Category: Blog

August 2023 I was tired all the time, spending a lot of time on the toilet (TMI) and feeling generally unwell. Previous months my immune system was weak as I was picking up every bug going. Feeling fed up with not feeling okay I dragged myself off to the doctors. The doctor took some blood tests and stated I had low iron. I started taking iron tablets straight away but I still couldn’t shift this awful lethargy and bloating. I noticed that my symptoms got worse after eating certain foods and started to think carefully about what food could be the cause. When discussing this with my doctor she simply said we can’t test for intolerances. You have to eliminate and then gradually add food back into your diet. Due to my love of chocolate and cheese and not having the will power to eliminate this food for long, I soon became aware that dairy was my problem.

I went to my local health food shop where the lady at the checkout explained that it is common for coeliacs to develop a lactose intolerance- I was not overjoyed by this. In fact, this was the worst news ever! My favourite food was anything with a creamy sauce and of course cheese and chocolate. I can remember telling my mum when I was a child – “at least I can have dairy, all my favourite things are dairy”.
Despite not being overjoyed to find this out it did provide me with answers, it did explain things. I was at the point where enough was enough and I didn’t want to feel this rotten anymore. I invested in some lactase enzyme tablets which helped to digest the lactose. I took up to 5 tablets before I knew I was about to indulge in some yummy dairy, This seemed to work a bit although I still felt groggy after eating it. I think my digestive system was still having to work too hard so from that point on, I decided that I would follow a strict lactose free diet alongside my gluten free one!

To sum it all up….

I am struggling with chocolate. The best ones so far have been the Galaxy vegan classic and the Nomo cookie dough vegan and free from chocolate bar. Easter time proved to be difficult- not being able to join in with the favourite easter egg chat and how quickly they’re eaten or where they are hidden so the rest of the family can’t find them.

In general, it is more difficult to eat on the go. For example, I cannot expect to walk into a shop and select a gluten and dairy free sandwich unless of course there is an M&S with it’s one suitable chicken and bacon sandwich.

There doesn’t seem to be any coffee shops offering lactose free milk as an alternative and I cannot have oat milk so I tend to take my own in my flask or have a herbal tea.

As it turns out there are some positives:

Lactose free milk tastes the same as normal milk,

Lactose free cheddar cheese tastes the same as normal cheddar,

Dairy free Ice- cream is just as good if not better!

Taking a packed lunch saves the pennies!

I’ve been enjoying cooking and trying out new recipes.

Curry’s made with coconut milk taste creamy. Chicken satay is a firm favourite at the moment.

The gf blogger has recently written some gluten and dairy free recipes: I have made some wonderful focaccia bread and shared it with friends

There is a new book out by Becky Excel: Air Fryer gluten free. All her recipes state if it’s lactose free or not and how to change it to make it so.

No naughty snacks for me when someone brings a pack of chocolates in to share in the staff room!

I find myself making healthier choices as it’s easier.

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So we all know how important breakfast is…..its the most important meal of the day they say! While there is no way any of us gluten free people would be eating Weetabix there are many other good options to help your day get off to a good start. Gluten free cereal is so easy to get hold of and there is normally a good variety in the supermarkets these days. It was a bit of a struggle many years ago but things have really improved.

The only time I feel I miss out is when me and the boyfriend go camping he will often treat himself to a cereal selection box. This is something I have never had the pleasure of and I will watch with evil eyes when he takes his time in choosing which one he would like! This is something I am always on the look out for so if anyone comes across any then do get in touch!

My top 5 breakfasts to have at home in no particular order:

1, Muesli. My personal favourite is the Sainsbury’s deliciously free from fruity muesli. I have tried quite a few (mainly supermarket own brands) and this one seems to have the right amount of fruit to oats ratio. I have found some other supermarket brands have a strange texture to them or not enough fruit.

2. Overnight oats. So this is quite a new invention for me. I stumbled across a recipe and thought I’d give it a whirl. So far my favourite concoction is banana and peanut butter with a sprinkle of cinnamon. The ones with chia seeds and fruit and yoghurt look interesting and super healthy too. These are really good if you are in a rush and can eat on the move.

3. Marmalade on toast. I never used to like marmalade but when I was in hospital moments after giving birth to my son the midwife brought me some on toast. I loved it and from then on its been my go to breakfast! It doesn’t matter too much which gluten free bread when it comes to having it toasted. I often go for the genius triple seeded farmhouse loaf.

