A diagnosis of Celiac Disease, so overwhelming and confusing and wonderful all at the same time. Scary and terrifying, [...]]]> I can’t believe when I look back, how much my life has changed in one year. I can’t believe it was August last year I went for blood tests and the gastroscopy that would change everything.

A diagnosis of Celiac Disease, so overwhelming and confusing and wonderful all at the same time. Scary and terrifying, not knowing what in the world I can and cannot eat, knowing somewhere in the back of my mind, that one day if I travelled to Italy, I would’t be able to eat platefuls of pasta, and beautiful, warm fresh baked bread! Never again can I eat doughnuts or hamburgers or cookies and cakes out. No more pizza!

I guess it’s human nature that we always think of all the worst things first, the ideas of what we are missing out on. Of course, I was thrilled that I had finally solved the mystery of my constantly being sick and tired. I was 28 years old and had always had something wrong with me. I was always the sick child, told I had a “spastic colon” with all my stomach problems and stomach bugs, always tired with my thyroid problems, all sick with every little cold and cough, with my virtually non-existant immune system. Aways in pain with my Fibromyalgia. Always too thin. Always Anemic. Just tired of being sick and tired.

Wow could something as seemingly simple as cutting out Gluten change all that?? Well the answer amazingly enough is YES YES YES! I started by reading every label of every single item of food that went into my mouth and was in my grocery cupboard and fridge. I become a little obsessed and cleared out my whole kitchen in a massive gluten clear out. I went every few weeks to be weighed by my dietician and delighted in every new kilo that added on. I was finally starting to feel well. I was told by my doctors that it can take up to a year for your gut to heal completely and I believe that depending on the damage to your intestines, that is true. I still had a few stomach problems, but those also started to become ironed out as the months went on. I became even more label conscious and even more aware of gluten containing products after a mishap with “gluten free bread” that was made with spelt ( a wheat product) made me very ill.

Slowly slowly the energy I felt every day was amazing. I would no longer wake up exhausted. I was starting to have more energy and my iron levels and stores began to build up. My body had filled out and I actually was starting to look well and normal, no longer emaciated. Everywhere I went I was constantly told how well I was looking.

Anyone who thinks that cutting out Gluten cannot seriously make big changes in their life, is seriously mistaken. Today I am so much better than I ever was. I am no longer constantly on antibiotics, constantly full of sinus problems, I am well and energetic and excited that I can now make all my own gluten free stuff. Food is no longer a challenge, but a thrill. I don’t ever feel I am missing out on things, I feel that I am lucky I have an opportunity to know each and every ingredient that goes into my mouth. Food has become a complete passion and educating people about Celiac Disease and eating gluten free a Calling.

One year gluten free and counting

Check out this article here.

Easy Tuna Pasta

250gr gluten [...]]]> Here is an easy weeknight supper, made with all gluten free ingredients and high in protein and omega 3 fats (tuna). Add any other veggies or tasty ingredients you enjoy. It can also be made in advance if you are limited for time or feeling just too tired to cook

Easy Tuna Pasta

250gr gluten free fusilli pasta
2 tins tuna
2T chutney
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
6 mild peppadews
150 gr grated white cheddar
Italian Spice Mix

Boil pasta according to packet instructions
In an oval baking dish, flake up the tuna, add the chutney
Add tomatoes, chopped up peppadews. Add spices ( Italian mix)
Add cooked and drained pasta.

In pot , make a simple white sauce. Add a little butter, 2/3 T of flour ( I use Rice Flour or maize or potato) stir until forms balls. Add +- 250ml milk, stirring until thickens. Add cheese and pour over tuna and pasta.
Mix altogether and Bake at 180 for 30 minutes.
It can be made easily in advance.

It’s the been the most amazing time for the country. It has been incredibly unifying and uplifting at a time when things were going pretty badly in the country. Crime still is a huge issue [...]]]> It’s the last weekend of the World Cup in South Africa and I have to admit that I am sad.

It’s the been the most amazing time for the country. It has been incredibly unifying and uplifting at a time when things were going pretty badly in the country. Crime still is a huge issue as is corruption and ineptitude in the civil service, but for 4 weeks, it all seems to have been forgotten about and there has been such enthusiasm and excitement, from all of us wearing our ‘Bafana Bafana’ jerseys on Soccer Fridays to everyone having flags and side mirror flags on their cars. I can already feel the lull and I know it will all go back to normal but it has been so amazing while it lasted and I can only hope that it will push up the tourism to this beautiful country.

