Gluten Free Products Uk

[jhol]

hi anyone out there from the uk

im gettin ready for a gluten and dairy free trial. ive been to tesco and got a lot of store cupboard stuff in- think im gonna be ok with the food changes ( although i wouldnt say no to any suggestions). im veggie also by the way and dont think i could go back to eating meat- ive read a few threads on here where people have.

ive ordered a few cook books off ebay for some easy recipe ideas( i hate cooking by the way)

my main problem is with toiletries and cosmetics. ive got a soap and lotion from vanicream ( ive got a rash on my face)- ive used it today and my face feels less dry and tight.

ive discovered that marks and spencer have got a hair care range thats gluten free, so thats that sorted.but im having

trouble finding make-up thats gluten free that doesnt cost a fortune. all the sites ive been on today dont list their ingredients- its so frustrating!!! even avon and id heard they do quite a few gluten free products.!! ive just bought a maybelline mousse foundation- coz i thought id read somewhere it was gluten free- but think ive probably just made it up

anyway! if anyone knows any gluten free products it would really help me out. thanks..

[Zozobell]

Hi I have just started going gluten free and am loving being back to my normal self again! Not sure about how much help I can be to be honest but just wanted to say you're not alone! Where abouts in the uk are you? I'm from Newcastle! How you finding the diet so far? All the bread like options I'm finding difficult as they are soooo dry! I've found genius to be the best bread so far but even then it has to be toasted x

[jhol]

hi,

im in manchester,

my results all came back negative- but im sure im gluten intolerant and ive got a rash on hands that responds to a dairy free diet. so i decided to give the diet a try . im doing ok - its about 2 weeks. im finding it hard though because i havent a diagnosis so im kinda thinking - you dont really need to be doing this. but i know i do!!!! dont think ive tried the genius bread yet - think its still in the freezer. to be honest ive tried to eat things that dont need bread - ive been taking homemade soup to work for dinner - and i havent really missed the bread. have just had pittas for tea though , they were ok i thought. the other breads ive had to toast as well ! im just building up a stock of gluten free foods - a few new ones every week and trying out a new recipe a week. i hate cooking oh and im veggie as well so foods i can eat are diminishing rapidly lol.

[jhol]

hi zozobell,

just reread my post - im such a crap conversationalist. i put it down to the "brainfog" lol. how are you doing, have you been diagnosed and have you discovered any fabulous new foods yet .im snacking on cashews at the moment and eating maize tortillas and ive found in tesco,s a packet of dried mango with no additives or extras whatsoever -( a bit expensive)but not bad if you need something sweet. if i make a big batch of soup i find im ok for the week coz i know i can get some whenever i need it. tesco do some packet rice noodles that you just microwave - think they,re amoy, and packets of sauce - but you have to check them- they,re not all gluten free. these are great when you get home from work late and need something quick- just add rice. im not that bothered by sweet stuff usually but morrisons do a nut,gluten,dairy and egg free choc bar that has saved me a few times( when your desperate)

how are you finding socialising? ive been taking my own meals to friends houses which is no problem , but going out im not sure. i dont even know what to drink ( ive never been able to drink really ) im stuck with fruit juices and mineral water i think

how have you found the forum , you do find out some interesting stuff on here - keep reading .hope to hear from you again x

[gfbrad]

Email Tesco (and any other gluten free foods maker) and ask regards cross contamination of their gluten-free and non-gluten-free foods and derivatives like glucose syrup which is regularly made from wheat and used in their free from foods.

Eat Natural's nut bars, when I last checked, still have GS from wheat. Dove's Farm emailed to say for me not to have their gluten-free flours & biscuits in case of CC issues. Not emailed them for over a year though.

Check with Dermol for their Dermol Cream. Wrote last year and they said gluten/wheat free but best to ask them again in case any ingredient changes. Mitchum deodorant, Head and Shoulders classic care, Vaseline tub - all makers said they are gluten-free, SF and DF but again please check with them as I'd hate it if you reacted.

My OH uses Alima Pure for make up. They are from the USA though. You can get sampler pots for about $1.50. Please check though as I asked my partner and she hasn't bought from them in over a year.

