Gluten Free and healthy living
Gluten Free Diet
New to Gluten Free? Where to Start?
When you have Celiac Disease, eating gluten damages the intestinal lining of your small intestine and can cause a host of symptoms and health problems. The current treatment for Celiac Disease is an adherence to a lifelong gluten free diet. This may seem overwhelming at first, but Celiac Edmonton has resources and a community that can help. Sign up for the next Gluten Free Living 101 session where our dietician can answer many questions to get your started on eating healthy gluten free.
Celiac Canada offers further resources which can to help you navigate the gluten free diet. Newly Diagnosed Pathway is a course offered to help you thrive as you start your gluten free journey.
Download (The Gluten-Free Diet) Brochure or go to www.celiac.ca for more information.
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Food Labeling
Check every label every time
The gluten free diet is absolutely necessary if you have celiac disease. This is because your body no longer recognizes gluten, and gluten has become harmful to you. Celiacs in Edmonton and everywhere else must eliminate all gluten from their diets for life.
Years ago, celiacs didn’t have many options for eating gluten free, but that has really changed. Today there are tons of great products on the market that have made the gluten free diet easier and more satisfying. Even restaurants offer tasty gluten free options.
When you first start on a gluten free diet, it will take some time to discover which gluten free products you like. This can be an adventure as you get to try new things and experiment with your diet. There is also a wide range of “regular” foods you can eat, like fresh fish, meat, fruits, vegetables, eggs, and most cheeses.
Of course, you’ll want to spend some time learning what is and isn’t safe to eat, and how to avoid cross-contamination. It is important to learn where gluten may be hiding and how to properly read labels. At Celiac Edmonton, we offer information and resources to help. All you have to do is ask.
As you begin your gluten free journey, remember to have fun, and to check every label, every time.
Food Labelling: Guidelines for Individuals with Celiac Disease Following a Gluten-Free Diet is an excellent document Celiac Canada has developed to educate on reading labels.
Click here CCA Nutrition Tips Webinar to watch an explanation of food labelling from the 2021 CCA Virtual Conference.
Dietician Advice
It is important when you are newly diagnosed to seek out the advice of a registered dietitian for help with transitioning to the GF diet, or if you have been on the GF diet and are having difficulties with nutritional deficiencies or lingering symptoms.
Alberta Healthy Living Program offers appointments with a Registered Dietitian free of charge. All telephone or in-person appointments are offered Mon-Fri during the day.
Alberta Health Services also offers one 1.5 hour Zoom or phone-in session on “Celiac Disease: Going Gluten-Free”. In this session you will learn:
What is celiac disease?
Healthy eating on a gluten-free diet
Ways to avoid and limit cross-contamination at home or when eating out
Who is this Class For?
People diagnosed with celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis and their support persons or people who want information on celiac disease.
Classes are facilitated by registered dietitians.
For information and to Register (Mon-Fri 8am –4pm): (1-844-527-1160)
or online at www.albertahealthservices.ca
Nutrition
Are you eating better or worse since being diagnosed?
Are gluten free products healthier than wheat alternatives?
Do you gain or lose weight after Diagnosis?
Gluten free products are often about 1/3 of the size smaller than wheat based products. Do people eat a single portion or do they eat more as visually the product appears less?
Learn more about eating healthy gluten free. Debbie Pietsch, a registered dietician and a member of our advisory board put together a presentation to answer these questions and others.
Check our calendar for the next Gluten Free Living 101 session.
Celiac Canada partnered with Ryerson University’s Masters of Nutrition Program to offer a webinar on potential nutrition deficiencies of people living with Celiac Disease long term and how they can boost their health. The webinar features 4 Ryerson dietetic interns discussing how to get important vitamins and nutrients on a gluten free diet. This in-depth webinar is 1 hour in length and discusses how to eat well on a GF diet (outlined using Canada’s food guide).
Watch the CCA Nutrition Tips Webinar Video
How do I know if a product is gluten free?
Read every label every time. New regulations by Health Canada requires manufacturers to label products with commonly used words such as “milk” or “wheat”, thus making it easier for people with Celiac Disease to determine if a product contains gluten or not. Click here to read more on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s website.
We also suggest contacting the manufacturer. They are the greatest source of information to know if their product is gluten free. We also suggest you ask the following questions:
- Are there any gluten ingredients such as wheat, rye or barley in this product?
- Does your manufacturing facility handle any gluten ingredients such as wheat, rye or barley?
- Is this product produced on a dedicated production line that does not contain any gluten ingredients such as wheat, rye or barley?
- Do you test your products for gluten? If so, what does your product test at parts per million (ppm)? Health Canada considers anything 20ppm and below to be gluten free.
Answers to these questions will help you decide if you want to purchase their product and consider them safe or not.
The Celiac Canada also runs a gluten free certification program and have begun to certify brands. Click here to visit the Celiac Canada website and see a list of gluten free certified brands.