A Gluten Free Life Online

A  person with celiac disease experiences vitamin deficiencies with the brain, nervous system, bones, liver and other vital organs and other illnesses. What happens is that the person with celiac disease who eats foods with the protein gluten experiences an immune reaction in the small intestine. This may lead to small intestine damage and malabsoption of certain vitamins and nutrients from the food. There is no cure for celiac disease but people inflicted with this manage their disease by removing gluten from their diet.

It was once believed that celiac disease is a relatively rare disorder, but it is now thought to affect about one in 250 people worldwide. To manage their disease, patients with celiac disorder is advised to have a gluten-free diet, oats being one of the food recommended to be removed from the diet.

But it is now being debated whether celiac disease patients actually need to eliminate oats, since oat proteins are not the same as those in wheat, barley and rye. Oats were believed to have toxic effects with people who are inflicted with this disorder that is why they are advised to avoid them.

Now there are some celiac disease societies and medical centers who are advising their patients to eat limited amounts of oats which is said to even provide beneficial effects to them. There are studies with adults and children citing a majority of patients with celiac disease who could tolerated limited amounts of oats. When they consumed no more than about half to three quarters of a cup of rolled dry oats per day for adults and a quarter of a cup per day for children, there were no abdominal symptoms. (Lapid, Nancy; Are Oats Safe for Patients with Celiac Disease?)

In an article written by Jefferson Adams entitled “Effects of Various Kinds of Oats on Celiac Disease”, he cited different kinds of study conducted by different groups of scientists and doctors about the relation of oats to celiac disease.

According to Adams, there were a team of Italian and Australian doctors who conducted tests on three kinds of oats: the avenins of the Italian variety Astra , the Australian variety Mortlook and the Austrlian Lampton variety. In the study conducted it showed that Lampton is much safer than either the Astra or Mortlock.

However, even if the Lampton variety is still safer it still has to be processes in a contamination free facility that tests oats if they are gluten free. For oat products to be considered gluten-free, they may show less than 220ppm of gliadin.

Even if there are patients who respond well to oats, there are still a small number of patients who could not tolerate oats, even oats with low gluten content like the Lampton variety. With these patients, a protein in oats called avenin triggered an immune response similar to gluten. There was no way to tell in advance which patients would be sensitive to avenins.

Including oats in the diet of a celiac disease patient is an individual decision, one made with a doctor and in assessing one’s own experience. Including oats in the diet should always be done under doctor’s supervision. Oats can provide the necessary nutrients, fiber and diversity much needed to a celiac patient’s diet. But it should not compromise the overall well being of the patient.

New celiac disease patients are not advised to eat oats until their symptoms or disease in under control. Patients who are eating oats are still advised to see their doctor regularly to monitor any abnormalities or symptoms. And patients with celiac disease still must ensure they consume oats that are pure, uncontaminated and gluten-free. For some, oats and celiac disease can still dance together.

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A gluten- free diet means avoiding food that contains gluten like bread, pasta, cereal, cookies and a lot of processed food that has wheat, barley or rye. If that is your staple food then you have change your lifestyle or find alternative ingredients. To keep diversity in your diet, you can still enjoy bread and pasta made out of potato, rice, soy, or bean floor. Today, it is easier since there are already manufacturers who sell gluten free bread, pasta and other food. Meat, fish, rice, fruits and vegetables does not contain gluten so these will be okay to include in your diet.

One of the difficulties of celiac sufferers is eating out. Following a strict diet makes it more difficult for celiac patients to buy lunch or food in the school cafeteria or food stalls near your work. The best way, therefore, is to prepare your own food to bring along with you. You could contact the manufacturers or restaurants that make gluten free food, but that can be quite troublesome if the location is quite far from you school or work. An excellent guide can be found at The Gluten Free Mall.

Consulting a dietician or a health care professional specializing in food and nutrition can help people learn about the new diet. There are also support groups made of celiac patients and their families that can help the patients to establish their new life.

Some people may think that cooking food for celiac patients is very much boring and routine. This just means that you’ve been cooking the same food over and over again and have not actually expanded on your repertoire. There are many ways of cooking a great meal without risking the person’s health. Look at it this way, now is the time to explore other dishes. Check out our cookbook section.

You will need to learn to adapt your recipes. You’ll need to find the ingredients to make your own flour. Or you will have to test many of the commercially available gluten free flours readibly available in most supermarkets and/or health food stores. I’ve tried many; some are simply unpalatable and some are quite wonderful. Keep in mind that gluten provides a certain texture that you won’t find in many of the gluten free flours available, but you will find the memory of that texture goes away.

Preparation will vary from flour to flour; some can be used in just about exactly the same way as the wheat flour you’re used to. I’ve found the biggest difference is in how gluten free flour mixes. Without the wheat, it is quite a bit lighter and so takes a slower, steadier mixing because the flour is lighter.

The trick is to determine which alternative ingredients to use and which foods do not contain gluten. Cooking for persons with celiac disease can be challenging, but with enough research, trials, and imagination, you can come up with a meal that is enjoyed by everyone in the family.

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