7 Reasons Why You May Want To Go On A Gluten Free Diet

Like this image, many people do not know what it means to be gluten free. Many just think it is a trend or a health fad. How often have you heard people say things like, "Well my friend from Russia told me that gluten free was healthier for me, so I have gone gluten free?"

Well for the average person going gluten free is not healthier. In fact. if you do not do it correctly you may become malnourished. And it definitely does not help you lose weight. Gluten free products are often higher in calories than their wheat flour counterparts.

So here are 7 reasons why you may want to go on a gluten free diet.

1.   You may have been diagnosed with celiac disease. In this case, it is essential that you maintain a gluten free diet for life. Celiac disease is an auto-immune disease where your body produces abnormal antibodies which affect your gut. Even a small slip ups with your diet can stimulate those abnormal antibodies and make you sick. There is no cure for celiac disease and the only way to stay well is to go on a 100% gluten free diet.

2.   You may have been diagnosed with Dermatitis Herpetiformis. Like celiac disease, this is an auto-immune disease which affects your skin. The only way to control this disease is by going on a 100% gluten free diet for life.

3.   You may have been diagnosed with non-celiac gluten sensitivity. This is not an auto-immune disease but like lactose intolerance results from you being able to produce enough of the enzyme required to break down the gluten in your gut so you end up feeling unwell when you eat gluten. An allergic person can suffer from mild to severe allergic reactions when they ingest wheat. The best way to avoid the symptoms is to go on a gluten free diet. However, there are some supplements available which can help you break down and digest the gluten in your food. Note, however, these supplements are NOT safe for celiacs or those with Dermatitis Herpetiformis

4.   You may have been diagnosed with a wheat allergy and need to avoid wheat and/or gluten. An allergy occurs because you develop allergy antibodies against the proteins in wheat, much like you would develop an allergy against strawberries etc. Usually, you are allergic to wheat rather than to the gluten proteins in wheat so avoiding wheat is the critical factor here. Depending on which wheat protein you are allergic to you may or may not be able to eat gluten. A skin test will help with the diagnosis

5.   It may be you just feel better without gluten in your diet – perhaps you are an undiagnosed celiac. It is estimated that approximately 80% of people with celiac disease do NOT know they have it. If you feel better on a gluten free diet it is essential to seek medical advice to establish if you have celiac disease or one of the related conditions. Do NOT start on a gluten free diet until you have been properly diagnosed.

6.   You may have read about the health benefits and want to try them out. Maybe you have read that a gluten free diet helps you lose weight or is better for you. Well, if you do not feel better when you go on a gluten free diet, there is probably no need for you to be on one. A gluten free diet is costly and sometimes quite prohibitive, so only go on one if you need to. If you are going on a true gluten free diet, you need to know all the ins and outs of what that entails.

7.   You may be following a fad. Absolutely a gluten free diet has become a fad and it is putting in jeopardy those who really require a gluten free diet for health reasons. That is because the world is becoming quite blasé about it as we saw in a previous blog of mine "Jimmy Kimmel On Gluten". The average person really does not know what it means. My advice is - don't do it unless you have to. 

I have devoted my time to teaching people about what it means to be gluten free so if you want to learn more read my book. "Gluten Free Cooking Guide" which details all you need to know about why you need to go on a gluten free diet and how you do it correctly. Alternatively download for free my top ten tips for achieving a gluten free diet

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The Controversy With Celiac Disease And Oats. Are Oats Gluten Free?

There is a lot controversy and debate as to whether oats can be eaten when you have celiac disease. Some countries allow for oats to be eaten and others do not. There are differing recommendations regarding oats and varying opinions as to whether they are gluten free.  Should oats be classified as containing gluten or not.  Are oats a suitable product to be eaten when you are on a gluten free diet? With all this controversy it is no wonder people are confused.

There are several reasons for this. Avenin is undetectable by current analytical techniques used to detect gluten, and the level is very low anyhow. The other is that oats are often contaminated with gluten from other grains during processing. So it is often debated whether non-contaminated oats should be considered to be gluten free.

