INDEX
- Introduction
- Nutrition and Therapy
- Tips at the table
- Other articles on ‘Celiac disease’
Introduction
Celiac Disease: What is it?
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Celiac disease or celiac disease is a permanent intolerance to gluten , a complex of nitrogenous substances that forms during the dough, with water, of the flour of some cereals , such as wheat , spelled , kamut , barley , rye , spelled and triticale .
Strictly speaking, celiac disease is not a disease, but a simple condition which, in order to manifest itself, requires the simultaneous presence of a genetic predisposition and the consumption of foods containing gluten .
Nutrition and Therapy
Celiac Disease: Diet as Therapy
Currently, the only truly effective therapy against celiac disease is based on dietary control .
The celiac, therefore, must adapt to a strict diet focused on the categorical exclusion of all foods containing gluten .
Only in this way, the inflammations of the intestinal epithelium will gradually regress, guaranteeing the subject absolutely normal conditions of life and health.
All this implies a strong sacrifice and commitment on the part of the celiac who, however, has at his disposal a series of alternative products useful to reconcile the palatability of food with the limitations imposed on the diet.
In fact, in recent years, awareness of the problem has led to the appearance of numerous products prepared exclusively with gluten-free ingredients . Just think, for example, of the increasing number of restaurants that offer their customers menus dedicated to those suffering from celiac disease.
In recent years, therefore, the quality of life of celiacs has considerably increased.
However, it must be remembered that even when choosing gluten-free products it is necessary to respect the rules of a healthy diet : in fact, a gluten-free food is not necessarily prepared with quality ingredients that must always be evaluated following the indications on the label .
Tips at the table
Celiac Diet: How to behave in the kitchen and at the restaurant
If you suffer from celiac disease remember to:
- Always and carefully check the ingredients of packaged foods(they may indicate the presence of gluten: thickeners , emulsifiers , stabilizers, vegetable proteins , contraindicated starches , unspecified starches, malt , wheat germ , dietary fiber , natural yeasts , malt or malt extract coffee). Gluten-free dietetic products have the crossed out ear symbol;
- Do not use utensils with which foods containing gluten have been cooked;
- Do not use used fryingoil for floured / breaded foods;
- Do not place food on surfaces that may be contaminated by foods containing gluten;
- Do not use the cooking water of foodscontaining gluten;
- At the restaurant, ask if the food or the grillis floured before cooking on the grill.