Royal Hospital for Children for Patients, Carers & Visitors
Oats can be included in a gluten free diet, but only certified gluten free oats are permitted. Ordinary oats are often contaminated with gluten during processing, so only gluten free labelled oats should be used. Most people with coeliac disease can tolerate oats, but a small number of people may still react to them because of a protein in oats called avenin.
FAQ: Common questions
Yes, the number of gluten-free food units your child is entitled to depends on their age and gender. For example, young people aged 15-18 years can receive up to 18 units per month for males and 14 units per month for females.
If your child has coeliac disease, the school can provide gluten-free options. You will need to inform your Dietitian, who can complete a special diet request form.
Yes, for people with coeliac disease, following a strict gluten free diet for life is the only treatment.
Not all children with coeliac disease have symptoms. Even without symptoms, eating gluten will cause ongoing harm to the gut and can lead to long term problems such as poor nutrient absorption, anaemia or weak bones.
Yes, even tiny amounts of gluten can cause damage to the gut in coeliac disease. This means it is important to avoid cross-contamination, when gluten accidentally gets into gluten free-foods.
Even if you have already commenced a gluten free diet, blood tests are important to monitor how well your child’s gut is healing and to check for any nutritional deficiencies. These bloods are taken during coeliac review appointments.
Codex wheat starch is a type of wheat starch that has been processed to remove most of the gluten. If a product containing codex wheat starch is labelled gluten free, then the final product will contain less than 20 ppm of gluten which is safe to eat.
