What you can and cannot eat and some yummy recipes
What is Coeliac Disease?
Coeliac disease is a chronic disorder of the intestine due to gluten intolerance, which greatly reduces the body's ability to absorb nourishment. It can have drastic consequences if not managed properly through diet. The walls of the small intestine become inflamed and damaged so that food absorption practically stops, giving rise to nutritional deficiencies.
Symptoms: These are often both vague and various, but may include any of the following: abdominal pain and discomfort with gassy distension, fatigue, lethargy, loss of appetite, weakness, diarrhoea, vomiting, anaemia and other signs of malnutrition. The disease usually presents in infancy at weaning time, but can manifest itself at any age for no apparent reason.
Causes and occurrence: One of the main causes is undoubtedly the early introduction of solids, particularly wheat, to a baby's diet. The body's ability to digest complex carbohydrates such as those found in cereal grains is rarely developed before the age of six months. The disease is particularly prevalent in Ireland and this may be linked with the increasingly common, but ill-advised practice of early weaning in this country.
Diagnosis: Definitive diagnosis is by means of a biopsy to assess the level of damage to the walls of the small intestine. However, if you suspect you are suffering from gluten intolerance or Coeliac Disease, you could experiment by omitting all gluten-containing foods from your diet and very gradually reintroducing them, one grain at a time. If symptoms recur you should report your findings to your doctor, who can make a definitive diagnosis. It is also possible that you may be intolerant of one or more particular grains. Wheat intolerance is particularly common. This is not Coeliac disease, but it can result in many similarly uncomfortable symptoms.
Management and treatment: Coeliac Disease is a permanent condition, but full recovery from the symptoms can be achieved by the exclusion of all gluten-containing foods. Good health can be maintained by following a whole food diet, excluding highly processed and refined foods, and by using the wholesome and naturally gluten free flours now widely available in health stores.
What you cannot Eat
Most of the grains, namely wheat, rye and barley, and all processed foods which may contain those grains or their derivatives. These are found in a very wide range of foods, e.g. soups, sauces, gravies, condiments, some spices, salad dressings, even ice cream, and in all almost all convenience, frozen or fast foods. Great care must be taken, therefore, when reading labels, as even the smallest trace of gluten usually sets off the symptoms again. Ingredients, which contain gluten, include starch, modified starch, rusk, hydrolized vegetable protein, bran and wheatgerm and wheatgerm oil. "Gluten-free flour" is usually de-glutenised wheat flour and is best avoided in favour of flours which are naturally free of gluten (see below).
What you can Eat
Everything else! By becoming familiar with new ingredients and different cooking methods you can easily make your gluten free diet interesting and wholesome, with more variety than the average person. All fruit and vegetables, pulses, nuts and dairy products are suitable, meat and fish in their pure state (not processed), and some grains such as bread, biscuits, rice cakes, pasta, cereals, flours and a wide variety of convenience gluten-free foods. However it should be borne in mind that a good wholefood diet with plenty of seasonal fruit and vegetables (preferably), and keeping the convenience or packaged foods to a minimum is the best way back to optimum health. As the more insidious effects of Coeliac Disease arise from malnutrition, a good tonic or vitamin supplement may also be advised, but do make sure it is gluten-free.
Don't forget that your IAHS store probably has books, pamphlets and recipe leaflets for glutenfree diets and trained staff are always on hand to help and advise.
Know your Gluten Free Flours
A number of naturally gluten-free flours are listed below and are all to be found in your IAHS store. Please note that these flours have different baking properties to ordinary flour due to the of gluten (which gives a bread dough a certain elasticity, helping it to rise), and so need different baking techniques. For example, bread is made as a batter, and biscuits and pastry turn out less crumbly if kneaded and left in the fridge for half an hour before use. Don't forget to use gluten-free baking powder.
Soya flour: This is a moist flour, high in protein and is used for its binding properties. It has a strong flavour, so should only be used in small quantities. It mixes well with rice flour, arrowroot and chick pea (gram) flour.
Millet flakes/flour: The flakes can be ground easily to make the flour. It is useful for making crumbles and the rougher type of buns and cakes. It is high in vitamins, minerals and proteins.
