How to keep food interesting

[nettiboo1982]

Hello all I had a baby almost 9 months ago and seemingly developed issues with wheat/gluten so in June I had bloods taken to rule out lots of things coeliac test was due to be tested but for reasons unknown to me the test wasn't completed. Anyway in the mean time I decided to go gluten free and for the most part I feel better.

I'm really struggling with what to eat though and I'm missing the convenience I suppose of gluten containing products.

I'm also vegetarian almost vegan bar a few eggs and honey. How does everyone keep their diet interesting? Many thanks

[Hidden]

We're the same.

I cook a lot of Deliciously Ella recipes, some of them are really quick and easy and they're all vegan & gluten free.

We keep things interesting by having loads of recipes we cycle through. If we eat the same thing too often it gets very dull. 🥱

[nettiboo1982 in reply to Hidden]

Brilliant I will have a little look thank you

[Hidden in reply to nettiboo1982]

The app is great! It's £9.99 for a year but you get access to loads of recipes so it's more cost effective than buying all the books!

[Whydothis]

This is not a direct reply to your question, but I think you should go back to your doctor and insist on having a blood test for coeliac disease. Of course this means staying on gluten in the meantime - so the sooner the better, as the longer you eat gluten free the worse you will feel when you go back to it. A proper diagnosis is important! It will tell you whether your problem is with all gluten grains or just wheat, and it will warn you whether you need to be aware of the 10% chance of your baby also having CD.

[nettiboo1982 in reply to Whydothis]

Hi thank you for your reply and I do understand the reasons I need to have test done but the pain was just to much to deal with being sick constant heart burn the pain when going for a number two have all stopped now so I'm very reluctant to try again. Thank you for your reply

[Whydothis in reply to nettiboo1982]

I do understand, of course, but it is important to get it right for your long term health. As Benjamin123 says below, you really need to know whether you are coeliac so you can have all the possible issues investigated.

[nettiboo1982 in reply to Whydothis]

I had a whole list of tests done in June I am already hypothyroid have been for 7.5 years so tsh was checked. I cannot have Dairy so my bone density was checked along with vitamin d b12 iron levels etc I also have a nuclear ab1 test which came back high at 1.4 bit I was advised not high enough for further investigation.

I asked my gp about the coeliac screening and would it be dangerous to not have it and he said no. He didn't push to say I needed it 100%

I also enquired about my babies chances of having issues and was told not to exclude any foods as they wouldnt know until much later any way.

[Whydothis in reply to nettiboo1982]

If your GP and you both feel it is not necessary to have the test, I suggest you assume you are coeliac and make sure you avoid gluten from barley and rye as well as wheat (which you are probably already doing)

Going back to your original question - you can find some good recipes on the various low carb/keto/paleo diet websites, as they avoid grains. See the LCHF forum here on Health Unlocked to find some starting points.

When I was first diagnosed I went a bit mad trying all the alternative sources of carbs, and found I was putting on weight rather quickly! I am now eating much lower carbs, getting my weight to where it should be and enjoying my food much more by eating more veg and not relying on substitutes. I really dislike the various GF breads on offer, and prefer to do without or bake for myself using low carb recipes. I do rely on a lot of eggs and cheese (and some meat in my case) but of course lentils and beans are all GF and safe.

[Hidden in reply to Whydothis]

I have to disagree with you on the testing. GPs are woeful for understanding the impact/consequences of coeliac, never mind the testing. If a person has coeliac, but not diagnosed, they will be impacted by that continually including lack of additional testing (bone density for one), follow up appointments to see if gluten free coeliac diet is fixing the problem or if there are additional issues, through to if a person ever has to go for a hospital stay and needs gluten free food during their stay. No GP alone should be given the call to make that decision (given their poor understanding of coeliac) and no person who is ill should be expected to compromise on lack of proper diagnosis.

[Whydothis in reply to Hidden]

You are right, of course. I am not aware enough of the care a new coeliac should get, because I didn't get it. I have had to request all my follow-up blood tests and then assess for myself whether my diet is working, and I have not been offered a bone density scan.

[Penel]

Have a look at the Healthy Eating site on HU. It’s got lot of gluten-free and vegetarian recipe options.

healthunlocked.com/healthye...

[nettiboo1982 in reply to Penel]

Thank you

[Cooper27]

How long ago was your blood test taken? It can take a few weeks for coeliac blood test results to come back sometimes.

[Hidden in reply to Cooper27]

She states 'I was due to be tested'. I would take from that that no testing actually happened.

[Cooper27 in reply to Hidden]

I did see that, thanks, however in our case a coeliac test was carried out at the same time as other tests, but the results came back several weeks after the others, which is my reason for asking.

[Hidden in reply to Cooper27]

Sorry, my misreading.

[nettiboo1982 in reply to Cooper27]

Hi i was advised it took three weeks the doctor chased it up as it looked like it was being done then the hospital came back to say no such test was carried out. No one knows why as it was on a form with other tests which did get carried out. X

[Cooper27 in reply to nettiboo1982]

It's a shame they missed it. As I've mentioned to Benjamin above, my partner had a coeliac test carried out at the same time as other tests, but the results came back several weeks after the others, so I was mentioning in case that might be the case here. It was a shame because he was told all results were fine, then a month later it wasn't.

[Hidden]

I would back up a few steps and repeat "for reasons unknown to me the test wasn't completed".

What?!

Forget about making a gluten free diet interesting, and follow up immediately on what went on with the testing. Coeliac is a serious autoimmune condition that needs proper diagnosis (in an ideal world). You need gluten in your diet for at least another 6 weeks to get the proper IG level/biospy results if it is coeliac.

You will struggle down the line for that lack of diagnosis if it is coeliac, and there may be secondary health issues you need checking for (vitamin/mineral levels, bone density, thyroid, etc.).

[nettiboo1982 in reply to Hidden]

Hello I have no idea why the blood wasn't tested it was on the form with many others tests. I have an under active thyroid already and due to issues with Dairy I ask for my bone density to be checked along with all kinds of other tests.

[Hidden in reply to nettiboo1982]

You're asking for all the right tests, just of the wrong people! You will find many on here who have been given the runaround for years and fobbed off. That is interesting that you already have gippy thyroid. I think the overwhelming advice would be to put gluten back in your diet (not a nice idea, but necessary evil), go back to your GP and state, in no uncertain terms, that you want a full blood test/screen for coeliac, but only once you have at least 6 weeks of gluten eating under your belt. That is very careless of the hospital if coeliac test neglected. Pretty negligent.

[Whydothis]

In spite of my last reply, when I have tried to answer your question, I really do believe you should insist on a proper test for coeliac disease, as the long term health implications really do make it worthwhile putting up with the gluten for those few weeks. I agree with Benjamin123 that many GPs don't understand it well enough - probably because they see very few people with it.