More than Gluten

So I got tested privately the other day for food allergies/intolerance. No big surprise that wheat came up but the others have taken some getting used to.

Cows milk and cheese, yeast and caffeine came up too! Caffeine I don't drink anyway so that's fine. Yeast and its related stuff is going to be a tough one to cut out I think.

The alternatives to milk I am actually preferring and enjoying. BUT no chocolate! After two days its already killing me!

I feel like I have actually gone through some of the stages of grief... despair, denial, anger... almost acceptance hehe.

I don't think I'll have a problem with cutting out dairy, its just the yeast. Its in things I had no idea it was in and reduces my gluten free options too.

I'll get there just like I did with gluten. I think the best thing for me to do is eat natural, raw products as much as I can.

Any help and suggestions would be great. Like is there a bread out there I can actually eat? Where do I buy carob from? I need some kind of chocolate replacement NEED! Hehe

Adsa GF brownie mix

I'm working my way through the new Asda range. The cake mix was a success and so are the brownies!

I added white chocolate chips but it does have milk chocolate ones in there already... I just love chocolate hehe.

They went down well. Made them yesterday evening and there are only 4 left this morning.

Light and fluffy but perfectly gooey like a good brownie should be :) really nice flavour as well. I'm always impressed when a GF cake doesn't taste gluten free.

I'm very impressed with Asda and their new range. Really seem to be trying to improve and expand their range.

Adsa GF cake mix with a facelift

Another cake made with the Asda cake mix. Decided to add chocolate fudge frosting and make it three layers.

I used 2 boxes and divided it into three. Covered each layer and then the whole cake in the frosting.

It was a hit :) excellent cake mix for a quick and easy GF cake. So spongy and hold its shape unlike some mixes which have been crumbly. Lovely taste too!

La Tasca revisited

Went back to La Tasca. Such a lovely place, stress free and gluten free :) perfect!

I usually skip dessert at restaurants because all I can usually have is the ice cream, but I thought I would have a look. My gosh the choice! No separate menu or bits taken off to make it GF. Just there on the menu for everyone. I was so happy!

I got a chocolate and toffee tart and my boyfriend got a chocolate pudding that was all gooey in the middle. I kept saying... 'are you sure this is gluten free?' I was amazed at how good it was and no fuss at all... that's the best bit for me. It can be a trauma eating out at times.

Another excellent La Tasca experience :)

Asda GF cake mix

I don't usually use pre made cake mixes but my gluten free cake making has been rather hit and miss so
I thought I would give it a try.

Asda seem to have had a bit of a gluten free section revival, lots of new things added. They also had chocolate brownie mix which will be next on the list of things to try.

So this cake mix was £1.80 which I thought was pretty good. I then realised it would make a tiny cake... who wants a tiny cake!? Not me, so I bought another box. I found one box made enough mix to fill an 8 inch cake tin.

I put raspberry jam and vanilla frosting in mine. The warm weather made it a little melty but it turned out well. The cake itself was so light and fluffy. My non-gluten free family were amazed at the flavour. 
Very scrummy!

Half the cake was gone before I knew it... the rest went into the fridge so it would stop melting in this weather.

I would definitely recommend this cake mix... but buy a box per cake layer.

GF stuffing with a twist

Ingredients

1 cranberry and blueberry gluten free muffin
4 gluten free sausages skinned
1 onion
3 cloves garlic
2 rashers streaky bacon
Salt and pepper
Garlic infused olive oil for texture

Blend together in a food processor. We cooked ours in an oven dish so it came out almost like meatloaf. I love crispy bits so I like it all toasty on top.

The reason for the muffin was because we didn't have any gluten free bread and thought why not. Excellent idea from my boyfriend. It was actually amazing!

You can see a slice in the picture of my roast :)

Pizza Express

Went to Pizza Express and was greeted by a very helpful waitress. She showed me all of the gluten free options.

