Q. Dietary Recommendations in celiac disease?

The only dietary treatment for celiac disease is to follow a gluten-free diet. For most such a diet improves symptoms, heals intestinal damage, and prevents further damage.

Improvements begin within days of starting the diet, intestines are healed within 3-6 months for children but in adults it could take upto 2 years. The gluten-free diet is a lifetime requirement. Eating any gluten, no matter how small an amount, can damage the intestine. A small percentage of people with celiac disease do not improve on the gluten-free diet because the intestines are severely damaged. Such patients must be evaluated for any complications. In such cases there is need for intravenous nutrition supplements.

What is a gluten-free diet? Let us read and find out. The Gluten-Free Diet, as we have learnt earlier also, is a diet that contains no gluterz. Foods like wheat) rye, barley, and possibly oats must be avoided. The gluten-free diet is complicated. It requires a completely new approach to eating that affects a person's entire life. Products like bread biscuits, breakfast cereals, poories, paranthas, chapathis, macaroni, noodles and other pasta preparations have to be totally eliminated. Eating out can be a challenge as the person with celiac disease learns to scrutinize the menu for foods with gluten and question the waiter or chef about possible hidden sources of gluten. What are these hidden sources? Well, these hidden sources include additives, preservatives, and stabilizers found in processed food, medicines, and mouthwashes. Despite these restrictions, people with celiac disease can eat a well-balanced diet with a variety of foods.