Celiac disease

We live in UK but my DH is Irish so we travel over a couple times a year, and unfortunately find it much harder to find gf stuff - DH and DD2 both coeliac. The same item which is gf in Tesco here, in exact same packaging, is not gf there. But we found independent shops were happy to adapt - such as we ask a local butcher to DH's family to make him gf sausages etc.

Eating gf at home is fine. DD1 and I don't eat completely gf - we have our own bread, biscuits cakes pizza etc, and have seperate toaster, trays,chopping board etc. DD1 and i cant stand gf bread but DH and DD2 prefer it, i think it's something about your body knowing whats good for it. But all meals we make gf.

Eating out is the biggest challenge, especially birthday parties for DD2's friends. Luckily, she adapted to it well (diagnosed at 5) and doesn't seem bothered that she can't have certain things

My Aldi have only stared stocking GF in the last week or so.

I’m the same, I so t eat any gf foods usually as the ingredients put me off. But once in a while, some toast is a treat. I mean, I always regret it as gf bread is just horrible 🤣

Aldi do great tempura chicken nuggets and strips! Says gf in the label, my children have had them for years and thier chilled fish fingers (the bigger ones) are mostly labelled gf too.

Pho is a great chain for GF. A lot of Mexican food is good too as they use corn tortillas and are often knowledgeable on GF food (don’t share fryers etc).

Where is the gluten free food in Aldi? I try to avoid GF bread as it’s packed with ingredients and could probably survive a nuclear holocaust, but sometime I just fancy some toast. I usually have to go to another supermarket to stock up on things like breaded chicken/fish/scampi (really good for a quick mid-week taco night) from another supermarket. Would be great if I could get it from Aldi.

Italy is great for GF!

I know it’s daunting OP, but you will adjust. Agree with PP who said just buy Doves Farm GF flour and use your normal baking recipes. You might need to add a splash of milk as GF flour absorbs more liquid.

And absolutely get the Becky Excel cook books. Her recipes never fail.

It’s a bit irritating at first to have two different pans of pasta boiling on the stove but you will get into the swing of things.

Eating out: some tips here (not sure if all these chains exist in Ireland):

Zizzi - their gluten free pizza base is hands down the WORST I have ever eaten. Or tried to eat; I sent it back.

Pizza Express - acceptable GF pizza.

The Lounges chain have GF options eg GF bun for their burgers.

Most high street Italian style restaurant will have GF pasta to swap in.

Pizza Hut poisoned me with their allegedly GF base like I have never been poisoned before. When I complained the manager told me to send a stool sample to the GP to test it for gluten, which shows they know sod all about what gluten is.

Dolmios haven’t poisoned me. Always a risk of cross contamination but I’ve got lucky so far.

Lots of places are Coeliac UK accredited; look on their website.

What I don’t do is eat at other peoples houses, and friends and family are fine with that.

Ive had instances where someone has gone to the trouble of getting me a gluten free pizza - and then, when I’ve asked, it turns out they have cooked it on the same tray a normal pizza has been on, and they have used the same pizza cutter, so obviously, I’ve had to tell them I can’t eat it.

Or they have bought gluten free bread, made me a sandwich but used the same butter and knife for everyone else’s normal bread, used the same knife to cut it, same chopping board and again, I have had to say, I’m so sorry, that will make me so sick, I can’t eat it.

Or they will bring out a plate of biscuits and say “the ones in the middle are gf!” so, you know, I can’t eat those as they are touching the normal ones!

Or they think they have made something meat based and safe, but the stock cubes have barely in and they didn’t realise that was an issue.

I’ve had people get quite offended at first, so now I just explain that it’s hard to get your head around, and I can’t take the risk. I still go out for dinner with people - I just have drinks and don’t eat. It’s okay, everyone gets used to it, and if they don’t, they don’t, I can’t help that.

No, Italy is amazing for GF! They test for coeliac far more than any other country, so far more people there are diagnosed!

My husbands family are Italian, it’s much easier to eat gf safely there!

I don’t eat out much. I have found Wagamama to be one of the best, they make a manager take your order, they have shown me the separate areas.

the only time I have ever had a reaction is eating out, so I don’t bother much. I mean, my own kitchen looks like it would be a cross contamination nightmare (I don’t make my family eat gf, and I give no shits about making my kids a sandwich while I am preparing my own, food, I’m just very careful about utensils/chopping boards/butter), it’s the fryers in restaurants that seem to be the main hazzard.

What meals do you usually eat?

Honestly, it doesn’t have to be a hassle. I rarely think about it.

Even if you love carb heavy meals, lots of pasta and breads, you can swap them for GF alternatives. Bakery stuff and cakes, it’s all there to buy gf (pre made gluten free ones are hit and miss), but I know some people bake their own with Gf flour and almond flour and find them okay. I only ever eat cake when it’s my birthday - Tesco do a lovely gf “confetti” birthday cake that you’d never know was gf.

On a day to day basis, I only really ate meat, dairy, veg and nuts anyway which obviously, you don’t have to worry about. My husband loves cooking Indian and Mexican food - all fine and if I want wraps or tacos occasionally, he just gets me the gf versions.

It really doesn’t have to be a massive deal. Unless it’s processed food, it’s all GF anyway. When cooking from scratch, you just have to make sure stock cubes etc are Gf (although if you look, a hell of a lot of stock cubes are Gf).

