#coeliac

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Why you're not missing gluten (trust me on this one)

Ali

Feb 19, 2019
2 min

Why you're not missing gluten (trust me on this one)

You may have read my article in this month's Gluten-Free Heaven magazine on why gluten isn't that brilliant after all. If you haven't, let me fill you in. My article (pages 28-29 if you need instant gratification) discusses the pros and cons of gluten and then gives ten delicious gluten-free alternatives to foods you might be desperate for after having to go gluten-free. Since the article was published, I've found some more coeliac-friendly alternatives that are absolutely am

We've been shortlisted for the FreeFrom Food Awards!

Ali

Feb 15, 2019
1 min

We've been shortlisted for the FreeFrom Food Awards!

I'm so excited! I've just received the e-mail I've been hoping for: a congratulations from the FreeFrom Food Awards that The Local Bakehouse has been shortlisted for its gluten-free vegan chocolate cupcakes. So what does this mean? It means I'm doing a little jig around the kitchen! Oh all right, it also means the cakes stand a chance of being nationally recognised as the best freefrom cakes money can buy. It also shows dashing through London last week to get to the judges in

An open letter to The Daily Mail: please stop inciting hatred for coeliacs

Ali

Nov 28, 2018
2 min

An open letter to The Daily Mail: please stop inciting hatred for coeliacs

Today's online article in The Daily Mail has made me wonder if someone has had amnesia. Which article am I referring to? This one here that tells us GPs are prescribing custard creams and battenburg cakes to coeliacs. And why is this reminding me of something? It's because it's only 3 years since The Daily Mail printed this article where they inaccurately reported the NHS were spending £116million on gluten-free prescriptions for junk food including pizza and donuts. The thin

Xmas has come early with gluten-free beer!

Ali

Oct 30, 2018
1 min

Xmas has come early with gluten-free beer!

I don't know about you but I find it really annoying when supermarkets mix up food and drink in really odd sections. You know, like finding tofu amongst the pasta or raisins next to tea bags. It doesn't make any sense. So yesterday I was a little perturbed to find they'd put a load of beer into the freefrom section. I mean, come on! That's just mean. But then I took another look. Was it? Could it be? Did it read, "gluten-free"? REALLY?!!! Not only that, but look closely and y

Why coeliacs need 2 loos (look away now!)

Ali

Jul 17, 2018
2 min

Why coeliacs need 2 loos (look away now!)

Yesterday I attempted to install a new loo seat. The old one had actually started to crumble and the lid kept coming off its hook. So there I was on bended knee with my head underneath the cistern, trying to work out how on earth I was going to undo a rusty screw that seemed to have welded itself to the base. It wasn't pleasant, I can tell you, and not helped by the fact I was sweltering in our seemingly never-ending British heat. But I was determined to figure it out. With t

Look how far gluten-free has come!

Ali

May 30, 2018
1 min

Look how far gluten-free has come!

The other day I was really impressed to see how much gluten-free food was on offer in the frozen section. In fact, I was so pleased I took a photo of it. I'm not sure which would have been more surprising at the turn of the century - the food or the photo. The reason I mention time is because it's nearly twenty years since I got my coeliac diagnosis and first had to look for gluten-free food. For those of you who were in the same boat back then, you'll remember how dismal it

Why coeliac awareness week was so great

Ali

May 22, 2018
2 min

Why coeliac awareness week was so great

I don't often like seeing red on things. It reminds me of getting my work marked at school and having to re-do it. But last week it was different. Far from red being the warning sign I'm used to, it indicated a price reduction in all the best ways - on gluten-free food. I don't think it was a coincidence this was coeliac awareness week. Supermarkets plan things a long time in advance. Those little red stickers were there to encourage coeliacs to try new food, buy more gluten-

Stop the cheating coeliacs!

Ali

Apr 24, 2018
2 min

Stop the cheating coeliacs!

So this appeared on my Twitter feed and I felt compelled to send out a message to others. I know that being on a gluten-free diet isn't always easy. In fact, sometimes it's bloomin' hard work. But that doesn't mean you can just have a sneaky bagel or a sip of beer. A coeliac diet is for life. Symptoms differ in coeliacs. Some people are 'silent' coeliacs, meaning they don't get noticeable symptoms but still inwardly suffer if they eat gluten. These are the people that worry m

Is the most infuriating thing for a coeliac to see?

Ali

Mar 12, 2018
1 min

Is the most infuriating thing for a coeliac to see?

Most of the time I love seeing a GF symbol. It saves me reading through a ton of ingredients and makes my supermarket run just that little bit shorter. But I've never come across this before: the GF symbol followed by a 'may contain gluten' disclaimer. WHAT THE?!!! Seriously? And it turns out it's not (yet) illegal. According to the Food Standards Agency, it's simply 'best practice' not to use a 'may contain' statement. Click here to read more (but be warned: you may find you

Ten things every coeliac needs in the cupboard

Ali

Mar 6, 2018
2 min

Ten things every coeliac needs in the cupboard

Ever wondered what you're going to eat? You know, at practically every meal. Sometimes as a coeliac it's really annoying being hungry, especially if you're in your own home and fancy a quick snack. So what can you do? It's not like you can have a 'normal' lifestyle back. You know, one where you eat whatever you fancy and don't have to double-check all the ingredients first. My advice? Get a set of staples for a naturally gluten-free coeliac cupboard, that's what. I've put one

Mummy's little gluten-free puddings

Ali

Dec 15, 2017
2 min

Mummy's little gluten-free puddings

Just over a couple of years ago I only had to think about myself as a Coeliac. And then came along my two gorgeous gluten-free puddings. I don't know if they'll be Coeliac yet and I must admit, I'd be sad if they were. I've got fond memories of my childhood and they often involve food - getting a slice of cake in a goody bag at a birthday party, going for a Chinese and sharing dishes, or simply going to school camp and seeing who had room for "thirds". I got coeliac disease w

Will my baby have coeliac disease?