Cough medicines are a joke though. I can't find any without glucose syrup derived from wheat. No reactions here though from vicks stick (please check!!)

Orgran are brilliant. They have cookies, crispbreads, rice/corn pastas and packet mixes for bread (not tried it though - think you need a machine for it) but the pizza/pastry mix is okay (although my OH uses it to make cookies.) Not cheap but (cookies are £2.99 for 8 mini 22g packets) Sainsbury's usually sell a few bits (some have tapioca & buckwheat in it.) Goodness Direct (GD) and Naturally Good Food also sell it. They are from Australia.

Barkat is another one in the UK. Their cornflakes are okay (takes a while to get use to) but again please check as they told me some have CC issues!! (usually about £2.49 for 250g!!) Eskal gluten free noodles and vermiccelli are great. Kelloggs have barley in them.

For chocolate check with Detox Your World (or via GD.) They have separate ingredients to make your own. Might not be nut free though as some bars they make have almonds in it.

Plamil is another chocolate (Holland & Barrett) but also has CC issues with Soy (check with them!) Be Fruity Bars are just fruit bars (although I've been told to avoid due to CC issues you might want to check to make sure.)

There are other free from products like dietary specials, whole earth, kallo, big oz but we don't eat any of these due to other ingredients and CC issues (were lactose/soy intolerant here!) Homemade soups are great. Just add lots of veggies and no fillers!

You just have to check everything and even if the maker emails back with it's all safe make sure you ask again especially on cross contamination and traces although you might not react as bad as our house!! Ask regards the PPM rate (parts per million) The EU allows for 20PPM for gluten/wheat but don't recognise glucose syrup as it's in a derivative form!

Another thing is go to your Dr and tell them about any diet changes and make sure your vitamin levels are okay especially B12, Vitamin D2 and D3.

My OH has a book by Barbara Cousins called Cooking Without (blue cover) although I've not read it.

I haven't put the links as I was unsure if links were allowed on the forum.

I hope this helps and good luck.

Bradley

[jhol]

Email Tesco (and any other gluten free foods maker) and ask regards cross contamination of their gluten-free and non-gluten-free foods and derivatives like glucose syrup which is regularly made from wheat and used in their free from foods.

Eat Natural's nut bars, when I last checked, still have GS from wheat. Dove's Farm emailed to say for me not to have their gluten-free flours & biscuits in case of CC issues. Not emailed them for over a year though.

Check with Dermol for their Dermol Cream. Wrote last year and they said gluten/wheat free but best to ask them again in case any ingredient changes. Mitchum deodorant, Head and Shoulders classic care, Vaseline tub - all makers said they are gluten-free, SF and DF but again please check with them as I'd hate it if you reacted.

My OH uses Alima Pure for make up. They are from the USA though. You can get sampler pots for about $1.50. Please check though as I asked my partner and she hasn't bought from them in over a year.

Cough medicines are a joke though. I can't find any without glucose syrup derived from wheat. No reactions here though from vicks stick (please check!!)

Orgran are brilliant. They have cookies, crispbreads, rice/corn pastas and packet mixes for bread (not tried it though - think you need a machine for it) but the pizza/pastry mix is okay (although my OH uses it to make cookies.) Not cheap but (cookies are £2.99 for 8 mini 22g packets) Sainsbury's usually sell a few bits (some have tapioca & buckwheat in it.) Goodness Direct (GD) and Naturally Good Food also sell it. They are from Australia.

Barkat is another one in the UK. Their cornflakes are okay (takes a while to get use to) but again please check as they told me some have CC issues!! (usually about £2.49 for 250g!!) Eskal gluten free noodles and vermiccelli are great. Kelloggs have barley in them.

For chocolate check with Detox Your World (or via GD.) They have separate ingredients to make your own. Might not be nut free though as some bars they make have almonds in it.

Plamil is another chocolate (Holland & Barrett) but also has CC issues with Soy (check with them!) Be Fruity Bars are just fruit bars (although I've been told to avoid due to CC issues you might want to check to make sure.)

There are other free from products like dietary specials, whole earth, kallo, big oz but we don't eat any of these due to other ingredients and CC issues (were lactose/soy intolerant here!) Homemade soups are great. Just add lots of veggies and no fillers!

