Coeliac Disease

[PATN]

I have Type 1 Diabetes and have just been diagnosed as Celiac as well (what a nightmare).
I am now waiting at the time of this posting for the specialist and dietician appointments.
I didn't know I had a Gluten problem, it was only picked up at my Diabetes review because I mentioned I was losing weight and was sent to have a blood test and then the camera job.
Has anyone any advice to help me adapt to this drastic life change.
How do you cope with eating out, holidays, food shopping etc, you know the normal things in life if you know what I mean.
I'm just glad that I was lucky enough to have previously been sent on a DAFNE course (dose adjustment for normal eating) that will help me understand what this new tasteless food diet is doing to my blood sugars.
I know it's not all about me ( insert subtle joke) but please wish me luck.

 

[hanadr]

Re: Celiac Disease

Coeliac is getting very common.
I have a couple of friends with it, although they are not diabetic. I do know that they get several gluten free products, such as bread, on prescription.
Knowledge is the key to coping with any and all difficulties. Learn where gluten is and avoid those foods. It's found in grains It's not found in veggies,fruit, or meat, fish, eggs and cheese, so a good natural foods diet should work for you.
when I eat out, I eat salads and often the vegetarian option, although I'm not a veggie. I'm a low carber and since I know what's in food, I can make the choices that suit me.
Bill's naked burger is great and would suit you. just the meat patty, made from fresh beef and served with fresh salad.
Luckily I love salads and veggies.
Hana

 

[iHs]

Re: Celiac Disease

Hi

I am not coeliac yet myself but my OH is.

Some CCG's will pay out for gluten free breads, rolls and biscuits issued on prescription but because of the huge expense that the gluten free food producers are charging, some CCG's are now refusing to prescribe on the grounds that gluten free bread etc can be bought in supermarkets, however they are very expensive to buy. The 'Freefrom' sections in the supermarkets is where you will find gluten free bread, cereals and other stuff.

As Hana has said gluten is found in some food sources that contain flour so you can get by through avoiding mainly wheatflour, barley and rye. Gluten free flours are available though such as Gram flour, Rice Flour, Corn flour and Soya Flour. Gram flour, corn flour and rice flour can be bought in most of the large supermarkets but best place to get them is from an Asian food supermarket. There are simple do it yourself bread recipes on the internet that can be made using a breadmaker but will need xanthan gum to hold the flours together and yeast to make the bread rise but the bread is nice to eat and can be re heated in a microwave if need be.

Some butchers will sell gluten free burgers and sausages but gluten free sausages are available in supermark ets such Black Friars, Debbie & Andrews etc. They are also very low carb and full of meat instead of cereals.

 

[Faith*]

Re: Celiac Disease

Hi, I've had coeliac disease for 10 years. These days the selection is amazing compared to when I was diagnosed. Go and visit the free from section in Tesco and Sainsbury's - they have an amazing selection. I prefer Tesco for a lot of gluten free foods. Asda are pretty good but mine doesn't have as big of a selection as my Tesco.

I tend to buy any treats, sweets/choc, mini cakes. I do a lot of home baking too with gluten free self raising flour.
On prescription I get Glutafin fresh bread (i love it) supermarkets have a lot of breads too now, a range called 'Genius' is extremely nice. The only way to find what you like is to just buy bits a little at a time and see what you think. I'm addicted to the gluten free chocolate chip cookies lol

Also restaurants are really good now, most (always check) have a gluten free menu or alternative. Nando's have an allergy list, we can pretty much eat most of it. Dominos Pizza and Pizza hut now do Gluten free.
Stay away from chippies though unless you can guarentee they havn't cooked anything else in the batter they use for the chips.

Again, I have a lot of salads, GF pasta dishes and meats.

Hope this helps, pm me if there is anything I can help with

 

[Anonymous]

Re: Celiac Disease

Hi

I am not coeliac yet myself but my OH is.

Some CCG's will pay out for gluten free breads, rolls and biscuits issued on prescription but because of the huge expense that the gluten free food producers are charging, some CCG's are now refusing to prescribe on the grounds that gluten free bread etc can be bought in supermarkets, however they are very expensive to buy. The 'Freefrom' sections in the supermarkets is where you will find gluten free bread, cereals and other stuff.

