question regarding coeliac and gluten

[BrentK]

Hi I'm a 20 year old male who has been having off and on diarrhea, stomach pain, bloating, and weakness issues over the last few months.  I've seen my doctor multiple times, been given different meds and advice.  Also recently I've had blood tests done which were fine, and I'm waiting on the results from my stool sample. My question regards coeliac disease, in speaking with different people some people have suggested I may possibly have coeliac disease. I have no family history that I know of and have never seemed in the past to have problems with bread/wheat products.  My question is more general, as I'm wondering what people who have coeliac are allowed to eat. This popped into my mind as I without realizing it ate a wheat product today in a meal (wheat bread).  Thankfully I've been feeling okay the last few days, and I've been eating many bread and grain products during this time as well.  My question is, is gluten (what coeliac suffers are allergic to) in all bread and or grain products?  Or is it just wheat products (i.e. wheat bread) that has gluten in it (which coeliac suffers, suffer from)?  Thanks your answers hopefully will alleviate much of my worrying as I'm freaking out that maybe I'll get sick since I'm not sure if only wheat bread has gluten, but if every bread (grain) product (white bread, etc.) has gluten in it, as I suspect is the case, I should be okay and I would then think I hopefully do NOT have coeliac thanks.

[ayri]

hi, yes all wheat products have gluten, before you conclude that your this free that free, i would suggest looking at other factors for your symptoms such as lactose intolerance, where your digestive system might be allergic to dairy products, its very simple to do a test yourself, just keep away from milk, yoghurt, cheese products for a couple of weeks and see how you feel, you will experience a drammatic difference if it is the case. cheers.

[CalGal]

If gluten is a problem, you'll have to avoid wheat, barley and rye products. All have gluten-like proteins that need to be dismissed from the diet in anyone with celiac problems. There are many good subsitutes for gluten products, including bread. If you want to try an exclusion diet, stick to fresh foods. You'll also have to look to make sure you're not eating any hidden gluten if you eat pre-prepared foods. Gluten is used in a number of foods as a filler or a thickener, so be careful. And be aware that finding out if gluten is a problem isn't something that happens overnight. It can take weeks-to-months to note real changes, although small indications can often be seen early-on.

[lizzyambler]

Hi, i was diagnosed with coeilic disease when i was 7, and now 16 i  have a good knowledge of what i can and cant eat. Basically it means excluding the things previously posted by other people. Also Oats is something to watch out for. Thankfully, when i eat them i seem to be ok, but in some people even these that contain a small percentage of gluten can make them ill.

Many supermarkets are now good at labeling gluten free products so its easy to buy things. Its easier than you think its going to be when you first get diagnosed.

To test, i would suggest having a gluten-free week where you keep your diet away from any gluten to see if it has any results. I know when i had the symptoms they would come and go. One month i would be violently sick many nights and crying because of the pain, but then the next month everything seemed ok. I'm also a vegetarian so its harder to think of more creative ideas of what to cook to eat, but things like rice, potatoes, gluten free bread (available from supermarkets or prescription), gluten free pasta, gluten free pasta can be used for the main part of the meal

hope that helps
good luck with the tests

[nyiss]

hi im 18 and both myself and my sister have coeliac disease. there is no history of it in my family either. others that i know who also suffer from this can eat bread without having stomach pains etc. but it still damages their digestive system so they are still meant to avoid it.
all bread has gluten in, but you can buy gluten free bread...that doesnt make sense but basically in supermarkets that aisle thats full of nuts and bazar things most people wouldnt eat usually has gluten free bread, pasta, biscuits, pizza, cakes, cereal etc. its a lot better now than it was years ago when there was very little.
but if you are a coeliac you can still eat rice, potatoes, veg, meat etc
the ones that are more difficult which i usually slip up on are things like chocolate such as diary milk which doesnt actually have gluten in but they put flour on the conveyer belts etc. and things that say they have flavourings because this isnt really clear enough also brands like walkers crisps seem to change their ingredients a lot and mars to
for example the mini mars bars arent gluten free the next size up arent but the normal are gluten free and the king size arent gluten free. confussing right
if you are diagnosed though you will get a book that is pretty handy it says what is gluten free

good luck!