How to avoid gluten if you have celiac disease

People diagnosed with celiac disease need to avoid gluten. It is not easy. Hundreds of everyday foods contain gluten: breads, cakes, rolls, muffins, baking mixes, pasta, sausages bound with bread crumbs, foods coated with batter, sauces and gravies, soups thickened with wheat flour, and most breakfast cereals, as well as some candies, ice creams, and puddings. Many baby foods are thickened with gluten, although most commercial first-stage foods are gluten-free. Here are some tips for avoiding gluten if you have celiac disease.

• Always read labels on packaged foods.
• Avoid ingredients such as flour-based binders and fillers and modified starch.
• Be suspicious of any label that specifies "other flours" because they are likely to include at least some wheat derivatives.
• Beer is made from barley and should be avoided, along with malted drinks.
• Outside the home, order only plain foods, such as broiled fish or meat, steamed vegetables, and a baked potato — all without any sauces or dressings.
• Even communion wafers contain some gluten. However, gluten-free wafers are now available; check with your pastor.
• Contrary to popular belief, people with celiac disease can eat pasta, bread, and other baked products, but they must look for gluten-free items, such as rice pasta and baked goods made with corn, rice, potato, or soy flours.
• Gluten-free flour is now available.
• In general, it is better to prepare most foods at home to assure a healthy diet without risking exposure to gluten.

It was once believed that oats also contained the offending gliadin protein, but some analyses have shown that they do not. Thus, doctors are now allowing patients to experiment with oat products; if they provoke symptoms, however, they should still be avoided. It is important to differentiate between pure oats and oat products that have been contaminated with wheat; care must be taken to avoid the latter.

Eat plenty of

• Low-fat milk, eggs, fish, meat, and poultry for protein.
• Vegetables and fruits for vitamins and ­minerals.
• Legumes, potatoes, and rice for starches, minerals, and protein.

Avoid

• Bread, pasta, cereals, cakes, and other wheat, rye, or barley products.
• Foods using wheat products as a thickening agent or coating, such as breaded foods, meat loaf, frankfurters, sausages, sauces, and soups.
• Beverages containing gluten, such as beer, malted drinks, and chocolate milk.
• Many commercial salad dressings, except pure mayonnaise.