If you are wheat sensitive or coeliac, you cannot eat wheat but you can eat rice in all its forms (and there are masses to choose from these days). You can also choose from wild rice, sago, tapioca, soya, millet, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, corn and maize in all its forms, gram flour, urid flour, arrowroot, yam and potato flours. There is also a wheat-free/gluten-free flour available from all good supermarkets. If you are wheat intolerant - but not coeliac - you can also eat oats, barley and rye.
Traditional Italian pasta, which is made from durum wheat, is on the list of forbidden foods, but there are lots of corn, rice and buckwheat pastas available in supermarkets and health food shops, and you can even try your hand at making your own.
You can buy commercially made varieties of bread, biscuits (cookies) and cakes in health food shops (at a price!) and a few items, like rice cakes, are available in supermarkets. If you are wheat intolerant you can also eat pumpernickel and whole rye crispbreads. Beware though as many oat, barley or rye products also contain wheat flour.
When you discover that you need to go on a special diet, it is sometimes difficult to sort out the mass of information that may be offered to you - and there are always gaps where you least need them! This list highlights the information that most coeliac and wheat-intolerant people need about common items in their diet.
Alcohol: Coeliacs can drink if they want to. Still and sparkling wines, sherries, ports, vermouths, cider, liqueurs and many spirits, including brandy, gin and rum, are perfectly acceptable but it is recommended that you do not drink beer, stout or lager because these are made from barley. However, there is no evidence that whisky will do you any harm - in moderation of course!
Buckwheat: Buckwheat is not related to wheat in any way and is therefore safe for coeliacs and people with wheat intolerance to eat.
Chips (fries): Home-cooked chips are fine but bought varieties may have an added coating that includes wheat. Chips from your local fish and chip shop may be cooked in oil previously used to cook fish in batter and may cause cross-contamination, so they are best avoided too.
Hydrolised vegetable protein: Coeliacs in America are recommended to avoid this, but there is no evidence, as yet, that it causes problems.
Isomalt: This comes from sugar beet, not barley, and is safe for both coeliacs and people with wheat intolerance. It has a slight laxative effect on some people.
Malt flavouring: This does not cause any problems for wheat intolerance sufferers and the small amount used as a flavour enhancer in cornflakes, for instance, is safe for most coeliacs. If you are think you may be extra-sensitive to it, check with your gastroenterologist. I have avoided the use of any malt in the recipes in this book to make them safe for everyone, but I have used cornflakes. If you are at all unsure, you can buy gluten-free varieties. Coeliacs should avoid all malted drinks and pure malt.
Medicines: Most medication is fine, but some vitamin supplements, for instance, may contain wheat flour or starch as a filler. To be quite certain, check with your pharmacist. Bear in mind that if a medicine upsets your stomach, it is more likely to be caused by the medicine itself than the possibility that it has wheat in it.
Monosodium glutamate: This is a flavour enhancer found in many commercially prepared foods. Although it is made from sugar beet and wheat, after processing, it is unlikely to cause a reaction in both coeliacs and wheat intolerance sufferers.
Oats: Both oats and oat products can be eaten freely by wheat intolerance sufferers, but there is much controversy as to whether or not coeliacs should eat them. Although they do not naturally contain gluten, there is a likelihood of cross-contamination because they are milled in the same factories as wheat. Because of this uncertainty, I have excluded them from this book.
Play dough: Commercial and home-made varieties are made largely from wheat flour. Unfortunately, bought play dough smells nice and children are often tempted to nibble it so do make sure coeliac children do not. Recipes for making play dough at home usually contain a huge amount of salt, which should be enough to put children off snacking as they play! Make sure they wash their hands well after use.
Quorn: This is a vegetable protein made from a fungus. The plain minced (ground) kind and pieces and steaks are all safe. However, ready-prepared meals made with Quorn, either coated or in sauce, may contain wheat or gluten and so are not suitable.
Soya protein: TVP (textured vegetable protein) is safe, as is tofu (soya bean curd).
Stamps, gummed labels and envelopes: It is a myth that the gum used on these contains gluten so you can safely lick them if you like (personally, I'd rather not anyway!).
Toothpastes, other dental pastes, powders and creams and mouthwashes: The British Dental Association says all these are safe. The cellulose gum used as a thickener does not contain gluten.
Vinegar: Wine, fruit and cider vinegars are fine. There is some controversy about malt and spirit vinegar. For this reason, I have avoided using them. If in any doubt, check with your gastroenterologist. If you cannot tolerate them, you will need to check the labels of all pickles, dressing and relishes. As an alternative, I have provided some delicious recipes for these items at the end of the book.
Always read the labels and make a note of which brands you discover you can use. For instance, Heinz tomato ketchup (catsup) and baked beans are perfectly suitable but some brands are not. Even baking powder varies - Tesco's own brand is fine but Borwicks contains wheat flour. Where there is doubt, I have called for gluten-free varieties in my recipes. You do not have to go to specialist shops - just check the label before you buy.
Every day we all need to have foods in varying quantities from all the five main food groups given below.
Carbohydrates for energy: There are two types of carbohydrates - complex and simple. The complex ones are all the starchy foods like bread, pasta, rice, cereals and potatoes. If you are wheat intolerant, your choice is slightly more limited than usual because ordinary bread, pasta and many breakfast cereals have to be avoided. You should eat plenty of starchy carbohydrate for energy, so look earlier in this chapter for the alternative grains you can have. Simple carbohydrates are sugars. These are found naturally in many foods from fruit to milk, but are also manufactured commercially in many forms, such as all types of granular sugars and syrups, black treacle (molasses) and honey. Plenty of sugar is contained naturally in foods and all the extra you add to biscuits (cookies), cakes and puddings just piles on unnecessary calories. So keep added sugars to a minimum.
Proteins for body growth and repair: Protein is found in lean meat, poultry, game, fish, eggs, dairy products, pulses and manufactured vegetable proteins such as soya protein, tofu (bean curd) and Quorn. If you are also lactose intolerant, avoid dairy products (although you may be able to tolerate hard cheese and yoghurt, goats' and sheep's milk). Eat two or three small portions of protein a day.
Vitamins and minerals for general well-being: The best sources are fruit and vegetables. These should, ideally, be fresh, but varieties that are frozen or canned in water or natural juice are fine too. Eat at least five portions a day.
Fibre for healthy body functioning: Eat plenty of fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, dried fruit and skins on potatoes plus the cereals you can eat.
Fat for warmth and energy and to protect the skin, muscles and organs: All you need is found naturally in foods, so keep added fat, in the form of butter, margarine or oils, to the minimum, and eat any fat sparingly.