I liked being able to see the kitchen area. It made me feel reassured that the gluten free pizza was kept separate aaaaand the flour used to work the normal pizza dough is gluten free to help prevent cross contamination! Very impressed.

My pizza arrived and it tastes so good! My boyfriend tried a bit and said it tasted great. It felt so good being able to eat pizza in a restaurant.

Also got the brownie and hot chocolate... I couldn't resist. It was gooey and rich and amazing! I understand why its a small piece.

The waitress and I chatted about how good the GF pizza was. She said the staff often choose the GF one because it tastes so good :) a very good experience for me.

Happy happy happy :)

Glutened!

Gah! I got a bit lazy with my label checking... cooked up my gluten free pizza and went to the fridge to find the ketchup. It wasn't the usual ketchup we get but I used it anyway.

Completely my own fault. Need to pay more attention. It could have been easily avoided. Now I have stomach pains, feel bloated and lethargic.

Time to curl up under the duvet!

La Tasca

I planned to go out with friends bank holiday Monday and of course the usual 'where to eat?' questions buzzed around my head. I have a few restaurants I frequent as I know I can get gluten free food there without much fuss.

I met with friends who had waited at the bar in La Tasca. I got a little nervous as I assumed I wouldn't be able to eat much there. I really don't like being awkward and tapas seemed out of the question... far too many dishes to worry about when in some places one gluten free dish is hard enough.

My partner grabbed a menu for me so I could decide whether it was 'safe'. To my surprise the menu was clearly marked with what was gluten free... there was even a gluten free platter option!

We were seated at our table and I had a better look at the menu. There was so much choice! Not just the normal menu with non-gluten free bits taken out.

I had such a lovely evening, no fuss, no separate menus or having to be served by the manager like I'm some kind of abnormal person. No special arrangements.

The food arrived and the smell was amazing! Dish after gorgeous gluten free dish was brought out and I very much enjoyed every one of them. I didn't have it but they also had a gluten free beer on the menu!

I was so impressed with the food, service and atmosphere at La Tasca. I recommend it to all those gluten free people out there and everyone else too! Vegetarian options were also clearly marked.

Its so nice to have an excellent gluten free restaurant experience :) I wish I had taken pitctures!

Cafe Nero's gluten free roll

My lovely sister bought me the new gluten free chicken pesto roll from Cafe Nero. I was very good and saved it for my lunch... very tempting to eat it straight away. So here is what I thought:

-Good size
-Lots of filling
-Taste is great especially the pesto
-Bun is a little dry and began to fall apart but good flavour
-Fresh tomatoes helped combat the dryness
-Roll was light and bouncy to touch... some can be quite dense

I enjoyed this roll, it make a change from my usual salad. I would recommend it if you like pesto :)

GF oats

Since changing my oats to gluten free oats I've not had the rash come up! *touches wood*

I now make my own granola too. Can't believe the difference with a relatively small change :)

Will post my recipe for granola when I get some time.

Toad in the hole

Could do with some tweaking but it tasted real good :) I think it would have risen more if I wasn't so greedy and tried to cram 6 sausages in hehe

I used:

6 GF sausages
1 cup GF flour
2 eggs
175ml milk

Gas mark 7 for 40 minutes

I browned off the sausages first. Its definitely something I will make again. Total comfort food!

Results!

The blood test results were negative so no coeliacs! I'm happy about it and hope the results are accurate.

However... I asked the doctor (over the phone) if that means I have some kind of sensitivity to gluten then... she said 'well no, that is what the test was for. You don't have coeliacs so you don't have any problem with gluten'.

Now that confused me. I thought coeliacs is an autoimmune disease and a person can be gluten sensitive without coeliacs.

I said I kept a diary of my symptoms (which were far from normal) and she said I need to book an appointment with another doctor if I want to discuss it further.

*sigh* I'm glad its nit coeliacs but I'm now more confused than ever.

GF Carrot cake

I became so disheartened when I started eating gluten free and tried to bake using GF flour for the first time. I love to bake and I just couldn't seem to get it right.

Years later and the gluten free flour selection seems to have come a long way! I now use Asda own brand gluten free self raising flour. Its the best I've come across so far.

So here is my second successful gluten free cake, carrot cake.

This is the recipe:

1 cup Asda gluten free self raising flour
1 cup sugar
8oz grated carrot
1tsp gluten free baking powder
1 and 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable or sunflower oil

Stir all dry ingredients together. Mix eggs and oil together and add to dry ingredients. Mix and then stir in the carrots. Put into greased and lined cake tins or into cupcake cases.
Gas mark 5
Cake tins take 35-40 minutes
Cupcakes 15-20 minutes

I cheated and used shop bought vanilla butter cream but its not too difficult to make yourself.

I'm happy now I can bake tasty things again :) just need to get bread and rolls down now

One week later...

So a week after taking wheat back out of my diet and I'm still feeling the effects. My joints are aching almost constantly and my muscles don't seem to be fairing much better.

I thought I would try a bit of light exercise and ended up with cramping calf muscles and had to stop. I'm persisting though, did some more today. I feel like my muscles have deteriorated and have been replaced with fat.

Also after the two weeks of wondering where my stomach symptoms had gone... well they are here. Hopefully its getting it all out of my system finally. I want it out of me!

Seem to have a cloudy head too... not sure how else to describe it. Find it hard to focus and keep mixing my words up... feel confused sometimes. Its very strange.

On wards and upwards though :) I am feeling better each day. Its slow progress but I'm getting there!

Gluten free cupcake success!

Success! Gluten free chocolate, rum and raisin cupcakes :)

To cheer myself up I thought I would bake. I've attempted gluten free cakes before and they just haven't been right. Either too hard and dense or they just taste gluten free.

This time I used Asda own self raising flour that comes in a yellow packet. Added a little gluten free baking powder too just to make doubly sure it would rise.

They are actually springy and after a thorough taste test (by me and non-gluten free people) I believe I have cracked it :) I wish I could share through the internet!

No results yet

The doctor phoned and read off the results of an old blood test. After correcting himself he asked me to call in a weeks time.

More waiting.

I'm trying to remain positive about this whole process but I'm finding it difficult. Its been going on for so long.

It was my first day back at work today. I found it exhausting and my right shoulder is so painful! So the symptoms persist.

Well chin up! Its only one more week to wait and I am feeling better each day.

Best gluten free wraps

I've just found Warburtons Newburn Bakehouse gluten free wraps at my local supermarket They are so good. They fold without breaking (this is a big deal) and taste just like normal wraps.

On the packet it says help save the wraps... I was like what?! They seriously can't stop them before I've been able to fully enjoy having wraps again! I mean I can have fajitas, enchaladas, pizzas, toasties... its endless.

So please everyone go to their  Facebook page and vote to save the wrap people! Do it for the happiness of my stomach and all gluten free people who love wraps!

Okay I think I've made my point hehe. My lunch was very tasty. Just put some chicken and salad in it. Simple but scrummy!

Gluten free treats

I'm still not feeling great, better but not great. I got myself quite down about everything so I decided to go and get myself some treats.

I'm trying not to think about the damage I've done to myself and I'm just going to focus on getting myself better again.

I heard that Tesco had a good GF section so went and checked it out. They have a really good range... might have to make a trip there more often.

Day 14

Its over! Had my blood test and the nurse said he thinks 2 weeks is plenty. Hearing so many different things is confusing. On my notes it said 7-10 days. Well its done now. Get the results on Monday.

I've gone back to my gluten free diet. Still pretty rough at the moment. Legs ache and my joints are painful. The tiredness has lifted ever so slightly. I don't feel quite as lethargic.

For the last few days I started to feel so full and bloated I'm glad I can stop now because it began to get quite painful. Amazingly I've only gained just over 2lbs. I look and feel huge so assumed I had put in like half a stone! So that's a bonus.

Now to recover, hopefully in time for going back to work and my course.

I've done it!

Day 13

The last full day done! Just breakfast tomorrow then the blood test!

I still felt full and bloated when I woke up. Stomach pains too. I'm so glad today is the last one... seriously not sure I could bloat any more... I feel so close to exploding!

Today:
- no crashing out :)
- headache
- stomach pains
- bloated
- lower back and hip pain
- kinda upset stomach but not too bad
- lethargic
- lack of concentration
- queasy
- light headed
- heart racing

I cannot wait to have a nice salad tomorrow or soup... something light. I'm feeling pretty crappy at the moment.

I wonder how long it will take for me to start feeling more myself...

Day 12

I had pasta for dinner and it feels like my stomach can't possibly hold anymore. I feel huge and I'm so bloated. I look pregnant! ...pasta is evil.

I don't know how people can possibly do this for the 6 weeks or even 3 months some doctors recommend. I feel like I'm so full of wheat that I'm ready to burst.

So today:
- queasy
- full/bloated
- lethargic
- headache
- dehydrated
- stomach pains
- dizzy
- light headed
- heavy legs
- racing heart
- shooting pains in stomach
- lower back ache

Blood test Wednesday. I must fit more in!

Day 11

Struggled to sleep again last night... insomnia? Wonder if that is a symptom.

My anxious feelings are continuing. Had heart palpitations today and a racing heart. I'm glad this is over soon. I don't want all those old feelings to come back.

Today:
- headache
- queasy
- dry skin
- aching legs/hips
- fatigue
- heart palpitations
- crashed out
- heavy muscles
- anxious feelings
- stomach pain

Thought my crashing out was getting better but today it hit hard after my roast dinner (big thank you to my boyfriend for cooking it for me, it was really tasty!). But better again this evening.

I can't wait for this to be over!

Day 10

I struggled to sleep last night because of pains in my elbow and shoulder joints. When I woke up I felt wobbly and dizzy.

Having said that today has been a better day. Less crashing out and I've been able to get up and do more.

...no movement 'down below' so still feeling bloated. I'm feeling like a balloon at the moment.

Today:
- heavy muscles
- pain in my lower arms
- headache
- backache
- joint pain
- tired/achy
- neck pain
- racing heart
- uneasy feeling

I'm surprised at how close these feelings match how I used to feel at uni when I didn't really know what was happening. I used to get so ill and just didn't know why.

I'm so glad I can end these feelings this time.

Day 9

A better mood today. Still got those anxious/uneasy feelings going on, but I'm trying to be more positive about what I'm doing. I will deal with things one step at a time.

I'm still surprised my stomach hasn't been upset so far but then I'm not going much at all so it seems to have gone the other way. Not my usual symptoms.

Today more of the same but my crashing out hasn't been as bad:
- heavy muscles
- shoulders hurt
- arms ache
- crashing out
- stomach cramps
- bloated
- uneasy feeling
- drowsy
- headache
- neck ache
- joint pain

5 more days to go!

Day 8

All of my old anxious and uneasy feelings I used to feel have returned. I always thought they were down to having anxiety issues... but I'm thinking the food I was eating could have caused some of these feelings or maybe made them worse.

I've also been quite tearful today. Having found out I could be doing all of this and its not actually anywhere near long enough has left me feeling low. My mood is so easily affected at the moment.

Today:
- backache
- right wrist pain
- clicking joints
- feel low
- feel weak
- anxious/uneasy feeling
- pounding heart
- crashing out
- light headed
- dry mouth
- queasy

Just plodding along at the moment. Eating and sleeping and just getting through each day.

Day 7

I'm half way through!

I think I have accepted the fact I seem to be crashing out after eating now. I've stopped trying to fight it and plan my day around it.

Had a few friends round and just arranged it for when I woke up after eating. Its funny how we are able to adjust.

