coeliac

13 August 2015

Review Anandas Handmade Vegan Marshmallows and Round Up
I have been meaning to write this blog post since July, oops! At the Allergy & Free From Show I bought Ananda coconut marshmallows and Round Up, both were a delight to eat. Their products are suitable for Vegetarians, Vegans and Gluten Free. 


5 March 2015

Cocoa Libre dairy free chocolates
I think Dairy Free chocolate has to be the most exciting free from food on the planet. In recent years, I feel there is a growing understanding that those avoiding milk have been missing out. Long gone are the days when I cried into my pillow because Carob was my only option. Even dark chocolate can be problematic because some brands contain milk (or have trace warnings) and I have a sweet tooth so often find it too bitter for my taste buds.

Cocoa Libre came to my attention thanks to fellow allergy tweeters and they have been shortlisted in the Free From Food Awards 2015. Their products are free from dairy, wheat, gluten, nut and suitable for coeliacs and vegans. I decided I had to place an order and emptied out my virtual piggy bank. A total indulgence for me to spend as much money as I did but I am willing to splurge on artisan chocolate.
Cocoa Libre dairy free chocolates
I bought two bars (milk & mint), rice milk sheep and the 3D Easter Landscape. I have very much enjoyed these chocolates and appreciated the quality. This is far superior than what you can find in the supermarket. I have a couple of minor issues to report, an ingredient labelling mistake and the 3D landscape arrived broken despite lots of bubble wrap. I can appreciate errors happen (I have made Cocoa Libre aware of the mistake) and the landscape piece is fragile so I am not surprised it didn't make it to my doorstep in one piece. It does not put me off using their services again but I want to give a truthful account of my experience.

If you are looking for a special dairy free treat then I would recommend taking a look at Cocoa Libre

Sarah x

29 May 2014

Vegan cooked breakfast

When a press release for the 'Free From' Eating Out Awards arrived in my inbox, it couldn't have come at a more appropriate time. I spent the Bank Holiday weekend away from home and the hotel breakfast was what I like to affectionately call "allergy roulette". I admit, I didn't want to cause a fuss, we rocked up at the end of service, so I made do based on my instincts rather than identifying myself as "the weird customer with allergies". Funniest moment was asking the Wait Staff if dairy free milk was available and getting the response "no, but we have soya milk". Bless, I will say that English probably wasn't their first language so I guess things got lost in translation, which I can forgive to a certain extent. A Vegetarian cooked breakfast was available so I did some guess work and adapted it to Vegan (dairy & egg free). First attempt at this breakfast had to be returned as I was served bacon and sausages. The Continental breakfast buffet was a no go zone. Unlabelled cereals, what a headache, I would have had to ask staff to show me ingredients for ten cereals to determine which ones I could eat and frankly I can't be bothered with that. I declined toast because these days milk keeps sneaking up on me in bread.

This experience certainly wasn't a one off and it is why I will follow the 'Free From' Eating Out Awards with great interest. My experience at the hotel was a prime example of the frustrations when trying to enjoy a meal away from home. Those who have allergies/intolerances are often faced with limited choices on menus and the food service industry lacks understanding about food allergy and coeliac disease.

The awards are being launched to coincide with the build up to the new Food Information Regulations (FIRs) coming into force in December 2014. These will require all food service outlets to provide accurate information about any of the 14 major allergens in the food that they serve. The 'Free From' Eating Out Awards are designed to raise awareness of the opportunities offered to food service providers by the growing numbers of those either needing, or choosing, to eat ‘free from’. The new awards will celebrate not only imaginative and exciting gluten, dairy and egg free menu offerings but good allergen awareness, both in the kitchen and front of house.

Perhaps you know of a good place to eat that caters for allergies and coeliacs, may be you should encourage them to enter these awards? Tell them to visit Free From Eating Out Awards site and follow the links. The awards open for entry on the 27th May and close on the 31st August. Categories include: Restaurants and hotel restaurants, Pubs and pub restaurants, Cafés, coffee shops and ‘take-aways’, Guest houses and B&Bs, Schools, Not for profit services: hospitals, prison services & the military, Food manufactured for food service. A shortlist will be published in mid September. The presentations will take place on November 19th at the Food Matters Live Event at Excel.

