As you all will now know I am indeed a Coeliac/Celiac sufferer. I have to avoid that horrible Gluten and I also have to avoid Wheat and Lactose (Milk) due to other allergies. I was first diagnosed with this late last year and now make a huge conscious effort to maintain a gluten free diet which isn't easy. But with restaurants and food chain making note of this diet change has made my life so much easier and I am able to go out with friends and family for meals and just drinks.
Firstly...
What is Coeliac/Celiac Disease??
Coeliac disease (pronounced see-liac and spelled celiac in other countries) is a lifelong autoimmune disease. It is caused by the immune system reacting to gluten. CD is common and affects 1 in 100 people. However only 24% who have the condition have been diagnosed which means there are currently nearly half a million people who have coeliac disease but don’t yet know. If a first degree family member (such as mother, father, sister or brother) has the condition then the chances of having it increase to 1 in 10. CD is caused by a reaction of the immune system to gluten – a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. When someone with coeliac disease eats gluten, their immune system reacts by damaging the lining of the small intestine.
(https://www.coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-disease/about-coeliac-disease-and-dermatitis-herpetiformis/)
I did the normal thing and panicked about what I could eat and drink in the first instance, purely for the fact that I also had allergies against lactose and wheat which meant I can't have milk and cheeses etc and bread etc. WHAT COULD I EAT!!! Truth is plenty of things. I can still have oats and coconut milk for breakfast with nuts and berries and a teaspoon of Nutella with a tablespoon of Chia Seeds. I will have then a gluten free wrap with whatever I fancy in it (some sort of meat with salad) for lunch along with a smoothie made with #Alpro Soya Yogurt and LucyBee Coconut Oil.
Dinner is a tricky one with my job, sometimes I can have it really early or really late depending on what clients I have during the day. Normally it is fish (salmon is my favourite) with steamed vegetables and grilled polenta. See I ca still eat normal things.
But what with the lovely holiday season upon us, "What do you eat??" I hear you say... Well I can still have the normal roast dinner but all of my food is prepared by myself during the day so it can't be contaminated with everyone else's food or mixed up. I don't normally like Turkey so I will eat the other 2 birds in our traditional 3 bird roast, I make my own Gluten free stuffing with my own herbs and GF sausage meat from my local butchers (which I used to work at). I will then make the BEST GF Yorkshire Puddings for everyone as it's easier that way otherwise I would end up with a huge one. I eat all of the veg including the sprouts and I cook sweet potato and parsnips my favourite LucyBee oil. I don't like gravy so I avoid that like the plague (years of working as a waitress and cook staff, ewwwww). Then tats me done, I also make a GF Christmas pudding for the whole family as I love it, and I also love the fact that we set fire to it and sing We Wish You A Merry Christmas and i will have Soya Cream or Lactose free cream to cover it (my one treat). I avoid chocolates and biscuits unless i know exactly what is in them, if not then it's the nuts and fruit for me to nibble on all day. See it's not that hard.
When I was first diagnosed with Coeliac I found this website so helpful (https://www.coeliac.org.uk/) and also found that it helped me shift that last little bit of weight I was holding onto for safe keeping. Yes it can be a choice to follow a GF diet but it's a fact of life for me now.
So as always I would love to hear your thoughts on this matter and also and questions you have about dealing with this disease. If you have anything Fitness or Diet related you would like me to cover on here then let me know.
Cheers then, see ya.
Beth xoxo
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