Ali

Sep 25, 2017
2 min

Will my baby have coeliac disease?

After peering into my pram, occasionally people ask, "Will she have coeliac disease?" (This is sometimes accompanied by a slightly pitying look, as though it's the worst thing in the world. More on this later.) According to the stats, if a parent has coeliac disease there's a ten per cent chance their child will too. But I've got two children so that's two chances in ten. If I went on to have ten children then one of them would be Coeliac (statistically). Of course, if I did

Advice you should never take as a Coeliac

Ali

Aug 7, 2017
2 min

Advice you should never take as a Coeliac

It all started so promisingly: "5 tips for entrepreneurs who double as parents." It was a post from Entrepreneur on Twitter. With over 3million followers, you can probably see why I like them. Usually their posts are insightful and, most importantly, useful. Sadly, that wasn't the case this time. The chap who'd written it clearly wasn't a parent. (Or certainly not someone who lives in the real world.) In a nutshell, his advice was to: "Set an alarm 2-3 hrs before your kids wa

An Embarrassing Problem When You're Pregnant With Coeliac Disease

Ali

Jul 24, 2017
1 min

An Embarrassing Problem When You're Pregnant With Coeliac Disease

A question posed on Netmums set me thinking today. It was from a mum-to-be who wanted to know if there was anyone else out there preggers with coeliac disease. It reminded me how few people there are you can turn to if you have an additional problem to being Coeliac. The mum on Netmums had quite a common Coeliac problem (adopts hushed voice): constipation. All she'd been told by the doctor was things she already knew: eat more fruit and veg, drink lots of water and get "natur

A Refreshing Gluten-Free Beauty Product

Ali

Jul 17, 2017
2 min

A Refreshing Gluten-Free Beauty Product

You've probably looked at the above title twice. Gluten-free? For the skin? Doesn't she know Coeliacs have to ingest gluten in order for it to cause problems? Well yes, but herein lies two issues: * Handling a gluten-containing product can then transfer onto food (e.g. your lunchtime sandwich) and let's face it, why would you wash your hands after applying a moisturiser or similar? ** This page isn't just for Coeliacs. There are plenty of people who need gluten-free skincare.

The Gluten-Free Facts (& Those That Aren't)

Ali

Jul 10, 2017
3 min

The Gluten-Free Facts (& Those That Aren't)

A little tweet popped up on my feed today (as tweets do). It was linked to another rant about going gluten-free (and the need not to). Unlike many rants, this one was rather more well-informed. Instead of a cursory glance towards coeliac disease, it actually had quite a comprehensive amount of information on Coeliacs and why we need to eat gluten-free food. If you'd like to have a little read (well, quite a big one - it's rather a long post) then click here to see it. Sadly,

Coeliacs: which would you rather?

Ali

Jul 3, 2017
1 min

Coeliacs: which would you rather?

It's an age-old game: choosing the lesser of two evils. But whenever someone asks if I'm tempted to eat gluten, I honestly can't think of much that's worse, and I'd probably accept several awful alternatives. It's not the only way to indicate to others how bad being glutened is (but it's a start). The other option, of course, is to ask them whether they'd consider being repeatedly punched in the stomach after each meal they ate. They'll probably look at you like you're insane

The rise of the Coeliac detective

Ali

Jun 26, 2017
3 min

The rise of the Coeliac detective

Last week I had two restaurant encounters that left me a little nervous. The first place told me they had gluten-free options. I went up to get my food and the server picked up tongs from a plate with sausages on it to go to the gluten-free plate. "Are those sausages gluten-free?" I asked. "They should be," she replied. "Are you sure?" I carried on. "Because if they aren't, please don't touch my gluten-free food with them." She then passed me a plate of sandwiches so I could

Is making your own gluten-free food worth it?

Ali

Jun 15, 2017
2 min

Is making your own gluten-free food worth it?

One of the great myths about gluten-free food is that it tastes disgusting. It can do, hence the (gluten-free) grain of truth in the myth, but that's usually because the person making it either doesn't know what they're doing or has taken a short-cut. But remedying this takes time, which many of us simply don't have. Besides, knowing gluten-free food will get better in the future doesn't help if you're eating mediocre food at the moment. There's often only one option: making

One amazing ingredient to swap right now for the perfect Sunday roast

Ali

Jun 5, 2017
2 min

One amazing ingredient to swap right now for the perfect Sunday roast

Restaurants, I'm talking to you. More specifically, the places that do great carveries. What do I want? An upgrade of the traditional Yorkshire pudding. A gluten-free treat to turn a weekly event into culinary heaven for Coeliacs like me. And what does it involve? Just one thing. Cornflour. All I'm asking is that you swap your regular flour for cornflour so that our plates don't feel barren at noon on a Sunday. A Yorkshire pudding is a thing of greatness. Crispy on the outsid

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