Pregnancy And Celiac Disease

If you have celiac disease and are well controlled because you stick rigidly to a gluten-free diet, you are as likely as anyone who has not got celiac disease to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. Those who have celiac disease and who do not have a completely gluten-free diet have an increased risk of problems for themselves and their baby. Pregnancy is demanding on the body; the mum not only needs a good supply of all the necessary nutrients to keep her healthy but also to support the development of the baby. To do this she will need to eat a good, balanced gluten-free diet. Foods rich in folic acid, iron and calcium are particularly important. General Principles Your diet should be as healthy as possible. Keep to the "5" rule for fruit and vegetables. Try and eat 5 different varieties every day. Fruit juice counts as 1 variety however many glasses of it you drink. Eat food naturally rich in calcium: milk, cheese and yoghurts, sardines, pilchards etc. Commercially produced gluten-free flours and mixes are often enriched with calcium. It is a good idea to use skimmed or semi-skimmed milk and low fat yogurts and cheese so you can keep the fat content down. Avoid unpasturised milk and soft cheese or mould-ripened cheeses as they can carry bacteria. Eat food rich in the mineral iron, it can be found in lean red meat, eggs and fish