gluten free familyA mum's blog about gluten-free living in Australia

Healthy Feast's legendary lemon meringue

It’s the sort of news no gluten free blogger ever wants to deliver: a favourite bakery has quietly shut up shop.

Healthy Feast, makers of arguably the best spread of gourmet gluten-free baked goods in Australia, is no more. The Leichardt-based shop front has closed its doors and there will be no more appearances at local food markets. Read the rest of this entry »

Coles pops up frequently on this blog as a strong player in the gluten free market — so I was disappointed when it recently went missing in action on another food issue that is close to my heart.

In the gluten free market, we applaud Coles for resisting the path taken by other retailers who push their own self-branded merchandise — potentially stifling innovative new products — in a bid to corner the market. As a result, its shelves, in our view, contain the best selection of products. Read the rest of this entry »

Gluten free pizza - one of the major food groups for the gluten intolerant.

I know it’s controversial, but we’ve never been tested for coeliac disease. We gave up gluten following an elimination diet that involved removing lots of different things from our diet and then introducing them back in.

Guess what was causing the most trouble? When we quit the gluten, my son’s behavior improved and my eczema completely disappeared. Read the rest of this entry »

Vitarium has once again thrown down the gluten-free gauntlet. The GF food maker is calling for your best gluten free recipes in exchange for $10,000 in prizes.

The person who sends in the winning recipe will be in line for a cool $5,000 in cash and a further $5,000 or so in KitchenAid appliances and Vitarium product hampers will be dished out to runners up. Read the rest of this entry »

Yes it’s almost that time again! In just two weeks, the Gluten Free Expo 2011 will take Sydney Olympic Park by storm.  Okay, that may be overplaying it a bit, but we at GFF love this annual food fest!

These shows usually run over a weekend, but this year the Expo will run on Friday evening (4-8pm on August 26) and all day Saturday (9am-5pm on August 27).

Because it’s the only gluten free show going on in Sydney this year, we at GFF plan to really make the most of it. We will head into Homebush on Saturday morning with trolleys and bags at the ready, and a million questions for our favourite exhibitors. Read the rest of this entry »

Most people listen with interest, sometimes even fascination, when I describe my adventures with gluten—unless they are doctors, in which case they just think I’m a loon.

There are exceptions and I now have a great doctor for my nine year old son, who has Attention Deficit Disorder. I can’t bring myself to say ADHD (the correct term for his condition) because he’s not hyperactive—unless he has gluten.

Last weekend this doctor drew my attention to ground breaking research published in highly regarded medical journal, The Lancet, in February which found a significant link between food intolerances and ADHD, finally! Read the rest of this entry »

Most people don’t need to know their glucose syrup from their yeast extract—but we gluten avoiders tend to be a fairly fluent bunch when it comes to deciphering food labels.

Now a new iPhone app that can scan food labels could make gluten free grocery shopping expeditions easier. Read the rest of this entry »

Gluten is making waves on the international tennis circuit.  First the world number two, Novak Djokovic declared he was intolerant to the stuff and now German player, Sabine Lisicki says her gluten-eating days are over.

We are not told if it was tummy trouble or itchy rashes that spurred the move—but Djokovic has attributed a gluten free diet to his improved form on the court. Lisicki, on the other hand, blamed glitches in her new gluten free regime to a recent on-court collapse.

She wouldn’t be the first gluten avoider to run into energy problems. But hope could soon be at hand. It looks like the world’s researchers are finally starting to make some headway! Here’s a quick update on the latest trials: Read the rest of this entry »

Not sure if that tuna mornay really is gluten free?  Swinburne University student, Alexandra Gray, has developed an electronic touchscreen device that could let you know. Read the rest of this entry »

I love a gluten free trade show and last year was a good year for them. Residents of the larger capital cities were treated to two apiece. Life was good.

Apparently, however, the gluten free show business is a tough one. Some rationalisation has taken place. The result? Just one show each this year in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth and a new show in Canberra. Read the rest of this entry »