Celiac Awareness Month: Tips for keeping a gluten-free diet
GUEST BLOG: Jessica Fishbein, AboutKidsHealthYou may have noticed an increasing number of restaurants offering gluten free-options on their menus. These types of meals can often accommodate people with celiac disease, a lifelong autoimmune condition in which contact with gluten triggers a reaction by the body’s immune system. The immune response to gluten damages the lining of the gut and makes it difficult for the body to absorb nutrients.
People with celiac disease often experience symptoms including diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, headaches, tiredness and anemia — while others have no symptoms at all. Celiac disease is caused by both genetic and environmental factors, and affects roughly 350,000 Canadians (about 1 in 100).
If your child has celiac disease, understanding which foods contain gluten and how to prevent cross-contamination will allow you to keep your child healthy. To mark May as Celiac Awareness Month, AboutKidsHealth has compiled these tips for keeping a gluten-free diet, which help heal the gut and improve symptoms of celiac disease.
The gluten-free diet
The only treatment for celiac disease is a strict gluten-free diet. To keep your child healthy, you must be vigilant in avoiding gluten and preventing cross contamination, which occurs when gluten from one food or object comes into contact with another food or object.
Here are some important things to remember if you have a child with celiac disease:
Celiac disease affects roughly 350,000 Canadians (about 1 in 100).
General tips
• All wheat, rye, barley and triticale (rye and barley mix) products contain gluten.
• Gluten is found in more foods than just bread, pizza, pasta and cakes.
• Many unexpected foods contain traces of gluten, such as sauces and oils, salad dressings, soups, and different types of desserts.
• Always read the labels on all food and non-food items (including medications and vitamins)
• Many gluten-free foods are higher in sugar, carbohydrates, fat, and calories.
• To improve the nutrition of a gluten-free diet, eat more fruits, vegetables, whole grain and gluten-free grains.
In the kitchen
• Ensure that you have washed your hands thoroughly before handling gluten-free foods.
• Before you prepare a gluten-free meal, wash all kitchen countertops and surfaces that the food will be touching.
• Keep gluten free foods in a different area than foods containing gluten.
• When cooking gluten-free meals, use different kitchen appliances than those used for foods containing gluten. For example, gluten-free bread should be prepared in its own toaster and on a separate cutting board.
• Use plastic or metal kitchen utensils and cutting boards, as gluten can stick to wood surfaces.
Out of the house
It’s especially important to be careful in environments outside of your home when eating food that others have prepared for you. Despite a well-meaning host or a restaurant’s best intentions to accommodate your child, it’s still possible for gluten to accidentally come into contact with gluten-free foods.
• If you’re offered gluten-free food on the same plate as food containing gluten, it’s best to opt out. Avoid gluten-free foods like cut fruits and vegetables if they’re served on the same tray as crackers and cheese.
• Use condiments dispensed from a squeeze bottle. Avoid using shared containers of butter and jam, which are spread with different knives that may have come into contact with gluten.
• At restaurants, be cautious of ordering meat: it may have been cooked on the same grill as gluten-containing foods.
Shopping tips
• Do not buy any products without a clear label with nutrition and allergy information.
• In Canada, if a product is labeled “gluten-free” then it is safe on a strict gluten-free diet.
• Avoid bulk bins in grocery stores. Even if bins are offering gluten-free food, scoops may have been used in a different bin with gluten-containing foods.
• Do not purchase meat from the deli counter — the slicer is often not cleaned between use.
For more information on celiac disease, gluten-free diets and other health-care topics, visit www.aboutkidshealth.ca.
