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

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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

Gluten free gnocchi

What on earth do you eat if you are gluten free and vegetarian?

Someone wrote in with this very question a few months ago and it gave me real pause for thought.

Once upon a time I was vegetarian and I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to eat meat free meals while also trying to avoid almost every carbohydrate (aside from potato and rice) that are generally on offer at cafes and restaurants.

And I’m not even going to venture  a guess at what the dining options would be if you also had to give up yeast, soy or dairy – so for the moment lets just stick with gluten-free vegetarianism.

At least we live in a multicultural country. Mexican, Asian and Indian food are good options with their emphasis on corn, chickpea and rice-based foods. Read the rest of this entry »

Chia seeds

Now many of us have been forced to look beyond wheat as a source of nutrition, attention has begun to shift to some of the ancient grains of our ancestors.

They don’t just look wholesome – but actually contain higher levels of protein and fibre than more traditional gluten free staples such as rice, corn and potato, which could mean a healthier and more balanced diet for those of us who have sworn off gluten for life.  Here are a few that have caught our eye in recent times.

Chia

Chia seeds are popping up in a wider range of gluten free goods, so we thought it might be time to take a closer look at this grain.

The Lifestyle bakery has had great success with its award-winning chia loaf and breadmaker Dovedale has also released a number of breads and other chia-based goodies.

Dovedale says chia’s origins date back to Central American civilisations and “improves human nutrition by providing the richest natural source of Omega 3, antioxidants and dietary fibre”.

Read the rest of this entry »

I think a lot about protein. It’s a sad admission I know, but hunting down tempting sources of this crucial food group not only eats up a lot of time but is also a source of angst when we are on the road.

You see we are not just gluten free. Our boy’s doctor says he must also avoid casein to maintain good health which makes him ‘GFCF’ and therefore unable to tolerate cheese, milk and yoghurt.

I admit we have the odd lapse. If we suspect there may be a little dairy in something we will often turn a blind eye when out on the road. But we draw the line at things like yoghurt pots and cheese sticks. The side effects are just too annoying for our poor little fella who gets a runny nose along with a bunch of other irritating symptoms.

So what do we do when we go out? We tried taking soy yoghurt pots but these seemed to have even more dramatic side effects, possibly from the food colouring or flavours added or even a reaction to soy. So now we just steer clear completely. Read the rest of this entry »

gluten free labels

How much gluten is too much? Standards bodies around the world have been mulling that one over in recent years.

When it comes to trace quantities of gluten in food products, Europe decided two years ago that 20 milligrams or less (20 parts per million) is safe, down from 200 parts per million. The US looks set to embrace similar standards.

To be labeled gluten free in Australia, though, products must have no “detectable gluten” which at present means 5 milligrams or less per kilo (5 parts per million).

Some local coeliac sufferers are concerned. They say that overly tough standards inhibit local manufacturers and of course it also means many gluten free products made overseas cannot be sold here.

As a result, the gluten free among us could missing out on heaps of choice and paying higher prices for our goods thanks to a lack of competition.

For this reason the Coeliac Society of Australia late last year lobbied the ACCC to pull the standards back into in line with the rest of the world.

However some coeliac sufferers in other countries would like to see the same tight standards applied to manufacturers in their part of the world. Especially those who find they suffer after eating goods labeled gluten free.

Of course that could also be attributed to non-compliance to the standards. A survey conducted by the NSW Food Authority in 2007, for example, found that of 211 gluten free retail food products it tested, 4.7 did not meet the Australian standard.

One product, prawn crackers, had 160 parts per million though only 2.8% of the products exceeded the internationally recognised levels of 20ppm.

So there seems to be a trade-off: choice and price versus higher trace levels of gluten. I guess your level of gluten sensitivity would determine which side of the fence you sit on this one.

MB

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