5 minute read
The Reality of Being Coeliac
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The Reality 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.
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.
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.
The Reality
However, during my second year, Hendersans opened and offered students a dedicated gluten free, vegan and vegetarian café. This was a step in the right direction by the university as the large eateries in Portland, like Love Joes and Man’s Gourmet, didn’t seem to offer any gluten free meals.
One of the biggest difficulties for coeliacs is the risk of cross-contamination. Even slight amounts of gluten can irritate our gut and make us ill. Using the same cutlery to handle gluten and non-gluten foods or the same toaster contaminates the food. Some brands mark their food as ‘made in a factory handling gluten’ or ‘may contain gluten’ and I avoid these where possible.
Eating out is often a source of anxiety for coeliacs. During my sixth form prom, the soup starter had croutons on top and I had to request a new soup. Sometimes I feel awkward explaining I’m coeliac. I know it may sound pedantic to say I can’t have soup because it has bread on top of it, but for people with coeliac disease, cross-contamination is a genuine risk.
Having coeliac disease means checking the tripadvisor reviews of every restaurant before you go out and contacting the staff to check what gluten free food is available. It means having to explain to friends and partners why I can’t go to certain restaurants because their menu has nothing gluten free on it. I’ve never eaten out at a buffet due to the risk of cross contamination and it’s sad to miss out on meals with friends. However, many restaurants and cafes are becoming better at offering gluten free food, and I hope eating out will continue to become more accessible to coeliacs in the future.
I can only speak from personal experience, but I don’t believe anyone who is diagnosed coeliac or gluten intolerant would choose to ‘go gluten free’. The convenience and ease of eating on the go is what I miss the most. Getting a meal deal is basically out the question, though I’m glad to see Spar now sell some gluten free sandwiches. Nearly every time I go out, I bring lunch with me and it amuses me to be told I’m so healthy for bringing my own soup or pasta pot.
Most foods can be replicated as gluten free, and if nothing else, there’s often a gluten free cake option in cafes. Gluten free food doesn’t always taste great; gluten free bread is notoriously unpleasant, but gluten free meals don’t have to be bland. Many meals are easily made gluten free, like risotto or homemade spaghetti bolognese with gluten free pasta. And Nutella is gluten free, which makes toast slightly more edible.
In spite of the dietary restrictions, eating a gluten free diet to manage coeliac disease has encouraged me to cook for myself and experiment with new recipes. Looking back at photos of my childhood, I was very underweight and pale before being diagnosed coeliac. Eleven years on and I am much healthier and happier because I’m able to enjoy gluten free food without getting ill.
