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  I have received many emails about this project from health
professionals and people with celiac disease who are delighted to see
this project go forward. The following information will answer some of
the questions that people are asking:

What is wrong with the gluten-free diet in the Manual of Clinical
Dietetics from the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of
Canada? What will this national diet project look like? Who will be
involved?

There is nothing wrong with the current gluten-free diet in the celiac
section in the Manual of Clinical Dietetics by the American Dietetic
Association and Dietitians of Canada. It includes references and was
based on the current research and information at the time. Authors and
reviewers were nutrition experts in the field of celiac disease in
Canada and the USA. There were restrictions in the amount of information
that could be included in this very large diet manual consisting of many
other special diets and nutritional concerns. As a result, detailed
information and further recommendations about the gluten-free diet were
not able to be included. Unfortunately not everyone has accepted the
gluten-free diet in the ADA/DC manual. This comes mainly from celiac
groups themselves and continues to create conflict in the celiac
community in the USA. Many researchers, dietitians and physicians have
been talking about a national gluten-free diet project. They feel that
if we get everyone's input there could be consensus on the diet.

The national diet projects by the ADA (renal and dsyphagia diets) not
only looked at the latest research but also reviewed the history,
evaluated the current problems, and made recommendations that were
supported by many disciplines. In the Dysphagia Diet Project, the
development of specific tools came about that measured viscosity of
foods, so that textures were standardized.

The National Gluten-Free Diet Project is spearheaded by the "Dietitians
In Gluten Intolerance Diseases" (DIGID) group of the American Dietetic
Association. DIGID consists of dietitians from the USA and Canada who
are experts in celiac disease and are working with celiac support groups
or clinics. DIGID will be working with a multi-disciplinary team of
experts from nutrition, research, food and cereal chemistry and medical
fields. The team will survey support groups to determine their concerns
and questions related to the gluten-free diet and incorporate these
issues into a detailed discussion. A literature review and in depth
discussion of the issues will be included and findings will be published
in peer reviewed journals and in the final resource on the National
Gluten-Free Diet. The end product will be a resource that offers health
care professionals substantial background information and supporting
data for diet recommendations. With national agreement on the
gluten-free diet by the health care community and celiac organizations,
the confusion about what is a gluten-free diet will be dispelled.

Shelley Case, B. Sc., RD
Case Nutrition Consulting, www.glutenfreediet.ca
<http://www.glutenfreediet.ca>
Author: Gluten Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide
Co-Author: Celiac Section, Manual of Clinical Dietetics, American
Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada
Medical Advisory Board: Celiac Disease Foundation, Gluten Intolerance
Group, Canadian Celiac Association
Dietitian Advisory Board: Gluten-Free Living Magazine
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