Gluten free meals and coeliac disease
Coeliac Disease, Gluten Free Meals & How to Manage
TLC offer a range of coeliac meals and gluten free meals designed specifically for the management of coeliac disease and gluten intolerance. Our home delivered meals are free from gluten, laboratory tested (to ensure no gluten is detected) to the industry standard of 5 parts per million.
Our meals are recognised and endorsed by Coeliac Australia.
Understanding coeliac disease
Coeliac disease is a lifelong medical condition where the lining of the small intestine (villi) is intolerant (allergic) and damaged due to gluten or gliadin (wheat protein), secatin (rye), hordein (barley) or avenin (oats).
Gluten is the protein component which is found in wheat, rye, oats, barley and other derivatives of these which include malt and triticale, that gives cereal doughs their elastic texture. People who have coeliac disease have a decreased ability to absorb healthy nutrients from food. This can result in many gastrointestinal symptoms as well as other seemingly unrelated symptoms.
Some of the symptoms of coeliac disease can also be attributed to irritable bowel syndrome or due to other food allergies such as lactose and dairy intolerance. Often it can take people many years to discover that the various symptoms which had previously been diagnosed as other ailments are actually symptoms of coeliac disease.
What are the symptoms of Coeliac Disease?
Symptoms can include one or more of the following:
- gastrointestinal symptoms e.g. diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, cramping, bloating,
- abdominal pain, steatorrhea
- fatigue, weakness and lethargy
- iron deficiency anaemia and/or other vitamin and mineral deficiencies
- failure to thrive or delayed puberty in children
- weight loss (although some people may gain weight)
- bone and joint pains
- recurrent mouth ulcers and/or swelling of mouth or tongue
- altered mental alertness and irritability
- skin rashes such as dermatitis herpetiformis
- easy bruising of the skin
People who experience any of the following should also be screened for coeliac disease:
- early onset osteoporosis
- unexplained infertility
- family history of coeliac disease
- liver disease
- autoimmune disease e.g. type 1 diabetes, autoimmune thyroid condition
Coeliac disease and gluten intolerance in Seniors
Coeliac disease was originally considered to be a childhood disease, however, today, diagnoses occur at any age. It may be identified at around two years of age, also around the mid-thirties and even in people aged in their eighties and nineties.
It is vital that any person (of any age) who is diagnosed with coeliac disease, remains on the diet in order to help their body to 'recover'. A bone density test, which can determine the risk of osteoporosis, is also recommended for all people diagnosed with coeliac disease. As osteoporosis is associated with senior years in the general population, it is particularly important that bone status is known in a person with coeliac disease.
Gluten free meals for Seniors
If you are a Senior, it may feel slightly overwhelming to start a gluten free diet after a lifetime of unrestricted food habits which now need to change.
The good news however is that gluten free meals and gluten free foods are becoming far more common, with many restaurants, cafes and grocery stores starting to cater to this need. Furthermore, TLC’s team of nutritionists have extensive experience in catering to gluten intolerance and coeliac disease, making a range of home cooked meals that are suitable to assist those who need to change their diet to gluten free.
If you are a Senior, feel free to read more about our Senior meals delivered discount & our range of gluten free meal options.
Get started with gluten free meals delivered to your door
Ready to order our home cooked gluten free meals? Simply browse our menu and select ‘Gluten Free’ to filter only coeliac meals. Remember, our healthy, home delivered gluten free meals can be tailored to your specific needs, helping you take the guess work out of managing coeliac disease.
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