After what can only be described as 8 weeks of food poisoning, I've been diagnosed as gluten intolerant. Not the end of the world by any means, and already found some half decent alternatives in the Tesco 'free from' aisle, but...
I'm hungry, much more so than normal, and a real lack of energy to get through the day.
I'm pleased I feel better already with the change of diet, but with a physical job, I could really do with some real world tips as to what keeps the energy levels up, after losing the wheat based stuff that has clearly been good at keeping me going in the past.
Would love to hear from anyone with advice on what worked well for them, as all the info from websites, doctors, and dieticians is proving, ahem, tough to digest
A question: who made the diagnosis? Have you actually been investigated for coeliac disease by a doctor or is the intolerance “diagnosed” by a non-medical alternative practitioner? Two very different things, with important long-term consequences if coeliac is missed.
HiOriginally Posted by RossC
After what can only be described as 8 weeks of food poisoning, I've been diagnosed as gluten intolerant. Not the end of the world by any means, and already found some half decent alternatives in the Tesco 'free from' aisle, but...
I'm hungry, much more so than normal, and a real lack of energy to get through the day.
I'm pleased I feel better already with the change of diet, but with a physical job, I could really do with some real world tips as to what keeps the energy levels up, after losing the wheat based stuff that has clearly been good at keeping me going in the past.
Would love to hear from anyone with advice on what worked well for them, as all the info from websites, doctors, and dieticians is proving, ahem, tough to digest
I stopped wheat a while back and initially found it very hard to wean myself off years if sandwiches for lunch. The wheat/gluten free stuff at the time, especially the bread, was pretty miserable. Things are a lot better now - I've found the M&S bread to be the best, for my tastes anyway. Most of the main supermarkets do a decent range of 'free from' stuff now.
I've found the spaghetti from Sainsburys to be pretty good, the stuff from Tesco less so. So spaghetti with meatballs works well. There is a small selection of gluten free pizzas that are ok - Sainsburys and Good Fellas. There was another called Earth Creations or something but we can't remember where we bought it from.
When I was more office based I used to have salads with protein in them and that was pretty good. Also, lunches from places like Wasabi, Eat and Pret are pretty good - depends on what you do for your lunch.
Worth looking out for a cook book like Lean in 15 as a lot of the recipes in there can easily be made gluten free and they are filling and energy giving. There's one in there with chorizo, tomatoes, spring onions and eggs that is pretty good.
One tip - watch out for beer that contains wheat - makes me feel funny pretty quick if I have it now.
Hope that helps.
This.
Maybe have a look at Huel:
https://uk.huel.com/products/huel-gluten-free
The original stuff may not tbe suitable but they do a gluten free version. It's about £1.60 a meal & I find it quite filling.
Of course first choice is rice in all its glory, with asian/italian/north african recipes.
Anther good source of carbohydrates gluten-free is polenta, which is corn semolina (grits in US). Very versatile ingredient, it replaces bread in many North italian valleys. Both just cooked, and cooked-dried-fried can be very tasty:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/gu...w-cook-polenta
http://www.finecooking.com/recipe/pa...with-mushrooms
I was diagnosed with Wheat Intolerance (WI) last year. Not Celiac (DNA markers, patch and blood tests done under Gastroenterology at local hospital). However, WI effectively means buying Gluten Free (GF) stuff as there are not many products specifically for WI sufferers.
Shop bought GF bread is mostly grim stuff - it doesn't taste like bread, it breaks up, even when fresh and it's expensive. So we bought a bread maker with a GF setting. You can either buy GF bread mixes (also quite expensive) or buy the raw ingredients and make your own. One thing I've worked out is to heat the mixing bowl and bread tin with hot water before making the bread - it helps with getting consistent results.
Unfortunately, you will also have to check the ingredients on a lot of foods. Sausages for instance often contain some form of gluten-based filler ingredients like bread crumbs. For energy, I would go for porridge. I also eat lots of rice-based stuff (cereal, biscuits, crackers, etc.) and I find GF Pasta from Sainsburys very nice.
With beer, Stella is OK for me and Peroni does a gluten free version. I mostly stick to Red Wine anyway.
