Gluten Free - Help!

[ponyta]

Diagnosed at 26. I would recommend Schar pizza bases to make your own pizzas - fun and tasty!
My other favourite things would be Salti's by Schar which are like ritz crackers, the New york deli GF bagels..only when toasted though, nairns snackers (almost like crisps). Bird's Eye potato waffles are also a winner.
In terms of dining out - if you are near to Manchester - Sweet Mandarin is amazing, GF Chinese restaurant they really know their stuff.

 

[Scvee13]

Thank you all for all the tips and suggestions. She’s just turned 6, so she’s old enough to understand that she can’t have certain things and why she can’t have them, but not old enough to fully understand the whole picture of how much life is going to change. My youngest is dairy free so at least she’s not the only one in the family with an allergy and different foods.

We are going to a birthday party tomorrow and we’ll have to bring our own food as is too short notice. I’m just worried she’s going to feel quite isolated and different, which at this age is the opposite of what she wants to be.


I did a shop on Sainsbury’s today and even-though is not a big one, it had a decent range. I was surprised of how many things had wheat in them (McCain french fries!). She’s quite fussy when it comes to food, more of a “beige tapas” kind of girl so I guess is just trial and error to find fish fingers/chicken that she likes.

I also bought a new baking tray and little pan to cook her pasta in, to try to avoid cross contamination.

Any recommendations on brands of pasta? We had Sainsbury’s free from tonight and it wasn’t very nice.
Also, any good chain restaurants?

Thank you

If you use Instagram I would reach out to mrsmummywright_sw she follows the diet gluten free as her boy is a coeliac. She'll post recipes she's adapted to be gluten free etc and she's very friendly so would chat with you via private message

 

[Emoji]

Hopefully once she begins to feel better she will see how worthwhile it is.
I find the Tesco pasta the nicest. It doesn’t taste much different to me.
You can buy the toaster pockets to toast her bread in the same toaster to avoid cross contamination. That’s what I do.
Nando’s is excellent if she likes going there. They get a manager to take the order and clean the grill before cooking.
I find Prezzo and Zizzi have good choice too.

 

[Rippedjeanmaybe]

I have coeliac disease, but I was diagnosed at the age of 23. In some ways it was harder being diagnosed as an adult because I have vivid memories of some of the foods I loved.

It can seem a lot at first, but it does get easier. Have a look at coeliac uk for some information as they are really helpful and make sure you always spell it as coeliac when you’re searching for information as celiac is the US spelling of it and they have different information to us.

As above though, you literally only have to look for Barely Rye Wheat and oats (BROW). No need to check for anything else (even spelt, as spelt is listed as wheat now too). Also don’t eat anything that says it’s a may contain for those ingredients or a may contain for gluten or that it was made in a factory that handles those ingredients or gluten. And avoid labels that say, “not suitable for wheat allergy suffers too.”

the only exceptions to the above are if the product says gluten free, it doesn’t matter what the ingredients say, if it says gluten free it’s fine.

also anything with barley malt vinegar in is also fine.

barley malt extract can also be okay at a certain level, but the product would either need to be labelled as gluten free or coeliac uk would have listed it in their directory or their app if it is safe.

also be wary of cross contamination, she will need a new toaster and it needs to be a toaster just for her too. She can’t eat chips from the chippy unless they fry their chips in a separate fryer to gluten items. She also needs her own butter, jams, spreads ect.

I’d also say join some Facebook groups as they are super helpful too.

 

[Gloria Roscoe]

My eldest has just been diagnosed with Celiac Disease and I was wondering if there are any other celiacs here who could help me out with tips, brands to use, things you wouldn’t of known to avoid. She’s really fussy with food so I can see it’s going to be a difficult transition and I’m dreading it!
Thank you in advance

Obviously, avoid regular flour. Vingear contains gluten as well. You can get snacks like gluten free Porridge, MOMA do a gluten free option. Waitrose do some good Gluten Free options, and Charlie Bigham's do some gluten free ready meals.

You can create some great dishes at home that are gluten free though. A chilli con carne, a cottage pie, a curry. These dishes are easy to make gluten free.

Be aware of gluten in things like sausages and burgers, which are often made using breadcrumbs. Many soups and cheese sauces use flour too.

If ordering a takeaway, I find Deliveroo is good for labelling allergens, but Just Eat is a little generic.

 

[Thegoodlife]

Most of the haribo sweets are, the Halloween bags I bought definitely are. Maom sweets, swizzel lollipops and their chewy ones are gluten free. Galaxy chocolate, wispas, flakes, twirls, buttons are ok. Snickers are gf too.
Ones to avoid are malteasers, mars bars, Milky Way bars, toffee crisps, anything with wafers in. I hope that helps.

Ah you are brilliant. Thank you so much for all of that info

 

[Thegoodlife]

I have coeliac disease, but I was diagnosed at the age of 23. In some ways it was harder being diagnosed as an adult because I have vivid memories of some of the foods I loved.

It can seem a lot at first, but it does get easier. Have a look at coeliac uk for some information as they are really helpful and make sure you always spell it as coeliac when you’re searching for information as celiac is the US spelling of it and they have different information to us.