In my previous blog I wrote about "What is Gluten?" To summarize, gluten is a collective term used to describe the grain storage proteins known as prolamin and glutelin. Gluten proteins are found in wheat, rye, barley and oats.

It is well acknowledged that the gluten from wheat, barley and rye cause celiac disease and other gluten related diseases, i.e. they are toxic to people with celiac disease. In people with celiac disease, ingestion of these prolamin-glutelin complexes results in an immune reaction which results in celiac disease.  

However, researchers are not so sure whether the gluten found in oats causes the same immune response. There have been several clinical studies done which suggest that it is safe for a person with celiac disease to eat uncontaminated oats. Most people with celiac disease, it seems, may be able to tolerate oats but this fact is still yet to be verified. Health professionals seem to have differing views on this. For example, those in New Zealand believe that small amounts of oats and malt in the diet can be safely consumed by individuals with celiac disease. However health professionals in other countries such as Australia believe that sensitive celiac patients react to these two products as well and that they should not be eaten, nor be considered as part of the gluten free diet.

There is no reliable test for gluten in oats.  The current tests for gluten in food can measure the gluten found in wheat, barley and rye but cannot detect the gluten found in oats because it is a slightly different protein and found in much lower levels.

Accordingly, the Australian Food Standards Code prohibits the use of a ‘gluten free’ claim on oat containing products. The Australian food standard differs to the regulations in NZ, Europe and the USA, where oats can be marketed as ‘gluten free’. More accurately, these ‘gluten free’ oats are the equivalent of oats labelled ‘wheat free’ in Australia, i.e. there is no measurable contamination with wheat, rye or barley.  

Oats which are labelled gluten free must contain less than 20 mg/kg (ppm) of gluten which is a very low almost undetectable level. Companies who produce gluten free oats usually process them on a separate line so cross contamination cannot occur. The reason people want to eat gluten free oats is because they are a cheaper alternative to some of the other gluten free grains.

Can I have uncontaminated gluten free oats on a gluten free diet?

Evidence shows that uncontaminated oats are well tolerated by most people with coeliac disease. However, in some people with celiac disease, oat consumption can trigger a potentially harmful immune response. Please note that the absence of symptoms when consuming oats does not necessarily indicate they are safe – bowel damage can still occur despite the absence of symptoms. It is recommended that individuals who wish to consume oats as part of their gluten free diet do so under medical supervision to ensure appropriate review and safety. Undertaking a gastroscopy and small bowel biopsy before and after 3 months of regular uncontaminated oat consumption can help guide whether an individual with celiac disease can safely consume oats.  

I personally recommend that you err on the side of caution and exclude oats from your diet until research has fully clarified this issue. Oats are not yet definitively proven to be gluten free. Find out more about how to achieve a 100% gluten free diet. Click here 

BUY NOW 

Hi to all people with celiac disease who would like to be able to eat out safely.

With the Xmas and New Year festive season upon us, I am sure that most of you with celiac disease will be fearful about your health. You will be eating out more often and the risk of gluten contamination is probably very much on your mind. As demonstrated in the YouTube video by Jimmy Kimmel on Gluten, most people do not even know what gluten is, let alone how to achieve 100% gluten free food. Most people think you just have to leave wheat flour out of a recipe and you have a gluten free product. Despite all the laws the hospitality industry is not dealing with it well enough.

Here is a chance to promote my book to your favorite hospitality spots!!

My name is Mary and as a food safety expert, cafe owner and mother of a daughter with celiac disease I have grave concern about the lack of knowledge about what it actually means to be gluten free, I mean 100% gluten free. So I have written some e-books and webinars teaching the HOW OF GLUTEN FREE COOKING. 

One of my e-books is aimed at CAFES and RESTAURANTS because dining out is one of the most feared experiences for a celiac. They lose control of what goes into their food and the risk being "glutened" due to improperly prepared gluten free cooking.