Two weeks back, I was the 'designated cook' for my son's sailing team. One of the boys has a gluten intolerance as well. The first time that I had to deal with cooking and gluten intolerance. I knew nothing about it. So I asked the young man (19 y/o) for do's and don'ts. He was pretty relaxed about it. But I wanted to make him a proper meal as well!
Luckily there's a special shop near my home that has all sorts of specialised food items; the 'free from...' stuff (lactose free, gluten free etc). They even bake fresh gluten-free bread! So I hopped on my bike and went shopping and for advice. It looks as if it's the only special store for this sort of food in the country. First, the shop has a ton of food for people with gluten intolerance. Dinner will not get boring! Next to that, I learned about the procedure of cooking as well: cook gluten-free food first and only use pans that are really, really clean! Furthermore, be careful when using pre-mixed spices! Often, it's not gluten-free. It's best to mix your own.
In the end, I served the team food with rice and papadums (papads). The gluten-free version of this bread really tasted great! It had more taste than the bulk of small bread I bought in the supermarket.
One drawback: gluten-free is more expensive.
Menno
Presumably you've had a look at the Coeliac UK site which is a mine of information on gluten free products but when you're looking for a replacement for that bulky type of energy boost, uncontaminated oats can be a good start if you're OK with them. There's nothing like a bowl of porridge with banana to get you going in the morning and home made flapjacks, in a variety of flavours are great energy producers during the day and blooming delicious. ...
Coeliac disease is far worse then just a simple gluten intolerance
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I’d recommend learning to DIY make - a lot of the off the shelf stuff is getting better but is still often mediocre. Making your own bread, pizzas pies can produce remarkable results that I defy anyone to tell the difference from gluten containing
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As above, make sure your diagnosis is from from someone with a proper medical background. My wife spent 2 years buying this stuff after seeing an "alternative" practitioner and eventually found out her stomach issues were down to something completely different.
Anyway out of all the breads, she liked Burgen the best ( https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-G...ucts/293672942 ) though getting a bread maker is the cheapest option. On this, my wife also found that making bread with Spelt flur, although still a wheat flour didn't upset her at all (possibly as the modern wheat strains are too strong?).
It obviously depends on how badly gluten affects you. I have a minor intolerance to processed - so bread, pastas etc. If I have too much of it, it kills my energy and I'm dead on the sofa for the next 5 hours...
For the morning oats/porridge - once you get into the routine its not too much of a pain to make properly. For the rest of the day rice is king. Learn to make rice properly and it goes with everything along with rice being a good alternative for noodles.
Polenta is a good shout above, I'd add quinoa which I really like and of course don't forget your potatoes and sweet potatoes! They get a bad rep but are such a good source of carbs.
If you have a pizza craving look for bases made from cauliflower flour. Its pretty good and for sure a lighter alternative.
Thankfully bread is mostly rubbish in the UK anyway, so you're not really missing out on
I suffer with Candida related issues. The diet is a complete pain in the arse
Thanks to everyone who has provided information and help - loads of things to investigate and try, so it's much appreciated
No voodoo here. Numerous blood and sample tests by the doctor.
I find Tesco do a reasonable selection of gluten free stuff, including beer.
As mentioned, Peroni do a gluten free, but you can also get IPA and Speckled Hen gluten free too. Distilled Spirits should also be safe too, even whisky with barley as a root ingredient.
Checking packaging becomes second nature after a while but home prep food is generally better if you have the time - some of the gluten free flours make excellent cakes which are very hard to tell apart on taste for example.
Most restaurants (in my experience) do an allergens menu if you ask and a lot of them will offer gluten free dishes.
It's much easier to be gluten free now than it was even a few years ago.
Don't forget all fresh fruit and veg are gluten free.
Sorry if that was a bit obvious.
Again this may seem obvious, one of my children was lactose intolerant for a time, always read the label and fully understand the ingredients, if you don't know exactly what it is in it, don't buy it. you will be amazed at the different names they call things, it should be standardised.
It's just a matter of time...
Meat, cheese, eggs, vegetables, nuts
I'm not gluten intollerant but I'm diabetic so that's my diet and it's great.
There are some fab gluten free wheat biscuit cracker bread type things
Lots of tuna and cheese with them can bulk up a salad etc
Good luck
Try plenty of water too - you’ll feel less hungry and you’ll clear your kidneys and drop at least five pounds from not needed water retention
I'm slowly working my way through all these tips, they've been great, thanks to all.
