Special gluten-free diet for celiac disease

5 min readFeb 17, 2020

Special gluten-free diet for celiac disease

Gluten is a protein contained in certain cereals and is very common in the
Celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, is a chronic autoimmune disease triggered by diet. The gluten-free diet aims to eliminate foods containing gluten in order to reduce the symptoms linked to their ingestion: abdominal cramps, vomiting, diarrhoea, chronic fatigue, etc. The main points of the gluten-free diet: gluten in a genetically predisposed individual.

Learning to read labels
Knowing what foods are naturally gluten-free
Maintain optimal micronutrient intake
Ban foods containing gluten
Beware of foods containing traces of gluten

Benefits of the gluten-free diet

Going on a gluten-free diet to lose weight?

On the other hand, by systematically replacing these foods with their gluten-free equivalents you should not see any weight loss. Finally, in cases of proven celiac disease, a gluten-free diet can help you lose weight because it removes gluten-rich foods that are also high in calories: bread, pasta, biscuits, pastries, etc.
Reducing these foods may indeed make you lose some weight, but it should not be the primary objective.
malabsorption can also lead to weight loss.

Gluten-free foods to fight stomach aches?

The only remedy to reduce the intestinal pain induced by celiac disease is the total elimination of gluten from the diet.
It can also be recommended to reduce the consumption of fermentable vegetables and legumes to reinforce the action of gluten-free foods.

A gluten-free diet against chronic fatigue?

Chronic fatigue is one of the If you have any doubts about your symptoms of celiac disease linked to the malabsorption of vitamins. However, there is no evidence that a gluten-free diet can solve the problems of chronic fatigue in cases other than this one.
Celiac disease affects 0.5 to 1% of the population. However, it is considered that more and more people in Europe are becoming intolerant to gluten to a greater or lesser extent.
gluten tolerance, consult a dietician who can help you find suitable solutions.

Dietary recommendations for creating a gluten-free menu

The gluten-free diet is a particularly difficult diet to follow at first. Indeed, gluten is a protein found in many common foods and is also widely used by the food industry to give texture to various products.
The first goal of the gluten-free diet in celiac disease is, therefore, to learn how to detect the presence of gluten, and then to find equivalences that will allow you to maintain an optimal nutritional state.

Which gluten-free foods should be consumed in cases of gluten intolerance?

In the case of gluten intolerance, it is recommended to cook as much as possible to avoid “hidden” traces of gluten in many industrial products.
Many certified gluten-free substitutes also exist, but the best thing is to find equivalences by integrating more naturally gluten-free products into the diet.

Naturally gluten-free foods

When you start a gluten-free diet, you often think of gluten-free alternatives: bread, pasta, cookies, etc. However, many foods are naturally gluten-free and allow you to eat well without spending more money.

To help you, here is a list of naturally gluten-free cereals and their derivatives that you can eat without depriving yourself.

Vitamins and minerals

Celiac disease causes intestinal malabsorption, so it must be compensated for by providing sufficient iron, vitamins A, D, E, K and calcium through the diet.
A varied and balanced diet ensures that you do not become deficient. The absence of gluten does not in itself pose a problem of deficiency, it is a celiac disease that disturbs the absorption of nutrients and requires special attention.

It may seem a bit sad to eliminate all gluten-containing foods from the diet. It is therefore important to take the time to find equivalents that will satisfy you both visually and taste.

Home cooking is the best way to ensure that food is gluten-free. Above all, cooking means being able to control all the ingredients in a recipe.
In addition, products that have already been prepared sometimes use trace amounts of gluten. It is therefore difficult to detect it and to avoid the symptoms associated with its ingestion.

To avoid the risk of consuming food containing gluten, the first tip is to learn how to identify it on the labels of common products.
Here are some terms that indicate the presence of gluten in a product:
Other recommended foods:

Gluten-containing foods to be avoided in case of intolerance

In the case of gluten intolerance, certain foods containing gluten should be banned from the diet.
In order to create a gluten-free menu, it is first of all essential to know which 5 cereals contain gluten. You should also be wary of products containing trace amounts of gluten, such as certain industrial products that have already been prepared.
Rye, Oats, Wheat, Barley, Triticale To be more specific, here is a list of some foods that contain gluten:

Beware of gluten traces

Many foods contain traces of gluten because it is used for its elasticity and sometimes to give texture. It is now mandatory to indicate this in the list of ingredients but the information is still a little difficult to find. Indeed, it is not always easy to suspect the presence of gluten when it is in trace amounts.
Here is a list of some products containing traces of gluten:

For more simplicity, there is a “crossed-out wheat ear” logo certified by the AFDIAG which guarantees the absence of gluten in a food.

Industrial products and ready meals

To stay healthy and avoid the symptoms associated with gluten ingestion, there is nothing better than avoiding industrial products and prepared meals.
They do not allow precise control of the ingredients used in their composition. The gluten-free logo is a guarantee of gluten-free products, but this is not enough.

Indeed, in the case of malabsorption, it is recommended to avoid saturated fats and sugar in favour of good proteins, Omega-3 and fibre. However, the majority of industrial products do not have optimal nutritional intake.
Other foods not recommended: