My name is Karen and I’m a coeliac. It’s been 449 days since I last ate gluten

Seriously, there needs to be a 12 Step Program for foodies like me, who suddenly discover that they can no longer eat whatever they want. Being diagnosed as a coeliac is life changing, and, although now I am reaping the health rewards of my gluten free diet, initially I was devastated at this loss of my gastronomic freedom.

Temptation is everywhere….surely one little croissant won’t hurt? How can this innocent looking cupcake do me any harm? I’ll just have one last baguette and then I’ll stop for good. I know I will. I can stop any time, right? The withdrawal I felt was nothing short of narcotic in its severity. Seriously, giving up smoking was easier than giving up gluten. But, as with cigarettes, I simply cannot have ‘just one’. Every pastry is doing me damage.

I had visions of gorging myself on the entire contents of my favourite bakery, resulting in waking on my kitchen floor from my gluten induced coma, dazed and confused the next morning. Something had to be done.

All I could do was surrender and, before I could lose motivation, I cleaned out every gluten containing food from my house. An hour later, I was faced with a virtually empty fridge and pantry. Thought gluten was just in flour? Think again. It’s EVERYWHERE! I sat on the floor staring into the vast emptiness of my pantry and wondered how I would survive eating nothing but rice cakes for the rest of my life. I was also 12 weeks pregnant and suddenly had the only food that didn’t make me throw up taken away…..soft white bread and vegemite. 449 days later and I still miss it!

Having no choice but to re-stock my supplies, I hit the shops. Thankfully, being ‘intolerant’ of gluten is quite trendy at the moment and there are a swathe of products to choose from. I happily loaded up my trolley with the gluten free equivalents of my favourite foods. Upon reaching the checkout however, I quickly realised that I may, in fact, have to sell the first born child I was carrying, in order to pay for my weekly shop!

Though many, many products failed in their attempts to re-create their gluten filled compatriots, some equaled, if not bettered them. Gluten free pasta, for example, based on quinoa and amaranth, produce a wonderful, light alternative to the dense, heavy traditional pastas. Gluten free bread, however, gets the big thumbs down. I tried every single brand imaginable and was disappointed at every turn. I think I may have cried when my first attempt at a ham, cheese and tomato toasted sandwich crumbled in my hands. There are days in a pregnancy when only a toasted sandwich will do. Just as I resigned myself to a sandwich free existence, we discovered the bread that has literally changed my life. Even my mother, a bread aficionado, enjoys it. So, the range is out there, it just takes some looking.

Dealing with being a coeliac is hard enough for a grown woman, so I have such empathy for families with gluten intolerant children. Add to that the rise in egg, nut and dairy allergies, making feeding your children and their friends a challenge at best. Cakes, biscuits and sweets are a childhood rite of passage, so I hope to be able to provide some recipes for you that enable the odd treat! (I am yet to do a cake from scratch that betters the GF cake mixes available. The one pictured is a mix, tinkered with a little by me. Yes, it is as light as it looks, and yes, that is caramel topping!) Our family meals are also gluten free, so any lunch or dinner recipes I share will be suitable for all.

As my nutritionist said, it’s hard to call being coeliac a disease, as really, it just demands you eat fresh, healthy, unprocessed foods. Add to that how much better I feel when I adhere to my GF diet and I know I’ll stick this life long diet change out. Coeliac or not, we can all benefit from adding more fresh, whole foods to our diets. I have every thing crossed that Baby A escapes this condition and is free to eat and enjoy all foods he encounters as his diet expands beyond my kitchen. Life’s too short for rice cakes!