The wheat & gluten, dairy free/organic diets on the cheap thread

brenda50

`DS2 was tests for celiac but as he was already on a gluten free diet it obv came back negative and i refused to deliberatly make my son for a test which isnt that accurate so we cannot get anything on rx at all.`

There is a private lab which shows sensitivity without having to reintroduce gluten but I am afraid you will have to research it as I have forgotten which one it is. When it involves such a huge amount of organisation and for the childs own peace of mind to help them to cope with it, I would say get it done. The GP will probably ignore the test though.

adamantine

brenda50 wrote: »

`DS2 was tests for celiac but as he was already on a gluten free diet it obv came back negative and i refused to deliberatly make my son for a test which isnt that accurate so we cannot get anything on rx at all.`

There is a private lab which shows sensitivity without having to reintroduce gluten but I am afraid you will have to research it as I have forgotten which one it is. When it involves such a huge amount of organisation and for the childs own peace of mind to help them to cope with it, I would say get it done. The GP will probably ignore the test though.

i dont think there is much point in putting my son through the tests only for them to be ignored. it took me and 4 nurses to hold him down for the blood test the last time and i am not doing that to him again unless absolutely necessary. im managing now to afford his food by cutting back on me and DS1. baking bread for ourselves, buying reduced and cheaper cuts of meats, bulking out casseroles with lentils and veg, and having a massive freezer to buy in bulk when on offer and store.

brenda50

Its not a blood test - its a stool sample I think and it is in the US.

Fen1

Hello.

I am very lactose intolerant and poor with soya. Instead of using soya milk I cook with coconut milk. The tins are easiest, but not cheap. Buying full-fat co!!!! milk, then diluting it with water, stretches it out. Cutting bits off the blocks in hot water also works.

When travelling, look out for kosher restaurants - Jewish food law forbids the mixing of meat and milk. However, soya is sometimes used to make 'creamy' sauces, so you still have to be careful. It can be useful to order the Kosher meal when flying if no dairy free/ vegan option is available.

Vance's DariFree potato powder is a godsend.
http://www.dietaryneedsdirect.co.uk/cnb/shop/dietaryneedsdirect?op=catalogue-products-null&prodCategoryID=71

I can take a small quantity with me on holiday and rehydrate as required - no lugging of rice milk cartons! The huge tub, though not cheap, lasts forever.

I can recommend the above website - dietaryneedsdirect - as it is very good. They detail exactly what is in each product as the website is aimed at hypersensitive / autistic children.

durham_mim

Just got back from T's and they are selling Rice Dream at £1.00

brenda50

It has gluten in it.

http://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/topic/18970-rice-dream/

mollymootoo

HI,

I have been Gluten & Wheat free for 2 years now and I am mostly over the angry phase now :mad:

I find that the gluten free food fairs ( http://www.coeliac.org.uk/get-involved/events ) are a great place for bargains, either get there early and get the most choice or get there late when they are trying to sell things off really cheap before the end of the day. They have the usual suspects - Mrs Crimbles (usually 6 items for £5) Orgran (yummiest pasta and alot of kids alternatives like animal crackers etc again usually £1 an item so much cheaper than shops).

They also have loads of recipes on the site and a universally translated sheet so you can take it on holiday in whichever language to give to waiters/shop assistants etc.

To those of you with kids, I know it isn't in everyone's budget but we went to Disney Florida this year and it is the best place I have been besides Hong Kong (rice flour) for food. The onsite restaurants will all cater for your allergies and the chefs will come and talk to you and discuss the options - It was the first relaxed restaurant meal I have had in a long time. We were lucky and got a free dining plan as part of our package so well worth it for us.

Also, on facebook at the moment goodness direct are giving you £10 off a £35 spend codes seem to be - 322347GT & 322346D2

retepetsir

Hawthorn wrote: »

Because sometimes you just really crave a biscuit/pizza/pack of crisps/slice of toast.

For most people eating wheat/gluten products is a way of life. I found it extremely difficult to just suddenly stop. I was never a big eater of crisps/biscuits etc, but when I fancied it it was nice to be able to reach in the cupboard and grab a pack of prawn cocktail crisps, or a jammy dodger.
Now I can no longer do that, once that idea gets lodged in my head i can get very grumpy and yes, sometimes resentful. So, although the gluten free subs are not ideal, it beats sitting there scowling and obsessing over something you can't have

Anyway, I found a lot of what I found difficult in no longer being able to eat most processed foods, was the ability to say stuff it, I'll grab a hotdog for lunch, or hey I'm tired, let's have a chipshop for dinner, or a can of tomato soup and a sandwich.
Sometimes, the thought of having to cook everything from scratch wears me out.
Solution - make bulk, and freeze. Burgers, fishcakes, soups etc - I find it easier to avoid that 'gimme pizza/biscuit/crisps' thing if there is something better to hand that doesn't take a lot of work to prepare. Homemade convenience foods.....for the lazy person in all of us

Exactly this.

I was diagnosed with coeliac disease 3 months ago. I'm 26, and after spending all of my life eating a varied and healthy diet (occasional treats like pizza, takeaway, eating out), its been very hard to suddenly cut every trace of gluten out of my diet and life.

No more quick sandwiches whilsts on the move at work and at numurous meetings, and often its very hard to have some quick to eat at home or particularly when out and about, as I struggle to trust a lot of places that I used to visit. That's a common problem with people who have been diagnosed. I've had to say now a few times to offers of going out for a social meal as I couldn't eat any food that was on offer.

Unfortunately I show no symptoms so can't tell if I've accidentally 'glutified' myself.

It's certainly a learning curve in knowing what's good and what's not.

So far all the bread I have tried is horrible except for the Genius Seeded Loaf which is amazing. It costs £2.89 from Mr.T's but is worth it occasionally, its so similar to normal bread which I do miss! The brown and white loaves (available in JS), don't seem anywhere near as nice and are very dry. So I stock up on the seeded one in the freezer. It's expensive but is still more versatile than things like soup for lunch where I have no facility to reheat anything.

I'll contribute to this thread where I can as I've found some great recipes so far :T

retepetsir

Forgot to add....is anyone else having trouble with getting the Genius bread on prescription?

I paid for a pre-payment prescription in the hope that I got get a few loaves a month but was told by my pharmacist that Genius bread was no longer available, and instead received 6 awful vacuum packed loaves from Glutafin!

Apparently 90% of available products were removed from the prescribable list a few months ago?

Very frustrating.

Patchwork_Quilt

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Yup, agree with you there 100% - I also miss eating out. Although I didn't do this hugely often, it's nice to be able to go out with friends / colleagues and pick something off a menu without worrying about it.

I never go to things like work lunches / Christmas party nights etc as it's just impossible to get something off the menus and lots of people don't understand why you're not going - they just think you're making excuses.

We have found that ringing ahead sometimes helps, especially since we have a gluten free and a vegan in the family. Most people have bent over backwards to work out a menu. When we were on holiday, we went to the Bean Inn in Colwyn Bay, which was really good for all of us. (I know that wasn't moneysaving but it did suit our gf and vegan family).