Ellie84

Whew, that's indeed good news! Hopefully the rest of the problems will disappear soon as well.

celiac disease is a relatively new disease, it was discovered shortly after the second world war. Before the nineties it was considered a rare disease and doctors didn't learn much about it. It has become more well-known since the nineties, so the knowledge about it is slowly increasing. It's still poor with most doctors though, so it can be useful to drop off a leaflet with information about celiac disease. The Dutch coeliac association offers these leaflets to patients to show to their doctors.

Totally agree with you Going gluten-free was a necessity for me, but it also changed my lifestyle for the best. Before I went gluten-free my eating habits were bad, I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. When I rented my own place I gained nearly 10 kgs in one year (22 lbs). Going gluten-free made me have to plan my meals and choosing healthier options. A lot of junk/comfort foods I used to eat are either unavailable now or hard to come by and expensive. No more snacks on the go or stopping somewhere for coffee and cake. Cooking also changed: I can't use pre-fab stuff like sauces and spicemixes so I have to cook my own. These are tastier, contain less salt and no flavour enhancers. Going gluten-free also gives me the energy to exercise, I'm totally addicted to strength training now People often think that going gluten-free is very difficult and restrictive, they hardly see the positive side of it. As a matter of fact: I wouldn't want to go back to gluten even if I could.

Some leftover Chinese take-away from yesterday: chop suey with beef and white rice. Very mysterious: everytime I can't cook there's fast food on the table. You'd almost think my BF doesn't like to cook I'm quite happy with our local chinese restaurant: they know exactly what's gluten-free. When I asked about gluten-free dishes they gave me the menu and underlined everything I could eat. The waitress also said I couldn't have their curry soup, because it contained coconut. I was surprised and said that coconut is gluten-free. She then told me that their dried coconut has flour in it to prevent it from sticking. Now that's someone who's well-informed I've given them a very good recommendation in the Dutch gluten-free restaurant database.

I'm not happy today because the shin splint I had in both legs is back and I have to get treatment for it. I have to take medication and it's making me very sleepy and dizzy. Couldn't go to work yesterday because of it, and that really stinks

Sounds like a load of bull to me... I hear this kind of talk often when I visit an organic food store. As if organically grown wheat wouldn't make me ill...

The holidays are always a time of mixed feelings for me. The days before I can get quite sad because my own family doesn't care about my diet. Whenever I visit my dad and his new wife I even have to bring my own snacks. Buying a bag of plain salted crisps is too difficult for them, even when I ask for it I just don't feel welcome there, and since my diagnosis I've never spent Christmas with them again. There is a big upside to it all: my boyfriend's family is very supportive and they make a sport out of it to find tasty treats that everyone can enjoy. We were there yesterday and we used a table grill. They had bought fresh meats, chicken and fish which everyone could grill for themselves. It was delicious and gluten-free. For breakfast they usually buy luxury bake-off rolls from Schär for me. I can't express how grateful I am that they are so supportive. It makes me feel very loved and welcome. I can't tell them often enough how much I appreciate it

Yum, sounds delicious! After Christmas I'm cooking a light meal tonight. Baked rice with egg and leek and chicken satay. Yesterday we celebrated Christmas at my boyfriend's parents. We used a table grill yesterday. We had all kinds of veggies, fresh meat, chicken and fish which you could grill for youself. It was fun, delicious and gluten-free! I can't express how grateful I am that they understand my diet and are so supportive

2 thick slices of oatbread with bacon and eggs. 4 hours later and I'm still not hungry Raaawrrr, I'm a munch-monster. If I don't eat heavy/satisfying meals I tend to snack all day.

If a grain containing gluten was used, it has to be mentioned on the package like "modified starch" (wheat-). If not, then they can label it as "modified starch". It will be safe for coeliacs. I hope this answers your question.

You're welcome! I don't know Pamela's brand, not sure if that brand is available here in NL. The flour mix I use most is from Sch

How about this recipe? http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/muffinsquickbreads/r/cinnamnstreusel.htm You could replace the flour with gluten-free flour.

6 ppm is more than 3 times under the new legal limit for gluten-free here in Europe. The new legal limit is 20 ppm instead of 200 and for most coeliacs this is very safe. I consider myself to be sensitive, as I can't handle wheat starch under the 20 ppm limit, but I've never had a reaction to this one.

That explains a lot... I've had severe reactions to some brands that were officially labeled as gluten-free. They used barley malt. The only exception to that is Estrella Daura, which is filtered to take proteins out. This is my favourite beer now. There are some brands that use sorghum or quinoa, but I find the taste too different from regular beer.