Counselling Patients

The NIH Consensus Conference on Celiac Disease identified six key elements in the management of people with Celiac Disease:

Consultation with a skilled dietitian

Education about the disease

Lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet

Identification and treatment of nutritional deficiencies

Access to an advocacy group

Continuous long-term follow up by a multidisciplinary team

The resources and links presented here are intended to provide up to date information for use in counselling as well as answers to commonly asked patient questions.

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Counselling Tools

Patient Resources (Handouts)

Children & Celiac Disease

CCA Membership

Articles from the CCA New Member Kit

Counselling Tools

• Nutrition Assessment
  A user friendly tool to aid in the assessment of a newly diagnosed patient.
• Nutrition Education
  A check-list of items that must be taught to all newly diagnosed celiac patients.
• Nutritional Complications
  Potential nutrition complications to watch for in the celiac population and ways to prevent and/or treat such problems.
• Patient Handout: Gluten Free Eating / Mange sans gluten
  Basic, comprehensive diet teaching for the gluten-free diet. This handout has been prepared in cooperation with Dietitians of Canada.

Patient Resources

• Go Gluten–Free
  A brief introduction to the gluten-free diet, including gluten-containing foods, hidden sources of gluten, and tips on reading labels.
• Celiac Disease – Myths & Facts
  Corrects many of the myths that exist about Celiac Disease, including diagnosis concerns and the gluten-free diet.
• Celiac Disease – Teacher's Information
  Describes Celiac Disease including its symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. Offers tips for teachers who have students with Celiac Disease in their classrooms.
• Celiac Disease – Seniors Living with Celiac Disease
  Describes special nutrition, medication, exercise, and travel considerations for seniors with Celiac Disease. Also includes tips for family and caregivers.
• Dermatitis Herpetiformis – A Skin Disorder
  An overview of Dermatitis Herpetiformis, a skin form of Celiac Disease. This brochure describes the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.
• Blood Testing for Celiac Disease
  An overview of blood screening tests for Celiac Disease. This brochure includes frequently asked questions about the role of blood screening in Celiac diagnosis.
• Pocket Dictionary  (View)  (Order)
  The Pocket Dictionary of Ingredients has been updated and released as the 3rd edition. This pocket-sized dictionary is an easy to carry complete resource to help you navigate the ingredient list of food products and quickly decide about their acceptability in the gluten-free diet. Nearly 400 foods and food ingredients and over 300 food additives are listed in alphabetical order. Food ingredients are classified in three straightforward categories: ALLOWED, NOT ALLOWED and CHECK?.

Children & Celiac Disease

• Growing Up Celiac (Order)
  This small easy to read book from the CCA is written especially for children who have celiac disease. It contains information about Celiac Disease, questions and answers, recipes, snacks and game ideas.
• Breast Feeding Statement from the CCA Professional Advisory Board
  Does Breast Feeding Protect Against Celiac Disease? Position statement from the CCA regarding breast feeding and the optimal time to introduce gluten into an infant's diet. J. Decker Butzner, MD, FRCPC and Marion Zarkadas MSc, RD. (2004)
• CDHNF/NASPGHAN Gluten Free Diet for Families
  Information to help with the initial phase of adopting a gluten free diet. Includes information about eating away from home, meal ideas and example shopping lists. Recommended by developers for use in conjunction with counselling from a physician and dietitian.
• CDHNF/NASPGHAN Resources
  A concise PDF document summarizing the diagnosis, symptoms and treatment of Celiac Disease from the Children’s Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundatation.
• CDHNF Resource Compilation
  A compilation of resources for use with pediatric Celiac Disease patients, developed by The Children’s Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation.
• Kids and the GF Diet (from the Practical Gastroenterology series)
  This article provides a list of children’s books on the topic of Celiac Disease, information on empowering children, gluten free school lunch ideas and tips for dealing with the unique challenges faced by children with Celiac Disease.
• NASPGHAN Pediatric Guidelines
  Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Celiac Disease in Children: Recommendations of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. Hill et al. (Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition 40:1-19 January 2005 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia).

Canadian Celiac Association Membership

• Canadian Celiac Association
  The national support organization for people with Celiac Disease and Dermatitis Herpetiformis in Canada. Website provides membership information, resources and the latest Celiac Disease news.
• Local Chapters
  A list of locations and contacts for the 28 local chapters of the Canadian Celiac Association.

Articles from the CCA New Member Kit

These four articles provide basic information geared towards helping patients understand and live with newly diagnosed Celiac Disease and the gluten-free diet. The full New Member Manual includes 80 pages of information on life with Celiac Disease, with special information for children, seniors, and students living away from home. It includes sections on understanding the gluten-free diet, tips on eating outside the home, baking delicious gluten-free food, and having a full life, despite your dietary limitations. This manual is provided to all new members of the Canadian Celiac Association.

• Getting Started - The Basic GF Diet
  A basic list of foods allowed on a gluten free-diet. Taken from an article by Shelley Case and Melinda Dennis.
• Cross-Contamination
  Cross-contamination happens when gluten gets into gluten-free products. This article gives suggestions on avoiding cross-contamination of your GF food at home and away from home.
• Celiac Disease
  A description of Celiac Disease, its many different symptoms, and the diagnosis process.
• Dermatitis Herpetiformis
  A description of Dermatitis Herpetiformis, the skin form of Celiac Disease.