Sarah x

6 February 2014




Complaining about advertising campaign from Boost Your Energy Diet from ilumi
Surely, I cannot be the only one who is upset at a recent marketing campaign by Ilumi? Bloggers are promoting ilumi’s “7 day Boost Your Energy” gluten free diet, to help get rid of the bloat feeling and lose weight!

Honestly, I think my head is going to explode. I can understand Ilumi wanting to appeal to a wider audience and I don’t object to “normal” folks eating products originally targeted at people with allergies/intolerances. Making free from mainstream is welcomed, it could result in lower costs, more variety, wider availability, improved products, acceptability and inclusion. What I object to is the implication that removing gluten from your diet has similar affects to say using calorie controlled diets like Weight Watchers. The idea of a 7 day meal plan delivered to your door makes me question if ilumi think they need to compete with the likes of Diet Chef.

One blogger who took part in the campaign, claims an improvement in energy and some weight loss but makes no reference to the diet they had before eating ilumi food. For all we know they ate McDonalds every day therefore it’s no surprise that they would experience a fluctuation in weight. Everyone knows that a balanced diet will help boost energy, eat crap and you'll feel crap, simples! If you followed this ilumi “diet” and chose to maintain a gluten free lifestyle, you would probably supplement it with other free from products and it is at this point where I think there is a strong case to argue you could see weight gain. People are often mistaken in thinking free from food is healthier but gluten free food in particular, is often full of calories, sugar, lacks fibre and lower in nutrients. You won't be feeling so light on your feet when you're constipated and can't take a poop!

I have moaned about ilumi’s marketing techniques before now, mainly on Twitter and among friends. I do feel ilumi have an innovative product for the free from market and controlling for many allergens makes them unique in comparison to their competitors. I do not doubt that ilumi products are appealing to everyone, you only have to look at the supermarkets aisles to see them overflowing with convenience meals but if you want to expand your market to those outside of the allergy community, why does there always have to be a gimmick? This is where you all yell at me and yes, I know about marketing spin but this campaign just feels wrong. I guess what I am trying to say is, I would like to see a different approach with non-freefrom bloggers. I believe ilumi are sending mixed messages and fuelling the controversial side to living a gluten free lifestyle, the side promoted by media and celebrities. I don't believe any Coeliac would encourage others to live their lifestyle, it certainly is not an easy diet. The sad thing is ilumi are not the first to promote gluten free living in this way and I am sure they won't be the last.

Before publishing this post I asked my sister (who has been gluten free for medical reasons for 20 years) to share her thoughts.

"I have battled to lose the extra pounds that I put on as I had no idea that gluten free foods where higher in carbs! Therefore whilst I was substituting for my cravings, I actually was piling on the pounds! It was only when my doctor said that I need to carefully think about what I ate, I looked into it all. Gluten free foods are actually higher in everything! Going gluten free should not be a fad – it’s a change of lifestyle for people with a disease. I am not suggesting that you shouldn't go gluten free – but cutting down and eating the correct foods is far better for you than cutting out gluten altogether. It's true about the fibre, my body wasn't getting enough and I had to drink that fibregel or whatever its called to get a healthy amount of fibre in. I was constantly tired and all I wanted to do was go to bed! Going gluten free for normal people should not be marketed as a ‘diet’. If I had a choice, I’d rather be able to eat normal food. (I) cannot believe how they have marketed that! That’ awful........ok so yes, there is a lot more in the world about gluten free – great exposure – but I want to be known for having a disease not because I am on a fad diet – terrible – someone might not take the disease seriously and potential contamination could happen."

If you think you have a problem with gluten, seek medical advice. You do need to continue eating gluten until tests have been carried out (blood test and gut biopsy) so eliminating gluten beforehand will be more hassle than it's worth.

Sarah x

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