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Coeliac disease

(30 Posts)
farview Fri 17-Feb-23 14:39:06

Just been diagnosed with Coeliac disease and am also vegetarian...I'm thinking that this is going to be really difficult...anyone else with the same problem?

AreWeThereYet Fri 17-Feb-23 15:17:08

Sorry farview, you are right and it could be very difficult. If you cook from scratch it will be a bit easier than for those who rely on shop-bought meals. The main thing is to inspect every ingredient in what you buy - it's amazing how often wheat is used as a filler in some form or another.

If you enjoy cooking and baking life is a bit easier - there are loads of recipes for using flours other than wheat for biscuits and cakes but it can take a bit of practice. Google 'gluten-free' recipes and you'll get masses of suggestions (but check the ingredients carefully as some recipes are not actually gluten-free despite what they say).

Callistemon21 Fri 17-Feb-23 15:27:45

Yes it could be more difficult to get enough nutrients and calories if you don't eat meat. DD says a Paleo diet suits her but of course that means meat and fish. Legumes eg lentils and beans, could be useful for you as well as nuts.

Coeliac UK will have a lot of useful infonation

www.coeliac.org.uk/information-and-support/your-gluten-free-hub/home-of-gluten-free-recipes/healthy-eating/following-a-vegetarian-and-gluten-free-diet/?&&type=rfst&set=true#cookie-widget

farview Fri 17-Feb-23 16:04:35

Oh thank you both for that information 😊

LRavenscroft Fri 17-Feb-23 16:24:53

Hi. I am not coeliac but am vegetarian, am gluten intolerant and have IBS. It is quite hard but I tend to cook from scratch, am familiar now with what I buy and check an awful lot out on line before I buy. There is a lady call Becky Excel who does You Tube videos and has also written a few recipe books. She is very good. I do eat eggs, cheese and quinoa which are rich in protein but can't eat pulses or lentils or chickpeas or black eyed peas as they react badly. It is a journey but one well worth embarking on. I am not a great gourmet so it has never really been too much of a problem but you do need to check out restaurants and sometimes I end up ordering just side dishes as there is nothing on the main menu that isn't loaded with all sorts of 'stuff'.

silverlining48 Fri 17-Feb-23 16:26:15

Someone was diagnosed with coeliac on the tv programme about poo, think zTuesdsy last week. Its on ch4 Know your Sh*t 8 pm. Might be on catch up. Very informative. I watch because I have 'issues' in this area. Good luck with it.

merlotgran Fri 17-Feb-23 16:41:52

I am coeliac and eat very little meat and fish. I cook from scratch and bake and freeze my own bread although I like to keep a sliced Genius loaf in the freezer for emergencies.

Cutting out gluten from your diet means your body will absorb nutrients more easily so your health will soon improve. Read labels carefully. Allergens are usually listed in bold so easy to spot. Once you have stocked up on suitable store cupboard ingredients you will find it easy to just cook as you normally would.

Be careful when eating out though. Although most restaurants are happy to cater for dietary needs, not all have trained their staff accordingly so don’t be afraid to check again if you are not sure they fully understand your intolerance.

The same goes for well meaning friends and family who may not fully ‘get it.’ You have to be firm!!

Callistemon21 Fri 17-Feb-23 16:58:14

Be careful when eating out though. Although most restaurants are happy to cater for dietary needs, not all have trained their staff accordingly so don’t be afraid to check again if you are not sure they fully understand your intolerance.

The same goes for well meaning friends and family who may not fully ‘get it.’ You have to be firm!!

Yes, sometimes staff at pubs and restaurants have to be quizzed because not all 'get it'.

Likewise friends and family - "Can she eat eggs?"

Oldbat1 Fri 17-Feb-23 17:08:17

GD is veggie and coeliac and has been for years. She will be 15 soon. Must admit all her family are now following her dietary requirements. When they visit us it means her having her own separate toaster for gluten free bread, her own spread, gf pasta etc. much easier now as she knows what she can and can’t eat. In fact it is easier if we all go meat free and gluten free when they are here. So many ready made things use flour not sure why cornflour isn’t used more. Eating out is an issue.

M0nica Fri 17-Feb-23 17:15:30

12 year old DGS is being tested for coeliac disease at the moment. I am finding this thread very useful.

Cornflour is usually described as 'maize' on manufactured foods

merlotgran Fri 17-Feb-23 17:17:23

I love it when I go to celebrations and the host has thoughtfully bought me a gf cupcake to eat when everyone else is served ‘the cake.’

