If you or someone you love has been recently diagnosed with coeliac disease, you could be eligible to receive gluten free foods on prescription. Simply select your country of residence, and, if you live in England, fill in your postcode to check if your area is prescribing.
Your country is prescribing gluten free foods*. Request your Glutafin Taster Box by clicking the button below to sign up.
* Please note: local policies are constantly updated, and issuing a prescription is at the discretion of your GP.
One of the things you might notice when you start your gluten-free diet is that you put on a little weight. Don’t worry, this is because your gut is recovering and you’re beginning to absorb nutrients. If you lost weight prior to your diagnosis, gaining a little to begin with can be a good thing.
Do keep a check on it though. As for anyone, being overweight can lead to other health complications. Maintaining a healthy weight can help:
If you’re concerned about your weight, it’s time to have a think about how you can make some small improvements to make your diet and lifestyle healthier.
A healthy diet is a balanced diet, including foods from each of the main food groups and remembering to eat regular meals and healthy snacks.
Good for fibre, as well as vitamins, a healthy diet should have at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day.
Fresh, frozen, dried or canned (in their own juice, rather than syrup) are all good – but do watch out for the high sugar content in dried fruit.
Also, remember that fruit juice can contain a lot of sugar (and therefore calories!) so limit yourself to one small glass per day.
Starchy carbohydrate foods provide energy in the diet. They’re also a good source of fibre, calcium, iron, and some B vitamins. Foods like gluten-free bread, pasta and breakfast cereals, alongside rice and potatoes are rich in starch.
Try to choose higher fibre or wholegrain options where ever possible, these are better for gut health and will help to keep you feeling fuller for longer. Glutafin gluten free breads and flour mixes have been fortified with fibre and calcium to help patients with coeliac disease increase their intake of these important nutrients.
You should aim to include something starchy in each of your main meals, but it’s easy to get caught out with portion sizes! below is a simple guide to suggested portion sizes for an adult (remember, calorie requirements and portion sizes will vary depending on age and activity levels):
Milk and dairy foods are an excellent source of calcium, an essential nutrient for bone health. People with coeliac disease have an increased requirement for calcium, so this food group is particularly important.
Evidence suggests that dairy foods can also help with maintaining a healthy weight. Choose lower fat options, including semi skimmed/ skimmed milk and aim to include 3 portions of milk/ dairy food per day. A typical portion would be a small pot of yogurt or a 200ml glass of milk.
Remember, cheese is high in fat and calories so keep portion sizes small (a sensible portion of cheese is roughly the same size as a small matchbox).
Protein is essential for growth and repair of body tissues, but it also helps to keep you feeling fuller for longer. Protein rich foods include meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans. pulses, nuts, tofu and Quorn.
Aim to choose leaner cuts of meat and trim off any fat before cooking. Use healthier cooking methods such as grilling in place of frying and have less processed meats such as burgers and sausages.
We need around 2 portions of protein-rich foods per day, as a guide, a portion of protein should fit into the palm of your hand. It’s also a great idea to include some plant-based sources of protein each week – these are also high in fibre and low in saturated fat.
Snacks are important for maintaining energy levels. If you choose wisely, they can also be an important source of additional nutrients.
Here’s some healthy snack ideas to get you started:
If you’re trying to follow a healthier diet, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on the overall sugar, fat and salt content of the foods you are choosing. However, as you may already be aware from food shopping for a gluten-free diet, food labels can be confusing!
Below is a simple guide of what to look for on nutrition labels in order to make healthier food choices.
Try to choose more foods that have ‘a little’ sugar, fat and salt in them, and less foods that contain ‘a lot’ of these ingredients.
Healthy eating and regular exercise is the best way to maintain a healthy weight. Walking, gardening or swimming are all excellent forms of exercise.
It’s recommended that around 30 minutes of moderate exercise, five times a week is best – this should leave you feeling warm and breathing more heavily, but not out of puff and unable to talk.
If you haven’t done any exercise for a while, it’s best to build up your activity levels slowly by adding a little more activity in to your usual daily routine, some ideas to get you started are listed below:
If you’re aiming to lose weight, this is best done slowly. For safe and healthy weight loss, it’s recommended that you aim for around 0.5–2 pounds per week. At this level, it’s more likely that you will be able to maintain your weight loss in the longer term.
Choosing healthier meal and snack options, staying hydrated and gradually increasing your activity levels are the best way to achieve this, but it can be hard to make lots of changes all at once!
Be kind to yourself by setting small realistic goals each week and you’ll soon start to see the results!
If you or someone you love has been recently diagnosed with coeliac disease, you could be eligible to receive gluten free foods on prescription. Simply select your country of residence, and, if you live in England, fill in your postcode to check if your area is prescribing.
Your country is prescribing gluten free foods*. Request your Glutafin Taster Box by clicking the button below to sign up.
* Please note: local policies are constantly updated, and issuing a prescription is at the discretion of your GP.