As above though, you literally only have to look for Barely Rye Wheat and oats (BROW). No need to check for anything else (even spelt, as spelt is listed as wheat now too). Also don’t eat anything that says it’s a may contain for those ingredients or a may contain for gluten or that it was made in a factory that handles those ingredients or gluten. And avoid labels that say, “not suitable for wheat allergy suffers too.”

the only exceptions to the above are if the product says gluten free, it doesn’t matter what the ingredients say, if it says gluten free it’s fine.

also anything with barley malt vinegar in is also fine.

barley malt extract can also be okay at a certain level, but the product would either need to be labelled as gluten free or coeliac uk would have listed it in their directory or their app if it is safe.

also be wary of cross contamination, she will need a new toaster and it needs to be a toaster just for her too. She can’t eat chips from the chippy unless they fry their chips in a separate fryer to gluten items. She also needs her own butter, jams, spreads ect.

I’d also say join some Facebook groups as they are super helpful too.

Could you recommend any gluten free chocolate bars or jellies? Want to make up a treat bag for someone coeliac

 

[mcfeez]

I am not gluten free but my mum is and I remember her saying that many of the Tesco own brand cereals are gluten free - do make sure to check this though as she isn't a terribly vigilant coeliac and as I say, have never verified.

Also - M&S do great gluten free stuff. I've bought it before as it was reduced, fish cakes, goujons etc and they taste great. No different to non gluten free.

 

[Thegoodlife]

My eldest has just been diagnosed with Celiac Disease and I was wondering if there are any other celiacs here who could help me out with tips, brands to use, things you wouldn’t of known to avoid. She’s really fussy with food so I can see it’s going to be a difficult transition and I’m dreading it!
Thank you in advance

Hi, could I ask if you have worked out what treats your daughter is allowed to eat? Our neighbours child is coeliac and I want to make her up a bag of goodies for Halloween that won’t look too different to everyone else’s. I have found gluten free crisps but do you have any recommendations for jellies and chocolate etc?

 

[amyy]

I have coeliac disease and was diagnosed at age 19. I've found Asda and Morrisons have really good prices at the moment for GF stuff. The Gluten Free Cuppa Tea blog (Becky Excell on Instagram) has somereally good recipes and the yorkshire pudding recipe is amazing, you wouldn't know it was GF.

Birds Eye do GF fish fingers and Aldi have GF ones in the fridge section.

Make sure to have a seperate butter too to avoid contamination. I just use a marker to label it GF.

 

[1001 others]

I am coeliac - I was diagnosed five years ago, in my mid-forties, so it has really tipped my whole life upside down in many respects.

My key pieces of advice are:

1. Schedule a visit to see a dietician, who will be able to design a range of meal options
2. Join up to https://www.celiac.com/forums/ - although US-based, a lot of the content is still relevant and the posters are generally helpful and informative, not snarky

You do have to be very careful about buying ready-made meals and sauces, etc., that claim they are gluten-free, as often they've been cross-contaminated with products that are not gluten-free (this is especially true in the case of large manufacturers). On the cross-contamination point, it's important that your celiac avoids coming into contact with any utensils, cutting boards, etc., that have had glutenous products on them (once they've been in the dishwasher, they're good to go). A separate toaster is a must.

 

[Kutikuti]

My eldest has just been diagnosed with Celiac Disease and I was wondering if there are any other celiacs here who could help me out with tips, brands to use, things you wouldn’t of known to avoid. She’s really fussy with food so I can see it’s going to be a difficult transition and I’m dreading it!
Thank you in advance

 

[Rippedjeanmaybe]

There is a brand (Aspall do a malt vinegar) and it did say on the label not gluten free so do double check!

If something says not gluten free then probably best to avoid it, although it could be that they’ve just never had it tested so they don’t know, but as a general rule, vinegar in the uk is always gluten free. There’s quite a few chippys that will offer “gluten free vinegar” even though the vinegar they usually use doesn’t even have any barley in, which is always interesting.

 

[Goingwiththeflow2019]

All the supermarkets have free from options. I find Morrison's was better than most places for snacks/cupboard food. Most of the meat in Asda is GF such as the beef burgers, meatballs, turkey meat and their breaded chicken. Found they have the best 'fresh' options.

If you eat out, check menus before you go as some tend to have 1/2 GF options and class themselves as inclusive Pizza express is fab as it can do any of their pizzas as GF including the dough balls.

 

[eyespybs123]

Lidl do the best gluten free sausages and they also do fresh (not frozen) gluten free meatballs and burgers which are lush! And also gluten free chocolate digestives. Also second the M&S recommendation! Brilliant 'kids favourites'- chicken goujons, fish fingers etc. I would also say to make the most of everything on offer to you-or your daughter- such as food on prescription (I'm Wales so may be slightly different), free flu and pneumonia jabs, dietician appointments etc. It's tough at first but it does get easier. The toughest thing I find is parties where they have a buffet as they always seem to be plates of battered and breadcrumbs food, sandwiches, cakes etc, so just be prepared for those situations so your daughter doesn't feel left out.

 

[Anonymous192025]

I meant 3 for £10

M&S do the tastiest gluten free chicken goujons. You’d never know they were gluten free - lots in a pack and they’re always on the 3 for £12 offer and they freeze. Their free from fish fingers are brilliant too.
Tesco pasta and gravy mix are better than the other supermarkets in my opinion

I meant 3 for £10