Coeliac disease and lentils and Christmas

[reddwarf]

I was diagnosed in the summer.

Feel pretty down about it at the moment. All the Christmas stuff out :( feels like i can't eat hardly anything ( I am not in UK, and here there is much less availability, and much poorer labelling) it is so much better in UK.

Just wondering if anyone has any tips for my first GF Christmas?

I think I am only notnstarting to feel sensitive to things. Eg, i have terrible cramping if i drink red wine or vodka, which I never used to. It happens preety consistenly, so i have had to give these up.

Now for the last couple of days I have had similar terrible craps in my uppergut, just under my ribs, really really painful. I ate lentils and rice, and also dh made honeycombe (golden syrup, water and bicarb, packet didn't mention gluten, so assume it's ok) i had some of both on Sunday and Monday, and since then have had really painful tummy. are either honeycomb or lentils likely to cause a reaction?

Shit, i feel down about eating or drinking, feels like everything fun and nice is off limits :(

No more meals out with Dh in restaurants, no more stays in hotels, not that I did either much, but now feels like I never can again :(

Am dreading all the Christmas treaty that I'll be offered or given and can't have . Boo hoo. Sorry feel really down about it today.

I am confused about chocolate - Cadbury's dairy bars seem not to be ok. Cadbury's buttons seem to be ok - is that right?

[alison222]

Lentils can just upset some people's digestion, and so can other pulses. It may be as simple as that.
They are definitely GF though as my Ddad eats them.
Ditto I can't imagine problems with the honeycomb. I know that some baking powder is NOT GF and you need to check labels but I have never heard about this with bicarb.
It is possible to get things like GF mince pies and x-mas pud etc if you want them. Most health food shops will do them as do the large supermarkets Waitrose is good IME.
I think that the thing with chocolate is that they make lines that have biscuits in the factory and so that they are warning you about this.
It all depends on how sensitive you are to gluten. I gather that this can vary quite a lot from person to person.
You can make stuffing easily yourself using GF sausages, sage and GF bread.
HTH.

[alison222]

Also you can eat out. You just need to get the confidence to ask repeatedly about the contents of food, so meat and veg is usually ok, but you need to find out what they have thickened any sauce with. Some chips have flour on them to make them crunchy,
Puddings can be more difficult. Staff are used to being asked - we have done this in various countries with DS(allergies) and Ddad (coeliac).

[Seriouslysleepdeprived]

I feel for you. I was you last year & dreaded my first GF Xmas. In some ways it wasn't as bad, in others it was worse.

I would eat at home firstly, until you know what's what, just while you get the hang of things. I tried doing parents & in laws last year. i took mountains of food with me which stressed me out. I forgot half my Xmas lunch & got glutened anyway & spend most of lunch on the loo. Was miserable & I won't do it again.

Xmas goodie wise, M&S do a few good nibbles we can still have. Their labelling is pretty clear & I've not be glutened there yet. Bacon & cheese rolls, mini pork belly, a prawn thing were all winners. I love breaded stuff & really miss it but now do my own, using polenta. It's not bad.

Mrs Crimbles do nice stuffing & yorkie puds. There are loads of GF Xmas cakes, pies, biscuits etc. dried fruit & nuts become your friend.

I had problems with wine, lactose & soy in the beginning. I couldn't eat the GF substitute food initially but after being GF for a couple of months my guy healed. I can eat it all again & drink wind no problem now. It does get better.

I felt really down after diagnosis & loath being a coeliac. i still cry in restaurants, being excluded at every social occasion is shit. Anywhere with an allergy book is generally ok. I don't take the risk in many places as have been glutened too many times, despite reassurances I can be catered for.

The positive are you eat really healthily and learn to be creative. I entertain more at home now & have learnt to become a good host.

Get in touch with coeliac uk. They will send you the book of safe foods. Really useful

[freefrommum]

You are right about Cadbury's products, some are OK, some aren't. It's all to do with which machine they are produced on so Dairy Milk is NOT ok but Buttons are. This is why you have to read the ingredients and allergy advice on everything as there's often no logic to it plus beware that the ingredients and warnings can change so even if you've bought something before, you still have to check.

