Triumphs follow gluten-free diet

Every time she eats in a restaurant, Shauna James Ahern could be taking a risk. Eating the most ordinary foods could result in searing abdominal cramps, stomach pain and overwhelming exhaustion.

Miss Ahern is one of tens of thousands of people in the United States diagnosed with celiac disease, an autoimmune disease that makes gluten, a protein found in wheat, the body’s enemy. Along with celiac disease, some people have an allergy to wheat, which is one of the eight most common food allergies in the United States, and still more Americans are gluten intolerant.

For Miss Ahern and others with similar health concerns, many foods or beverages others take for granted — such as bread, pasta, many breakfast cereals and beer — can be dangerous.

At one time, people with celiac disease or a wheat avoidance condition would have had a limited diet. That’s changing.

Because more Americans may have celiac disease than previously thought, more is known about managing a gluten-free life. People with celiac disease share their culinary triumphs. Nutrition and culinary experts are helping, as well, by offering advice on using alternative ingredients.

Taking a positive approach to food makes a big difference, says Miss Ahern, who lives in Seattle.

“Instead of longing for the food I had as a child, I’m looking for foods that are naturally gluten-free,” says Miss Ahern, author of “Gluten-Free Girl” (Wiley) and creator of the popular blog by the same name (www.glutenfreegirl.com).

Her culinary high points have included risotto with black truffles in Umbria during her Italian honeymoon. “It was better than any pasta,” she says. She has learned to love red quinoa and makes sorghum bread she “adores.”

“I still love carbs; I eat better carbs,” she says.

Miss Ahern educated herself on nutritious alternatives to wheat. However, eating a healthy wheat-free diet may be challenging for many.

People with celiac disease are advised to omit wheat, barley, rye, spelt, kamut and triticale from their diets. Some experts say to avoid oats because of contamination with wheat (for a more complete discussion of celiac disease and diet, visit the Web site of the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America at www.gluten.net or the government’s Web site at www.celiac.nih.gov).

When you substitute other foods for wheat you may be consuming less dietary fiber and more calories, says Cynthia Kupper, a registered dietitian and executive director of the Gluten Intolerance Group of North America in Auburn, Wash.

“If you take a look at the history of the gluten-free diet, the grains that were used instead were potato starch and rice; very refined,” says Miss Kupper.

As a result, people with celiac disease could be short zinc, calcium, iron and some B vitamins as well as fiber, she says.

That doesn’t have to be the case, however. You’ll find a wide variety of healthful gluten-free grains and flours made from legumes in your supermarket or natural food store.

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