Today much of the same... just a little more intense with the aches and pains:
- backache
- neck ache
- joint pain
- crashing out
- stomach cramps/spasms
- fizzy/tingling fingers/hands
- headache
- hazy head
- heart pounding

A friend that came over today said her doctors recommended 6 weeks at least for the blood test to be accurate. I wouldn't be able to work... I can't take 6 weeks off work and do this for that long!

Hoping 2 will be enough!

Day 6

Today I decided to be more active. All this laying around and doing nothing isn't helping... we now have a slightly tidier cupboard. I should try and work on an essay I need to write but my brain seems to be able to handle less than my body currently.

The crash moments seem to be getting shorter which is good. Down side at the moment is that this change in diet is also making me gain weight quite rapidly it seems. Hopefully that will level out soon.

So today:
- bloated and painful stomach
- heavy limbs especially after eating
- backache
- headache
- crashing out
- lethargic
- queasy
- joints ache

So day 6 was better. I'm still enjoying the taste of all the things I couldn't eat before. Today I had my Shreddies, a croissant and breaded chicken wraps.

Tomorrow is Ramen with real ramen noodles!

Day 5

I woke up and I felt hung over, dizzy and with lower back ache. I decided to have a GF breakfast but then thought I really need to do this properly so I had two biscuits afterwards. I almost chickened out!

So today I've had the biscuits, left over curry with naan and salad with a pork pie and a bit of pasta. The sleep/crashing out continued to happen.

After dinner I decided to try and stay awake to see what happened... It wasn't fun. Next time I'll let it happen and sleep. My heart was racing and I had an awful anxious feeling, my limbs felt heavy and my joints (especially my right wrist/thumb joint) ached like crazy. My stomach was painful too which is less after the sleep.

So today its again been much of the same:
- generally feeling crap/low
- heavy limbs
- joint pain
- queasy
- bloated and full even after going to the loo 4 times today!
- headache and neck ache
- stomach cramps
- sleep/crashing out
- chest pains
- racing heart
- anxious feelings

I can't wait for this to be over!

Day 4

I'm crashing out after every meal and it seems the more gluten I eat the longer I crash. Breads seem to be the worst. Before when I accidentally ate wheat I would sometimes crash out but this is extreme. I wish I knew if it was normal...

Today I've had Shreddies, cheese and crackers and a burger with onion rings.

Reactions are much of the same:
- heavy limbs
- joints ache, especially wrists
- crashing out
- headache
- bloated
- stomach pains
- lethargic
- fuzzy head
- skin seems paler than normal

I wonder if I will get better/adjust or if I'll just keep crashing out after eating wheat/gluten.

Feeling quite low today... 10 more days to go.

Day 3

Its been a tough one today. I don't think my body likes me anymore. It valiantly put up with everything I've been eating but today its put up a bit of a fight.

I've eaten Shreddies, a sausage roll, slice if cake and a curry with a naan. The naan really wiped me out and caused a fair amount of discomfort, the feeling made me quite panicky. The sleep after this meal was fitful.

So today:
- lots of sleeping/fitful sleep
- shooting pains in belly
- constipation
- tingling feeling in hands/fingers
- headache
- groggy head
- heavy limbs
- cloggy throat
- tingling in my face
- queasy
- dehydrated
- panic feeling

When I've eaten I tend to sleep quite soon after. Its a weird kind of sleep though. At times I'm aware of what is going on around me but I can't respond, like my mind is awake but my body has shut down. It is a very strange feeling.

I usually get an upset stomach with wheat but it seems to be the opposite this time... maybe it is the quantity, but it is equally as horrible!

After only three days its beginning to taking its toll. Only 11 more to go though!

My sisters birthday tomorrow so that will be something to look forward to :)

Day 2

I'm quite surprised that I've not had any major stomach issues so far. That's usually what comes first. I seemed to have skipped to the symptoms I get after. Today I've eaten Shreddies, a crusty roll with sausage and gnocchi.

