Now that you know you either have Coeliac Disease (CD) or you need to avoid gluten in your diet for health or lifestyle reasons it is imperative that you know what you can and can’t eat.

There will be

• the foods to avoid that contain gluten
• the gluten-free alternatives
• and new gluten-free grains and Wholefoods that are highly nutritious and beneficial for a body that may have been malnourished for years.

 When you start to avoid gluten you will realise just how much is in the average western diet – the obvious are toast and cereal for breakfast, a biscuit or cake at morning tea, sandwiches for lunch and pasta or pizza for dinner. But this doesn’t include all of the hidden gluten in packaged and processed foods like sausages, burgers, and ready-made meals, sauces, flavours, malt, stock cubes, flavoured crisps etc, etc.

Unfortunately when many people give up gluten in their diet they just replace their staples of bread, cakes, biscuits, pasta and cereals with gluten-free alternatives which, while very convenient, are also often processed, low nutrition foods with high levels of sugar and fat.

Of course we are not suggesting you totally omit these from your diet – but we would like to suggest that this could be a real opportunity for you to introduce some new Wholefoods into your diet that are not only highly nutritious but also very beneficial for a body that may have been malnourished for years, even decades depending on how long you have been living with CD. This way you will know that you are getting the Minerals, Vitamins, Amino Acids and Fats you need to continue good health.

While at first you may find changing to gluten-free food a challenge, the change will allow your body to heal and for you to take control of your life and health. Its time to celebrate! Soon you will feel like a new person, and if you stick to the diet every day, include the diverse range of foods that you can eat, you will be full of vital energy and live life to the full.