Celiac disease

I didn’t find it too daunting as I mainly ate meat, dairy and some veg anyway, so bread etc didn’t bother me.

Hi, so I was diagnosed 4 years ago, at the age of 41. I had zero symptoms really, I went to see a private consultant as I have a history of colon cancer and I had just started feeling awful - I’d had a baby a few months before and he thinks that was what sparked the celiac.

I found the dieticians to be a bit usless to be honest. The seemed obsessed with carbs. The only good thing being under them is the blood tests every couple if years to keep an eye on vitamin d levels etc.

I don’t eat any gluten free processed stuff to be honest. It’s expense, tastes awful and is full of crap. Gluten free pasta is the work of the devil. And don’t bother with pizza - you may as well just eat the cardboard box it comes in.

I only eat meat, fish, veg, a bit of fruit, sometimes rice.

I cook amazing curries etc. you have to be careful with things like stock cubes as they can contain barley, and look to see if the spices are may contain.

im not too strict on may contain myself - the dietician was reassuring on that, manufacturers have to be so careful to add that, but the risk is minimal for say, walker’s crisps.

Sone chocolate contains barley and you do need to be careful with chocolate bars - Cadbury’s chocolate, a whisper for example is fine, but a bar of it isn’t as they will cut it on the same machine as they cut a Cadbury oero bar.

First of all sending you gentle hugs, it's a bit overwhelming when you start but you soon get into the swing of things.

Don't feel like you can only shop in the free from aisles of the supermarket - there are lots of things that are naturally gluten free and you soon learn to visually check for gluten containing ingredients. What you need to look for is Barley, Rye, Oats, Wheat and Spelt (BROWS) also as a coeliac you shouldn't be eating anything that is a "may contain" unless you've been told by a medical expert that you can.

Avoid the scanner apps - their information is not often up to date. Coeliac UK is good for advice, there are a lot of coeliac friendly Facebook Groups, including some created by chefs. I hugely recommend the Facebook group, recipe books and website of Becky Excell Gluten Free (website is glutenfreecuppatea)

You might need to shop around to find the food that you like as lots taste different - don't rule our GF bread because one brand didn't taste nice, there are lots of others and they all taste slightly different.

At home you need to keep some things separate - we only have one toaster, but my daughter's toast goes in a toaster bag to avoid gluteny crumbs. You can't share butter/spread (she has her own in the fridge) If cooking her stuff goes at the top of the oven and gluten stuff at the bottom, although we ofter just naturally cook GF.

You're welcome to message me - we've been doing this for 4 years and it does get easier.

Hi,
It might seem a bit overwhelming now but it gets much easier. Overall, I have found that eating a GF diet has really increased the quality of my diet because many of the things that have gluten in them are also the heavily processed foods.
Be aware that many products use gluten-containing ingredients where you might not necessarily have expected them (sometimes flour on chips to make them crisper, or used as thickening agents in sauces etc).
The areas that take a bit of extra planning are meals out or where to eat on holiday. The internet is your friend!

Agree GF bread is pretty awful but the old el paso GF wraps are hard to tell apart from normal ones.

Most GF bread is awful, tastes like cardboard and is very expensive. Warburton tiger bread is OK for toast.
I use the sweet potato wraps, as they're not too bad.
Check out Becky Excell on Facebook & Instagram and GFglee also on Instagram. Becky Excell does loads of recipies, her books are excellent and GFglee keeps you updated on what is and isn't GF free.
Always check the labels as Soy Sauce, Worcester sauce and Baking.powder arent GF free.

Feel free to pm me if you want a chat, it's very daunting at the start, and there was very little help around.
Some of the best advice is on the Coeliac Society website.

Download the GF scanner app, then you can check lots of products in the shops. Remember all fruit and veg are gf. Make sure you have a good intake of calcium and iron.
It does get easier.