Beginner's guide to being coeliac - GLUTEN-FREE cookery, food advice, hints and tips

[Fauve]

My ds (12) is under investigation for coeliac disease - although one blood test was negative, he is to have a further blood test to see if he has inherited the coeliac gene from his (definitely coeliac) dad, and then if necessary a biopsy. He is a bit daunted by the notion of not being able to eat gluten if he turns out to be coeliac, and I will have to get my act together more than I have to date - at the moment I only cater for a coeliac dh, not a coeliac adolescent boy!
Also another MNer was recently diagnosed as coeliac, and I've promised to post my own recipes (such as they are ). As a start-off, I've been trawling through the archives, and these threads are particularly useful to me:
This one could change my life with its revelation that you can take gf pizza bases to Pizza Hut, and they will cook a pizza for you.
This one's good on baking.
And so is this one.
This one has lots of basic info, and some links.
I'm really grateful to all the people who posted on those threads. Hopefully we can put some recipes together here, as well. I'm going to go away and type some of mine up in Word, so they don't all disappear when something goes wrong with my posting Also I'll keep trawling through the archive threads in my usual obsessive way...

Tesco FreeFrom mince pies now in store! Much loved in this house...

Ha! That's one thing I won't miss - can't stand mince pies!!

Have you all joined Coeliac UK?...the registered charity for people with coeliac disease and dermatitis herpatiformis. I suffer from both and found them an invaluable source of help and support when I was first dignosed two years ago....there are local groups who put on cookery demonstrations etc. Don't know how to do a link to the website, but the e-mail address is www.coeliac.co.uk Membership is free if you've been dignosed and each year they provide you with a directory of all gf food available in supermarkets and some restaurants and have monthly updates. They say McDonald chips are fine, but only if there are no other potato products on menu...i.e wedges etc, but McD themselves told me that the potato products are cooked separatley. I've certainly had no reaction to them (the fries) and take DS there for the occasional treat. Their burgers are fine too...without the bun obviously...and if you look on the back of the bit of paper they put on the tray they have full dietary listings. Knowing the litigous state most American companies live in, I don't think they would say it was safe if there was any doubt....they'd be sued left right and centre!! But, McD's aside, there's lots of really good food out there that is cooked fresh and most restaurants are happy to help.
As for pasta...Sainsbury sell a spaghetti called Salute which is particulary nice...most people I cook for don't know the difference and Orgran lasagne is delicious. Sainsbury's have also revamped their free from range and now do really nice granary type bread rolls (all you seasoned coeliacs out there will know they must be good for me to say that as bread seems to be the most difficult thing to get right). Nature's Path Mesa Sunrise Flakes (sunshine flakes as my DS calls them) are a great breakfast too..nice and filling, and don't taste like cardboard, which is a bonus!

Phew what a post.....happy eating

While I'm on.....I'm currently 9 weeks pregnant and have suffered two m/c since I was diagnosed. Worried about a connection between the two and medical staff can't answer that question (not enough research).....I already have one son, but had him a few years before I was diagnosed....any advice from coelaic mums out there??

Daisybump, that was a very useful post, thank you. Those supermarket/product tips are exactly the sort of thing I could do with. I think we should have an MN Coeliac Meet-Up...

I'm afraid I've no idea about pregnancy or m/cs, though - I hope someone else comes on with some info. I'm not coeliac myself, just the dw and possibly the mum of one.

Hi Daisybump - thanks for your post, it was really helpful. Yes, I've joined Coeliac UK and carry their food directory everywhere with me at the moment! They're a brilliant organisation and I can't believe it's free to join at the moment.

Sorry I haven't got any experience of being Coeliac and pregnant as I've just been diagnosed, so don't know if I had it when I was pregnant. It's possible I did though, as my only symptom is anaemia and I've been very anaemic since I was 18 (nearly 20 years ago!) but no-one ever thought to explore Coeliac. So just to say that I had a strapping 8lb 7oz baby! Good luck with the pregnancy - fingers crossed for you.

Must get to Sainsbury's as I'm hearing such good things about their range. Also just to say that Waitrose Crunchy Nut Cornflakes, Cornflakes and Rice Krispies are all gluten-free and delicious! I did an Ocado order just for gf stuff the other week and it's nice to have a range of stuff in.

You're kidding! Didn't know that about Waitrose cereals. Duh.

Just read this thread and I feel for you. My ds (5) was diagonsed as coeliac in Feb this year. It does get easier and checking food labels becomes second nature. M & S uncooked cocktail sausages are gluten free and both my coeliac ds and non coeliac dd would eat them day in day out - if allowed. M & S also do a chocolate and orange cake gluten free. Yummy!
Also Bisto best gravey is gluten free.
The biggest problem I had was packed lunches - but Sainsburys sell gluten free wraps and ds will eat these and they seem to last ok till lunch time.

