I would like some tips on how to compile a weekly diet please! :)

[paulb44]

I am a newly diagnosed celiac, also hypothyroid, and am having real trouble with deciding what i can eat from one day to the next. Ideally i would like to have a weekly plan (breakfast,lunch,dinner from monday to sunday)pretty much mapped out for me. Is there anywhere i can find a weekly gluten plan?

[Lynxcat]

Hi Paul, It is always difficult when newly diagnosed .. purely because the longer that you have coeliacs and its various 'dark passengers' the more you find out about it. Coeliacs are advised to avoid wheat, barley and rye but many avoid oats too, even pure oats.

So breakfasts could range from homemade museli - comprising of almond flakes, chopped walnuts/pecans/hazel nuts/Brazils, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, ground linseeds with various fruits such as fresh blueberries, raspberries, sliced banana, sliced peach, dried fruits such as sultanas, raisins, currants, dates, figs, prunes .. perhaps boiled eggs and Gluten Free toast (perhaps Genious bread) geniusglutenfree.com/ .. poached eggs with a little poached/grilled or baked fresh fish .. millet porridge .. quinoa porridge .. omlette .. scrambled eggs perhaps with boiled tomatoes .. puffed rice .. boiled rice - which you may stir in a cracked egg until it is cooked or perhaps serve with a little cold fresh meat .. the permutations are almost endless ..

[Hidden]

Hi Paul, when we are first diagnosed all wee see is what we can not eat rather than what we can but with time it becomes second nature.

Now you can answer this yourself by making a list of your favourite foods and a list of foods that are beneficial to sufferers of hypothyroidism, foods like salmon and spreads like Tahini (this is really nice on toast) And available from health food type shops. And then make gf versions to suit you.

If you check back through GFG there are similar questions about ''what can I have for breakfast and it shows the varied tastes. Here's one from April 2012:

glutenfreeguerrillas.health...

Lastly good luck and you're in good company on here.

[judyblue]

Hi Paul, it can feel really daunting when you are first diagnosed, but veg, fruit, fish and fresh meat are naturally gluten free. In the week I make things like bolognese, replaced with GF pasta, Dolmios sauces are gf. Cottage pie, roast dinners the same, except for gf instant gravy, like Anthony Worrall Thompsons, sold in Sainsburys and the Co-OP, or making your own with cornflour, meat juices and Knorr stock cubes. If you need to make sauces these can be thickened with Doves gf flour. You can find gf sausages in many stores, M&S do a good range, which would be nice with mash and onion gravy. Think about the dinners you used to cook and how you can adapt them. You can get DS frozen yorkshire puds, from Sainsburys. If you have a good look around the supermarkets, you can find ready made fish sauces that are gf. Mrs Crimbles do a packet of gf stuffing, I think thats sold in the larger Tesco stores. You need to be careful with cooked meats from the deli counter in case hams with breadcrumbs have been sliced at the same time. Aldi do a good range of cooked meats, that say gf, which are good for sandwiches. Things like yogurts for lunch, a tuna and gf pasta salad, a jacket potato. Tesco do nice rolls you can have for sandwiches, or try different breads out to find what you like/ It's about reading the ingredients labels as well as the allergen boxes, then soon enough you get used to what is and isn't gf away from the freefrom section. If you go on sites like channel 4 or good food sites you can click on dietary requirements which will bring up lots of gf recipes which you can print off. Also if you e-mail gf suppliers and tell them you are newly diagnosed, they usually send free samples to you. Also if you sign up to Coeliak uk, they do a small food directory which gives you a lot o info on what foods are gf in supermarkets, and naturally gf foods as well.

[FionaGFG Administrator]

Hi Paul - great question. Somehow not one dietitian at a coeliac clinic has ever produced one of these so maybe it's something we can brainstorm and create as a group.

There's a lot to take in as a coeliac so make life simple:

1) clear out your cupboards of any gluten food / stock/ sauces etc (give away to friends)

2) write down what your typical meal plan was before diagnosis & include your favourite meals

3) now look at what you can easily adapt to gluten free e.g. swapping bread for a good quality gluten free bread that is low in salt, sugar and fat (always read the labels - even Genius has reduced their fat content due to customer pressure)

4) now look at what you'd be eating - have you simply replaced gluten foods for processed gluten free foods? If so try harder - what can you ditch e.g. GF pizza/ GF ready meals etc

5) Jot down 1-2 meals you can cook from scratch & add these

6) Jot down meals you can make and take for lunch the next day & add these

7) Jot down any natural and simple snacks you can include e.g. fruit, nuts, seeds - sounds dull but you'll need extra fibre as a coeliac & all of these save time reading labels (you'll soon get bored of that necessity!)

