I have recently been asked for recommendations for someone newly diagnosed with Coeliac Disease, so I’ve been putting a few thoughts together, which I’m going to cover in a short series of posts.

Firstly, changing your diet is a massive shock and getting used to it can have ups and downs, and at times be really upsetting or stressful. In the beginning it’s just about coping. Here are a few things that have helped me adjust over time and see the positives:

• Try to think about all the things you can eat. That’s all meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, rice, dairy, nuts, pulses, herbs and spices. In their natural state they are all gluten free and can be combined in unlimited wonderful ways.
• I found it helped once I could accept that some of my favourite foods are in the past and focused on finding new favourites, whether that’s go-to meals or sweet treats. There’s plenty to discover.
• If you enjoy cooking, you can make pretty much anything gluten free, including things you’re missing out on like Chinese takeaway food or Yorkshire puddings. Don’t throw all your recipe books out – other than baking, many recipes can be adapted easily.
• Once I got my head round what I can and can’t have in the supermarket, I tend to do my food shopping online, as it avoids me walking past all the food I can’t have.
• As a mum and (for a while) the only Coeliac in the house, I found it weirdly helpful that I couldn’t eat all the sweets and treats the kids wanted – it forced me to stop scoffing everything in sight!
• My food shopping morals had to be compromised a bit. Too much restriction is depressing and the price of gluten free food can be high, so it’s good to shop around – different shops have a different selection of free from products.
• You will have to talk about gluten a LOT and think about it a lot – every single mealtime with little let-up. This can be overwhelming to begin with, but you get used to it and you’ll build up a set of stock phrases you can just rattle out.
• My perception is that Coeliac disease isn’t as bad as an allergy, because there’s no risk of immediate death if you (or someone else) get it wrong. That’s not to say there are no consequences, but mine, at least, are relatively short-lived, if somewhat unpleasant and inconvenient. (I know it’s different for everyone though.)
• This must be one of very few diseases where the treatment is changing what you eat, rather than medicine, injections or surgery. I was amazed when all the symptoms I had put up with for years disappeared because I stopped eating gluten.
• You will get glutened at some point – it’s a learning process and once you get the hang of it, occurrences become rare.

Unless you have symptomless Coeliac Disease, you’re embarking on a food journey that will make you feel so much better and your body will begin healing itself. Good luck!

I’d love to hear other points of view about coming to terms with this big lifestyle change in the comments.

In the next few posts, I’m going to write about my experiences of food shopping and cooking at home, brands I’ve found I like, tips for eating out, eating with friends and family, and I’ll point to some of the really helpful resources out there on the internet. There is a brilliant online community of people on the same journey.

In the immortal words of Guns N Roses, welcome to the jungle. 🙂