[Seriouslysleepdeprived]

Sorry for the typos, stupid phone...

[reddwarf]

I shouldn't moan, but with Christmas coming it has made me feel really down. I don't live in UK, so I can't just go out and buy mince pies for example. I used to make loads every year, and give some to neighbours and teachers etc. Now I can't do that. I'm bored of having to read every label. And like I said, I also feel more grumpy about it, cos in UK the labelling is generally very very clear mostly. Here it isn't and I have to squint my way through loads of ingredients. I can't buy all the usual Christmas goodies, things I looked forward to every year, all gone.

I go to friend's houses and they lay out biscuits etc and I have to say no and feel like I'm being awkward to boot :( It's like people think I'm on a fad diet. I really hate it, and feel sorry it also affects my poor, brilliant dh.

I don't know if I'll ever feel I can eat out. I've been to a cafe or restaurant a few times and there's nothing on the menu I could eat. Unless people really know, they wouldn't know about the gluten iyswim. e.g. chips. Most people would just assume chips are potato, but they have often flour , or are cooked in oil with other stuff. They won't know or understand. We used to go out maybe once a week or fortnight. Now I don't feel like I can, except when I'm in UK, which isn't so often.

And yes, I am severely annoyed about the fact I have had to give up so so so much and haven't lost any weight. Life is so unfair :(

[iwouldgoouttonight]

I really feel for you reddwarf, I was diagnosed three years ago and although I've more or less got to grips with what I can eat I still occasionally get down about it. I've been feeling down today actually because people are planning Christmas meals out and I can't eat anything on the menu (i'm veggie as well so it makes it more difficult).

Is there anything online you can order? Obviously it depends where you live. Do you know people in the UK who could post GF bread/pasta/etc occasionally? There are recipes online for GF mince pies and things I'd you can get hold of different flours.

It will get easier as you get used to what you can and cannot eat. Lots of support online too.

[vvviola]

reddwarf do you/can you bake? I ask because there are thousands of recipes out there for GF food. I come across them a lot when I'm looking for egg/dairy free stuff.

I didn't bake a lot until DD was diagnosed with her allergies, now I bake all the time. I'll often bring a batch of biscuits when I visit friends, looks like a gift but means there's something I can eat too (I'm still bf, so have to exclude them too)

It takes a while to get used to different ingredients but it gives you a bit more choice (my job next week is to make a dairy/egg free Christmas cake!)

[reddwarf]

I can bake, but none of the dc like the GF stuff, so there's no point. I have tried a few different breads and also baked a few different recipes for cakes. I quite like the weird GF mashed potato one, but the dc are either no bothered or actively dislike it. I can't be bothered to bake just for myself.


I am so fed up wit it. I've been watching master chef, and I think oh that looks nice, then out of the blue a little voice shouts at me, but you can't eat that any more and I feel all disappointed all over again, even when I hadn't been thinking about it iyswim.

We had a sort of street party recently, so we all organised and all had to bring a dish. The neighbours were all offering me food and drink and every time I had to just say no. Then I felt I looked unfriendly and not joining in, and I didn't know how to handle it. I don't want to look like a spoil sport, or like I'm fussy, but then the bloke up the road offering a beer doesn't want details of my medical history. I honestly don't know how to deal with this.

• Can I fetch you a beer?
  

. No thanks (party popper)

• No thanks, I have Coeliac disease and can't (alright alright, I don't want the gruesome details// wtf is Coeliac diasease, queue boring description of boring condition that makes everyone think I have constant Diarrhoea).
  

So not the host who is offering to cook dinner for you, but another random person at a party for example, what do you say, if anything? ANd to a host or a waiter for that matter?

Do you others just go into any old restaurant and expect them, to be able to cope when there isn't anything on the menu already? Up till now I've only goine into places that say they do GF food, and in the UK. No one seems to have heard of it here, I can't even see a dietician.

