Going gluten-free - where to start? - £200 voucher plus signed copies of Budget Gluten-free to be won

[CeriMumsnet]

Going gluten-free can be a challenge, especially when it comes to budgeting. For those of you who are gluten-free, what would your top tips be? What are your favourite gluten-free products? How do you stick to a budget on a gluten-free diet?

And if you’re just starting or even have been following a gluten-free diet for a while what questions or concerns do you have? Becky Excell, author of new book Budget Gluten Free will be online in the next few weeks to answer some of your questions.

Everyone who posts on this thread by 18 March will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky winner will win a £200 voucher plus a signed copy of Budget Gluten Free by Becky Excell. 9 runners up will also win a signed copy of the book.

*Don't forget to also take part in the poll below about the cost of a gluten-free weekly shop (according to Coeliac cost of living report 2024) - the answer will be revealed on this thread next week!

T&Cs

I developed a gluten allergy causing severe migraines about 9 months ago. I was so happy to have identified the cause that I was quite happy to be gluten free. I try not to rely on processed food, so main meals are usually based on rice or potatoes, breakfast is porridge and lunch is salad or soup. However I find it's good to have a few gluten free products on hand so keep a loaf of gluten free bread in the freezer. Sainsbury's free from isle is a blessing, and I like their gluten free pasta the best!

I also should say for people newer to this that I found gf bread really strange at first but quickly got used to the slightly different texture, especially when it's toasted.

Home cooking is the easiest way to stick to budget and stick to gluten free
Indian and Mexican are mostly gluten free and easy to bulk cook.

To help with shopping I use the gluten free scanner. Excellent tool to help while starting out and getting used to suitable products.

Warburtons gluten free pitta breads are delightful and versatile. They freeze well and taste just like regular pitta.
Warburtons crumpets are also really good.

Supermarkets are slowly getting better at stocking a bigger range of products but the high prices make it out of reach for most people

You get used to knowing what ingredients you can have. Corn, maize, rice, potato, chick pea flours/starches all ok. Be wary of words like “starch” or “modified starch” as it doesn’t tell you what type of starch.

I make sauces from Kallo stock cubes, thickened with cornflour.

I eat Tesco potato waffles more than bread. Of Tesco GF macaroni.

Cakes are almost normal with Dove gf flour.

There are surprising things that are gf sometimes like poppadoms and some Bombay mixes.

There are so many things you’d think were gluten-free, which are not. Basic itemd like Cornflakes and Rice Krispies contain barley malt extract, which is not g-f, and imo their g-f equivalents are more expensive and not quite as nice.

Malt vinegar also is not g-f, because barley isn’t.

Shop around! My son likes different GF stuff from different supermarkets so I try and stock up every so often.

Davina Steel pizza base mix is good but it makes a batter that you fry like a pancake before putting toppings on - don't let that put you off! The pizzas are really good!!

I developed a gluten intolerance (and an intolerance to a few other things sadly) after having covid. I don't know if it's a coincidence or not.

I've been batch cooking my own soups for packed lunches from winter veg and adding different herbs and spices. Sweet potato, carrot, parsnip with turmeric and ginger is my favourite at the moment.

I've had mixed results making cakes and have settle on GF cake mixes for now to save the disappointment!

Shop around- DD likes different items from different supermarkets. We both love a scout round the ‘free from’ aisles.
And look for yellow sticker/reduced items. Brings the price equivalent to ordinary food!
Recommendations
Tesco pasta
M n S lemon muffins
Tesco GF sausages
Schar pretzels
Morrisons ‘choose your own’ pizzas
Many things are accidentally GF.

I’d also recommend a consultation with a dietician- for lots of help/advice
Becky Excell’s baking book is great: her fruity flapjacks and choc chip cookies are lovely

My daughter was diagnosed with coeliac disease when she was 3. She is also autistic so finding food she likes is already limited with her sensory difficulties which makes her range of foods that she will eat very small.

DD is coeliac and I would say I am very well versed on what’s GF and that I check everything EXCEPT I saw a post about those pepper mills you buy with the pepper in them already. These quite often have gluten in them and I had one in the cupboard. It’s one of those things I just didn’t think to check and shows you have to check everything.

