Coeliac Diary

I'm a 22 year old Hungarian girl living in London diagnosed with the Coeliac disease February 2012. Here I share my everyday Coeliac experience and the fight with my fruit/vegetable phobia. Feel free to ask any questions! Oh, and I love cheese!

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When people believe

that the Coeliac disease is a 'state' and not an illness I just feel I don't want to live on this planet anymore. I wish they were right tho..

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Support is essential

I started my gluten-free diet almost a year ago and I was really scared. Mostly because I used to be very picky and I was terrified how I'm going to deal with the change. But also because I didn't know how what the reaction of the people sorrounding me will be. There were some who didn't take it seriously at first but most of them were very supportive. My family went for a gluten-free shopping spree as soon as I delivered the news to be prepared for my visit. My boyfriend helped me to make the kitchen clean and safe for me. He also made a list of gluten-free places for eating out. And since then, he's been very careful and in the hard times he tried to make me feel better by cooking the most delicious gluten-free dishes. My friends keep choosing gluten-free friendly places when we meet. And this is amazing, it makes everything so much better and easier for me. If you're reading this and thinking this is a bullshit I have to tell you it's pretty hard to accept such a huge change after 21 years of eating without restrictions. I'm aware I could have much bigger problems and I'm grateful I don't. But I'm also grateful I don't think of my condition as a problem anymore. How did you deal with the changes first? How did people react?

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WHEN SOMEONE CALLS ME A 'PICKY EATER'

(thanks for the suggestion, @GFtravelette!)

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To be honest, I'm VERY picky. Coeliac certainly didn't choose the right person this time. 

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Hey you, high quality gluten-free bread, are you kidding me?

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My birthday cake

My 22nd birthday was on 20th October. I know it was a long time ago and I'm getting old but you all have to know about that great cake.

My boyfriend got it from Hummingbird Bakery. (He also got me a watch with a hummingbird on it, what a coincidence!) It was a huuuuge red velvet cake which was consumed within 24 hours. Don't get me wrong, there were lots of people at my party and there's nothing better than some leftover-hungover-cake.

The Hummingbird Bakery is also famous of its cupcakes, in this case, gluten-free cupcakes. They are all delicious and you can get then for a reasonable price.

What's your Hummingbird experience like?

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Stuff I eat at work

I work at the Queen's Head in Hammersmith. It is a very high-quality pub with lots of customers, Fuller's beers and a great menu. Although I can hardly have anything from the menu..what I like...I'm a bit fussy when it comes to food, this Coeliac disease didn't choose the right person.

Since I've started living my gluten-free life, the kitchen staff has been very supportive even though in the beginning it was hard for them to change from my normal lifestyle to the new one. I kind of had to make them understand this wasn't my choice, coeliac chose me.

I've got some very great people working in the kitchen who make my life at the pub a lot easier. I feel special that I always get something different. Usually the staff food is burger, jacket potato, fich&chips, omelette&chips or roast on Sundays. I can't have any of them but I don't mind at all because my food is and also looks more delicious than the one vegetarians get.

So have a look at the meals I get.

How do you cope with everyday eating at work?

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We're not alone.

I just found a list that Jennifer Harris created about celebrities and athletes with Coeliac disease.

Celebrities with Celiac Disease

Avery Aames (Author)

Neil Boortz (Radio personality)

Sarah Joy Brown (Actor)

Meg Cabot (Author)

Chelsea Clinton

Heidi Collins (former CNN anchor)

Jennifer Esposito (Actor)

Susie Essman (Actor on Curb Your Enthusiasm)

Shannon Ford (Miss USA 2011)

Scott Michael Foster (Actor)

Rich Gannon’s (NFL Quarterback) daughter, Danielle

Thom Hartmann (Air America Radio)

Elizabeth Hasselbeck (“The View”)

Katherine, Duchess of Kent

Laura Kaeppeler (Miss America)

Jilly Lagasse (Daughter of Emeril Lagasse)

