Coeliac disease

What is coeliac disease?

Coeliac disease affects about one in 100 people in the UK. It is the most common form of wheat intolerance and can be confirmed only by a medical diagnosis, often involving a small biopsy of the gut. Sufferers have a genetic predisposition to the disease, which is triggered by a protein called gluten that is found in wheat, and similar proteins in rye, barley and oats. The gluten damages the small intestine, preventing the body from absorbing all the nutrients it needs from food; the result can be diarrhoea, stomach pain and indigestion. Symptoms are varied and can manifest themselves at any age. If not properly diagnosed, the disease can lead to malnutrition and can prevent children from growing normally. If you are concerned that you, or anyone in your family, may have coeliac disease you should consult a doctor.

The condition is permanent, but the good news is that avoiding gluten will both limit the damage to the intestine and stop the symptoms. The lining of the intestine can heal itself if gluten is removed from the diet. Unfortunately, many foods contain cereals, so sufferers need to find gluten-free alternatives.

Which foods are acceptable?

• Foods that are naturally glutenfree, such as rice, corn, maize, potato, buckwheat, polenta, soya and millet, are often made into flours, and these can be used in gluten-free dishes.
• Gram flour and urd flour are made from pulses and are gluten-free. They do not rise well when baked, but with a little experimentation they can be used effectively.
• Wheat glucose syrup is acceptable for those on a gluten-free diet - no proteins remain once the starch has been hydrolysed. The same is true for wheat dextrose and maltodextrin.
• Other foods based on wheat, barley and rye can be made suitable for those with coeliac disease by removing the gluten, and several companies produce gluten-free products in this way.
• Buckwheat is not actually a form of wheat. It is a herb and is tolerated by most coeliac sufferers.
• Spirits - where wheat is used - are gluten-free as all traces of gluten are removed during distillation.
• Some gluten-free products may contain small amounts of malt extract or malt vinegar. These are tolerated by most people with coeliac disease.

Which foods should be avoided?

• Semolina comes from the outer coat of wheat, so is not gluten-free.
• Most pasta is made from semolina.
• Couscous is semolina, rolled and coated with wheat flour.
• Bulghur wheat is wheat that has been soaked, cooked, dried and cracked.
• Spelt is a type of wheat with less gluten than other varieties, but it is not suitable for coeliac sufferers.
• Beer/lager - where wheat is used in brewing small amounts of gluten may remain even after fining.

How Waitrose can help?

All Waitrose-branded pre-packed products that contain gluten will state this in the allergen information panel on the back of pack.

We stock a variety of gluten-free products, including breads, flour, cakes, biscuits, pasta, sausages and breakfast cereals.

Waitrose can also supply a list of all our own-label foods that are free from gluten. This list excludes any food with the following ingredients:

• Wheat
• Oats
• Rye
• Barley

For a copy of this food list, contact:
Nutrition Advice Service
Waitrose Ltd
Doncastle Road
Bracknell
Berkshire
RG12 8YA
Tel: 0800 188884
email: nutrition@waitrose.co.uk

Other useful contacts

Coeliac UK
Suites A-D
Octagon Court
High Wycombe
Buckinghamshire
HP11 2HS
Tel: 0870 444 8804
www.coeliac.org.uk