Celiac disease is a condition in which the digestive tract cannot process any gluten. Unfortunately, gluten can be found in almost every product we eat today. This includes oats, rye, barley, and wheat, which are just some of the foods to avoid if you have celiac disease. The problem is that there are many foods that contain these products, or that have been contaminated with them in processing plants. Therefore, creating a full list of foods to avoid if you have celiac disease is almost impossible. However, the list below should give you some indication.
Foods to Avoid if You Have Celiac Disease:
- Bread rolls, bread, pumpernickel, rye bread, and Yorkshire puddings
- Pancakes, pie crusts, pastries, and muffins
- Stuffing, cakes, and pretzels
- Spaghetti, macaroni, and most pastas
- Cookies and biscuits
- Semolina, pizza dough, and couscous
- Crumble toppings, Durham, and Bulgar wheat
- Some breakfast cereals
- Anything coated in breadcrumbs
- Scones
- Sponge puddings and bran
- Malted drinks like Horlicks and all barley water drinks
- Grain mixes
- Crisp breads
These are the foods where the main ingredient is gluten, which are reasonably easy to avoid. However, there are also many foods that contain hidden gluten, and these must equally be avoided. These include:
- Sausages, which often contain Rusk. Additionally, bread is often used to clean out the sausage-making machines.
- Luncheon meats, which often have wheat flour used as a filler
- Blue cheese, which often contains bread mold
- Soups, particularly if they are roux based, as a roux is made with flour
- Instant coffee, which is often bulked by using flour
- Stock cubes and gravy powder
- Licorice, malt vinegar, and white pepper
- Salad dressings and soy sauce
- Drinking chocolate
- Fish and meat pastes
- Farina
- Imitation crab meat and crab pastes
- Chips and potato crisps
- Lager, ale, beer, and other such alcoholic drinks
- Dry mustard powder and mustard
- Spices and curry powders, which usually use flour to bulk them up
- Chewing gum
- Beverage mixers
- Candy
- Baked beans
- Fruit fillings
- Ice cream
- Custard
Unfortunately, this long list is far from complete. Having celiac disease is a lifelong condition that must be properly managed, and this can be very difficult. It is very common for people who have been recently diagnosed to make frequent mistakes, eating something that they believe to be gluten free, only to find that it did contain wheat. Luckily, with the condition now being properly recognized, it is no longer necessary to go to specific health stores in order to be able to purchase gluten-free food. The vast majority of grocery stores now contain extensive ranges of gluten-free food, and many even carry their own line. This means that it has also become a lot more affordable.
That said, if you are newly diagnosed, it is very important to find support from those in the same situation as you. They have already been through the journey you are just starting, so they will be able to tell you which foods you may not suspect of containing gluten. Celiac disease is inconvenient and annoying, but it is manageable.