta, couscous beyond your reach, not to mention those occasional treats of biscuits and cakes.

So what can and can’t you eat? 

Grains that you must exclude from your diet include barley, rye, bulgar wheat, couscous, durum wheat (mostly found in pasta), einkorn, emmer and kamut; pearl barley, semolina, spelt, triticale  and, of course, wheat. Some of these, like einkorn, emmer, kamut, spelt and triticale may be unfamiliar to you; some are ancient grains not in use, some may be rarely used used in this country and others are hybrids of wheat and other grains. It is useful to know the names however, for travelling abroad, etc. 

The good news is that the list of grains, cereals, flours and seeds you can eat is much longer than this!  Potatoes are fine and very versatile; as is rice and corn (maize.) Did you know that chick-pea flour (also called gram flour) is naturally gluten free and features in many Indian dishes? Polenta, quinoa (a South American grain), millet are all naturally gluten-free and very nutritious.

You may be wondering about oats. Whilst it is now generally accepted that oats do not contain the type of gluten which affects people with Coeliac’s Disease, they are milled through the same machinery as wheat and other gluten-containing cereals and so become contaminated. Our oats are free of this contamination. 


All this has implications for your morning slice of toast or sandwich lunch. However, good quality, gluten-free breads are available for you to make your own (additive and preservative free) lunch, or why not consider sushi or vegetable soup? (Check the label for hidden gluten first though.) 

You need to give your body the very best chance to recover, so go easy on the tea, coffee and alcohol.

Some people find this is a great time to try out herbal and fruit teas. Also remember that some night-time drinks will contain gluten. And don’t forget the water; lots of it will help your digestive system to flush out toxins and generally aid your digestion. 

Part of your diet may well be food supplements, at least for a while. The best person to talk to about this is your GP or dietician, but make sure you are getting enough calcium, iron, B group vitamins and possibly vitamin C as well. 

The Role of Exercise 

We all know how important it is to keep moving. Having Coeliac’s Disease does not mean you have to give up any activities that you really enjoy.

However, if you are newly diagnosed and still recovering, you may not feel like doing 50 lengths of the pool or an hours worth of aerobics. Be kind to yourself for a while and think of some gentler activities to try. 


The key is to exercise at least 3 times a week, building it up gradually. If you haven’t exercised for a while this is a good time to start, maybe with walking or yoga. Activities like walking and cycling help to build bone, especially important for coeliacs. And it will make you feel better, lifting your spirits and your energy levels. 


Eating Out 

You may wonder how you are going to manage this; after all nothing in the restaurant or cafe kitchen is under your control. Surprisingly, many places are well geared up to catering for people with allergies and conditions such as Coeliac’s Disease.

The important thing is to ask, either before you go out or when you arrive, if it’s a spur of the moment decision. Try to ring ahead and ask to speak to the chef; many will not only be aware of gluten-free foods but will also be able to tell you what is on offer and in some cases be able to cater especially for you.

After all, a satisfied customer is what they want! Do make sure they understand about small things, such as the thickener used for sauces, croutons etc. If all else fails, go for the salads, a healthy choice anyway but watch out for items such as breaded ham. 


Integrating with family meals 

We have come to rely on cook-chill meals enormously and there is no doubt that many of them will not be gluten-free. However, things are changing all the time for the better, so keep reading labels. 

There has been an explosion of gluten-free cookery books over the last few years and life has never looked better from the gluten-free kitchen.

There is no need to make separate meals for yourself, just make the gluten-free version for everyone. It is important to remember to have utensils and cookware especially for GF cooking to avoid contamination.   Not a cook? This is a great time to learn because there’s a wealth of up-to-the- minute information around from celebrity chefs, television and the internet, not to mention your favourite bookstore.

Most basic recipes are easy to adapt, using gluten-free flours or substitutes, such as GF pasta and remember, unprocessed meat, fish, fruit and veggies are all naturally gluten-free. 

Getting it wrong (and how to right it) 

Sooner or later, you will get it wrong; eating gluten without knowing it or even convincing yourself that just a little bit won’t hurt. This is very understandable but also very unwise; you can’t be a little bit coeliac any more than you can be a little bit pregnant! 

Even if you have no symptoms or after-effects from eating a small amount of gluten, it will activate your body’s defences and damage your intestines.  Like a lot of issues with Coeliac’s Disease, the answer lies in thinking ahead.

If you know you will be out for the day and don’t know where you will eat, take emergency rations. A gluten-free cereal bar, an apple, a banana are all useful things to have in your bag. If you do have them with you, you won’t be so tempted to take the risk. 

Check menus carefully, looking for things that may contain hidden gluten, soy sauce for example. Don’t be afraid to ask.  

If you do accidentally ingest some gluten, drinking plenty of water will help, as it helps food move faster through your system, minimising the damage. 

 
Sleeping off the effects is often a good way to get over an attack, if it is not too severe. Some people are able to tolerate anti-inflammatory tablets (such as ibuprofen) to help minimise the effects of eating gluten but bear in mind they can also disagree with troubled digestive systems and need to be taken with food. 

You will learn as you go along but it is important to commit to a gluten-free diet right from the start.