Celiac Disease -- Finding Food that is Safe Enough to Eat
 When it comes to celiac disease, food can be your worst enemy. This is because people who suffer from celiac disease are gluten intolerant, meaning they can't eat foods that contain wheat, barley, or rye without suffering significant discomfort. Once you're diagnosed with celiac, your doctor will likely advise you to follow a gluten-free celiac disease diet to help you avoid symptoms such as mouth sores, joint pain, diarrhea, bloating, abdominal pain, and anemia.
Although you are probably prohibited from eating foods like cookies, pasta, and pizza, it doesn't always mean you have to eliminate every food you ate before your celiac disease diagnosis. The good news is that you can probably still enjoy many of the same types of foods you ate as a kid, and even some gluten-free versions of the "bad foods."
These days the demand for gluten-free foods is on the rise, so more and more grocery stores are carrying products that are specifically gluten-free. Those products include specially-made breads, bagels, and even pizza crusts, adding lots of delicious food options to the celiac disease sufferer's diet.
Other foods you can eat include:
- Fresh beef, poultry, fish, and pork
- Dairy including cream, butter, most yogurts, unflavored milk, and cottage cheese
- Produce such as apples, bananas, oranges, tofu, lettuce, and corn
- Snacks including some ice creams, corn chips, popcorn, pudding, and rice cakes
- Beverages such as soft drinks, 100 percent fruit juice, coffee, tea, and cocoa
- Condiments including salt, pepper, ketchup, peanut butter, honey, maple syrup, and mustard
Once you've discovered which foods are OK to eat on a gluten-free diet, it is important not to cross contaminate them with any foods that contain gluten. Some tips for avoiding cross contamination include purchasing separate jars of products like jelly and peanut butter to help prevent breadcrumbs from falling into shared jars. Another tip is to thoroughly clean pans, colanders, and cooking utensils after each use and before preparing gluten-free food for celiac disease sufferers.
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