New poll ideas?

[FionaGFG]

It's been a while since we did a new poll as we've had a lot of health issues ourselves. So we wanted to hear what you'd like the new poll questions to be about? Any good ideas? Do bear in mind the format that is on the poll questions.

[Hidden]

Hi Fiona, did you see this by Mia?

How many of us have a reaction to foods containing less than 20ppm of gluten? Include everything, codex wheat, barley malt, maltodextrin. - Gluten Free Guerrillas | HealthUnlocked

I think that this is a good idea and it could help those who are still struggling even tho' they are on a 'gluten free' diet.

Another could be how healthy do you feel now you're on a gf diet? and how long before you felt better?

It's good to see you back on here,

Jerry

[pretender in reply to Hidden]

The question I find confusing! "How many of us react to foods containing less than 20ppm?" "Another could be how healthy do you feel now your on a gf diet".

The gf diet may contain less than 20ppm of gluten.

I react to less than 20ppm of gluten therefore exclude anything that may contain anything from a gluten source, as listed above.

The question might be better put as "Do you react to foods containing less than 20ppm including the gf diet".

Regulation of the label gluten-free varies. The current international Codex Alimentarius standard allows for 20 parts per million of gluten in so-called "gluten-free" foods for foodstuffs that are considered naturally gluten-free and 200 ppm for foodstuffs rendered gluten-free.[44][45][46] Such a standard also reflects "the lowest level that can be consistently detected in foods."[47] In the European Union, the European Commission issued regulations in 2009 limiting the use of "gluten-free" labels for food products to those with less than 20 mg/kg of gluten, and "very low gluten" labels for those with less than 100 mg/kg.[48] In the United States, the FDA issued regulations in 2013 limiting the use of "gluten-free" labels for food products to those with less than 20 ppm of gluten.[47][49][50] In the UK, foods may be labeled gluten-free if they contain less than 0.3% gluten.[citation needed] In Australia, gluten-free foods must contain less than 0.003% gluten.[51] In Canada, Health Canada considers foods with a gluten-free claim which contain levels not exceeding 20 ppm as a result of cross-contamination to meet regulations.[52]

[MrsPepperpot]

I wonder about how provision of GF foods could be improved. Currently, it is fairly hit and miss with prescriptions. Why couldn't the big supermarkets manage it a bit like their other clubs and rewards schemes, the infrastructure is there. The companies could list some of their lines that are GF eg like the GF units, and include some more expensive unprocessed items. Send vouchers for each month's worth of units to those registered with them. Then we could use the vouchers to buy the regular freefrom and medicalised products and more importantly the costly unprocessed items that need to be carefully sourced eg oats. The current system offers highly processed foods and appears to be plain crazy in most areas. The supermarkets would then claim back money for vouchers exchanged. Personally, I think that it would make a huge psychological impact in making coeliacs feel less like outsiders. What would be even better is if the prices levelled out, back to oats where 1 or 2 pence on a packet of mainstream oats would probably offset the great cost of GF oats currently.

'Would you like to use GF vouchers to buy foods in your supermarket rather than order from the pharmacy?'

[pretender in reply to MrsPepperpot]

I get foods for my Coeliac Disease through my supermarket pharmacy. I take my choice of foods on a list of foods that are available to me ie Glutafin, providing the pip code and the quantity I require which I collect the following week. I buy my food based on the ingredients rather than the term "GF", because I am classed as "Brittle Complicated Coeliac Disease" my diet is more restricted than most so the current system works for me. Mainly Pasta, biscuits & crackers.

[MrsPepperpot in reply to pretender]

My point is not to get food in the pharmacy but off the shelves at the supermarket. As well as what is available now on prescription there would be other bakery items eg Warburtons and also more cooking items that are in a GF form which is more expensive than the mainstream version eg oats and, say, tamari where others would use a cheaper soy sauce. I think most of us could walk around a supermarket and work out which those items are, so it would not be a difficult task for supermarkets to make a list of voucher items.

[pretender in reply to MrsPepperpot]

There are those that cannot use/buy off the shelves in supermarkets. I for one go by the ingredients on the labels so a voucher system with a monetary value might be useful but how could you control what is purchased? GF foods are detrimental to me if they contain derivatives, wheat starch or hydromethylcellulose and I am sure others have to avoid other foods like I have to

[weee]

What about: What other conditions do you live with which may be related to your coeliacs, and how do you cope?

[Jacks]

Sometimes that gut pain after eating isn't anything other than a poorly gut trying to cope with wholesome things like fruit and veg as it creates so much gas. Similarly digesting proteins and carbs can be hard work.

[Hidden]

How about should coeliac get food on prescription and do you get any gf food on prescription.

Seems quite pertinent at the moment and is obviously an emotive subject.

[pretender]

Not a good idea for a poll where the majority of coeliac's will get food on prescription.

[FionaGFG Administrator]

Hi Guys please bear in mind that the poll is set up mainly for quantative yes / no type questions not long answers. They can only be added as comments. We can create polls based on a simple yes/no % answer or polls where people tick multiple answers i.e. which of these other health conditions do you have? Hope that helps in terms of ideas generations. We have had polls in the past about eating out, health concerns, whether family members are also tested etc.