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

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Hot on the heels of the new GoScan app we have another food industry mobile application that lets you scan barcodes for info on the gluten-free status of Australian products.

This one is called GlutenSwitch and it’s actually a new filter for the label scanning app FoodSwitch that was launched last year by Bupa and The George Institute of Global Health.

GlutenSwitch only rolled out a couple of weeks ago. When you use it to scan a product, the app indicates whether the product is gluten-free or contains gluten. If a product is not gluten free, it automatically provides suggestions for similar, but gluten-free options, when they are available.

I haven’t given it a try yet, but I thought I’d put it on the blog and so that you would have the opportunity to do so, so let us know how you go. Read the rest of this entry »

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It seems the biggest problem with the gluten free diet has finally been solved.

Delicious wheat free loaves are now found on every supermarket shelf in the country – which means our work here on Gluten Free Family is done, and we can finally return to the more pressing business of posting pictures of Fluffy up on catbook.

Or can we?

It depends on what you think about the ingredients lurking in your daily bread – because while consumer lobbying has all but wiped preservatives out of mainstream wheat brands, they are enjoying a massive revival in the most recent gluten free loaves to hit the shelves.

For me this is a worry, because the reason we started a gluten free diet in the first place was because my son was so sensitive to particular elements in his diet. How can I now turn around and feed him bread that contains substances that are being universally shunned elsewhere? Read the rest of this entry »

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I’ve been tucking into gluten for a few weeks now. As discussed in a previous post, I’ve decided to get tested for coeliac disease (in line with the current medical advice) and to document the experience here.

So what have I found so far? I felt pretty bad at first (I’ll spare you the details) but interestingly, most symptoms have settled with time and no itchy skin to speak of yet. What hasn’t settled, though, is the place where the needle points when I jump on the scales. This is heading northwards with no sign of stopping.

Okay so all those extra mince pies and Christmas croissants may have something to do with it. But the speed at which I’ve piled on the pounds is alarming.

Until now I’ve scoffed at the recent gluten-free weight-loss craze. Read the rest of this entry »

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I’ve always considered myself gluten intolerant and like many in this camp, I diagnosed myself.

We self-diagnosers are the recipients of lots of finger wagging from well-meaning health professionals. According to current wisdom, if you suspect gluten is a problem for you, don’t give up the grain off your own bat. Instead approach your GP and ask to be tested for coeliac disease.

Of course this is great advice given the potential health risks, and with the benefit of hindsight, I wish I’d done this. But for many of us it’s just hasn’t been that simple. In my case, it wasn’t my gut that was bugging me. I suddenly developed a really itchy rash on my hands back in 2002. Then, a few years later, I stumbled upon the cure while doing an elimination diet with my son.

At the time, no GP –  and I’d been to see a few –  had ever suggested to me that diet might be the cause of this rash. Instead I’d been prescribed steroid creams, which had no effect. Even when I did mention my  cure to my GP, she looked dubious and certainly didn’t suggest a coeliac test.

So I’ve always assumed my gluten-triggered rash (which apparently has a name: dermatitis herpetiformis) was unrelated to the much more serious coeliac disease.

Then I got chatting to a doctor in a social situation recently and I told her about my amazing cure and she suggested I have a test. I was taken aback. In fact I suffered a minor identity crisis – was I actually an undiagnosed coeliac sufferer after all?

I decided to do a little Googling on dermatitis herpetiformis and discovered a few very small but interesting studies, the findings of which have surprised me:

Read the rest of this entry »

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It’s often said that you shouldn’t remove gluten from your diet unless you really have to. But where does that leave you in a household where half of you react to gluten and half of you don’t?

On one hand, you don’t want to deprive everyone of the flavour, texture, nutrition and fibre content of gluteny grains, (the latter’s a risk if you stick to unadventurous alternatives like rice and spuds—and I’ll own up to this).

On the other hand, if you’re not into a la carte-style meal prep, and want to avoid gluten envy, you’ll need to find some common ground at the dining table. Read the rest of this entry »

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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 »

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Syndian lentil burgers

We of the gluten free lifestyle know all about the difficulties of finding the right dietary balance – but what about those who have other strict dietary restrictions on top of being gluten free?

I once explored some of the options for vegetarians who must also avoid gluten, but when Syndian sent me some samples of their gluten-free vegan range of frozen convenience products, I started to think even more about the the lack of options in mainstream dining outlets for those on very strict cruetly-free diets who are told by their doctor they must also ditch wheat products. Read the rest of this entry »

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Want to know the best way to sniff out the gluten content in food? Check out the label. If no gluten is listed, “no news is good news” says dietician Kim Menzies who presented her tips and tricks for reading gluten free packaging labels at the recent Gluten Free Show.

All potential allergens must be listed on the food label, so if gluten or a gluten containing product like wheat, barley or malt is not listed on the label, it is gluten free, she says.

That includes products that use compound ingredients like mayonaise. If one of these makes up less than 5 per cent of a product, the ingredients that went into it need not be disclosed – but the allergens must. Read the rest of this entry »

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Quinoa

Health was the watchword at this year’s gluten free expo in Sydney, as savouries triumphed over sweets, and some alternative grains went under the microscope.

We’ve already discussed the dearth of cupcakes at the show, and will run through some of the new/interesting products we hunted down in the coming weeks.

But first I thought I would share details of one of the more intriguing talks for those who suffer unpleasant digestive complaints as a result of eating gluten.

Naturopath and nutritionist, Janalla Purcell, took the stand at the expo to discuss this issue.  She believes that the growing numbers of gluten intolerant people have resulted from the over-reliance of our society on wheat as a grain.

For those suffering classic gluten intorerance symptoms (which means IBS-type symptoms rather than coeliac disease) she believes you can fix your digestive tract to tolerate gluten (in smaller quantities) – as long as you give your body time to recuperate. Read the rest of this entry »

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the haul

Where have all the cupcakes gone? That’s what I found myself humming yesterday at Sydney’s Irresistible Gluten Free Show at Moore Park.

A reader who attended the last Sydney expo in August noted at the time that there were too many treats and not enough savouries being spruiked. At this show, the exhibitors seem to have struck a better balance.

Actually at this show, there are fewer exhibitors overall. This makes it a little bit easier on the feet. The challenge of healthy eating on a gluten free diet also seems to be a growing theme, and this is visible both at the stands and amongst the presententations.

Fewer exhibits has meant there is more space for information gathering: there are numerous Coles Kitchen cooking demos, expert sessions on gluten free living (we sat in on quite a few of these yesterday and will share some of their insights over the next few weeks) and a large cooking school featuring up close and personal demos from the experts.

yum!

So, back to the cupcakes. As you can see from the pic, I did not go home empty handed in this regard, but I swear these Rowies cakes are the only ones and even these are only being sold by the boxload!

There are plenty of other goodies and some new products as well which I will share with you soon!

The Sydney  Irrisistable Gluten Free expo is running this weekend at the Royal Hall of Industries at Moore Park.

MB

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