Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Celiac Disease: Eating a Gluten-Free Diet
By following a gluten-free eating plan:
- You avoid damaging your intestines and the severe problems that the damage can cause.
- Your body can get the nutrition it needs.
- You control your symptoms.
After you go on a gluten-free diet, symptoms such as bloating, gas, and diarrhea usually bother you less or go away within 2 or 3 weeks. Also, your body begins to absorb nutrients normally, and the small intestine gradually heals.
If celiac disease goes untreated, you are more likely to get iron deficiency anemia, folic acid deficiency anemia, osteoporosis, and other problems.
Test Your Knowledge
By eating foods that are free of gluten, you avoid damaging your intestines.
TruePeople who have celiac disease must be on a gluten-free eating plan. If the disease is left untreated, more severe problems can start.
FalsePeople who have celiac disease must be on a gluten-free eating plan. If the disease is left untreated, more severe problems can start.
Continue to 
How to eat when you have celiac disease
Return to 
Celiac Disease: Eating a Gluten-Free Diet
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: June 18, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Susan C. Kim, MD - Pediatrics Jerry S. Trier, MD - Gastroenterology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
from
- Facebook is now fueling organ donations
- Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound
- Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek
- Ask Jenna: I've hit a weight loss plateau. What do I do?
- He poses in a tutu to laugh in face of wife's cancer
- After chemo hair loss, 'henna crowns' help heal
The iVillage Network