Coeliac disease

I don't normally buy gf food in Waitrose but spotted a sourdough bloomer today reduced from £3.30 to £2.49 as it had reached it's sell by date.

I thought I'd slice and freeze it but as soon as I started cutting, the whole loaf crumbled into bits. It wasn't even firm enough for making croutons.

I now have a very large bag of expensive breadcrumbs in the freezer. Probably last me a year!!

fishpieplease We use gf pasta too - it's quite widely available (we've bought it in at least two supermarkets) and (to us, anyway) tastes just like pasta with gluten.

Another one here who is coeliac and (almost) vegetarian. Some good tips already mentioned but mine would be to actually join the Coeliac Society. They have a gluten-free food checker app including a barcode scanner which comes in handy when in a supermarket and faced with an array of foods which even though they have do not list any gluten containing foods in may not be suitable because of contamination issues.

I also bake a lot and find that many recipes can be adapted simply by substituting with gluten free flour and xanthum gum which helps to replace the texture of gluten. Xanthum gum can be found near the g-f flour in the free from section of most supermarkets.

Eating out can be harder but I always check that my food order has been taken down correctly and then check again when my food arrives that it is gluten-free.

Good luck!

I also use lactose free milk which I find easier to digest.

I found Coeliac UK really helpful and good look in the free from section of most supermarkets is a good idea.

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

And not as nice!

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

And half the size!

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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. 😄

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 🤦‍♀️

Yes I'm a Vegetarian with Coeliac disease too.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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?"

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!!

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.