Although today he asked me when he could start eating gluten again as he didnt like being different to his friends. His does not have the any symtoms, just very short, so it is hard to explain to him why he has to avoid gluten.

Good luck!

Thanks, Iceskate, we're seeing the consultant again tomorrow, so that should move us forward a bit. Ds will miss eating the same pizzas as his friends, and will have to be careful on sleepovers, at parties, etc. But these days, fortunately, people are quite clued up about allergies, aren't they?

Thanks for those food tips - I've got quite a list to try now! Cocktail sausages are v popular in this house, so the M&S ones should really help. I do find discussing all this here is more my style than going to coeliac meetings - although if ds IS coeliac, I'm sure I'll end up doing more of that, too. Thanks again.

I'm finding it quite hard at the moment remembering or getting time to try where all the 'good'/recommended gf stuff is! I've got Waitrose for cereal, Sainsburys for bread stuff, M&S for sausages - and now the other stuff suggested - aarrgghh!! It'll get easier, it'll get easier...

When I was first diagnose, it took me about 2 hours to do a usual 45 min supermarket shop as I was scanning all the labes and reading my wee book. It does get easier....the new labelling is helping a bit, but beware...if they say that an ingredient is from wheat in the listings, they don't need to say contains gluten in the allergy advice. Most supermarkets are clued up and helpful...if you contact them they will issue you with a list of their products and ASDA even do guided tours from time to time (talk to your local branch).

Good Luck

just wanted to add re the pasta, my dad recokns rice and quinoa pasta is the best. Its difficult to find though. I get it from my local organic shop for him when I go by.
Sainsburys and tescos are getting so much better for gluten free items recently.
Also when baking use xanthan gum as it helps put back some of the elesticity lost in gluten free flour and improves the texture of cakes etc

Thank you so much for all these tips. Can't believe how much I'm learning!

Just found this website which looks quite interesting!
link

Haven't had chance to read the whole thread but can somebody recommend some decent tasting bread/cobs for my DD? Picked up some from Tescos last night for her-they looked and felt horrid! will find out shortly if they tasted nice when I pick her up from school!!

I can highly recommend some burger buns that Tescos sell - I think they're an Italian make, come in a yellow packet and are sold in packs of 4 - I've run out so I can't tell you the brand name but they're in the free from bit of Tescos. They're the best bread thing I've eaten since going gluten free! You microwave them for 20 seconds and they're soooo soft. I'm now using them for sandwiches - tons nicer than ordinary gf bread. And I even took one out with me the other day to a school event where they were selling burgers and hot dogs, and got them to stick a burger in one so I didn't feel left out!!

Oh, fantastic, Dottydot, will have to try those. Ds definitely has the coeliac gene, so will be having a biopsy in the very near future. We are still hoping/believing that that's the right thing to do.

Love your Christmas name Fauve! It's probably the best thing for your son - the biopsy - at least you'll know for sure - just make sure he has lots of sedation (I know I had 6 mgs/somethings of something, which I know isn't helpful, but if I ever have to have another one I'll be demanding 6 of whatever it is!!) and he won't remember a thing. Keep us posted with how it all goes.

Thanks, DD. Yes, I'm thinking of saying "Give him more sedation rather than less," so he knows little about it.

BTW, we're on the Tesco FreeFrom mince pies here, which ds and dh love; and there are apple pies too. (I resist )

Oh Gawd, we've discussed mince pies before...durrrr...

Thanks Dottydot, do they keep ok for sandwiches? The one she had yesterday was a complete no-no, kept falling to pieces and tastes horrid according to DD. On the plus side she loves Orgran rice an millet pasta does anybody know whether this keeps well enough to make pasta salad for school lunch box? Hope so cos she thinks she got to live of rice cakes

Yes, they keep fine for sandwiches - although I must admit I microwave them in the morning and make the sandwich up before I go to work - haven't risked doing it the night before yet! I agree the usual gf bread is vile - so crumbly. Have heard lots of good things about Juvela fresh though - haven't tried it yet but you can get it on prescription.

Fingers crossed with the pasta - I tried taking pasta in for lunch the other week and it had gone a bit hard - was OK but on the crunchy side..!

Thanks Dottydot, bad mother alert coming , have just read the instructions correctly and I should have refreshed the cobs DOH. Will get my head around it soon I hope.

It's such a faff though isn't it! I just blast everything in the microwave now..! When I'm at home I tend to have open sandwiches now (unless I've got a delicious burger bun) as 2 slices of gf bread is just too much - gets in the way!

Have we discussed Xmas pud? Dh bought one in Waitrose last week, hasn't tried it out yet (Village Bakery).

Just to let you know those Hamburger rolls are made by Proceli - spanish company - and come in packs of 3, sold at our big Tescos!!

I can be very bah humbug about christmas food 'cos I don't like xmas pud or mince pies!