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A Beginner’s Guide to Coeliac Disease

A Beginner’s Guide to Coeliac Disease

Coeliac Awareness Week 2024 runs from March 13th – 20th, and International Coeliac Day is May 16th. The purpose of these events is to raise awareness of coeliac disease. To help spread the word, we’ve pulled together an introductory guide.

Get an instant download of our Coeliac Disease Guide here>

What is coeliac disease?

Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition where the body reacts abnormally to gluten, causing small bowel damage.

Villi are tiny finger-like projections that line the bowel; they are flattened and become inflamed when gluten is consumed.

This condition is a type of atrophy that reduces the available surface of the bowel to absorb the food’s nutrients.

Illustration of healthy vs. damaged villi

Gluten is responsible for this damage to the body and can be found in a wide range of food and beverages. Wheat, barley, rye, and oats all contain gluten at varying levels.

At first glance, this may not seem like a lot of food types; however, food manufacturers use these ingredients in a surprising number of products.

How many Australians are affected by CD?

It is estimated that one in every seventy Australians has Coeliac Disease. Interestingly, of that number, around 80% have not been diagnosed. In Australia, Coeliac Awareness Week plays a major role in increasing awareness and helping people understand the symptoms.

There’s a 15% chance that if you have coeliac disease, you’ll have another autoimmune disease. The later the age of diagnosis, the higher the possibility of developing other autoimmune disorders.

Some of the common disorders associated with CD include arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and thyroid disease. For more information, check out this page.

Symptoms of CD

So, what are the common symptoms associated with coeliac disease? There is a wide range, but here are some of the more common ones:

+Abdominal pain

+Weight loss

+Fatigue

+Nausea

+Joint pain

+Fertility problems

+Constipation

+Diarrhoea

+Stomach pain

+Growth problems

+Skin rashes

+Anaemia

There is a range of other symptoms so check out Coeliac Australia’s symptoms for more information.

How to test for coeliac disease

Do you suspect you may have coeliac disease? Getting a definitive diagnosis from a qualified medical practitioner is imperative. The good news is, screening for this disease is relatively simple.

Step 1: Maintain a regular diet

Before any medical testing can be carried out, you’ll need to stick to a regular gluten diet for six weeks. You probably won’t feel great over this period, but it is necessary. Testing may produce false negatives if you’re already on a gluten-free diet.

Step 2: Get blood tests

A quick blood test, referred to as serology testing, is the next step in the process of diagnosis. The test looks for elevated levels of specific antibody proteins. Higher levels indicate that there could be an immune reaction to gluten.

Step 3: Endoscopy

If the blood test results come back positive, then your doctor will usually request an endoscopy. A long tube with a small camera is fed down the throat and through to the small intestine. This allows the specialist to take a close look at the lining of the intestine. At the same time, several biopsies can be taken, which involves taking some small tissue samples; any damage to the villi will be evident from analysing these tissue samples.

The thought of an endoscopy may seem overwhelming for some, but it is actually a simple procedure that usually takes under 10 minutes.

Fast facts

* The average age for getting diagnosed with coeliac disease is 40 years of age.

* If a family member has CD, there’s a 1 in 10 chance of other family members also developing it.

* Once starting a gluten free diet, it takes 3-6 months for the small intestine to recover in children.

* Once starting a gluten free diet, it takes 2-3 years for the small intestine to recover in adults.

Coeliac disease and diet

Life for a coeliac is a different world in 2020 compared to 10 years ago. There is a wide range of products on supermarket shelves that are suitable for those on a gluten-free diet. Virtually every category of food has an ever-increasing number of options; however, there is still plenty of room for new products to be developed.

According to data published by Statista the gluten-free market is estimated to grow to almost USD$7 billion by 2025.

Did you know that 12.1% of Australians have removed gluten and or wheat from their diet? This number grows each year, which means there is an ever-growing base of resources in this area. If you need to eat gluten-free then you won’t be alone. There are loads of gluten free recipes that have been developed without gluten, as well as groups on social media to discuss anything related to the topic.

Your initial foray into eating gluten free may seem overwhelming. There are a surprising number of products that contain it. Soup, processed meat, dressings, sauces, and even beer may contain gluten.

In Australia, gluten is classified as an allergen and must be declared on the product’s nutritional label. Always check this label in-store. Even if a product is gluten-free, the food may have been made in a facility that contains allergens.

Summing up

If you, or your child, are experiencing symptoms of coeliac disease then the best thing you can do is visit your doctor to get a checkup. A simple 3-step process will provide you with solid answers.

For those that have recently been diagnosed, eating out and at-home cooking may seem daunting at first. We suggest asking lots of questions and joining online groups to absorb as much information as possible.

Another great option is to attend exhibitions – these are invaluable for finding new gluten free food suppliers and for staying up to date with all the latest information on coeliac disease.

Hungry to learn more?

Check out our gluten free baking guide here.

Fully Baked Bread Now Available

Fully Baked Bread Now Available

Gluten Free Baked Bread

Gluten Free Bread, just got better!

Bread is the most basic comfort. For many, it’s an important part of our diet and culture. For people who are Coeliac and gluten intolerant, finding good bread is essential to their well-being!

Well and Good is a business based on customer service, innovation and creating delicious and indulgent products that happen to be gluten free. Getting bread right, without gluten, wheat, dairy, egg and soy means a lot to our team and customers.

