The Joy of Facebook

I have been diagnosed for about 9 months now. For the first 6 months…and a little bit after I really struggled, I felt like a bit of a weirdo. Particularly when going out for meals or not joining in on take-aways! I decided that the problem is that I know no Coeliacs. I had nobody to talk to that was experiencing the same problems or that had been through it all and could give some advice.

My dad took me to see his friend who was a coeliac during the summer. Him and his wife had some absolutely amazing advice…including letting me know that some Vodkas have gluten in them and so does normal bars of Dairy Milk! However, I was still struggling because during term time I live in York and I haven’t yet found anyone that can really, truly relate.

Then I had a bit of a breakthrough…Facebook! Now, for someone who currently works in digital coms….I was pretty embarrassed that I hadn’t thought of it before! So I went hunting…typing ‘gluten-free’, ‘coeliac’ and all sorts of other things to try to find a really active group. I had already ‘liked’ a load of gluten free bloggers to join the conversation and engage with them, but there was a lack of advice. As I’m sure all coeliacs are aware, there are a lot of recipies, but not a great deal of discussion on blogs about the problems encountered with coeliac disease.

I found a group! An amazing group. Full on people that really want to offer advice, share recipes, help with problems and let people know if they have found something new that is gluten free. It is called Coeliacs in the UK. With almost 4,000 members there is a never-ending amount of advice and help. It is somewhere where people do truly understand what you are going through, and a place where you can find out about so many more gluten free products! So for all Coeliacs – this is really worth joining. I no longer feel like a weirdo struggling on my own! I feel normal, happy and healthy!

So….I would like to thank every single member of the group on Facebook, you have made me and - I am sure many new members to come – feel normal again!

Can't explain Coeliac Disease?

I have found it incredibly difficult to explain to people why I can no eat gluten. I often end up babbling on about what gluten is and what else I eat....and finish the conversation without ACTUALLY explaining the condition.
I was just having a little look on Facebook earlier and came across this gem that Ilumi shared as a status. It is a really great video and helps explain it all in simple terms. So whether you have just been diagnosed or you find it difficult explaining Coeliac Disease to people.....check this video out! 

9 Bar Review

Whilst interning in London I was extremely busy and often had no time to make my banana pancakes. I knew about 9 Bars and read that they are a great source of energy so I decided to give them a go as an option for a breakfast replacement.  To my shock, they filled my up just as long as a normal bowl of cereal, I wasn’t hungry until lunchtime! I now have 9 bars every time in in a rush, they are delicious, feel like a treat but are incredibly nutritious at the same time!

 I went to the allergy show in Liverpool a few weeks ago and found the 9 Bar stand. I was so happy to see they had a wide range of different bars with different seeds and flavours! I decided to buy a box of them to keep at university for those days that I find little time for breakfast.

9 Bars are excellent for nutrition. Seeds and nuts are high in vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. 9 Bars include hemp seeds. These seeds are exceptionally good when it comes to protect against the effects of oxidative stress and keeping full ages!

Another amazing little fact is that Vegetarian and Coeliac Societies approve 9 Bar, so there is no risk of becoming ill. They taste amazing, keep you full for long periods of time and are extremely good for you! I absolutely love these bars!

Blueberry Teff Muffins

 So I have had my first gluten free prescription this month. I haven’t had one previously because I ordered some free samples and it took me a while to get through it all! This time I decided to order some red teff flour…something I haven’t tried before. 
 

Now, I would love to tell you all about the health benefits of teff flour but unfortunately there is very little information about it online! What I can tell you is that it is an ancient grain, mostly used in Ethiopia. It is higher in protein than wheat and has a high concentration of calcium and iron. Teff is also incredibly high in fiber and low GI so perfect for those with diabetes. 

I have tried numerous recipes of gluten free muffins, these are by far the best. The teff flour seems to have a slight taste of nutmeg and cinnamon, which works really nicely in a muffin.

These are easy to make, quick, simple and so tasty so give them a go! 