On that note, I am including a very special traditional South African dish, adapted to make it gluten free of course. It is a traditional dish that was brought to the country by the Cape Malay slaves in the early days of the Dutch Settlers in the Western Cape).(only just realised the irony with Holland in the final on Sunday;) )

It is a dish that is so mouthwateringly good, it will make you wish you were in Africa!

Gluten Free Bobotie:

1 cup of raisins ( soaked in chai/rooibos tea)
1kg mincemeat
1 onion finely diced
1 carrot finely diced
1 T Garam Masala
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T white vinegar
4 T Mrs Balls hot chutney
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp of baking powder
2 slices of gluten free white bread soaked in milk
2 eggs
½ cup of milk
3 bay leaves

Preheat oven to 180C
Fry onion and carrot, til golden, add spices and then meat to brown. Add Worcester sauce, chutney , vinegar and baking powder. Simmer for a few mins, then add soaked bread and raisins, with a small amount of the tea. Taste, add more seasoning if necessary.
Place meat in greased large pie dish, flatten it out.
Mix egg and milk mixture and pour over ( only add at the end if you prepare meat in advance, or else it soaks it up)
Place 3 bay leaves decoratively on top
Bake for approx. 30 min, til golden and bubbling on top.

Gluten is the protein found in all WHEAT products, BARLEY, OATS and RYE. It is comprised of two proteins Gliadin and Glutenin. It is the product that makes bread [...]]]> There are lots of confusing messages out there about Gluten Intolerance or Gluten Sensitivity or Gluten Allergy? You may be wondering if you have any of these?

Gluten is the protein found in all WHEAT products, BARLEY, OATS and RYE. It is comprised of two proteins Gliadin and Glutenin. It is the product that makes bread and cakes light and fluffy.

Gluten Sensitivity is the all-encompassing terminology used to describe a whole range of reactions and conditions where gluten is the culprit. This ranges from the auto-immune disease of Celiac Disease, to wheat allergies, to skin ailments, asthma, migraines and autism.

The most serious of these is Gluten Sensitive Enteropathy or as it is more commonly known Celiac disease (Coeliac Disease).
Celiac disease is not an allergy to gluten, like a wheat allergy is. It is in fact an auto-immune disease, where the body mistakenly attacks its own tissues seeing them as a foreign substance.
When a person with Celiac Disease eats any food containing gluten, the body reacts to those proteins found in the gluten and attacks the small finger like projections in the small intestine called villi, thus preventing absorption of food. The symptoms are not immediate, but usually take a while for the reactions to occur and then the gut becomes slowly damaged.

This leads to all sorts of digestive problems, including bloating, diarrhea, flatulence, anemia and weight loss. Celiac Disease can be diagnosed by blood tests, which check for the antibodies (IgG and IgA) to those proteins and by a biopsy of the small intestine (done by gastrocscopy), which can see the flattened villi of the small intestine. Very often someone who thinks they may have a problem with gluten cuts it out of their diet, making diagnosis very difficult. Always maintain your usual diet until all tests have been confirmed.

A Wheat allergy or Gluten Allergy on the other hand is an immune response to eating wheat/gluten, in the same way that someone may have an allergy to peanuts. The symptoms can range from hives, eczema, asthma, migraine or even anaphylaxis. It is caused by an immune response of IgE antibodies. These are usually very quick reactions and can happen in a matter of minutes. There are fifty different proteins in gluten that one can react to so there can be a reaction to any one of them. The diagnosis for this is a skin prick test to test for allergic response.

Many people with a whole range of conditions find that gluten or wheat on its own may be the culprit of certain disorders even without a true allergy or celiac disease. One may have a reaction to gluten that although doesn’t register an immune response in the body, it can still make you ill. These are not allergies, but are idiopathic reactions (we do not know the cause). Even though the body reacts to gluten, there is no damage to the small intestine.

Once Celiac disease and an IgE allergy response is ruled out, but a reaction to gluten occurs, we term this a Gluten Intolerance. In many ways similar to a lactose intolerance and in fact many people find they may have both.

One of the main symptoms of this is chronic fatigue and chronic pain. Some people also find that their migraines worsen on gluten, as do skin ailments, sinus problems and other digestive disorders as well as autism and other neurological disorders. There is no test for this, the only way to check for it, is an elimination diet. There is no research known as to whether an intolerance now, can lead to Celiac Disease later in life.

So it is important to get a diagnosis, to work out which is your body’s response to gluten, so that a correct eating plan and treatment can be followed.