Even cutting corners with jars of sauces, the majority are GF, you don’t have to pay over the odds in the Gf aisle for pasta sauce, pesto etc.

I only go to the gf section once in a blue moon if I want to eat shit like biscuits or if I fancy a sandwich.

The reality is, 99% of the time, I don’t have to think about coeliac as what I cook and eat is naturally gf anyway.

Read labels. Don’t eat gluten 👍

The most frustrating thing for me is that you can't just pop into somewhere for lunch/dinner. Need to check menus and speak to managers etc. a lot of places have allergy menus but it can still be confusing.

Someone upthread has already mentioned this but I generally have a banana and a GF biscuit on me so if I'm out and about I never get caught out on limited food options.

My advice is always read labels and do this for items that you have been using for a while. I generally cook from scratch so lots of fish and chicken dishes. Watch out for stock cubes, soy sauce is not GF but there are GF versions, couscous is also not GF. All supermarkets have a GF aisle. I buy corn pasta and GF wraps (Old El Paso) are the best! The only food I don't eat is Chinese and pizzas, the GF versions are not to my taste. Also beware barley is not GF and it is in cereals and soft drinks.

When I cook for my family not every meal is GF I just keep my pasta/variation separate. I do use a lot of utensils to make sure there is no cross contamination.

When I eat out I'm very specific on what I want and often like to visual see that a meal is GF. If a waitress says is 'should be GF' challenge this. When my food comes out I re-check that it is GF. Lots of restaurants such as Cote mark your food with GF flags which I find reassuring. Good luck OP I've been a coeliac for 20+ years and you do adjust.

You need to be super careful eating out: for example, if the chips are labelled gf, but cooked in a frier with normal nuggets, they aren't gf.

Promise bread is ok , gf pasta is ok . Don’t only shop in the gf aisle , loads of foods and even ready meals are gf and the free from aisle is expensive . Don’t listen to people who say you can eat items that are ‘ may contain’ , it really is a last resort to do so . Plenty of restaurants have gf options but always check if you are having anything fried that it isn’t a shared fryer .

This is good advice.

Some swaps are really easy - the GF pasta is fine. Breakfast cereal substitutes are fine. You will need to try a few different breads to find some that suit you (a lot of it is awful). Oats are often contaminated so make sure anything with oats in is GF.

Wherever possible try to go for things that are naturally GF, rather than substitutes, as a lot of them have loads of ultra processed ingredients.

You have just changed my life!

I assumed I couldn’t have vimto (I like the fizzy vimto in a can), as it has barely in the ingredients.

Would you marry me?

One thing to know is that just because something is gluten free, doesn't mean it's wheat free. Be careful to read all ingredients.

Vimto say they're gluten free, according to their website. https://www.vimto.co.uk/faqs/does-vimto-contain-gluten/

'There may be a very small amount of gluten which carries through from the barley malt during manufacturing. But, the level is so low that it wouldn’t be considered to contain gluten (20 parts per million). So, Original Vimto is classed as gluten-free, while our other Vimto drinks flavours are completely free of gluten'

Vimto syrup as sold in ethnic shops (particularly for Ramadan) in glass bottles - it's very popular in Saudi Arabia - is specifically stated to be totally gluten free. https://vimtoarabia.com/faqs/ . No artificial sweeteners, either, unless you pick the zero sugar version.

Knorr and Kallo make the best tasting stocks outside doing them yourself.

You might find that you've also been lactose intolerant due to the damage done to that part of your gut. Lactose free milk is great and the stronger & harder the cheese, the lower the lactose.

Most bread substitutes are an exercise in disappointment. Pasta is better, Garofaolo does reliable versions and the one with Teff is very similar to wholewheat pasta in texture, colour and flavour. And a potato is always gluten free - with some GF flour, you can do potato scones and nobody can tell the difference.

Buying Tamari (and checking the ingredients) in a big bottle online is far, far cheaper than buying coconut aminos or gluten free soy sauce.

Rice noodles are great for the 'pot noodle' type of snack - boiling water, stock cube, noodles, add your choice out of frozen peas, edamame, sweetcorn, diced tomato, boiled egg, peanut butter, chilli, prawns. You can have most types of miso (but always check) - but have to be very careful checking gochujang paste/korean food, as it often has wheat in it.

Because you can't just go to a shop and be guaranteed to have something safe, get some snacks in the cupboard and fridge and stock up on reliable staples.

Oh, and if anybody here hasn't noticed - you know that Heinz baked beans and sausages are no longer gluten free because they've switched to Richmond? Well, they clearly aren't being particularly careful with their non-sausage beans either, whatever they may claim - I had a full blown gluten reaction to plain and ordinary Heinz baked beans a few weeks ago (definitely those because I hadn't had anything else all day and the reaction was almost instant).

It does become second nature, although eating out can be difficult. You can get a B12 spray for under the tongue as that is absorbed better. Cup half full - there are lots of foods that are naturally gluten free!

Coconut aminos taste like soy sauce and are gluten free. French's Worcestershire sauce is GF also, it's a US brand but Amazon will ship it! My mom and sister are both celiac too, gfjules.com and King Arthur are their go to for flour and recipes.

The dunnes own brand rice krispies and corn flakes are gf. Better off baking than buying over expensive cakes, doves self raising flour good.