I particularly like all the advice on beer
It was noticed really early on that beer was an issue, so changed to red wine, but I'm pleased to hear of gluten free alternatives.
There are different types of gluten e.g. oats, wheat, rye, and barley. Those who have a wheat gluten intolerance might be ok with rye and oats … thus worth exploring rye breads and oat cakes but not those prepared with wheat/rye and wheat/oats flour mixtures. Avoid the German long life rye breads … try and find a fresh baked locally prepared rye bread (Waitrose). There are also spelt flour breads (Waitrose) made using old fashioned spelt flour which has a different type of gluten to modern varieties of wheat flour. However, none of these alternative types of gluten are safe for those diagnosed with celiac disease as distinct from wheat gluten intolerance. Celiac disease usually requires a duodenal biopsy (via an endoscope … not through an abdominal incision) for a firm diagnosis.
dunk
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
bread made from chesnut flour is amazing - tried some in Madeira
plenty of grains are gluten free or very low in gluten and eating small amouts is ok
Aldi Oat Cakes are excellent and a good bread substitute … and very reasonably priced at £0.55 per packet compared to e.g. Sainsbury, Waitrose and Nairns brands
dunk
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
Get the Coeliac UK app & become a member. There’s a handy barcode scanner on it so you can check to see what’s safe & what’s not. You’ll be surprised by the results. Get used to checking ingredients - it doesn’t take long & after awhile it’ll become second nature. Dependant on how intolerant you are you may have to check for cross contamination in the home - toasters & spreads (butter, jam etc..).
It’s frustrating, but it’ll really make you think about what you’re eating & putting into your body. Sometimes I just think of food as fuel for the body 😊
Read the labels and know where the wheat/barley/rye etc is.
Don't fall for SOME the "Free From" cons, I've seen GF pesto for sale at twice the price, the standard stuff is naturally gluten free!
Same for many supermarket own-brand cereals, basic ingredients and gluten free at a third of the price.
Important stuff: Beer/lager - Greens have a massive range, Brewdog Vagabond is good, plus the others mentioned here.
Get the Coeliac membership and app, barcode scanner works a treat.
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Read the labels and know where the wheat/barley/rye etc is.
Don't fall for SOME the "Free From" cons, I've seen GF pesto for sale at twice the price, the standard stuff is naturally gluten free!
Same for many supermarket own-brand cereals, basic ingredients and gluten free at a third of the price.
Important stuff: Beer/lager - Greens have a massive range, Brewdog Vagabond is good, plus the others mentioned here.
Get the Coeliac membership and app, barcode scanner works a treat.
Not true. Someone who really has couliac disease can not even tolerate a single crumb or a whiff of flour. For true sufferers there is only NO gluten at all, zero, zilch, nada. Not 'low in gluten' or 'small amounts'. ZERO.
One crumb means headaches, intestinal pains and a week of flue-like symptoms.
It means constantly being on the lookout for contamination. My wife has it, it takes 6 months to improve once you adapt your diet and it is for life. It means always sitting at the end of the table where the bread (for others) is not set down during family events, not being able to go to most restaurants and having to cook most of your food yourself if you want to eat healthy - a lot of glutenfree ready-made stuff is full of palm oil and such to make it stick.
Indeed, rice is king, quinoa (if you like it), polenta, potatoes, and also rice flour in different varieties and all sorts of other 'flours' made from nuts etc. Half the stuff she uses in her kitchen turned lab I don't even recognize. Then add lactose intolerance so you also need to get rid of anything made with cow's milk.
The only compromise we have made is that I still eat bread (the real breads here in the French rural countryside are too good to miss if you are not a coeliac patient), but I keep and cut it in the back kitchen, never in the kitchen itself. We use different knives and our own separate margarines (diferent brands) so she can't accidentally get a crumb from my bread left in the margarine. We each have our own toaster - in different spaces. You get used to it to some extent, but one out of every two or three family gatherings end with her being sick when we get back (the reaction comes after a day or so, not immediately, it is not stomach pain but an inflammation of the intestines).
Of course two thirds of stuff found in the supermarkets is a no-no. And deciphering every ingredient while shopping takes ages.
I can recommend Schär as a decent brand of gluten-free breads.
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