Coeliac disease (pronounced see liac) is not a food allergy or a fad but a life threatening disease. If not diagnosed it leads to severe illness. In fact it's an autoimmune disease, where the body's immune system attacks its own tissues.

In people with coeliac disease this immune reaction is triggered by gluten, a collective name for a type of protein found in the cereals wheat, rye and barley. Some people are also allergic to oats.

My Mother, Brenda,  is a coeliac and was eventually diagnosed about 12 years ago after suffering terribly from stomach upsets and worrying weight loss. The medical profession was uninformed about the disease then and it took a visit, suggested by my wife Sarah, to a food allergy expert who advised her to follow a gluten free diet for a month.  Within a few days my Mum felt hugely better and thanks to her determination in persevering with what is a tricky diet she is now 88 years old and still going strong!