What health tips would you give newbie Coeliacs?

[FionaGFG]

What have you learnt on your journey back to health ref dealing with Drs, minerals, tests, eating out that you'd pass onto Newbie Coeliacs to make their lives easier? Tell us your 3 top tips....

[Hidden]

The first thing I would advise is to sort out the sensitivity level which normally happens within the first year which would then indicate the sort of food you could tolerate ie gluten free/ very low gluten or no gluten, this could be done with a proper coeliac specific dietician.

[petraaitken]

1. That wheat glucose syrup is actually gluten free

2. That gluten free eating is not a healthier way of eating - you have to be careful what gluten free foods you eat as many are higher in fat and sugar than glutenous products

3. That gluten free foods do not have to be tasteless! There are some amazing tasting gluten free products around

[Hidden]

1. That wheat glucose syrup is actually gluten free.

efsa.europa.eu/en/scdocs/sc... & efsa.europa.eu.en/scdocs/sc...

Are listed as gluten free but are exempted from listing on allergen labels but some coeliacs may react to it as they have found to contain "Low amounts of residual gluten and peptides & Trace amounts (1-15 mg/kg) of residual intact gliadin as well as peptides "etc etc.

This is why "Gluten Free" to means it is made from a gluten source.

[FionaGFG Administrator]

We'd recommend - thru learning the hard way (!)....

1. Avoiding Lactose/ Dairy products for 6-12 months....

Reason:

when the villi are damaged the tips of them that normally process these can't work as they're either non existent or flattened. Giving your body time to recharge, refresh and re-grow these villi by removing the gluten AND the lactose and dairy helps prevent ongoning nausea, bloating and strain. Lactose free milk and cheese can be a good substitute.

2. Avoid Oats...

Reason:

Whilst many are now produced in a GF environment and free of cross contamination, they contain a protein 'Avenin' which is similar to the Gliadin in Wheat and other gluten proteins of grains. In the first year of recovery it's worth avoiding these. Then discussing reintroducing GF oats in consultation with your dietitian and ensuring you have blood checks before and after to check your gluten anti-bodies have not been triggered.

3. Take pre and pro biotics...

Reason:

Both of these can help to re-balance and keep the healthy levels of 'good' bacteria in your tum. Most Coeliacs have a very unhealthy balance of bad bacteria in their tums as the results of your body fighting gluten for years and not processing food correctly. As a result when you go GF you often get disheartened or find that GF natural foods like salad, rice, sugar can bloat and cause you Coeliac type symptoms. This is due to the bad bacteria having a party in your tum and feasting on these foods. So - ensure you buy some good GF supplements like these en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acido... as the normal supermarket drinks of these are packed with sugars and don't contain high enough levels of these.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prebi...

4. Lay off the alcohol...

Reason:

Going GF is a radical change for your body. You'll begin to absorb alcohol for the first time in years (if you are of drinking age!), so beware odd hangovers, getting tipsy easily. Plus all of which strains the liver which is trying to keep up with the changes in your body and work effectively so treat it nice.

5. Beware the Free From aisle..

Reason:

It maybe GF (200ppm or less than 20ppm) but is it healthy? Is it sustainable? Read those labels - how much fat is in your GF bread per slice?! You maybe surprised!! Read the sugar content...many Coeliacs pork up after going GF because they a) absorb food properly AND b) they've been enjoying Free From replacements which have oodles of unhealthy things in them. So be informed and shop sensibly....

6. Look out for

- Maltodextrin

- Wheat Syrup

- Codex Wheat Starch eg in prescription foods

Reason:

Although many Coeliac societies say these are GF and have been processed so they are 'safe' for Coeliacs we know of many that react to them - at least in their first few years of healing. So be informed and monitor your reactions if you choose to eat products with these in them. Many Coeliacs tolerate them well, some do not. So if you're strictly GF and your blood test results continue to show Gluten anti-bodies consider whether this could be the cause and try cutting them out

7. Embrace learning to cook & new grains

Reason:

Going GF can be daunting. If you can reframe it as a challenge to be more creative minus gluten it somehow seems a lot simpler! So try Buckwheat (rhubard family), Quinoa (grain that is GF and packed with protein), rice - brown, wild etc, and google bloggers GF recipes. You may come across something tasty that you'd never dreamt of eating before!

8. Read the label on whatever you put in your mouth and if in doubt - leave it out!

Reason:

Gluten is hidden in drinks, over the counter medicines, food (from ice-cream to pre-packed fresh vegetables), and chewing gum. Whilst it is a bore and you'll want to shop on your own as it will take hours the first few times it is important you take responsibility for checking labels and ensuring they don't have gluten in them. Don't assume that waiters/ relatives etc know what gluten is or that when they say 'I think it's fine' that it is. We don't want you to be paranoid - but better safe than sorry in the early days!

9. Eat simply...

During the first few weeks of going gluten free your body is rebalancing itself. So be gentle. Try and eat plain food initially. Consider avoiding spicy fatty foods or caffeine and alcohol which are all harsh on the stomach. Then gradually reintroduce your favourite foods or cook some new recipes. Don't always assume an odd reaction means you've been glutened. Sometimes it's just hard for your tum to process some foods whilst it's healing.

10. Take small steps...

For the first 3 months it's probably best to get a grip of gluten. Strip your fridge and cupboard of gluten or section off areas that are gluten free. Then take the initiative and socialise with friends at venues that really understand gluten free food and take care. Ask other Coeliacs for suggestions or do the groundwork yourself, and try not to visit on a busy fri/sat night as staff will probably be busy and you may not get the attention you may need in the early days. Chains in the UK that many Coeliacs have recommended are: La Tasca, Nandos, Carluccios, Zizzi etc as they often have GF menus. Always ask the Mgr to ensure your food is GF and query oils, sauces, cross contamination so you can ensure as much as possible that your food will be safe to eat.

What are your top tips....?

[Coeliac_Copper]

just a small thing to add to the great advice above:

if you do live with non-coeliacs, make sure there is no chance of cross contamination between the food you eat and they eat; for example i have my own toaster for GF bread, my own chopping board, frying pans are washed thoroughly when used to cook something unsuitable for me, using tin foil over baking trays and the grill.

I also put things like butter into separate containers so when the knife has been 'glutened' and then put back into the butter, it is not the butter you use.

[FionaGFG Administrator]

Great tips!

We've almost forgotten our Uni flat sharing days and we know how bad that can be! Even as a family it's easy to grab something half asleep in the fridge and use the wrong butter. Labels are the way forward as are foil, toaster bags (great when visiting friends too), and plastic chopping boards (those wooden ones hide the crumbs)!

Handy sites:

lakeland.co.uk/10724/Lakela...

lakeland.co.uk/3318/Magic-O...

lakeland.co.uk/13640/2-Piec...

So handy if you hate cleaning the grill as I do! Or have messy flatmates/ partners who don't de-crumb /gluten it!

From Oz:

lakeland.co.uk/10436/Multig...

Worth a try I've heard many Coeliacs love it

For those days when you need a GF snack on the run:

I ended up with mushy handbag banana for ages till I used these..

lakeland.co.uk/10380/Banana...

Enjoy! Many big Dept stores also do variations...