Jessie Lagasse Swanson (Daughter of Emeril Lagasse)

Dean McDermott (Actor)

Tenley Molzahan (Bachelorette contestant)

Dannii Minogue (Younger sister to Kylie Minogue the singer)

Keith Olbermann (TV personality)

Emmy Rossum (Actor)

Aarti Sequeria (Food Network)

Joe Stanton (Cartoonist who draws Batman, Green Lantern, Archie & Scooby-Do)

Jane Swift (former Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor)

Sarah Vowell

Brandy Wendler (Mrs. Alaska International)

Amy Wheaton (Wil Wheaton's Sister)

Deb Wheaton (Wil Wheaton's Mom)

Deborah Ann Woll (Actress)

Athletes with Celiac Disease/Gluten Sensitivity

Amy Yoder Begley (Competed in Beijing Olympics as a Runner)

Cedric Benson (NFL)

Timmy Curran (Surfer)

Drew Brees (NFL)

Tom Kostopoulos (Canadian NHL hockey player)

Raul Ibanez (MLB)

Sabine Lisicki (Tennis)

Allie Martins (Nordic Skier)

Justin Morneau (MLB)

Timothy O'Donnell (Triathlete)

Mickey Redmon (former pro hockey player)

Josh Schieffer (Triathlete)

Sarah Jane Smith (LPGA)

Jenn Suhr (Pole Vaulter)

Hayley Turner (English Flat Racing Jockey)

Dana Vollmer (Swimmer)

Venus Williams (to treat Sjorgren's syndrome)

Carrie Willoughby (Paralympic Swimmer)

I know it sounds weird but it's good to know it doesn't only affect the 'small' people. :)

Do you know of anyone famous Coeliac who's not on the list?

[wheniwentglutenfree]

WHEN I DREAM

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Eggs

I know it’s a bit random, but I love eggs. I’m grateful I’m not allergic to them and I can have as many of them as I want.

My favourites are fried eggs and soft boiled eggs. Strictly soft boiled ones, there’s nothing better than those.

I got a tiny Tefal frying pan for Christmas for my parents and now I’m able to make the perfect shaped fried eggs at home.

Moreover, I’m a bit obsessed with owl cushions so my mum conviced me to buy an owl egg shaper. (By the way, did I mention my parents surprised me in London last week? It was the best surprise ever!)

My frying pan is not even so I didn’t manage to make the perfect owl eggs yet but I simply love it! I’ll keep trying until I’m successful. You can get it from here.

Sorry, I know I might be a bit too obsessed with eggs but aren’t they the best?

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Wahaca

Have you heard about that great place serving authentic Mexican food? Yes, I’m talking about Wahaca, my new favourite!

Check out their menu here.

My friend took me to Wahaca Westfield in June and it was love at first sight. I could choose my meals from a separate gluten-free menu.

We started with guacamole and tortillas. I swear they make the best guacamole ever!!!

I choose two small street food options as my main course: pork pibil and chicken tinga with a side of corn on the cob.

The pork pibil was delicious, it’s spicy as I like it but I wasn’t impressed by the chicken tinga to be honest. The corn was soft and sweet and it came with a sour cream and cheese topping. It’s a shame they took it off from the menu.

The second time I’ve been there I chose the tender, marinated chicken taquitos instead of the chicken tinga and I didn’t regret it. 

There are many other coeliac-friendly options on the menu I just don’t like choosing other options after I found the perfect ones.

If you’ve been to Wahaca, what’s your favourite?

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Hummus Bros

My next review is about Hummus Bros, a little place in Soho (and Holborn, St. Paul's, Exmouth Mkt) serving healthy, Levantine (fast)food.

Have a look at their menu here.

As the name suggests, the place is famous of its hummus. It comes in a big bowl with a delicious topping and pitta bread. I had to exchange the pitta bread for gluten-free tortillas but I didn't mind, my chicken hummus topping was just as delicious as it was. I also ordered a portion of jalapenos..as I already said, I love spicy food. All this, with a can of Pepsi costs less than £10 and makes you full for hours. 

