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Gluten Free Diet Guidelines

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Pictured gluten-free recipe: Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas

Goodbye gluten

To treat your celiac disease, you must avoid any food containing gluten—namely, anything that contains wheat, rye or barley. You’ll have to give up a lot of grains, pastas, cereals and processed foods unless you find them in “gluten-free” versions (luckily becoming more and more available these days).

There are also a variety of foods you can eat. For example, instead of wheat flour, you can use potato, rice, soy or bean flour. There are also many gluten-free types of bread, pastas and other products in stores, and many websites that offer them; click here for online sources for gluten-free foods. And of course, plain meat, fish, rice and fruits and vegetables don’t contain gluten.

The diet is lifelong—and cheating isn’t an option: even eating a tiny amount of gluten can damage the small intestine. But the good news is that, for most people, following this diet will stop symptoms, heal existing intestinal damage and prevent further damage. Improvements begin within days of starting the diet, and the small intestine is usually completely healed in three to six months for children and young adults and within two years for older adults.

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More on Gluten Free Diet:

• Gluten Free Diet Recipes, Menus and Tips
• Gluten Free Diet: Quiz
• Gluten Free Diet: Expert Q and A
• Quick Gluten Free Diet Tips
• Gluten Free Diet: Guide to Grains & Starches

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