I believe that there is a critical need for education about gluten free cooking in the hospitality industry so I have embarked on a project to try and reach as many cafes and restaurants etc. as I can. If you would like to be part of this project please email me on.

coaching.glutenfreecooking@gmail.com and I will set up an affiliate link for you to share in the sales revenue.

I am excited about this project and spreading the word about how to achieve 100% gluten free cooking and would appreciate feedback.

Thanks and Regards 

Mary Laloli

Gluten Free Educator

Is the Simtomax, Point-of-care (PoCT) Test For Celiac Disease Worthwhile?

Last year, Sigma Pharmaceuticals (Sigma), launched the new Simtomax celiac disease in-pharmacy screening test in Australia. The test can quickly tell patients whether they could potentially have celiac disease or not. The new test, involves a small finger prick blood sample, which is then tested on site at the pharmacy and gives you results in 10 minutes. This new test for celiac disease is available exclusively at Amcal, Amcal Max and Guardian pharmacies in Australia. These pharmacies are all owned by Sigma. Simtomax is available in some other countries as well.

Research has found that celiac disease affects as many as 1 in 60 women and 1 in 80 men in Australia, but is often left undiagnosed due to non-specific symptoms and inadequate testing. Traditional testing involves a clinical history, blood tests sent off to be tested in a laboratory and a biopsy of the small intestine. It is surprising to think that up to 90% of Australian’s who suffer from celiac disease don’t even know they have it.  And that is a dangerous for their long term health.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by gluten in the diet. Left undiagnosed or untreated, people with celiac disease are at an increased risk of osteoporosis, pregnancy complications, cancer and other autoimmune conditions.

The new screening test is simple, non-invasive, readily accessible, and only takes about 10 minutes. Anyone can be screened in pharmacy for celiac disease without having to consult a doctor first. However if the testing is positive, the patient is advised to consult their doctor for follow up testing.

However specialists in the field have raised concerns about point-of-care (PoC) finger-prick testing for celiac disease, currently offered in 440 Australian pharmacies and currently being rolled out to doctors this year. Prior to testing a pre-screening questionnaire assesses symptoms and suitability.

In a letter to the MJA, gastroenterologists, Dr Evan Newnham and Dr Jason Tye-Din said the accuracy of the PoC test Simtomax was less than laboratory based tests, and interpreting the colored line that appears on the device can be difficult. he reports that false positive results occurred in about 10% of PoC celiac tests, with false negatives reported in about 15 to 20%.  Other reports I have read  indicate that the inaccuracy of the test may be even higher than this.

However, James Nevile, a spokesperson for Sigma, which owns Amcal and Guardian pharmacies, said the AU $45 test was not meant to be a diagnostic tool. “What we’re trying to do is drive patients toward seeing a GP. It’s certainly not about any removal of the role of the GP,” he said. And I believe that is good thing. 

However Dr Tye-Din, chair of Celiac Australia’s medical advisory committee and a researcher at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Melbourne, said he was concerned about self-diagnosis, which “could potentially mean a lot of people are starting gluten-free diets unnecessarily”. This is because it is reported that the new Simptomax celiac disease in-pharmacy screening test is only 49% accurate when it comes to positive results, which means more than half the people the test says have celiac disease actually don't.

Despite this, I believe that PoC tests are a good indicator for someone with chronic bloating or tiredness especially those people who avoid going to the GP.  Anyone who had a positive test or persistent symptoms must be encouraged to see their GP for further testing.  Being encouraged to see a doctor is a good thing.

The fact that there is so many people with undiagnosed celiac disease is certainly a worry because these people can end up with life threatening illness, so anything that gets them to be celiac disease aware must be good in my view.  We need to reach out to these undiagnosed cases and get them to seek medical attention. A positive test will no doubt lead them on to seek medical treatment where an accurate diagnosis can be made.  But what about the false negative results?