 



Ingredients:

½ cup butter

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

½ cup milk

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 ½ cups teff flour

1 ½ cups gluten free self raising flout

1 ½ cups blueberries


Method:

1.     Pre heat the oven to 180 oc

2.     Simply add all the ingredients
(apart from the blueberries) into the bowl and use an electronic mixer on a medium speed for about 2 minutes

3.    Fold the blueberries into the mixture

4.    Fill 8 muffin cases

5.    Bake for 25 minutes

Healthy Hummus

I haven’t updated my blog for a while; I’ve got back to university and with dissertation reading building up it’s been impossible to find time to try new recipes! However, I found a quick and easy, money saving, gluten-free recipe to try out for you all!

Introducing my uber healthy hummus! 

My whole house has been run down with a cold so I thought I would make a healthy snack for everyone to try.

Chickpeas are well known to be a great source of both fiber and protein, which means less snacking on unhealthy foods and they will keep you fuller for longer! Moreover, just one cup of chickpeas can provide you with 85% of Manganese…crucial for antioxidant. They are high in LDLs and have a fairly low Glycemic Index, which is brilliant for coeliacs as we are more prone to diabetes! All in all, chickpeas are a bit of a super-food in my opinion!

I decided to add a few extras to my hummus recipe...for flavor and for health reasons. I have added 2 teaspoons of cumin. Marks Daily Apple (A favorite website of mine) outlines a great deal of research that has been done on the health benefits of cumin. Other websites have noted that cumin is a good source of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidant properties. Along with this a study found that cumin is effective in increasing insulin sensitivity, so great for diabetic!

I have also added 2 teaspoons of paprika. Some studies show that paprika is incredibly high in vitamin C…that can only be good when fighting off a cold!

So if you need a snack to make you feel healthier, packed full of healthy goodness and absolutely delicious, try this out!

Ingredients:

• 1 tin chickpeas
• ½ cup of the water the chickpeas are in
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 lemon, juiced
• ½ cup of olive oil
• sea salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons cumin
  
  

Put all of the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. To serve I cut up some gluten free wraps and toasted them in the oven until golden brown. It is particularly good with some pine nuts and a drizzle of olive oil on top!

It takes 2 minutes, it’s much cheaper than buying it in the supermarket and is a great snack!

Happy Eating :)

Waffles!!

I CAN EAT WAFFLES!  Who would have thought!? I have seen brownies, bread, wraps, pizza bases but never gluten-free waffles!

I came across Van’s Gluten-free Waffles in the frozen section of the local supermarket in Sarasota. I bought the original and the ancient grain waffles to try them out. They also have blueberry, flax and apple cinnamon but I’m not a fan of flavored waffles – I’d rather add my own toppings of fruit.

The original waffles were delicious; they tasted just like normal toaster waffles. I couldn’t use the toaster as it was contaminated with wheat bread, so every morning I dry fried 2 frozen waffles, topped it off with fat-free cool whip and added a chopped banana…just heaven! Although I loved the original waffles, it was the ancient grain option that I bought again. The ancient grain waffles had a better taste and flavor as well as being lower in calorie and more fiber.

For anyone traveling to America – you should definitely give these a try. They are tasty, a good size and a good texture. If only they were available over in the UK!

Gluten-free Baseball

I’ve always wanted to go to a baseball match – the game is not too hard to understand, the atmosphere always looks amazing and the classic hot dog stands everywhere! This year we decided to go and see the Tampa Bay Rays play against the Boston Red Socks.

Obviously I thought that there wouldn’t be an option for gluten-free eating there. I have been to football matches in England and they cater for the pie and chip lovers and that is about it. However, when I walked into the Tropicana Fields Stadium I found that I was completely wrong. Inside the stadium there were food stalls everywhere – Outback Steak House, Pappa Johns Pizza and a gluten-free hot dog stand!

The hot dog wasn’t the most thrilling thing I have ever eaten – it didn’t come with cheese or sauce, but the most important thing for me was that I could see a baseball match and eat a hot dog – a very touristy thing to do...but something everyone should get the chance to experience!

I have learned that being a coeliac shouldn’t put you off going to places, doing things and it certainly doesn’t mean missing out!

Dutch Valley – Our Breakfast Tradition

I have been to this part of Florida for a few years now. Every time we come we have a tradition of going to the local diner for breakfast on the first morning. The local diner – Dutch Valley – serves the most delicious breakfast and the biggest, creamiest pies I have ever known!!
 

