Review article: Dietary management of coeliac disease

Summary As the gluten‐free diet is currently the only treatment for coeliac disease and one that needs to applied in the long term, this review aims to explore the various issues confronting an individual and discuss the importance of ongoing dietary management. The process of dietary counselling has shifted from one that focuses on just foods to avoid to one that evaluates the multiple life factors (social, cultural, environmental, biological) that affect the individual’s food choices and dietary behaviour. The nutritional quality of a gluten‐free diet continues to affect vitamin, mineral and weight status of individuals with coeliac disease. There are many barriers to dietary adherence including increased cost and limited availability of gluten‐free products, as well as the negative impact on an individual’s social domain of quality of life. Therefore, assessment, education and counselling by a coeliac specialist dietitian should be the cornerstone of dietary management.