8) Now look at your diet plan - how does it look?

9) Now make sure you're including protein with each lunch/ dinner and lots of veg e.g. fish and two - three types of veg (avoid just making GF pasta - after all this is still processed and doesn't offer you a lot nutritionally), make your meals as colourful as you can, include herbs and spices (worth investing in some fresh herb plants you can grow at home so you always use)

Consider things you wouldn't normally eat i.e. don't restrict your breakfast to GF cereal / GF toast or yogurt & fruit - none of these will keep you full for long. Consider protein & slow release carbs eg a frittata with new potatoes - you can make it in advance & eat cold or hot in the morning, or fish i.e. mackeral & veg, Quinoa with fruit.

10) Now look at your diet plan - how does it look?

Let us know what you come up with. We also found these below. They maybe helpful - you can get a good idea of a balanced menu plan from them.

doctoroz.com/videos/gluten-...

eatingwell.com/nutrition_he...

PS I know you have also mentioned other health concerns before as well. I'd strongly recommend you don't go Free From aisle loopy-loo and buy up all the items they sell. The problem is the temptation is for newbie coeliacs to simply replace their old foods with GF versions which are often very high in salt, fat, sugar and other nasties. Instead try and be creative - hard I know but it will also be cheaper for you e.g. GF Soy sauce in the mainstream aisle is cheaper than in the Free From aisle.

Also be aware of eating low GI foods. Many processed GF foods eg white rice, GF pasta are high GI. Without the ability to eat other grains as other people can we're at risk of higher blood sugar and Cholesterol & blood pressure.

Instead have a look at this advice from Diabetes UK

diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-di...

Don't feel overwhelmed but do use it as a guide eg new potatoes are low GI vs mashed potatoe (and quicker to cook) so small adjustments can make a big difference.

There are some schools of thought in America that some foods are very inflammatory. This is hotly debated - but if your health is poor and you want to try to simplify things then you could also look at avoiding:

- dairy (as the protein Casein can cause inflammation)

- caffeine (as any good Gastro Dr will tell you this is harsh on the stomach and causes stress other strains on the body)

- sugar

- alcohol (we know! Not great to hear but it's one of the most inflammatory things you can intake - it makes our blood vessels dilate and inflames problems internally)

This doesn't need to be for long eg 2 weeks - a month & see if you feel different. The theory is that coeliacs / thyroid patients have had damage & inflammation therefore removing these extra stressors on the body & immune system can give it a chance at repairing itself better.

Also look at getting a good pro-biotic supplement to intake to help heal the gut. Avoid the pricey drinks in supermarkets as again they're often full of sugar and not much else. Many coeliacs are Anemic at diagnosis and also have low vitamin D, calcium, magnesium and B12. These can make you feel like a zombie. So it's worth a good quality mineral / vitamin supplement & ask your Dr for a check of these to assess how deficient you are. Often they'll provide vitamin D injections to boost your level e.g. Low Vitamin D = aches & pains in joints & lower back, spasms, stiffness / Low Iron = fatigue & hair loss / Low B12 = fatigue, swollen ankles, pins and needles, numbness, burning on body sensation/ Low calcium & magnesium = muscle cramps and craving for chocolate

Let us know how you get on.

[trippy1983]

I could write you up a plan menu would need to know what foods you like i am vegatarian run my own catering business which includes food for gluten free as I have coelics aswell also do you get much food on prescribtion and how are you at home cooking?

[alifhp]

Good chance to get rattling those pots and pans! Try cooking chinese or indian - I find by varying my food as much as possible I don't get fed up with it. I buy rice noodles, cook then coat them with gf soy sauce and sesame oil before topping with stir fried chicken, ginger, garlic and my fav veggies. To do a sauce for the meat and veg a knorr chicken stock cube with cup of hot water, honey, and a splash of sweet chilli sauce/tom sauce - all thickened with 2 teaspoons cornflour. Yummie.

Treat yourself to a GF book or two, just think of yourself as special rather than awkward, I do - it can be a healthy diet if you put a bit of thought and effort in. Good luck x Ali

[Roxy-55]

Loads of great stuff above ... It might seem very daunting to you now, but I agree - you get used to it. Just try to think for coeliac (I don't know about thyroid), you only have to give up one thing - gluten. There are loads of other foods out there - meat, fish, fruit, veg, pulses etc. One of the big challenges, though, is that without the fillers, you might feel hungry, which, if you avoid sugary snack etc, will make you eat more of the good stuff. Personally, I fight the munchies by having a really good cooked breakfast every day and that keeps me going til late lunch. My other bit of advice would be to decide what snacks suit you. Mine are bananas, nuts, seeds. PS even with the big breakfast etc, my BMI is still only around 19 and I'm in my 50's!