If you are newly diagnosed with coeliac disease, what’s next? You’ve gone through the diagnosis process after suffering with symptoms of coeliac disease, and now you have access to gluten free products on prescription and a whole new world of gluten free food to explore. Before we get into what happens next, let’s briefly look at the diagnosis process.

How do you get diagnosed with coeliac disease?

Before your whole world opened up after a diagnosis, you’ll have been suffering with symptoms of coeliac disease and maybe not understanding what was happening at first. Understanding the symptoms is important before you can move forward. Some of the symptoms of coeliac disease include:

  • Diarrhoea
  • Fatigue
  • Bloating
  • IBS
  • Mouth ulcers
  • Anaemia
  • Unexplained weight loss

If you suffer from any of these symptoms, it is worth consulting your GP to go through some testing. The testing process includes a blood test, and you may be required to undergo a biopsy of your small intestine to confirm the diagnosis, depending on the results of the blood test.

During the testing process, it is important that you maintain the same diet, continuing to eat foods that contain gluten. This is due to the integrity of the tests and the accuracy of the results.

What happens post diagnosis?

Once the diagnosis for coeliac disease has been confirmed, the next stage is to take advantage of the support provided through gluten-free products on prescription and learn how to look for and purchase gluten free food and cook gluten free meals. Changing your lifestyle might take time, but there is plenty of support available.

Finding gluten-free products

You’ll find gluten free products in every supermarket across the country now, with the ‘free from’ aisle in most shops full of delicious food items. It’s not as difficult as it once was a few years ago, and not as expensive. There are also specialist shops and brands where you can find solely gluten-free alternatives to food.

Gluten-free labels

Food can only be labelled as gluten-free if it contains no more than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. This is a standard that is set for both gluten-free food served in restaurants and for pre-packaged foods sold in supermarkets. Knowing what to look out for on the labelling will help you to find gluten-free food when first diagnosed with coeliac disease.

Gluten free food on prescription

If you want to ensure that you have staple gluten-free products for your day-to-day cupboard essentials, you may be entitled to a prescription for gluten-free products. There are different types of products available depending on the area of the country you live in. You can acquire products such as gluten-free pizza, gluten-free flour mixes, bread, and crackers, amongst others.

Living gluten free is completely manageable once you have been diagnosed with coeliac disease. From gluten-free products on prescription to learning about the labelling of gluten-free foods and finding gluten-free recipes to cook your favourite meals without the inclusion of gluten, there is plenty of support and guidance available.