  

Dr Sue Hookey, a Melbourne-based GP, said her greatest concern was with false negative results.
“People think they can keep eating gluten and this could have a real impact on their quality of life.”  

The validity of the test has not been proven as being reliable for a general population screening tool.  In fact, as of late last year, researchers at Royal Liverpool Hospital in the UK, when using the test on 112 patients at high risk of celiac disease,  recommended that it should not be used as screening test because it had low sensitivity (too many false negatives).

I also think that this is a huge risk because celiac disease is a great “mimicker” and could be missed if people who had a negative PoC test were not referred for further investigation as well. The symptoms of celiac disease are usually quite obvious. The symptoms of celiac disease could include any of the following:

 

·         Diarrhoea
·         Joint or muscle pain
·         Bloating/Abdominal pain
·         Heavy painful periods
·         Constipation
·          Headaches
·         Chronic mouth ulcers
·         Acne
·         Unexpected weight loss
·         Bulky stool
·         Itchy skin rash
·         Brittle nails

But if you are asymptomatic and do not have the obvious symptoms, celiac disease could be overlooked until it is too late to do anything about it? Some of the signs to look for and consider in asymptomatic celiac disease are:

• Pre-existing type 1 diabetes (10% also have celiac disease)
• A direct relative (parent, sibling) with type 1 diabetes or celiac disease
• Low iron
• Unstable glucose levels in diabetics
•  Growth issues in children

So to answer the question is the simtomax point-of-care (PoCT) test for celiac disease worthwhile? I believe the answer is yes because it raises people's awareness of celiac disease. However results should be interpreted with caution and any positive results followed up with proper testing from a doctor prior to the person starting on a gluten free diet.

A person with a negative result and obvious symptoms of celiac disease should also be encouraged to consult a doctor. The symptoms may or may not be due to celiac disease. It is important to get a proper diagnosis for the root cause of the problem and more sinister illness like bowel cancer and IBS - Irritable Bowel syndrome etc. need to be investigated as well as celiac disease. Only a doctor can do that.

If you are diagnosed with celiac disease the only treatment is to go on a gluten free diet for the rest of your life. If you need help transforming your home into a gluten free zone , read my book, "What is Gluten Free? it will give you all the guidelines you need to start your gluten free journey.

Gluten Free Play Dough For Children with Celiac Disease

Every child loves to play with play dough. But can children with celiac disease play with it? Well the answer is no. children with celiac disease cannot play with normal play dough made with flour containing gluten.

There is some research which suggests gluten is absorbed through the skin, but the biggest risk is that the child will inadvertently ingest some of the play dough when their imagination goes wild! The other risk is that they will cross contaminate their food with traces of gluten which get trapped under their nails or on their clothes.

So best to keep children with celiac disease away from play dough made with gluten containing flour. The good news is though you can make up a batch of gluten free play dough especially for your children with celiac disease.

There is no need if your child to miss out because here is an easy to make gluten free play dough recipe which is every bit as good as the real thing. 

These are the ingredients:

½ cup rice flour ½ cup corn starch ½ cup salt 2 teaspoons cream of tartar 1 cup water1 teaspoon cooking oil Food coloring, as desired

Instructions

1)    Mix ingredients in a pot
2)    Cook and stir on low heat for 3 minutes or until it forms a ball
3)    Cool completely before storing in a seal-able plastic bag

 A word of advice for parents, care givers and teachers. Ensure that when children with celiac disease are playing with their play dough that they are settled on a table away from the normal gluten containing play dough. This requires supervision. It is easy for cross contamination to occur. Other kids may want to share their own play dough, or use the gluten free pay dough after handling the gluten one.

 In fact it would probably be easier to manage if ALL play dough was made from the gluten free recipe if you have children with celiac disease you are teaching or caring for. Remove the risk and all the kids can play happily together and have lots of fun!!

To find out more about how to provide a 100% gluten free diet for children with celiac disease click here "What Is Gluten Free?" http://www.cooking.what-is-gluten-free.org/

 

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