being Gluten free has become easier over the years so read on for some top tips!
Whether you are a Coeliac or, like me, have an intolerance to gluten, you no doubt have read about it, got yourself a bit informed so I’ll not go on about it again as that was one thing I didn’t like about some of the urticaria articles I read. I’d have to scroll through reams of what urticaria was, a look at triggering images of sore looking skin that made me itch just looking at them. Also there is so much information out there, I don’t want to waste your time so I’ll keep the dwelling on the symptoms brief but I’ll add more detail on why you get them and what is does to your gut as this will help you see why it’s simply not worth ignoring and continuing to eat gluten. Remember all of this is from my perspective, this is about my journey and how I’d like it to help you so you may get a few extra bits of advice based on my experience that you may not have got elsewhere!
Let’s begin…..
You probably already know, Coeliac disease gluten intolerance is an autoimmune reaction to a protein called gluten that causes your immune system to attack the tissues of the gut. Partially digested food particles containing gluten induce an abnormal reaction in the body causing your immune system to see gluten as a threat to your body. Antibodies are then produced that cause inflammation in the small intestine resulting in damage to the surface of the small intestine and elsewhere in the body.
The surface of a healthy small intestine has protrusions like our fingers, called villi and increase the surface of the gut allowing a larger area for nutrient absorption, but intolerance or allergy to gluten causes these villi to be flattened, and malabsorption.
This damage and resulting malabsorption in the gut can cause weight loss, malnutrition and deficiency in iron, B12 and folate. Along with these typical symptoms, bloating, abdominal pain, wind and indigestion, diarrhoea, constipation, bone, muscle and joint pain are also indicators you may have a problem with gluten.
Treatment is quite simple, avoid any foods containing gluten! So that means foods containing wheat (this includes older wheat grains such as spelt and kamut), barley and rye. Now one thing I want to point out, oats used to be on this list, however, it was discovered that some people can tolerate oats as long as they are labelled gluten free oats i.e., oats that are grown far away from crops of gluten based grains. The reason oats were on the avoid list was that although oats don’t contain gluten, have a protein very similar to gluten called avenin. Personally, I can’t have oats and always show a reaction to oats in all my tests. So my advice is, be aware, see how you feel or get tested as certain people with allergy or intolerance to gluten will also show the same reaction to avenin.
So many gluten free products now use gluten free oat flour. So please read the label if you can’t eat oats. When this first started happening after the Coeliac UK deemed gluten free oats OK, rather annoyingly to me, gluten free oat flour started creeping into a lot of baked goods and for a while I’d get caught out after spending extra for gluten free goodies only to get home and realise I couldn’t eat them! Just because the say it’s OK, it may not be for you so proceed with caution!
Beware of hidden glutens
That naughty little protein gets everywhere! Here are a list of items that contain gluten:
The obvious ones:
Bread, cake, cookies, couscous, bulgar wheat, semolina, pasta, cereals such as Bran Flakes (the clue being in bran), Weetabix (another clue there!), Shredded Wheat (yes, you’ve got it!).
The hidden ones:
Gravy and sauces (where wheat flour is used a thickener), stocks, crumb or batter coatings, chocolates, chips (yes, they now coat frozen chips with flour or batters to guarantee a crispier version! Beware of this in restaurants too, don’t presume chips are potato only), snacks, barley drinks, beer, ready meals, soy sauce.
Be mindful of cross contamination and ‘may contain’ labelling – I cannot emphasis this enough, when buying products that are in packets, always READ THE INGREDIENTS LABEL!
What can I eat?
Meat, fish, dairy products, fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds, beans and lentils, potatoes and rice, foods labelled gluten free (watch out for oats) and gluten free tamari soy sauce, Clear Spring is a great brand!
Gluten free logos look like these:
Gluten Free Bread
There are a lot of gluten free breads available (see ‘my favourite gluten free brands’ list below), white, brown, seeded but they are full of additives (as I like to say, a bit closer to the lab than the field). There are lots of gluten free flours and bread mixes so you could try baking your own, or try something different like a flat bread made from Cassava flour. You could try a bread replacement such as a rice or corn cake.
Gluten free pasta –
A few years ago you couldn’t even get GF lasagne, I remember begging a supermarket to stock a particular brand of lasagne as it was the only one on the market! They did too! But now, there are all kinds of pasta’s available.
I tend to go for brown rice pasta. Waitrose do this but I usually by Doves Farm or as their gluten free brand is now known as Freee (three ‘eee’s’, this is not a typo!). I use brown rice pasta as it provides a bit more fibre.
If I am going carb free then I use pea pasta which is great with a simple veggie (bean free) sauce as you are getting a bit of protein from the peas! Tastes madly pea-like but not so much as it spoils any of the usual pasta sauces, I really like it. You don’t need as much as normal pasta as it’s very heavy so although it’s much more expensive, a little goes a long way so be warned! A few years ago, it was hard to find, but now main stores like Tesco are selling it. You could also try Chickpea pasta which is really good, once again the added value of fibre and protein! Win, win!