Introducing gluten free baked bread by Well and Good

Gluten Free Sandwich BreadSometimes we find an ingredient or technical innovation that is a total game changer. Combining passion and expertise for product development is what our team is best at. Our goal was to create a product that can further raise the bar in gluten free baking innovation. Enter Well and Good Bakery, based in Melbourne. This bakery has allowed us to bring to you a range of fully baked bread that is simply irresistible!

This isn’t a mix – it’s fully baked and ready to eat. After talking to our customers back in 2016, the message was very clear. There simply isn’t a quality gluten free bread range available at a competitive price. We decided to change that. By investing in a purpose built, gluten free bakery we now have the ability to produce a wide range of bread that we’re confident you’ll enjoy.

The initial range we’ve introduced consists of the following five products:

Well and Good Bread Range

Hamburger Bun: Soft on the inside with a golden chewy exterior, these hamburger buns are an essential building block to the perfect gluten free hamburger.

Mini Baguette: A traditional white bread with a lovely golden crust – ideal for many applications. Make gluten free garlic bread in minutes!

Gluten Free BreadWhite Seeded Bread: A soft white bread with seeds added for added nutrition and taste. Available in small or large loaf.

Slider Rolls: Soft and fluffy dinner rolls which are the perfect accompaniment to your favourite dinner-time meal. Delicious on their own with a knob of butter or used to make sliders and mini rolls.

How to Order

In store: Our range is rolling out through stores in NSW and SA. We’re available in independents supermarkets and health food stores.

Online: If you’re in VIC or NSW, you can visit buyglutenfreedirect.com.au to place your order. We’re currently using Australia Post to ship to customers. If you’re in another part of Australia stay tuned – we’ll be rolling out to additional states over the coming months.

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Gluten Free Dessert Pizza

Gluten Free Dessert Pizza

Having made a lot of gluten free desserts over the years, we have a pretty good idea of what’s a fun dessert and what isn’t. The team at Well and Good recently created this recipe for gluten free dessert pizza and we think you’re going to love making it.

Dessert Pizza

The base is simply made from our Mud Cake Mix and it takes about 25 minutes to mix the ingredients and bake the base. From there the fun starts! Let the kids creativity run wild by adding whatever toppings they desire. Or maybe you’d prefer to create your own masterpiece? What you can count on, is that this dessert pizza is a crowd pleaser. Whether it’s your family or for a group of friends, everyone will love it!

Be sure to make the base in advance so that it has plenty of time to completely cool down. You don’t want to serve up this one with melted icing.

Share your recipes with us

If you decide to make a dessert pizza, we’d love to see your work. You can email it to marketing @ wellandgood.com.au or post it to our Facebook Page. For a nice looking recipe picture, we have been known to reward those that share.

How To Make The Best Ice Cream

How To Make The Best Ice Cream

gluten free ice creamHave you ever made ice cream at home before? One of the team here at Well and Good was busy over the holidays trying out loads of new ice cream recipes. The choc cherry ice cream (shown in picture) was a real favourite and didn’t last long in the freezer! It had a lovely creamy base with the 70% dark chocolate pairing well with fresh cherries.

The magic ingredient to make amazing ice cream

Did you know guar gum is an excellent stabiliser for ice cream? It takes your ice cream from great to spectacular. The texture you get from using guar is very similar to the gelati you find in those Italian gelati shops that always have lines out the door. The guar also reduces the iciness of the product which is one of the biggest problems with home made ice cream.

How to use Guar Gum

It is quite incredible how little of this ingredient you need to use. When you’re whipping up your next batch of ice cream, simply add between 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of guar gum to your base for each litre of ice cream. You may want to experiment with the quantity as everyone has different tastes.

Avoid the issue of clumping

Many first time users of guam gum add it straight into the wet mixture – this is a big no. The problem is that it will turn into a gluggy clump of gum – far from desirable for your ice cream! Be sure to mix the guar gum with another dry ingredient such as sugar first to avoid this problem. It is best to gradually add the gum to the ice cream using a mixer or a whisk.

Ice cream tastes so much better when you do it yourself and you avoid all the added extras that come with the store bought products. So get yourself an ice cream machine today and get started – it’s easy!

5 Gluten Free Cookie Recipes for National Cookie Day

5 Gluten Free Cookie Recipes for National Cookie Day

National Cookie Day is celebrated Dec 4th each year. It takes place in the U.S day and celebrates the virtues of the cookie. Although Australia doesn’t have it’s own day to pay respect to this delicious sweet snack, we decided to celebrate it anyway! As well as cooking up loads of yummy cookies for the team at Well and Good, we’ve pulled together a list of amazing gluten free biscuit recipes for you to bake at home.

Share your favourite recipe and WIN!

We’d like to expand the number of cookie recipes on our website for our viewers. If you have a favourite gluten free recipe that you’d like to share, we’d love for you to send it with us. Email your recipe to nate @ wellandgood.com.au and the first five submissions will receive a special thank you prize.

Our top gluten free cookie recipes:

Gluten Free Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Choc Chip Cookies
https://wellandgood.com.au/recipe/gluten-free-choc-chip-cookies/

Choc Macadamia Cookies
https://wellandgood.com.au/recipe/double-choc-choc-macadamia-cookie/

Choc Chip Pecan Cookies
https://wellandgood.com.au/recipe/gluten-free-choc-chip-pecan-cookies/

Viennese Biscuits
https://wellandgood.com.au/recipe/gluten-free-viennese-biscuits/

Melting Moments
https://wellandgood.com.au/recipe/lemon-filling-for-melting-moments/

Gingerbread Biscuits
https://wellandgood.com.au/recipe/gluten-free-gingerbread-biscuits/