How do you ever get over missing the chewiness of gluten?

I'm newly GF which has coincided with Becky's 30 days of budget GF meals on FB, which has made it a lot less daunting and given me loads of ideas for main meals.

What does everyone eat for breakfast on a budget though? Yoghurt is out (I really don't like it), and GF bread, cereal and oats seems so much more expensive!

Myself and my kids are all coeliac, bread is expensive, smaller loaves and sometimes a poorer quality. I look for naturally gluten free foods, and make most meals from scratch. Costs are high all round for gluten free alternatives, and eating out is difficult! Am so fed up with being given the vegan menu, nit able to have the gluten free options as they are cooked in the same fryer as other items, and cross that there are no decent children’s options on menus!

I love using chickpea flour as a naturally gluten free option. It's great for baking & making flatbreads, etc. You can also use it to make your own gluten-free pasta.. but it took me some practice to it get it right!
I love to master making my own gluten-free bread, but I haven't made a successful loaf at home yet :( I try to avoid buying it at full price because of the cost, but am always delighted if I can pick some up for free from Olio & then pop it in the freezer!
There are some really nice gluten based pastas, I particularly the pea based on from Sainsbury's. It's great to see more supermarkets offering their own brand gluten-free pastas, gone are the days when the only option were the extortionately priced branded ones!

I've just been diagnosed as having coeliac disease, which was a shock as I haven't had much in the way of gastric symptoms. I used to eat a huge amount of bread, pasta etc. as I run long distances. Anything too fibrous gives me runners trots on a long run

What can I eat to fuel my runs that's not going to give me diabetes or tooth cavities? I'm currently relying on skittles, which are delicious but not good for me.

I'd like to know the answer to this too! Maybe you forget how delicious it is?

My daughter has got coeliac disease. She actually just bought Becky Excell’s book (she is a student) and is loving it. I have been sent photos of the things she has cooked so far. I will try and remember to ask her if she has any questions for the author.

DD is lucky as she does get GF breads, pasta etc on prescription which I realise not everyone does and she also has a bread maker. Otherwise I think the pre-prepared bread mixes are prohibitively expensive. Apart from that, she has always been good at doing meal plans, which helps with her budget, and her housemate has allergies so they do that together now. So the book gives them lots of new ideas.

I think if you don’t have any issues then there’s no benefit. Some people are coeliac and have to be gf. Some people aren’t coeliac but feel they can’t tolerate gluten very well, so digestive type issues and are better for being gf.

A weekly shop involving gluten free items will always be more expensive than someone who doesn't have to shop gluten free. Gluten free cereal is a similar price to branded normal versions so we get the cereal. Gf bread is too expensive for what it is so I wait for offers.

There aren't health benefits of going gluten free unless you're in a lot of pain and very sick after consuming gluten. It's not a weight loss diet.

Shopping gluten free works out very expensive. Have you any tips on how to reduce costs?

Remember most foods do not contain gluten! Vegetables, meats, dairy, rice ... Avoid processed foods and buy a bread machine, there's lots of good recipes. Rice noodles are widely available and gf pasta

Like lots of posters above I don’t actually buy much from the gluten free aisle. GF porridge oats and pasta are all I buy regularly. I taught myself to have soup for lunch without bread, I don’t miss it now.
My favourite treats are M&S croissants and Costa brownies.

The biggest challenge for me since dd2 went gluten free is having to plan everything ahead. We can’t rely on ‘just picking something up’ when out for the day, she can’t eat any of the food at school so packed lunches all the way and meal planning. However, we have realised that a lot of the things we like to eat are either naturally gluten free or can be with small tweaks (we get through a lot of gluten free soy sauce).

I get skin rashes from eating gluten and these do not occur when I do not eat gluten; ditto dairy. My DD is diagnosed coeliac and I am not, though. I would need to eat gluten for six weeks, I think, for a testing to be accurate and I do not wish to do that, given the unpleasantness of the reaction. But skin rashes can be a symptom.
The weight loss benefits come indirectly from removing a lot of low glycemic index carbs if you don’t eat bread, pasta etc., but that is a separate issue.