Coeliac Disease: Understanding the Diagnosis and Learning to Enjoy Food Again

What coeliac disease is and how to live well with it. 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. What is coeliac disease? 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: Abdominal pain Bloating Diarrhoea Nausea Vomiting General symptoms: Persistent fatigue Unexplained weight loss Iron-deficiency anaemia Nutritional deficiencies Other possible symptoms: Osteopenia or osteoporosis Recurrent mouth ulcers Dermatitis herpetiformis Delayed growth in children Importantly, the absence of obvious digestive symptoms does not rule out coeliac disease. How is it diagnosed? Diagnosis should always be carried out by a healthcare professional, usually a gastroenterologist. The process often includes: Blood tests To detect antibodies associated with coeliac disease, including: Tissue transglutaminase antibodies (tTG) Endomysial antibodies (EMA) Endoscopy and biopsy If blood tests suggest coeliac disease, an endoscopy with biopsy is often performed to assess damage to the intestinal villi. Genetic testing 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. One important point: don’t remove gluten before testing 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. Living with coeliac disease – 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. A few things that often help: 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: Fruit. Vegetables. Legumes. Eggs. Nuts. Rice. Quinoa. Millet. 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. The search that eventually became Milola: 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. A full life is still a full life. 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.

Homemade Protein Granola: the recipe we always come back to

Crunchy, nourishing, gluten-free and made with ingredients you’d happily keep in your own pantry Some recipes come and go. Others become part of everyday life. This granola belongs firmly in the second category. For years, it has been part of our breakfasts, afternoon snacks and those in-between moments spent moving from meetings to ovens to new recipe ideas. It’s simple to make, packed with real ingredients and built around something we care deeply about: the belief that looking after yourself should never mean giving up pleasure. Naturally gluten-free, vegan-friendly and rich in protein and healthy fats from nuts, it’s one of those recipes that earns its place in your kitchen again and again. Dry ingredients: All the ingredients are accessible and can be easily found in any supermarket. 200 g gluten-free rolled oats. 130 g whole almonds. 110 g pecan nuts. 120 g almond flour. Wet ingredients: 130 g maple syrup. 60 g coconut oil or mild extra virgin olive oil. 60 g peanut butter Wet ingredients: Dark chocolate, roughly chopped Dark chocolate chips Before you begin: One of our favourite little tricks is leaving the almonds and pecans whole. We love finding those large crunchy pieces coated in maple syrup and peanut butter. It creates a far more interesting texture, and every spoonful feels slightly different from the last. Method: 1. Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, pecans and almond flour. 2. Preheat the oven: Preheat your oven to 160°C. 3. Add the wet ingredients: Pour in the maple syrup, oil and peanut butter. Mix thoroughly until everything is evenly coated. 4. Bake: Spread the mixture evenly across a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Press it down gently with a spoon or spatula to create an even layer. Bake for approximately 25 minutes. Every oven is different, so keep an eye on it during the final few minutes to achieve your preferred level of golden crunch. When should you add the chocolate? You have two options: Add chocolate chips during the last few minutes of baking so that they partially blend into the mixture. Scatter chopped dark chocolate over the granola as soon as it comes out of the oven. The residual heat will melt it slightly, allowing you to stir it through and create delicate ribbons of chocolate throughout the mixture. Our personal favourite. You can watch the full recipe video here. How we like to enjoy it. Granola is one of those foods that never gets boring. Some of our favourite ways to enjoy it include: With coconut yogurt. With fresh seasonal fruit. Sprinkled over a smoothie bowl. With your favourite plant-based milk. As a topping for homemade fruit ice cream. Straight from the jar when nobody’s watching. How to store it: Once completely cooled, transfer the granola to an airtight glass jar. Stored in a cool, dry place, it will stay deliciously crunchy for several weeks. Avoid refrigerating it, as moisture can soften its texture. A small everyday revolution. When we talk about the philosophy behind Milola, we often say that one day we decided to rethink the way we eat. Not because we wanted to follow a trend. Not because we were searching for perfection. Simply because we believed that taking care of ourselves shouldn’t mean giving up the pleasure of good food. This granola was born from that same idea. Simple ingredients. Plenty of flavour. And the conviction that the best recipes usually begin with a thoughtfully stocked pantry. If you make it at home, we hope it becomes one of those recipes you find yourself returning to time and time again.