You just have to check everything and even if the maker emails back with it's all safe make sure you ask again especially on cross contamination and traces although you might not react as bad as our house!! Ask regards the PPM rate (parts per million) The EU allows for 20PPM for gluten/wheat but don't recognise glucose syrup as it's in a derivative form!

Another thing is go to your Dr and tell them about any diet changes and make sure your vitamin levels are okay especially B12, Vitamin D2 and D3.

My OH has a book by Barbara Cousins called Cooking Without (blue cover) although I've not read it.

I haven't put the links as I was unsure if links were allowed on the forum.

I hope this helps and good luck.

Bradley

thanks for the info , i,ll check them out ta!

[Zozobell]

hi zozobell,

just reread my post - im such a crap conversationalist. i put it down to the "brainfog" lol. how are you doing, have you been diagnosed and have you discovered any fabulous new foods yet .im snacking on cashews at the moment and eating maize tortillas and ive found in tesco,s a packet of dried mango with no additives or extras whatsoever -( a bit expensive)but not bad if you need something sweet. if i make a big batch of soup i find im ok for the week coz i know i can get some whenever i need it. tesco do some packet rice noodles that you just microwave - think they,re amoy, and packets of sauce - but you have to check them- they,re not all gluten free. these are great when you get home from work late and need something quick- just add rice. im not that bothered by sweet stuff usually but morrisons do a nut,gluten,dairy and egg free choc bar that has saved me a few times( when your desperate)

how are you finding socialising? ive been taking my own meals to friends houses which is no problem , but going out im not sure. i dont even know what to drink ( ive never been able to drink really ) im stuck with fruit juices and mineral water i think

how have you found the forum , you do find out some interesting stuff on here - keep reading .hope to hear from you again x

To be honest I'm finding it hard I'm the first to admit my diet before going gluten free was awful! Going around friends houses is difficult I find, for example telling me I'm silly and of course I can have some Doritos even though it says in the packet it's not gluten friendly!! I'm trying to keep it simple now as I've tried a few gluten free versions of things and not been impressed. My diet at the moment Is mainly protein, veg and rice. I imagine its even harder being veggie. How are you finding it?

I haven't officially been diagnosed yet I had a colonoscopy which showed inflamed bowl and all my symptoms lead to having celiac disease. I did have an endoscopy but unfortunately this didn't work I'm not 100% sure what happened as I was sedated so its all a bit of a blur but what I can remember is vomiting blood and the nurses screaming at me to stop being sick!

So I probably will never be diagnosed properly as I took it upon myself to go gluten free. But I'm just glad I've found a way to be out of pain. Although I've never been good at sticking to diets or anything before so I really hope my cravings will settle down soon.

[jhol]

hi again,

soz your having a bit of a hard time. it will take a while until you get used to the diet and what you can and cant eat. i suppose being a veggie i was already used to reading ingredients lists and scanning the packet for the "v" symbol so to me im just looking for an extra symbol!

. have your doctors told you what happened an if they r gonna repeat the endoscopy - they,re not nice, had mine abt a month ago, would not want to repeat it .have you had the blood test for celiac yet? im only asking coz if your treatment isnt finished you should not be eating gluten free yet. you must be eating gluten for the blood test or biopsies from the endoscopy to be positive. has someone told you to start the gluten free diet or have you decided to do it yourself ?

not sure how old you are but you sound younger than me- your friends probably dont really understand what you are doing and why you are doing it. you could try to give then a brief explanation of whats happening and how you are feeling. if that doesnt help always make sure you always have your own gluten free snacks with you . tortilla chips are made of corn, so as long as they dont have a "flavouring" on them they should be ok.check the salsas and dips to make sure they are gluten free though. i had the tescos pizza base the other day, i thought it was ok( im not eating any dairy so it was a bit of a crappy pizza) but on the whole - better than never eating pizza again. and ive bought some gluten free breadsticks to eat with dips and hummous. watch out for double dipping though- dont let your friends dip their food into your stuff!!!!! -

hope that helps a bit- if your friends care they will be okay with all this - having said that i got told off on here ( in a very nice way ) coz somebody made me a cheese butty and i ate it coz i didnt want to cause a fuss.lol. we all do stupid things occasionally and im sure i,ll make a few more mistakes as well. hope you get to grips with the food- sometimes we have to do things we dont like -like COOKING i hate it, but try to pretend i enjoy it - but i really HATE it :angry: lol.

i,ll just say again - check whats happening about your diagnosis - coz if you need further tests you really should be eating gluton. let us know how you get on with everything ok ..