As Hana has said gluten is found in some food sources that contain flour so you can get by through avoiding mainly wheatflour, barley and rye. Gluten free flours are available though such as Gram flour, Rice Flour, Corn flour and Soya Flour. Gram flour, corn flour and rice flour can be bought in most of the large supermarkets but best place to get them is from an Asian food supermarket. There are simple do it yourself bread recipes on the internet that can be made using a breadmaker but will need xanthan gum to hold the flours together and yeast to make the bread rise but the bread is nice to eat and can be re heated in a microwave if need be.

Some butchers will sell gluten free burgers and sausages but gluten free sausages are available in supermark ets such Black Friars, Debbie & Andrews etc. They are also very low carb and full of meat instead of cereals.

I've used Doves Farm Gluten-free flour from Tesco to make bread and pizzas. It took a bit of practice since gluten-free does not behave in the same way as flour with gluten. It tastes pretty rank 'raw' but fine when baked. On the plus side, there is no 'rising' to do although it may be worth letting the dough rest until it has absorbed all the water. I found that the bread mixture as per the recipe on the packet very liquid so it could only be used in a bread maker. If you do use a breadmaker and don't have a 'gluten' programme, the normal programme should be fine even though the 'punching' and kneading stages are irrelevant. That's my experience.

 

[hale710]

Re: Celiac Disease

Coeliac is getting very common.
I have a couple of friends with it, although they are not diabetic. I do know that they get several gluten free products, such as bread, on prescription.

I have coeliac friends and neither of them get bread or pasta etc on prescription! They buy it.

None of them are keen on the breads available, they're quite cakey in texture. But that means the cakes are quite good once you get the recipe tweaked, and I make some mighty fine scones with gluten free flour!

Rice pasta is ok too, you get used to the texture.

Some pizza places offer wheat free bases now, or others if you bring your own base they'll put toppings and cook it for you. So you never have to miss a night out etc.

Its a pain, but there are worse things.

 

[Robinredbreast]

Re: Celiac Disease

I have Type 1 Diabetes and have just been diagnosed as Celiac as well (what a nightmare).
I am now waiting at the time of this posting for the specialist and dietician appointments.
I didn't know I had a Gluten problem, it was only picked up at my Diabetes review because I mentioned I was losing weight and was sent to have a blood test and then the camera job.
Has anyone any advice to help me adapt to this drastic life change.
How do you cope with eating out, holidays, food shopping etc, you know the normal things in life if you know what I mean.
I'm just glad that I was lucky enough to have previously been sent on a DAFNE course (dose adjustment for normal eating) that will help me understand what this new tasteless food diet is doing to my blood sugars.
I know it's not all about me ( insert subtle joke) but please wish me luck.

Aaaww I know exactly what your going through. I was diagnosed last year in November 2012. I too lost weight, it just kept dropping off me, but I also had vomiting, extreme upper abdominal pain, constant nausea, diarrhoea . I have never felt so sick/ill in my life, months and months of it, my reading was greater than 100. You can Google food eateries who do GF. I have found a lovely little tea room that caters for Coeliac's as the proprietor is Coeliac her self. I found it so confusing at first, but months on it's not so bad. I get free prescription foods now, Fibre flakes, bread ( not so nice, but better toasted) Barkat crackers are fantastic as they taste so nice, Pasta, but the pasta is very high in carbs so be careful, 100g is about 75 carbs :shock: You will get your head around it and you must be strict with what you eat, as it's for life and be careful of cross contamination with other foods. I was advised to get my own toaster, I bought a cheap one from Asda. The specialists are very helpful and they will be able to advise you also you will get free samples to try and see what you like. Fruit, veg, plain fish, meat, potatoes, cheese and other dairy products are safe to eat.

It's a lot to take in and with Type 1, as I am, it's a double whammy :roll:

Take care and good luck

Best wishes RRBx

 

[PATN]

Re: Celiac Disease

Many thanks for all the advice and good suggestions that have been posted so far.i don't feel so alone.

I have started looking at some of the free from supermarket options to get an idea what's out there. Time to take out a second mortgage I think.

Yes I think it may get easier as I see and find what I like. Well we are all creatures of habit.

Thanks All.

 

[iHs]

If you are able to get gluten free food on prescription, then loads of your problems with getting the food will be solved. A lof of the companies that produce gluten free food will be only too happy to send you some free samples in the post so try before you ask for them to be prescribed. Gram flour makes lovely pancakes. I just use 2 dsp of gram flour and make a well in the middle and add a small amount of cold water, mix up with a fork to make a paste and then add more water to make a runny mixture and pour in hot frying pan to make the pancake.