I wasn't really satisfied with the service tho, the staff looked careless, I always had to stand up and go to the counter even though there were only 5 customers in total at the place. I understand we're all humans but I work in hospitality too and I manage to show the best side of my personality at work.

All in all, great place, great food, even better price, completely coeliac friendly with gluten-free dishes listed on the menu.

Any opinion?

[coeliacdiary]

Busaba Eathai

Do you like thai food? Are you coeliac? If the answers are yes x2, Busaba Eathai is the place to go!

You can have a look at their menu here.

The first meal I tried there was Pad kwetio (sen yai noodle, smoked chicken, prawn and holy basil). 

I asked the waiter to make sure my meal is gluten-free and he said no problem. I had the same meal two times in a row in the same restaurant without having any symptoms afterwards but at the third occasion I was told they can't make it gluten-free. I was shocked and disappointed but I was given an ingredient table so I was able to choose a suitable meal. I guess they were not prepared yet for allergy advice and they realised their service was quite inappropriate in the beginning. 

Since then whenever I visit the restaurant I order the Green curry fried rice (with char-grilled chicken) and I'm even more satisfied with the food. Although I wouldn't mind a little bit more chicken.

What makes the place even more lovely for me, is the Sriracha Sauce on every table. I LOVE hot food therefore I always need to spice up my food a little bit. (Even though it's already spicy. When I said I LOVE hot food, I meant VERY VERY hot!)

Their drinks are very special and authentic too. I can only recommend this place.

Share your Busaba experience with me! Have you ever been?

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hi there :) i am a coeliac who has absolutely zero symptoms when i get glutened - i'm still damaging my intestines, i just don't know it! i heard that around 60% of coeliacs have no tummy symptoms and end up going undiagnosed until finally their body rebels in middle age. i was only diagnosed through a random blood test (confirmed by endoscopy) for an unrelated stomach bug. so it's common to have coeliac disease without the characteristic symptoms!

Hi there! Thank you for sharing this with me! Everything is clear now. I was hoping for a second that my diagnosis isn't real and I'm not a coeliac anymore but oh well...I guess I have to accept it finally. :( You are one of the few lucky ones who don't have symptoms! I'm actually glad that I have some otherwise I would be eating donuts all the time ;)

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Honest Burgers. Let's start with this. My colleague (and friend) told me one day there is a place in Soho which makes gluten-free burgers. I was on my way to work but the next day my first thing was to go to Soho and try this miracle. The place is very famous and popular therefore there's a waiting list almost all the time. I had to wait 35 minutes and I didn't care. I didn't have a burger for more than six months. I ordered a cheese burger with stilton. All burgers come with rosemary chips, also gluten-free. They mixed up the order and gave me the cheese my boyfriend ordered. Normally I would have sent it back but I was too excited this time. I.T. W.A.S. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. I destroyed it in ten minutes. I couldn't move afterwards but I didn't care. I haven't felt this happy since I started eating gluten-free. I've been there several times since then, once I even waited TWO hours to get in. Trust me, it's worth it!

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Hi everyone. I'm back!

I've had a very busy summer, doing an internship while I was still working at the pub. I didn't have time for anything. Then my third year at universitx started and everything got worse. at the moment I am doing less hours in the pub and I'm focusing on my dissertation, final project and graduate scheme applications. I've had lots of great gluten-free experience in the past few months, most of them are on my phone waiting for getting posted. I feel great but I have concerns about this whole coeliac thing...whenever I get glutened I'm only bloated afterwards, there are no serious symptoms. Why is that? Somewhere deep inside I hope the diagnosis was just a nightmare and I'm not coeliac...but I know this is not possible. Is anyone else out there who doesn't have serious symptoms after being glutened?

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HOW I IMAGINE OTHER PEOPLE FEEL WHEN I TAKE 10 MINUTES TO ORDER A MEAL:

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DEAR BREAD: