Receiving a diagnosis of coeliac disease can bring many emotions at once.
Relief at finally putting a name to symptoms that may have been following you for years.
Uncertainty about the changes that lie ahead.
And, very often, a question that appears almost immediately:
What now?
The good news is that coeliac disease is entirely compatible with a full, active and delicious life.
But let’s start at the beginning.
Coeliac disease is a chronic autoimmune condition triggered by the consumption of gluten, a protein naturally found in wheat, barley and rye.
In people with coeliac disease, eating gluten causes the immune system to attack the lining of the small intestine, damaging the tiny villi responsible for absorbing nutrients.
Over time, this damage can lead to nutritional deficiencies and affect many different systems throughout the body.
Although we now know that coeliac disease is relatively common, many people still remain undiagnosed.
Common symptoms:
Coeliac disease can present itself in many different ways and does not always affect only the digestive system.
Some of the most common symptoms include:
Digestive symptoms:
General symptoms:
Other possible symptoms:
Importantly, the absence of obvious digestive symptoms does not rule out coeliac disease.
Diagnosis should always be carried out by a healthcare professional, usually a gastroenterologist.
The process often includes:
To detect antibodies associated with coeliac disease, including:
If blood tests suggest coeliac disease, an endoscopy with biopsy is often performed to assess damage to the intestinal villi.
In some cases, genetic testing may be used to identify the HLA-DQ2 and HLA-DQ8 genes, which are present in the vast majority of people with coeliac disease.
Many people decide to stop eating gluten before seeking medical advice.
Unfortunately, doing so can affect test results and make diagnosis more difficult or delay confirmation.
If you suspect you may have coeliac disease, speak to a healthcare professional before making dietary changes.
At present, the only effective treatment is a strict gluten-free diet for life.
At first, it can feel overwhelming.
Reading labels.
Learning about unfamiliar ingredients.
Understanding cross-contamination.
Asking endless questions in restaurants.
But something interesting happens.
Over time, it stops feeling like a limitation and simply becomes another way of organising everyday life.
And fortunately, there are far more options, resources and communities available today than there were even a few years ago.
Learn to read labels:
Understanding ingredients and certifications is one of the most powerful ways to gain confidence and peace of mind.
Prioritise foods that are naturally gluten-free:
Nature already offers many safe options.
Cook more at home:
Not out of obligation, but because it helps rebuild confidence and opens the door to discovering new ingredients and recipes.
Find your community:
Patient organisations, healthcare professionals and others living with coeliac disease can become an invaluable source of support, especially in the early months.
Years ago, when we had to rethink the way we ate, we discovered something that surprised us.
Finding gluten-free products was difficult.
Finding truly good ones was even harder.
Many seemed designed simply to replace what was missing.
We wanted something different.
We wanted flavour.
Texture.
Recognisable ingredients.
And the feeling of being able to sit around a table without feeling as though we were eating a second-rate version of something everyone else was enjoying.
Milola was born from that search.
Coeliac disease changes some things.
But it doesn’t change what matters most.
Long conversations around the table still exist.
Travelling still exists.
Celebrations still exist.
And the pleasure of sharing good food with the people you love still exists too.
Sometimes it simply needs new recipes to find its place at the table again.
And thankfully, that becomes easier every year.
Because life already comes with enough compromises.
Food shouldn’t have to be one of them.
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Hola, soy Manuela Saavedra, fundadora de Milola Gluten Free. Estoy encantada de darte la bienvenida a este espacio dedicado a todos los apasionados de la cocina que, como yo, buscan una alimentación más saludable y natural.