Sorry, there is no answer other than get over it, is there? :(

[vvviola]

Obviously I'm coming from a different perspective, with the dairy/egg allergies, but:

• would it help to phrase it as an allergy? I had a friend who travelled a lot and learnt "I have an allergy to wheat" in lots of languages (I know coeliac disease is a lot more complex than that, but it's maybe easier for some people to understand?)
• I never feel the need to go into detail with anyone. I go as far as "I/we can't eat dairy", they don't need to know medical details or that I'm only off it while I'm bf DD
• for me, I do expect cafes to be able to come up with something at meal times (snacks & cakes are trickier), and most places are really accommodating.
• I don't know where you are but here (NZ) there are loads of cafes starting to offer gluten free options, it's just a matter of searching them out (dairy & egg free is trickier!). Perhaps there might be one or two places near you that have some options - gives you a few places to start - and also some ideas for your own cooking?

[shriekingnora]

Chestnut stuffing is delicious and Christmassy and GF. Could even wrap bacon round it (am getting hungry now!).

In terms of how you deal with dietary restrictions and people offering food and drink you need to say what you feel comfortable with. So an offer of a beer might be met with 'No thanks, I'm sticking to [whatever you are drinking]' and a smile. Foodwise, you can say 'I'm GF' or you can say 'I'm full' or you can say 'I'll grab something later'. Gradually the people you mix with on a regular basis are bound to get to know so it should get easier all the time.

I haven't been able to drink for medical reasons for the last six months and to start with I felt the need to explain all the time. I then realised that the easiest, quickest thing was just to say 'No thank you'. The vast majority of people won't question it beyond that. Entertain lots at home so you can be in control. Good luck, I hope things get better for you.

[Screaminabdabs]

I don't know whether it might cheer you up a little bit to know that gluten is considered not ever so good for the majority of people - so we could all benefit (probably/possibly) from eating less of it. If that way of thinking becomes more widespread, then it will be easier for you to avoid gluten, in the long term.

In the meantime, thanks to others for the recommendations. Hope we get some more on this thread.

[shriekingnora]

Also, have your own cupboard at home that is stocked up with nice things for you that none of the rest of the family are allowed to touch. As much prewrapped stuff as possible, so there's always stuff available to chuck in your bag when you're going out.

[reddwarf]

I've just said no thanks so far, but I think it makes me look rude and weird. At that party with the neighbours the same person kept offering me (during the course of the evening, not just throwing a huge list of alternatives, determined to get me to take something) but I just had to keep saying no thank you over and over and I could tell he was getting curious and a bit fed up, so the last offer I said I can't and he started asking why not, then stopped himself and said nop, don't bother, I don't want to know. I felt like an idiot .

I'll look out for chestnut stuffing - never had it.

I am lucky in that my dh is very supportive and very careful.

Ds is a vegetarian, and that complicates some things, in that eg I have found GF gravy, and vege gravy, but not vege GF gravy, though I'm sure it must exist. Can anyone recommend a brand?

Like I said, it is so much easier in the UK, it makes me want to move back. I just don't think it's heard of here hardly at all, and I only know 1 restaurant (pizzeria) I can eat in.

thanks for tips and condolences:)

Weirdly, I never had any obvious symptoms before dx, but now in the last week I have had 2 bouts of v painful tummy ache, the first after the lentils, (lasting 3 days) and then yesterday after chocolate (which I thought was ok) God I hope I don't have to avaoid chocolate too. feels like I was being punished for having a treat (a bar of white chocolate for my tea, as I couldn't be bothered to cook after getting in from an evening course at 8.30). Guess I need to look after myself better. Would rather not have to eat at all tbh.

[iwouldgoouttonight]

Bisto roast onion gravy granules are veggie and GF, that's what I use. After I was diagnosed my stomach seemed more sensitive to some foods but since being GF for three years it's been much better, maybe your intestines are more sensitive while they're repairing themselves and hopefully it'll settle down.