4. Go Free Honeyflakes. They taste very sweet and have a good crunch to them. Probably not the healthiest but still very nice!

5. Tesco Free From instant porridge sachets. Now these are great. I love the apple and cinnamon flavour. They are quick and easy to make and taste good.

My dad follows a gluten free diet even though he has not been diagnosed with coeliac disease. He really believes that gluten is his bodies enemy because of how it makes him feel. He doesn’t not eat gluten because he is trying to keep up with the most recent trends. He is a socks and sandals kind of man!

Below my dad tells us about his love of bread and cakes and the battle with fatigue, stomach pains and possible gluten neuropathy over the years (burning feet).

My problem with wheat flour. I am 74 yrs old and my digestion is now settled and good, I eliminated wheat flour from my diet. Although after tests, including tube down my throat endoscopy in Yeovil hospital, maybe 25 years ago? It was determined that I was not Coeliac. My digestion since early years has not been robust, and I have suffered from sore stomach at times of stress, indigestion as well. It is well to note that my Dad also suffered stress related stomach problems, suspected an ulcer, never got to the bottom of it ! Makes you wonder ? Ok how did I pinpoint wheat as a source of my gut disturbances ? I love bread ! A nice crusty loaf would have both ends cut off and eaten by me as a youth; Cake as well, pastry, pies, just great; Imagine realising it was causing problems ! The denial ! Blame everything but the stuff you love. I am not a “faddist” .. detox etc. RUBBISH! .. But I had to solve my problem. So the denial thing went on for years …leave cake and bread alone for a while and ok .. take a slice of cake or two hmmmm , got away with that! But continue and stomach ache, time spent in the loo. Eventually I bit the bullet … a diet as per a Coeliac sufferer, it had to be ! This flirtation with wheat flour had to stop… it must be close to ten years now , I try to stay completely off of wheat polluted foods, there are so many food products containing it. Result ? Hardly ever get indigestion , toilet stab regular. Have I slipped up at all ? Of course, sometimes knowingly …. antidote being immodium, seriously ! Otherwise laid up with stomach ache for a day. A side effect of eating a good dose of wheat is raised heart rate, noticeable. Thinking back to wheat eating days, in my early 50’s I suffered from fatigue and burning feet.. would fall asleep in a bean bag … the burning feet thing was bad, I don’t get that now to the same degree, I feel fit generally for my age .. pain levels were high back then.

My Dad has (like many coeliacs) discovered that gluten free bread is expensive, the slices are half the size of a normal slice of bread and often resembles cardboard. As mentioned above he loves bread, especially a nice crusty loaf which is why he makes his own. I haven’t made my own bread yet. I like the idea of trying out the bread mixes that you can get.

This is one my dad made yesterday using tapioca, gluten free bread flour and buckwheat flour mixed.

As an experienced sufferer of coeliac disease it can be expected that there have been some hiccups over the years! When eating out I have got used to believing that when something is labelled GF then it is and when I am told it is GF then, likewise, it is. At times this has proved to be a rather foolish move on my part! I will share my experiences and perhaps this may help you to not be glutened in the future.

I went Christmas shopping with my mum one Saturday a few years ago and decided a GF sandwich would be just the ticket for lunch. I went to my favourite place to get it and found a good selection to choose from. All the GF sandwiches were in a red packet which was different to all the other non GF. I picked up a turkey sandwich on white bread. While wandering around the shops I ate my sandwich without a second thought. When I finished I said to mum “that was the best sandwich I have ever eaten” which made me think why was it so good?! My heart sank looking down at my empty sandwich packet realising this red packet (which must have been put in the wrong section) didn’t actually have a GF label on it anywhere. Shopping trip ended abruptly as needed to get home before things got bad! Plans for that evening were cancelled also!

We had been really looking forward to an ‘all you can eat pizza night’ at a farm site where my boyfriends sister had recently got married. A group of four of us enjoyed about enough pizza for 16 people or more that night! I wondered how this would work as I would obviously need gluten free. So basically I could choose two different toppings each time which they would fit on one base. So in total I had two whole pizzas with four different toppings. They were very good at ensuring I got what I needed and it really was delicious. It wasn’t until on the way home that I began to feel really cold. Like I was coming down with something. When we arrived home I went to bed wrapped up in my pyjamas and dressing gown. An hour into falling asleep I ran to the toilet and was violently sick for a good couple hours and slept for most of the next day. The only thing I questioned was whether the GF pizzas had been cooked separately to the non GF. Having my doubts for obvious reasons I contacted the chef who stated that he didn’t realise I had coeliacs and just thought I wanted gluten free and that next time I should make that clear as all their pizzas are cooked in the same place. Clearly my mistake and there won’t be a next time!!