I have not been to the USA since being diagnosed with coelic disease so I didn’t know what to expect. I was a little worried that I would have to miss out on this family tradition that has become almost religious. I knew that I would have to miss out on the biscuit – a fluffy scone that is grilled and then drenched in maple syrup – but I wasn’t too sure what else I would miss out on.

I usually order a skillet which is basically home fries, 2 eggs (however you like them), lots of cheese and 2 fillings  (bacon, ham, broccoli, onion, mushroom...pretty much anything you like!). I assumed that none of this stuff would have gluten in it and I was correct! The best bit was that there was a separate gluten free menu! Not only did I get my skillet I also got a replacement for the biscuit – gluten free raisin and cinnamon toast – thank goodness! Something I could drench in maple syrup!!

The reason I am blogging about this is that it came as a shock to me that a little, independent, local diner had such a brilliant gluten free menu. This is something that I wouldn’t expect in the UK, usually it’s only the larger chains that know how to cook gluten free food – even some chains such as Pizza Express have only had a gluten free menu for about 6 months. I would hope to see more smaller, independent restaurants providing a gluten free menu. Knowing that my favourite restaurant has a gluten free menu has made my holiday! I know that traveling with coeliac disease is hard – but the USA seems to be the opposite, it has so far been incredibly easy to be a gluten free holiday maker!

Delta Airline Food

Most airlines should do gluten – free meals, as long as you order them in advance. When we booked our flights there was no gluten–free option which was worrying. We called Delta and they assured us that a gluten-free meal was ordered for my boyfriend and I. On arrival to the gate at Manchester Airport I went to check with the lady at the desk whether my gluten-free meal was on board. I was told that no special meal was ordered and there was no way I could get one on board before take off.

I was angry as this is not a case of being a vegetarian (a lifestyle choice) this is a medical necessity! The lady at the gate seemed unwilling to search for a solution to the problem. I was told to buy food from the terminal; unfortunately there was no decent food in the terminal that was gluten-free (basically crisps, chocolate and milkshake). I got ever more frustrated at the situation and unfortunately the check in desk lady had a very matter of fact attitude which made the whole situation worse. Luckily Delta’s representative came to the desk – I believe his name was Paul. Paul helped me with the situation – he spoke to the head air hostess and told me that he could guarantee that I would get gluten-free food on board – whether it meant the airhostesses giving up some of their food, a first class meal or if it was simply using a lot of fruit, cheese and meat.

I cannot thank Paul enough! His customer service was above and beyond. He came onboard with me, made sure that I was calm about the situation and made sure that the airhostesses knew that this was not just gluten-restricted, but I needed gluten-free.

 I have never had such amazing plane food in all of my life. My lunch consisted of smoked salmon, potato salad with dill, tartare sauce, sliced steak and tomato. This was a meal from the first class menu, 100% gluten free and it was AMAZING. For dinner I had a cheese platter with fruit – this included blue cheese and two white cheeses with strawberries and grapes. For pudding I was given a choice of green or red apple and vanilla ice cream with a chocolate swirl.

My experience of Delta airlines gluten-free food was one that started badly; a gluten-free meal had been ordered, I had been assured of this over the phone and on the day of the flight this was not available. However, I understand that when the time of the flight changes and seats change, it is difficult to keep track of who ordered what. Once the Delta representative came out the problem was solved. Customer service was first class and I received perfect gluten-free food.

If you are ever concerned about being a gluten-free traveler – don’t be. From my experience with Delta, flying with nutritional requirements is not difficult at all. There may be a few hurdles occasionally – but you will receive great food and fantastic customer service. 

Florida!

I’m on holiday! Finally! After a year of writing essays, revising for exams, umpteen internships and the shock of being diagnosed with coeliac disease, I can finally enjoy a nice relaxing holiday.

While I am here I am going to try to update my blog as much as possible. The market for gluten free food in the USA is massive. Most restaurants have a gluten-free menu, supermarkets clearly label their food and there are so many more options than back in the UK.

So enjoy these next few posts…full of ideas, reviews and AMAZING gluten-free food!