[Zozobell]

Re diagnosis I had blood tests but they came back negative. I took it upon myself to go gluten free because I was in soo much pain I was willing to try anything on the 2 occasions I ate gluten I was ill within a couple of hours. To be honest I'm not willing to start eating gluten again just to get officially diagnosed coz my reaction to it makes me almost bed bound which I cannot afford to be. It was the specialist that originally said she thought I had celiac disease. I'm just waiting to hear back from her at the moment.

How have you found going to restaurants? X

[mamaw]

Check out the Schar products too.... I wish they would bring the sausage rolls to the US...plus a few other goodies...

[jhol]

hi zozobell,

so same as me then. the cheese butty incident caused me problems 24 hours later. i just got fed up of the time it takes to get answers. im still waiting for allergy tests- i wont be holding my breath!! as for restaurants , i havent tried yet- too scared lol. if im goin out with friends i,ll google the resaurant first and ring ahead i think - at least i,ll know if theres anything for me to eat, but thats the next hurdle to get over x

thanks mamaw - i,ll check out schar products- not heard of them before...

[VeggieGal]

Hiya, Im from Sheffield and a veggie too, although now finding ive got to avoid dairy too

Anyways, the tesco direct website might give you some food ideas

Open Original Shared Link

I'm struggling with the gluten free shampoos etc though as labelling doesnt seem clear but Im sure we'll get there

[jhol]

hi veggiegal,

 

im still struggling with the gluten free cosmetics thing. from reading on here it sounds like its relatively  easy to get things in "normal supermarkets" in america. ive only found a range in marks and spencers (australian- cant remember the brand now) but its haircare and bodycare products ( around 8 quid each). ive emailed a few cosmetics companys but im still waiting for replies( including avon and i,d heard they do quite a bit of gluten free). i read of a few cosmetics brands that are supposed to be gluten free( according to blogs ive read) but when ive got to the web page it says nothing about being gluten free!!!. i would have thought it would be advertised on their website.  

. i cant afford to replace all my make up when its an average of 20/30 dollars a piece. ive just emailed a company called elf and they seem pretty reasonable- hope they reply back. i am thinking of trying to make my own body products, ive seen some recipes for body scrubs and lotion. im crap at "cooking" though, so god knows what they,ll turn out like lol .

[VeggieGal]

Hi jhol, .... Im crap at cooking too but i guess its time we improved lol. Ooooh making own body products sounds good, you'll have to post your successes on here

To be honest i never realised beauty products etc would be a major problem and just assumed companies would just but allergy info etc on labels as a matter if course...how wrong i was.

Please let me know if you get any answers back from these companies.

Theres one good thing about making our own body products..at least there shouldnt be any hidden nasties/colours/preservatives etc

[Gemini]

For those in the UK here.....glucose syrup is gluten free, even if derived from wheat. It is so highly processed, the gluten content is negligible after processing.  This information from

the Coeliac UK group.  I have been to the UK and have eaten the "Free From" brand before and have never reacted.  I am about as sensitive a Celiac as they come and do not eat from shared lines here in the States because I have gotten sick yet never have had a reaction to glucose syrup.  I think it's another one of those Celiac myths like Vitamin E here in the States.

Everyone thinks tocopherols, which can be derived from wheat germ oil, is not gluten free but in reality, it is.  Very highly processed stuff.  Just some gluten-free food for thought.....

[jhol]

well ive just got my first email back from a cosmetic company,

 

and it was from e.l.f. which was the last one i emailed. they said they do not use gluten in any of their cosmetics but cant guarantee the lines they are produced on are gluten free. im thinking that means they are pretty much gluten free and they are just throwing out that old line as a precaution.

 what do you all think???