 

[Faith*]

If you are able to get gluten free food on prescription, then loads of your problems with getting the food will be solved. A lof of the companies that produce gluten free food will be only too happy to send you some free samples in the post so try before you ask for them to be prescribed. Gram flour makes lovely pancakes. I just use 2 dsp of gram flour and make a well in the middle and add a small amount of cold water, mix up with a fork to make a paste and then add more water to make a runny mixture and pour in hot frying pan to make the pancake.

Ooh I might try this, the other half uses normal gluten free flour to make ours, they're absolutely gorgeous, I'll get him to try it with this recipie though,
Thanks,

Ever tried a gluten free battenberg! It's amazing, tricky to make at first but essentially just like doing a victoria sponge

 

[littlelin]

Hi there and welcome to the club - There is now loads of Coeliacs about so you will not be alone. I've been coeliac for over
30 years and only last year been diagnoised as diabetic so my food hassles are the opposite to yours!! :crazy:
The first thing I advise you to do - is clear a cupboard especially for your food - all the gluten free & diabetic spices, sauces and things you CAN have like rice, gf pasta and gf porridge, a few gf treats-not too high in sugar of course! then build up on that.
When your shopping get Bisto Best - only good cheapish instant gravy which restaurants will make up for you if necessary, I
also carry a couple of gf crackers to go with a meal. Remember things thickened with cornflour is ok
Nothing is worse than opening cupboards to look for food when you're hungry and there is nothing you can eat without feeling bad...... Secondly phone Coeliac Society and ask for your local branch - started off by groups of us older Coeliacs when there
was nothing in the shops gluten free so we just clubbed together and asked local butchers to make batches of gf sausages, pies etc
They will invite you to a meeting if you want or be online support - me too if you want?
Its not so bad when you get used to it, hardest thing for me is lunch out - I used to live on jacket potatoes and now limited
due to the diabetes, so mainly have a meal and not snacks..... so good luck - you will feel better as soon as you get the system sorted; rise to the challenge and be happy its not something a lot worse!!! :wink: Littlelin

 

[PATN]

Hi Littlelin, thanks for posting your reply.
Not had a good few weeks.
The specialist appointment was a joke, two and a half hour wait to find out I had been forgotten, and my notes were missing. Told my blood results showed possibility of coeliacs and I needed a biopsy to confirm it. After I mentioned it had been done, and a turn of the page I was told I was.
The info sheets on coeliacs had run out and I didn't get one, and I was told I needed to be sent to a dietitian. (This had already booked) I could have laughed. (A comedy of errors).
The dietitian appointment was better but
I still found it hard to get my head around it all.
I was advised to join Coelliac uk which I have done ...that helps. You get a book with a list of foods and brands that are safe to eat. It has an online recipe database, Venue guide and Electronic food and drink directory. Somebody as done all the hard work. Feeling a lot more happier now.
The Diabetes side of things is a bit up and down at the moment but manageable due to doing the DAFNE course. It should all settle down very soon I hope.
Yes things could be a lot worse, I just need to get to emptying those cupboards. (Ah what shall I put in instead?. It's taste test time).
PatN.
Sent from the IPhone


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App

 

[))Denise((]

I can't eat wheat, so visit the Free From aisle. I've found that Asda gluten free flour tastes better than Doves. Marks and Spencer's sausages are gluten free.

Hope this helps.

 

[littlelin]

Hi Pat good that you,re feeling a bit better - but not a good experience by the sound of it - the main thing is its nothing worse than controlling what you eat?? When I was first diagnoised they told me I had Cancer of the Stomach............. what a relief to find it was Coeliac (even though not even the dietician knew what it was in 1980! Things have improved loads since thankfully.

But being a naughty girl myself & only recently in the diabetic game. Coeliac and Diabetic is not easy so you and I have a double wammy to cope with - it will be interesting to see what my lunch ends as in a couple of hours: My bloods were 6.2 this morning, very good for me; I was fed up of salad whilst my partner has lovely baguettes (we're in France at the moment and the smell of their bread is too much! not much gluten free bread this side of the water, so if you travel take it with you)
I can be strong enough not to have bread, it makes me feel bad, so
I've just been a bit naughty and had glutenfree crackers with lovely brie, blackberry jelly & glass of Savignon!!
I feel better for it, in my head, if you know what I mean, but only had one large glass!!
Dont forget life is for living, just go careful with the extremes ..... Coeliac needs to be got under control, then you'll feel tons better, when your stomach settles down and you keep some vitamins and goodness inside then its all onwards & upwards.
Take care & that local Coeliac group will help loads just ask...... :crazy: -