What kind of foods are permitted for people who suffer from coeliac disease?

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Coeliac Disease, also known as gluten intolerance, is a lifelong intestinal disorder occurring in genetically susceptible individuals. Symptoms of coeliac disease range from classic features such as diarrhoea, discomfort, weight loss and malnutrition, to latent signs such as isolated nutrient deficiencies with no gastrointestinal symptoms.

The disease is due to intolerance to gluten. Gluten is the common name for a type of protein found in several cereal grains, in particular, in all forms of wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt) and related grains such as rye, barley, millet and oats. The only treatment for Coeliac Disease is the lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet. When gluten is removed from the diet, the small intestine starts to heal and overall health improves.

Adapting to a gluten-free diet requires some changes in lifestyle. For people suffering from coeliac disease, choosing the right foods is often difficult, because grains and many grain components are so widespread. It is essential to read labels, which are often imprecise, and to learn how to identify ingredients that may contain hidden gluten. Be aware that hidden gluten can be found in some unlikely foods such as cold cuts, soups, hard candies, soy sauce, and many low or non-fat products. But the recent revision of the EU labelling directive 2000/13 offers further protection to the consumer because it requires labelling of the main allergens including gluten.

For further information:

http://www.nutrition.org.uk/home.asp?siteId=43&sectionId=1026&subSubSectionId=473&subSectionId=328&parentSection=301&which=6#1564 and
http://www.celiac.com/index.html