Celiac sprue, also known as celiac disease or gluten sensitive enteropathy, describes a digestive disease that occurs when the immune system attacks and damages the intestines in response to gluten. Gluten is a protein found in grains such as wheat, rye and barley. When the immune system damages the villi, small projections in the intestines, it alters the ability to absorb nutrients, causing abdominal bloating, chronic diarrhea, vomiting, constipation and weight loss. To avoid additional complications such as anemia, arthritis and seizures, you must adopt a gluten-free diet which avoids consuming certain types of foods.
Grains
Grains including wheat, rye and barley contain gluten. Triticale, a cross between wheat and rye, also contains gluten. You must also avoid other variations of wheat including einkorn, emmer, spelt and kamut. Wheat in products may be disguised as wheat starch, wheat bran, wheat germ, cracked wheat and hydrolyzed wheat protein, all of which you should avoid if you have celiac sprue.
Flour
Most types of flour contain wheat, rye or barley. You must therefore avoid white flour, self-rising flour, plain flour, semolina, enriched flour, bromated flour, durum flour, phosphate flour and graham flour. If you have celiac sprue, read nutrition labels carefully to avoid consuming products that contain these flours.
Cereal
Gluten really describes a type of protein found in grains -- the major ingredient of most cereals. Those with celiac sprue cannot tolerate the specific protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Other grains, including oats, corn and rice also contain gluten proteins, but their different amino acid sequence does not trigger the immune system response. Because most types of cereals contain wheat, barley or rye, you should avoid them if you have celiac sprue. Even though the Celiac Sprue Association reports that uncontaminated oats should be tolerated by those with celiac disease, because oat cereals are often processed in manufacturing plants that also process wheat, rye or barley, it remains difficult to find uncontaminated oats. Avoiding oats means you're unlikely to have a reaction.
Processed Foods
Processed foods are foods that have been altered from their natural state to offer safety and convenience. In addition to containing added saturated fats, trans fats and sodium, many processed foods contain wheat, barley or rye often disguised as other ingredients. If you suffer from celiac sprue, you need to avoid ingredients such as bouillon, brown rice syrup, modified food starch as well as many other additives and preservatives. Foods that contain sauces, such as vegetables in sauce, soy sauce, soups and gravy also often contain gluten. Frozen french fries, imitation fish, potato chips, seasoned tortilla chips, cold cuts and candy can also contain gluten and you should avoid them.
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