A cake and coffee date with friends one sunny Saturday afternoon. When selecting which cake to have (choice of 3) I noticed a GF White chocolate millionaires shortcake which is something I had never tried before. So decision made but when ordering I got the cashier to double check that it was GF as I couldn’t believe my luck that this was an option for me to have. The lady said “well if it says GF on the label then it is”. The label was a handwritten one next to the dessert. So I took her word and bought it. It wasn’t until I took my first bite that the waiter came running over to tell me that he had put the wrong label next to the cake and that it was not GF. I spotted a bin and ran over to it spitting out as much as I could to save the rest of my weekend being ruined. Thankfully my £2.50 was returned.

A last minute meal out with my family at a pub ten minutes drive away from where I live. I chose the clearly labelled GF pork belly that came with mashed potato, veg and gravy. It was noted that the meal had to be GF when the order was taken. We had a lovely meal that night, no complaints at all. When I finished my meal, in true Somerset style I ordered another cider at the bar. The bar man asked “how allergic to gluten are you?” which took me by surprise. I replied “very, I have coeliacs.” The barman explained that the chef had poured the wrong gravy on my pork belly making it not GF. He only realised when I already had my meal and didn’t want to interrupt me eating. I was gutted, the evening was going so well! The cost of my meal was taken off the bill.

Recently, when asking if something is gluten free I have explained that the reason I am asking is because I have coeliacs disease and will become very ill if I eat something containing gluten. Having to explain that is new to me. It makes me wonder if when people choose to go on a fad diet does this make it riskier for people with intolerances and allergies to eat out?

A few things to remember:

If something looks too good to be true….it probably is so check.

If it states it is GF then it still might not be so…. check!

When eating out in a restaurant ask the waiter to double check it really is GF before digging in!

If it states it is GF then double check where it will be cooked and explain cross contamination could also make you ill.

It can be truely devastating when you use trip advisor to locate a gluten free restaurant nearby only to find that their gluten free options are:

• a chocolate brownie that they have bought in.
• a dessert menu that only has ice cream for a coeliac.
• A meal that can be done without the sauce.
• a full English breakfast without the sausages, hash browns and toast.

Am I wrong to expect that if a restaurant states that they cater for gluten free then they should be able to offer meals that don’t have to have food taken off to make it so?

While I look on trip advisor to find nearby restaurants with good reviews I am sceptical as to whether they actually do gluten free well and it can be hard to know until having a wasted journey only to find out the options are not satisfying. Some facebook sites such as coeliacs eat out too, coeliacs in Somerset and coeliacs eat abroad have proved very useful for this purpose.

Below are a few nearby restaurants that I have found to do gluten free well and are not solely gluten free (which keeps the boyfriend happy). When I say they do it well… they each have a separate gluten free menu/ or gluten free foods are very clearly labelled on the menu. They ensure that you still get the whole meal and that nothing has to be taken off such as the sauce. I went to a pub for dinner one evening and there wasn’t anything on the dessert menu that was gluten free. They offered me the fruit crumble without the crumble!! Were they not embarrassed to be offering that?! See below for decent places:

Zizzi’s (Taunton) I love the Toscana soup and the king prawns. The pasta dishes are so creamy and the pizzas are always delicious.

Brimsmore Garden Centre in Yeovil. Lovely lunch there, nice options.

Living Pretty (Curry Rivel) from full English breakfasts to afternoon teas – all amazing.

The firehouse (Curry Rivel). Plenty of options including gluten free pizzas. I really enjoyed the Chicken Supreme.

Ask (Wells) loads of options. Very similar to Zizzi’s.

Courtyard cafe in Somerton, all sorts to choose from.

Cow and Apple in Yeovil. Scrumptious burgers.

Fondo lounge in Street. I love their chicken and avocado burger and the fishcake.

Pie and Tart in Glastonbury is a firm favourite of mine. All gluten free so tend to go here on my own and take-away but had to mention it! Can’t wait to go back to try more.

If you’re ever in the area when the country’s out of lockdown then check out these places. Don’t succumb to the ridiculous offers of fruit crumble without the crumble!!

I’ll write again soon, feel free to tell me about your experiences of gluten free dining.