When people offer me things I can't eat I either just say no thanks or occasionally say i'm allergic to them which people seem to accept. If it's people I know then I just explain what coeliac disease is and they get used to not offering me things, or for example offering me wine instead of beer, etc. I know how hard it is but it will get easier.

[iwouldgoouttonight]

Where do you live? You may still be able to sign up to coeliac society even if not in the UK. They have a database of all foods/brands you can or can't eat and also have lists of GF friendly restaurants.

[shriekingnora]

Freezing stuff in portion sizes may help too. When you get in tired and hungry you will have a selection of safe 'ready meals'. It might make you feel better to talk to you neighbour and say 'I've recently been diagnosed with a severe allergy and I didn't know how to tell you,. Sorry if I seemed rude!'

[Dolallytats]

There are loads of gluten free cookbooks available (Phil Vickery does a lot) and I also found a website called bakedtotaste.co.uk that sells gluten free Christmas goodies.

[alison222]

I made Veggie GF gravy using a vegetable stock cube, onion, Cross and Blackwell gravy browning and thickening with cornflour.

You haven't said where in the world you are so we can gauge the sort of foodstuff available to make alternative suggestions.

Depending on what you want to make use GF flour, or use maize flour (coarser than cornflour), potato flour rice flour and combinations. Gram flour ( ground chickpeas) can also be useful.

To make pastry we use GF bread flour ( if fact we use this most of the time for everything), xanthum gum and an egg to help bind it. It is VERY crumbly but can be pieced together with patience and care.

You can make Yorkshire puddings using the bread flour. Make the mix very thin and leave to stand for at least an hour. It will thicken up - then give it a quick beat before cooking.

[CouthyMowEatingBraiiiiinz]

Some bicarb DOES have gluten in. I don't know what to suggest if you are not UK based, if you were I would suggest Dove's farm bicarb.

Some people react to traces that are smaller than the minimum amount for EU labelling when it comes to gluten.

[BarbarianMum]

Can I fetch you a beer?
No thanks - do you have any wine/gin/vodka/whisky etc etc??

^^That. No need to be more miserable than you need to be

[becstargazeypie]

I'm coeliac. For Christmas lunch we're having turkey, homemade GF stuffing (lots of GF sausagemeat, crushed mixed nuts smashed with a rolling pin, finely chopped apricots, fresh thyme leaves - mix it up and bake in oven), gf sausages wrapped in streaky bacon, sprouts, carrots, roast and mashed potatoes, homemade gravy (that's the best way of ensuring gravy is GF - I don't buy granules any more, more trouble than they're worth if I get glutened!). My Christmassy snacks are mixed nuts and dried fruit, satsumas, and home-made Christmas cake. I was diagnosed about 10 years ago and don't miss it at all now or feel jealous of people who can eat it - everyone has something to cope with in life, and in the scheme of things coeliac isn't so bad.

But the stomach upsets you've got don't sound right - none of those things contain gluten. Are you 100% sure of your diagnosis? How were you tested?

[reddwarf]

Can't drink wine, or any of the things you mentioned but thanks for the constructive suggestion.

Christ, plenty of people on here are so effing mardy about having to go on a diet for a couple of weeks, and invariably give in or "cheat" I'm having to give up pretty much everything that I like, for the rest of my life, so I do feel pretty miserable about it.

Still, the one thing that really makes it easier is how understanding everyone is.

[shriekingnora]

reddwarf - since I last posted I have been told that I would 'probably be better off never drinking again' (some people with my condition can tolerate a little alcohol, some none and some a bit, but it can change on each occasion). Nowhere near as bad as your restrictions but I do feel a little of your pain. Currently all I can see is a lifetime of trying to avoid having to explain why. And DH is a big drinker and we own a brewery. So much of our work involves socialising around alcohol (not necessarily to excess but tastings and beer festivals etc).

I think it is totally understandable to be pissed off - your whole life has changed. I am sure that with time you will adjust and find ways of dealing with it. But for now, rant away!