to be rather annoyed with tonights' 'Parents' episode (gluten-free faddishness)?

[megandraper]

That TV comedy thing with the blonde woman from Smack the Pony.

In tonight's episode, her poncey snobby 'friends' from London come to visit. Their crowning ridiculous trait is their fuss about gluten in their food.

That touched a nerve. DS1 (4) was diagnosed coeliac earlier this year, and will be on a gluten-free diet for the rest of his life. Friends don't understand it and some clearly think it's a bit odd and 'alternative', and that we are extreme or over-scrupulous in our carefulness about it. But, quite simply, gluten is poison to him (and the other 1 in 100 people who are coeliac).

DH said to me that we probably come across like the nobbish couple in the programme. But that didn't upset me too much. More the thought that DS1 will constantly and forever have to deal with people's ignorant prejudices about gluten-free diets. Portrayals like this only reinforce them.

On the plus side though, DS was splashing around in the paddling pool this afternoon and DH and I were sitting watching him, glowing with happiness at how 5 months of eating gluten free has transformed him from an ill, tired child with a body like a famine orphan (stick-thin limbs, hugely bloated belly) into an energetic, happy little boy exploding with energy and excitement and filling out into a lovely, healthy shape. Which is more important, of course.

One of my friends is a coeliac/diabetic in her 60s. She and her husband recently went to Oz for a month and she said it was an absolute paradise of food as she never found any difficulty finding something she could/fancied eating

Thanks threeteens and bedhopper; it was a bit frustrating! I got "told off" the next day for having sugar in my wee - well of course!

So sorry to hear your DS now isn't well OP, hope he's ok.

There is a lot of ignorance but there are also people who cut out food groups for a hobby and go on about it - and they do make a very good subject for comedy.

I often wonder about staff in health food shops and the advice they give. I've overheard one saying 'these ones are gluten-free, so they're healthier' and thought 'only if you're intolerant / allergic' but that idea, that gluten is generally 'bad' is quite widespread. We use it as a cooking ingredient but asking in the same shop if they stocked it gained me only a shocked expression and some mumbling. They clearly didn't know why it would or would not be a problem for anyone.

my dd is gluten and dairy (casein) free. I cannot even begin to contemplate a hospital admission, tbh. it is hard enough to get a decent balanced meal at the best of times, let alone on a restricted diet...

Australia is indeed fab for gluten free, as is America (in places) - Disneyworld was the first holiday since dd1 was about 2 (she is about to turn 8) where I haven't had to go self-catering - bliss

Malta was also surprisingly easy, tbh. Loads of places did gluten free foods, and was an easy holiday to ensure dd1 ws eating ok (we did go self catering, but lots of places had stuff when we were out and about)

Thanks for good wishes about DS - turns out he has raging tonsillitus plus a urine infection (his second in a few months, so will probably require further investigation). On the antibiotics now, so hopefully will see some improvement - very high temp still but under control with calpol/neurofen.

We are holidaying in UK for the next few years probably, but will bear Malta in mind as a possible good destination - have heard Italy (surprisingly) and Spain can also be good. And all a bit closer than US/Aus, too.