Alternatives to pasta – quinoa, buckwheat (confusing I know but this is not a wheat grain), white/brown rice, spiralised veg such as courgette or squash and cauliflower rice (surprisingly good, give it a go, I dare ya!).
Gluten Free Cereal:
So if you still like your cereal (full of sugars, (especially if you can’t eat oats) so I’d say for a treat perhaps at the weekend!) – puffed rice, cornflakes muesli (Eat Natural range do an oat free version or you could make your own), buckwheat, gluten free oats (if you can tolerate, the best of the lot!).
Gluten Free Cakes:
OK so I’ve mentioned a few of my shop bought favourites in ‘my favourite gluten free brands’ list below, however most gluten free baked goods are full of additives and sugar (producers seem to think sugar will replace the power of gluten, it doesn’t, so most are far too sweet for me!). Bake your own is the way to go and there are an amazing variety of flours you can experiment with – rice, coconut, almond (grain free), chestnut (grain free), teff, tigernut (grain free), tapioca (grain free), arrowroot (grain free and makes perfect Yorkshire puddings) and cassava (also grain free).
Anything Else?
- Read all about it – knowledge is power!
- Great resource – Coeliac UK
- Gluten Free blogs and cookbooks for inspiration
- Think about what you can eat rather than what you can’t!
- Print up charts for your kitchen and to take shopping (FREE DOWNLOAD!)
- Read the labels! UK and EU labelling laws mean that allergen information has to be included on the label
My favourite gluten free brands:
Every supermarket does a good range of gluten free products however proceed with caution!
I tend to toast the bread for sandwiches because it just holds it’s shape and tastes better in my opinion, and I really like toasted sarnies!
Gluten free pastries like croissants, chocolate twists, cinnamon whirls – no, no, no. Sorry you just have to accept that it’s the gluten that makes the pastry gorgeous and the gluten free versions are nothing like the original so they will never replace the real thing. Fortunately for me, flaky pastries were never my fav (apart from when in France – now you’re talking!), so this is fine. Of course try for yourself but just don’t expect to eat flaky pastry as you remember it!
Shortcrust pastry is a bit easier to make so these products are more bearable if you can’t live without pie!
Marks & Spencer: a great range
White Sliced – the closest to real bread with no odd flavour when toasted. Bear in mind, brown gluten free bread is not a healthier version like it is with wheat flour versions such as whole grain. There is no whole grain in the flours that are used so often the bread is just coloured. So if I’m having gluten free bread that is already riddled with additives, I go for whatever is closest to the real thing as this is a treat, not a health product! They do have GF seeded varieties if you prefer and they are often good depending on the brand.
Sour dough – again very close to the real thing
Sour dough rolls – very soft and dough, nice toasted
Tiger loaf and tiger rolls are amazing too.
Cakes – their lemon and chocolate slices are far too sweet for my taste, all sugar and no cake. Sweet with no texture and flavour is a no, no for me but their full cakes, are a different story – so good!
Victoria Sponge Cake – very trad, yummy and warms well – a favourite in our household!
Lemon Drizzle – again sweet and a bit too sugary on the top, I like my drizzle to be soaked in with no crunch, however, it’s a lovely sponge and very lemony.
Cookies – most have oat flour in so watch out. This means I can’t have them but their Shortbread is oat free too so they are great though gluten free shortbread will never replace their full gluten version which is close to homemade….ah well….
M&S also have a great range of GF meat products. The majority of their sausages are GF, as are their meatballs and burgers. But always check before you by, as you may know if you make your own, meatballs/burgers have breadcrumbs added and sausages usually wheat flour so read the labels folks. But it’s great to see that this across the board sweep has been made as unlike cakes and breads, it makes no difference to the flavour at all to make items like this gluten free. Just be careful of their cooked chipolatas at Christmas. They always were GF until a year or two ago when I got caught out….their uncooked variety still are so that’s great. This is a great example of how you can buy every year and presume they used the same supplier for cooked version year after year – so important to check the label!
Warburtons:
Sour Dough – really good
Tiger Bloomer – also good
Sliced bread – also good, very light so goes nice and crisp when toasted.
Tesco –
They do good sliced breads and used to do my favourite sour dough but they stopped this a few years ago! Why Tesco??
They have a great selection of cakes and biscuits BUT most use oat flour (as this is a great flour for baking) and unfortunately I can’t tolerate it so I rarely buy from this range.
Mrs Crimbles:
Oh la, la! How I love their Madelines – small, oval-shaped, plain sponge cakes if you don’t know! I wish my hairdresser hadn’t introduced me to these little gems….one is never enough, sorry, it’s gotta be two! Once again, full of naughty ingredients – Mrs Crimble, you know it’s true! So it’s a treat, not an everyday item OK?