Today its mostly been:
- aching joints
- heavy feeling
- dry mouth after eating
- in and out of sleep all day
- leg/arm muscle aches
- shooting/stabbing pain in belly
- headache
- chest pains

I'm feeling a lot better than I thought I would, just feel wiped out. I can do this!

Day 1

After having eaten my fish and chips I'm not feeling as bad as I thought I would! I will list my symptoms so far...

- dry mouth
- queasy
- burping (which is unlike me)
- stomach spasms
- pains in lower abdomen
- tired/lethargic
- headache
- feel heavy

So not as dramatic as I thought but I have a general discomfort and I just don't feel right. If the rest of the two weeks goes like this I can totally handle it. I've felt worse before so this isn't so bad... at the moment

Will try to update daily 

The fun begins...

So tonight is the night I re-introduce wheat into my diet. I've decided on fish and chips... in my head it is less scary than a plate of pasta or a pie.

I'm going to try and keep track of my symptoms along the way. I'm quite interested to see what happens and how the they develop. My doctor said to eat wheat as I would have done before cutting it out... breakfast, lunch and dinner.

I'm actually quite scared...

Here goes...

Make-up and hair products containing gluten

I recently heard about make-up and hair products containing gluten. After having cut out wheat for almost 4 years I am still finding new things that it is in. Apparently what we put on our skin can be absorbed into the blood (http://glutenfreeville.com/featured/is-it-time-to-break-up-with-your-gluten-filled-make-up).

I buy most of my make-up from Avon so I did a little research and found a listing of products (all credit to the website providing the pdf).

http://www.glutenfreeinsd.com/PDFs/AVON%20gluten%20free%20products%20list%209-24-08.pdf

It is from 2008 but was the most recent I could find... if anyone else finds one more recent feel free to comment.

For more info on food allergies and skin products @skinsmatter posted this on Twitter:
http://www.skinsmatter.com/blog/?p=1

Gluten free and dairy free snack

My sister found these tasty little snack packs in Morrisons. This one is sweet potato pakora and there was another falafel one. They come with houmous. They had a nice spice to them and lots of flavour.
Not heard of the company before, Great Food, but will look out for them in future. On the go snacks have been the hardest thing to find. Just hope they keep stocking them... sometimes I find something awesome then it disappears.

Best GF sausages

The Asda own brand gluten free sausages are the best around in my opinion. Great taste and texture. The perfect banger to go with mash. My non-GF boyfriend says they are just as good if not better than normal sausages.
Best thing is they are only £1.50!
I have a feeling this blog is going to become me sharing my gluten free finds hehe

The road to diagnosis

Next week I'm eating wheat again after having cut it out for 4 years... I'm terrified to say the least. The doctors want to test me for coeliac disease.
I thought I would start this blog because I've been searching for some info about anyone who may have done something similar but haven't been successful. Now that doesn't mean there aren't people out there... I have to admit I'm not very good with the internet...
So here is a bit about how I got to this point. For years I've suffered with digestive issues and it got to a point where I was getting so ill that I struggled to leave the house at times. I then saw a program on TV about a lady who had similar symptoms, she cut out wheat and it 'cured' her. I thought, well that's worth a try surely. I took myself off to the doctors who said 'sure cut it out for a few months and see if it makes a difference'.
If only I knew then what I know now! I would have asked to be tested before cutting it out. I even went back twice to be sure that what I was doing was okay and both times they said its perfectly healthy and wont do me any harm. Not once did they think to do any tests... bit of a touchy subject for me.
4 years later I learn about coeliacs and its potential long term health problems. I see a dietitian who says I should be tested. After many months of back forth with doctors I finally have a date for a blood test but have to eat gluten again. I've decided I will do it so I know either way what I have.
I'm going to try and keep this blog going as a way of noting down my symptoms day to day.
It all starts Thursday 28th March... Seeing as I'll probably be housebound this will give me something to do hehe
Until next time
xxx