Any coeliacs here?

[StopInvolvingMe]

Sorry posting for traffic

my DH has just been diagnosed so I’m on a mission to get all our groceries gluten free. Some products are clearly labelled as gluten free but I’m getting all confused with products which are not obvious, things like brown sauce, chutney or jam for example. Do I need to avoid anything containing ‘wheat’ on the ingredients list?

if anyone can offer any advice on products which are not obviously gluten free or any pearls of wisdom/ advice I’d really appreciate it as Google is now overwhelming me and I thought it may be best to ask real people!

thank you very much!

Avoid wheat, barley, rye and oats (unless gluten free oats) they should all be highlighted bold in ingredients lists.

Join coeliac uk, it’s worth the cost even if only for 1 year as the first year is when you need the info. The app has a barcode scanner which is reassuring.

If you shop at Aldi/Lidl then I would recommend a monthly stock up of gluten-free pasta/biscuits etc at Morrisons or another big supermarket

we have a separate toaster but you could use toaster bags or grill. We have separate butter/spread, use squeezey sauce bottles and don’t double dip with jars.

You will end up feeling like a pain in the ar*e when eating out as you have to ask about cross contamination in most places but you get used to it and coeliac uk have a list of accredited restaurant chains which helps (pizza express and many others).

You should receive yearly check ups, what this means will depend on your age and health and postcode. Minimum should be a telephone call with a dietitian but it could include blood tests especially if you have any symptoms. You also should have a one-off bone density scan and repeats as/if necessary. I say this because many people don’t receive these services and end up with severe complications as a result. If you’re not offered them then request via GP.

www.ocado.com/products/m-s-made-without-brown-seeded-bread-loaf-511240011

is this the bread you mean?

Warburtons is generally better than genius. There are some nicer specialist loaves if you’re happy to fork out £4+. My advice is to try different brands as everyone has a different view.

go online to glutafin and juvela they will send you free boxes of bread etc if newly diagnosed glutafin is scharr in the shops and we prefer this brand, 3 coeliacs here!

As others have said, separate toaster! Even if you are going gf as well get a new toaster you will never clean all crumbs out! Warburtons tiger bread is lovely but at nearly £4 a loaf it’s not cheap!

read everything, I eat may contains but don’t give them to my kids,

get Becky e cells books how to make anything gluten free is a good start! Watch stock cubes, sauces etc, read everything! Join coeliac uk £2.25 a month, and you can access a scanner app! Also lots of Facebook groups are useful

I have my own cupboard of gluten free bread, pasta, biscuits etc. Careful using the family toaster, I use one end but ideally I would like my own.

Soy sauce and couscous are products that caught me out in the early days. Just read labels and re-check frequently as ingredients can change.

Good thinking -warburtons bread is very nice 😊

Things to avoid are usually bolded so that will help inform you. Oats, barely, rye, spelt etc are all to be avoided. Look out for sneaky gluten like in sauces, spreads, dips, crisps and meat alternatives if you have those. Also this is personal choice but I never say I’m coeliac in a restaurant cos they’ll refuse to serve you. I just take the risk and order a gluten free dish 🫤 this has gone wrong for me before.

Get a bag of GF flour, that’s the easiest way.

This is an urban myth. Grated cheese is coated but it's potato starch,

Sorry but I actually have found baking with gluten free flour very different to normal flour and you can't just use it as a substitute in everything. GF flour is not good for pizza dough or pastry and even the bought ready to roll pastry can be difficult to handle. Baking your own bread is hard work as the dough is not really capable of holding together enough to be handled. The recipe I use doesn't involve any kneading and whilst it is nice fresh out of the oven it doesn't keep well. Cakes tend to be dry and crumbly if you don't follow a GF recipe. I use a lot of Xantham gum when baking as it tends to help hold everything together. Best cake recipes have ground almonds instead of flour.

However I will add you can easily substitute GF flour in a crumble recipe as it is 'crumbly' anyway. 🤣

I wouldn’t make pastry or bread (have tried many times) but for crumble it is fine. Especially with some ground almonds and gf oats added. No complaints from my family.

We have baked lots of cakes and found it fine too.

Caputo GF flour (I get it off Amazon) makes amazing pizzas - well worth the extra money. I but Asda GF flour and get the best results from this.

Yorkshire puddings are easy - you can either make them with all cornflour (very crispy) or as follows :

90g plain GF flour,
4 eggs,
Heaped tablespoon cornflour
Milk to double cream consistency

Cook as normal

My favourite bread is Schar, wholesome seeded loaf which you can get in Waitrose, Sainsburys etc.

Great - we love Yorkshire puddings! Presumably cornflour is GF? I haven’t checked the ingredients

I use tesco cornflour and that's fine.

Yum, this has just gone in my basket!

www.ocado.com/products/schar-gluten-free-wholesome-seeded-loaf-320903011

The Schar frozen rolls are good, those and the BFree sweet potato wraps are the only bread dh will eat. Be careful with things like sausages if you eat those as a lot have wheat added but some of the premium brands do gf ones. Dh has multiple allergies and can't eat gluten, dairy, most nuts and most fruit, it's a nightmare to start with but it does become easier as you get used to shopping that way

Watch out for GF spaghetti as it tends to clump together when you cook it and come out in one big lump unless you stand over it for the first few minutes and keep it moving. Other pasta shapes are much easier to use.

Another one to watch out for is Worcestershire sauce - not GF unless you buy a special GF version.

Chutneys are usually OK but watch out for malt vinegar as it is made from barley.

When you are used to being coeliac you can never say 'yum' about bread again. I'm afraid it is all relative. I was once served beans on toast in a cafe which was supposed to be on gluten free bread, realised once I took a bite it was far too 'nice' to be gluten free but the damage was done and confirmed exactly 2 hours later. 😓

DSS was diagnosed 3 years ago and we've tried a lot of gluten free breads. Promise bread and rolls from Sainsbury's are the nicest we've tried.

Low carb recipes are worth looking at, I've made some lovely chocolate brownies using almond flour

And soy sauce and stock cubes too

The Warburtons soft rolls are the only bread I'll eat not toasted

www.warburtonsglutenfree.com/products/supermarkets/4-white-rolls-0

And soy sauce and stock cubes too

Normal Knorr stock cubes are gluten free