Gluten-free eating for coeliac disease Whai āwhina mō te matenga witi-kore
People with coeliac disease have a permanent intolerance to gluten. The only effective treatment is to follow a strict gluten-free diet. Find out what foods to avoid and how to eat well without gluten.
Avoiding gluten
If you have been diagnosed with coeliac disease, you will need to avoid all foods containing gluten for the rest of your life. It may sound daunting at first, but you will get used it and eating gluten free will become normal for you.
Once you are diagnosed and start your gluten-free diet, the inflammation in your small intestine will start to go away. As your gut heals:
- you will be able to absorb the nutrients in food properly
- any symptoms you had will start to get better.
This process can take some time.
It is important to eat a gluten-free diet even if you do not have any symptoms. This is because you can still damage your small intestine by eating gluten.
Even very tiny amounts of gluten can damage your gut.
What contains gluten
Gluten is a protein that is in:
- wheat
- rye
- barley
- oats
- dinkel (also called dinkel wheat and spelt)
- triticale (a cross between wheat and rye).
Many breads, pastas, breakfast cereals, baked goods and processed foods contain these grains. It is important you learn how to recognise and avoid them. Use the guides below to help you.
Getting started on a gluten-free diet
Following a gluten-free diet can be overwhelming. It is easier if you have the right information and support. A dietitian can help get you started on a healthy gluten-free diet.
At an appointment with the dietitian, you can expect to discuss:
- foods that contain gluten, including hidden sources of gluten and cross-contamination
- alternative foods that do not contain gluten
- advice on eating out and travel
- getting gluten-free foods on prescription — what is available and how to get repeat prescriptions
- how to read labels so you know if a food contains gluten
- gluten-free recipes, including information on how to adapt recipes that include gluten
- how to make sure you get all the nutrients you need on a gluten-free diet
- dietary advice about any related conditions you might have, which might include diabetes, lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome, osteoporosis and heart disease.
Other food intolerances
Some people with coeliac disease also have lactose intolerance. Lactose intolerance caused by coeliac disease is usually temporary. It often disappears when you are on a gluten-free diet and your gut has healed.
Some people continue to experience bloating, runny poos (diarrhoea) and excessive farting, even when on a strict gluten-free diet. If this happens, you may have another food intolerance. Talk to your dietitian or other healthcare provider.
Food you can and cannot eat
Choose foods that are naturally gluten-free such as:
- fresh and frozen vegetables and fruit
- rice
- dairy products such as milk, most yoghurts and cheese
- eggs
- nuts and seeds
- legumes (cooked dried beans, split peas and lentils)
- unprocessed meat, fish and chicken.
Always check the label. Some of the gluten-free foods listed below may have versions that contain gluten. Also, some foods listed as 'to avoid' may have a gluten-free version available.
Gluten-free grains and flours
- Rice — rice flour, ground rice and rice bran
- Buckwheat — buckwheat flour
- Maize (corn) — Maize cornflour, cornmeal, polenta
- Millet — millet flour
- Sago
- Tapioca — tapioca flour
- Quinoa — quinoa flour
- Amaranth — amaranth flour
- Teff — teff flour
- Sorghum — sorghum flour
- Arrowroot, soy flour, peaflour and potato flour
Grains and flours to avoid
- Wheat and kibbled wheat — white and wholemeal flour, bran, wheatgerm, wheaten cornflour, wheat starch
- Semolina, couscous and bulgur
- Dinkel wheat or spelt — dinkle flour
- Rye — rye flour and rye meal
- Barley and kibbled barley — barley flour
- Oats — oat flour an oat bran
- Triticale
- Other wheat and wheat flours including durum, farina, farro and graham.
Gluten-free baked goods
- Gluten-free pasta made from corn, rice, millet, buckwheat or legumes
- Gluten-free bread, crackers, biscuits, snack bars and cake
Baked goods to avoid
- Most pasta including spaghetti, lasagne, fettuccine and other shapes
- Most commercial breads, crackers, biscuits, snack bars and cake
Gluten-free cereals
Cereals made from:
- millet
- buckwheat
- corn
- rice.
These include gluten-free muesli, porridge, cornflakes and rice bubbles.
Cereals to avoid
Cereals made from:
- wheat
- rye
- barley
- oats.
These include Weet-Bix, Honey Puffs, bran flakes, muesli and others.
Gluten-free milk products
- cow's milk — fresh, dried, evaporated or long-life
- goat's milk
- hemp milk
- rice milk
- almond milk
- soy milks (most brands)
- yoghurt (most brands)
- plain tofu
- butter, cheese, fresh cream, sour cream
- ice cream (most brands)
Milk products to avoid
- commercial milkshakes, thickshakes, frosty shakes, malted milk
- oat milk and some soy milks
- some yoghurts, cream cheeses and some flavoured ice cream
- some sour cream, processed cheese and spreads
- mock cream
All vegetables and fruit are gluten-free. This includes fresh, dried, frozen and most canned options.
Vegetables and fruit products to avoid
- vegetable and fruit pies
- vegetables or fruit in batter or breadcrumbs
- some potato products such as wedges and croquettes
Gluten-free meat, fish and chicken
- fresh beef, fish, chicken, lamb, pork, turkey and game
- smoked or cured pure meat such as bacon or ham
- gluten-free sausages
Meat fish and chicken products to avoid
- products coated with breadcrumbs, cooked in batter or pre-marinated
- most sausages, cheerios and luncheon sausage
- some salamis, meat pies, meat pastes
- fish fingers, fish cakes, fish pies, fish paste and fish canned in sauce
- chicken pies and chicken stuffing
Gluten-free options
- Homemade gluten-free soup, sauce and gravy
- Tamari (wheat-free soy sauce – check the label)
Foods to avoid
- Some canned and packet varieties of soup, sauces and gravies
- Most soy sauce, some Worcestershire sauce and some Bisto products
Gluten-free drinks
- tea and coffee
- fruit juice and cordials
- fizzy drinks
- cocoa, most drinking chocolate and carob
- wine, gluten-free beer, cider, whisky, gin, rum, vodka, port and sherry
Drinks to avoid
- Horlicks, Milo, Ovaltine and Bournvita
- commercial milkshakes and thickshakes
- lemon and barley cordial
- beer, ale, lager and stout
Gluten-free foods and ingredients
- gluten-free baking powder, baking soda and cream of tartar
- some custard powder
- fresh and dried herbs
- vinegar — white, balsamic, wine and cider (not malt vinegar)
- plain or salted nuts and seeds (including linseed and chia seeds), peanut butter and tahini
- sugar (white, brown, raw, castor and some icing sugar), golden syrup, honey, molasses
- oils and margarine
- guar gum and xanthan gum
Other foods and ingredients to avoid
- some commercial baking powders
- wheaten custard powder
- some mustard and curry powders
- some spices
- most icing sugar
- some stock powders and liquids
- most malts, Maltexo and malt vinegar
- brewer's yeast
- Promite, Marmite, Vegemite
- packet suet
- some flavoured and dry-roasted nuts
- liquorice and some other sweets
- wheatgerm oil
- some flavoured potato and corn chips
- some filled chocolates and chocolate bars
- ice cream cones, communion wafers
- some medicines — check with your pharmacist
Identifying gluten-free packaged food
Coeliac New Zealand provides a shopping guide to buying gluten-free products. Foods that are certified gluten free may use the 'Crossed grain' logo on their products, so you can easily identify them.
Crossed grain gluten-free shopping guide — Coeliac New Zealand
You can also quickly identify which packaged food products contain gluten (and other ingredients) by scanning the barcode using the FoodSwitch app. Use the 'gluten-free' filter on the app.