34
IMPACT
For some, being gluten free is a lifestyle choice, but for those living with coeliac disease, avoiding gluten is crucial to avoid being horribly ill. Lauren’s article is a wonderfully personal and honest exposé revealing her everyday struggles being coeliac.
The Re
A few years ago, going gluten free was all the rage. In the last ten years the amount of gluten free products in supermarkets has rapidly increased and gluten free options are available on most restaurant menus. In spite of the increasing awareness about being gluten free, there remains a lack of public understanding about having coeliac disease. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition, not an allergy, and it affects one in one hundred people. There is no medication that can cure coeliac disease: the only treatment is to adopt a completely gluten free diet. Our immune systems react to gluten, causing damage to the gut and making us ill after eating any food containing gluten. Going gluten free is not a health trend or a lifestyle choice but a necessity for those of us with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance.
“Going gluten free is not a health trend or a lifestyle choice but a necessity for those of us with coeliac disease or gluten intolerance” When I was diagnosed as coeliac aged nine, I’d never heard of the word gluten before. Gluten isn’t one particular food type; it’s found in several grains, including wheat, barley, oats and rye. Some foods are easily discernible as containing gluten like bread, pasta, biscuits, cake and cereal. Many are less obvious and over the years I’ve become an expert in reading food labels. Soups, sauces and chocolate bars can be thickened with gluten and the vinegar in crisps or on chips is often made of barley malt. Coeliac disease is also hereditary. Both my Dad and Grandmother are coeliac, which made changing to a gluten free diet easier as I have family members in the same situation. The increasing range of gluten free food available from supermarkets is helpful. However, the socioeconomic impact of paying triple the price for a tiny loaf of bread is not. Almost all GP surgeries have stopped prescribing gluten free bread, flour and pasta as the NHS deem it ‘non-essential’. As these foods cost far more than a gluten-containing equivalent, and therefore a gluten free diet is now more difficult to manage for people in low income households. In terms of student life, having coeliac disease can be restrictive, though the University of Nottingham is making positive changes. When I came to an open day, I was impressed by how knowledgeable the university halls’ catering team were, assuring me they could offer a gluten free meal plan if I went into catered living. Because I wanted to live on campus, I opted for a catered hall during my first year. I’m grateful for the attention and consideration of the catering staff in ensuring my alternative meals were gluten free and nutritious. The main drawback was living on jacket potatoes or fries for lunch every day, with the occasional gluten free sandwich if I could find one. Although a few places on campus offered jacket potatoes, gluten free soup and cake (I highly recommend the cafe in David Ross!), my choices were a bit limited.