Buckwheat flour: This is unrelated to the gluten-containing wheat. It is a dark-coloured flour and is used to make thin pancakes.
Potato Flour: A white-coloured flour, which is useful for thickening sauces and stew. 1oz. (28g.) each of potato flour, brown rice flour and maize flour together with teaspoons of arrowroot makes a good light flour for baking.
Chick pea/gram flour: Like soya flour, this is almost a moist flour used for its binding properties. It is traditionally made into a batter for coating food for frying, taking the place of breadcrumbs. It has a rich golden colour.
Maizemeal/flour: Available in different grades, it mixes well with rice and potato flour. The coarser grades are useful in crumbles or rougher textured buns. It makes a particular nice coating for fish.
Arrowroot: This is primarily used for thickening sauces, soups etc. It must be mixed with a cold liquid before adding to a hot mixture.
Nut and seed flours: These can be made by grinding the nuts and seeds and can be used to enrich biscuits, cakes, breads and crumbles, as they are very nutritious. Ground almonds are particularly useful for improving the texture of gluten free baked goods. Warning: If sunflower seeds are used along with a raising agent containing bread soda, they will turn bright green!
Recipes
RICE BREAD
Ingredients:
150g Brown rice flour
100g Maize flour
100g Millet flakes
1 free range-egg
56g Vegetable margarine
2 tsp. Gluten-free baking powder or dried yeast
2 tbsp. Honey (may be reduced)
Water
Method:
Thoroughly mix all the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the centre. Add margarine, egg yolk and honey. Stir well. Add the water little by little until you have a dough with a soft dropping consistency (as for sponge cakes). Fold in the (unbeaten) egg white. Pour into a well-oiled 2lb. loaf tin. Bake at 190C/375F/gas mark 5, for fifteen minutes. Cover the top and continue baking at 175C/350F/ gas mark 4, for 35 minutes to 40 minutes. Tap the bottom of the tin for a hollow sound to check if cooked.
CORN BREAD
Ingredients:
500g Medium maize meal
250g Potato flour
200g Soya flour
5 level tsp. Gluten-free baking powder
100ml unrefined Sunflower oil
Large pinch salt
1 large cooking apple, grated
700 ml warm water
Method:
Place all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Rub in oil and mix in grated apple. Then beat in warm water. Bake immediately in two well-oiled 1 lb. Tins at 200C/400F/gas mark 6 for 40 minutes.
GLUTEN-FREE FRUIT CAKE
Ingredients:
375g mixed vine fruits
350ml water
125g grated carrot
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
100 ml Corn oil
250g Soya flour
250g Rice flour
2 tsp. Mixed spice
3 tsp. Gluten free baking powder
Pecan nuts to decorate (optional)
Method:
Grease and line a 20cm. round cake tin. Place dried fruit and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from heat. Stir in grated carrot, lemon and oil. Cool in a bowl to room temperature. Stir in the flours, spice and baking powder. Spread in prepared tin and decorate with pecan nuts. Bake in a moderate oven, 160C/325F/gas mark 3 for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Test with a skewer to check if cooked-skewer should come out clean. Cool in tin. Turn out when cold. Keeps for approximately one week.
DATE, APPLE AND CINNAMON COOKIES
Ingredients:
200g Rice flour
100g Margarine
100g Light muscovado sugar
1 large apple, grated
150g Dates
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
Method:
Preheat oven to 230C/450F/gas mark 8.Rub margarine into rice flour and add cinnamon. Chop dates finely. Add dates, grated apple and sugar. Mix well and squeeze together into a dough. Divide into about 10 cookies and bake on a well-oiled tin on an upper shelf for 20-25 mins. Cool on wire rack. Best eaten within 24 hours.
TOFU AND MILLET BURGERS
Ingredients:
250g Cooked millet
250g Fresh Tofu
2 tbsp. Soya sauce
2 tsp. tandoori spice
Ground black pepper
1 small egg
50g Potato flour
Rice flour for dusting
Olive oil for frying
Method:
Crumble the tofu into a shallow dish and soak in soya sauce, spice and pepper for 1/2 hour, turning occasionally. Mix into cooked millet and add potato flour and egg to bind. Form into burger shapes and dip in rice flour. Fry on both sides in oil.
Bon appetit.