Being accidentally ‘glutened’ is horrible. I am usually unwell for about three days but my grandson can be laid low for a fortnight and has to be treated for anaemia.

Doesn’t happen very often thank goodness.

kittylester Fri 17-Feb-23 17:53:55

I have found, as someone who is gluten intolerant, that eating out is herder nowadays as places have shifted their emphasis to vegan and don't seem to be able to do both.

Callistemon21 Fri 17-Feb-23 18:01:51

merlotgran

I love it when I go to celebrations and the host has thoughtfully bought me a gf cupcake to eat when everyone else is served ‘the cake.’

Being accidentally ‘glutened’ is horrible. I am usually unwell for about three days but my grandson can be laid low for a fortnight and has to be treated for anaemia.

Doesn’t happen very often thank goodness.

Yes, anaemia is a problem as nutrients can't be absorbed. We never knew why for years, though.
It is better diagnosed now and GPs are more aware.

When we were eating out last year, DD was very careful to ensure she ordered a plain gf meal. There was obviously some gluten somewhere (chips cooked in oil which had been used to cook batter?) and DD was very ill indeed afterwards.

Callistemon21 Fri 17-Feb-23 18:03:13

kittylester

I have found, as someone who is gluten intolerant, that eating out is herder nowadays as places have shifted their emphasis to vegan and don't seem to be able to do both.

We found that too kittyleter

GrammyGrammy Fri 17-Feb-23 18:08:24

Yes I'm a Vegetarian with Coeliac disease too.

farview Fri 17-Feb-23 19:45:41

I'm so glad that I started this thread...wonderful tips/advice...thank you all...couldn't be at a worse time this diagnosis...H recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's...and now vascular dementia also 🤦‍♀️

merlotgran Fri 17-Feb-23 19:57:21

Oh heck, farview. What a lot for you to deal with.

If your H is in agreement it’s easier to have a gluten free home rather than preparing and cooking separate dishes. I can’t remember the last time I baked anything that wasn’t gf.

Visitors get what I would normally eat. No complaints so far. 😄

farview Fri 17-Feb-23 20:03:48

Good idea merlotgran as one of our granddaughters recently diagnosed with Coeliac also...

Fishpieplease Fri 17-Feb-23 20:06:21

My piece of advice is when cooking pasta,cook gf pasta for everyone. Although it works out a little more expensive, I’m told the taste is comparable and it saves mistakes serving up and it looks so similar to regular pasta when cooked. Many people recommend Doves Farm gf flour but I find Juvela is the best in cakes.

Callistemon21 Fri 17-Feb-23 23:10:45

Good advice from merlotgran and Fishpieplease I'd change to gf for both of you.

Although perhaps you could allow your DH normal bread! GF bread is three times the price too.

The gf soda bread from M&S is not bad

merlotgran Fri 17-Feb-23 23:25:02

Although perhaps you could allow your DH normal bread! GF bread is three times the price too.

Isn’t it ridiculous that a decent loaf of gf bread costs nearly £3? Anything cheaper is not very nice that’s why I mostly make my own.
You do have to be careful with cross contamination though especially with crumbs from a toaster and bread boards etc.
Another little tip is to start compiling your own recipe book. So many non gf dishes can be modified and I like to make notes because I’m useless at remembering snippets I may have picked up from the internet.

You’ll be able to pass it on to your granddaughter.

Callistemon21 Fri 17-Feb-23 23:30:35

We keep a gf toaster in the cupboard which comes out when DD are home. It's just a cheap one from Wilkos but just as good (if not better!) than our all-singing-all-dancing one.

Callistemon21 Fri 17-Feb-23 23:31:28

Isn’t it ridiculous that a decent loaf of gf bread costs nearly £3?

And half the size!

kittylester Sat 18-Feb-23 09:19:39

And not as nice!

ShazzaKanazza Sat 18-Feb-23 09:27:29

farview just carry on what you are already doing with your vegetarian diet and just modify your bread and pasta etc to gluten free you will soon get used to it. You’ll be fine if you already cook from scratch. I like all my bread toasted rather than a sandwich I still haven’t got used to the taste.
We never cook with gluten in our house. I’ve been diagnosed 10 years and there are three of us in the family now who are coeliac. No one can believe all our meals contain no gluten. Myself and my son had no symptoms but I have osteoporosis due to late diagnosis. My grandson when he injests gluten he bangs his head. So we are very strict. I use toast bags in the toaster for my toast.
There is far more choice now.
We are eating out tonight at a meal for a friend’s birthday and they have had gluten free cupcakes made. Best wishes x