newly diagnosed coeliac (DS1 - 16yrs old)

[Ms_Fi]

DS1 hasn't been well for a while and the GP has just diagnosed him as having coeliac disease (his blood tests levels were really high apparantly) and has referred him to the gastroenterologists for an endoscopy.

I've been researching the type of diet that he'd need to follow once he's had his endoscopy and my head is spinning!

We're on a seriously limited budget as I'm a student so I don't have any spare money to make mistakes with dodgy food - are there any brands etc that should be avoided? We've got a big freezer and I love cooking so I'm happy to batch cook. Are there any companies that I can buy in bulk from? Are supermarkets cost effective?

Thanks

[boomba]

Get him to join the ceoiliac society they will have all the information you need. Good luck xx

[Meercat]

Anything pre packaged is going to be pretty expensive. But only really when it is specifically gluten free.

We have been gluten free for DD (2.5) for about 6 months now. I have found that when you get more confident reading labels it doesn't have to be so restrictive. We still have dolmio spaghetti sauce for example, as certain flavours are gluten free. It doesn't say so on the jar but the ingredients are safe for our coeliac

Also. Some home brands are actually better than the expensive ones, less ingredients means less chances there is a nasty in there. Woolworths frozen chips are gluten free! Also Coles and woolworths have pretty good labeling for the meat products an most are gluten free. We still have sausages, meatballs, hamburgers and they are just the basic ones...

I like the macro brand (woolworths) they have nice biscuits and cake mixes for times when you need them.

It is a huge learning curve. DD also can't tolerate oats (even the certified gluten free ones). It gets easier and reading labels really saves you! I think the coeliac society also does supermarket tours to show you the items that are safe as well?

[OceanPrincess]

My mum has coeliac disease. She lives with my sister and family so for the most part, their whole family is gluten free by default. We eat there regularly and seriously it doesn't have to be a big change. If you cook your own dinners, from scratch, it is just a matter of using GF flour instead of regular for a lot of casserole type things and making sure you have GF stock. GF flours are readily available in Coles and Safeway/Woolworth stores. GF pasta is also readily available - just buy DS his own, cook it separately and cook regular for everyone else.

Mum's biggest challenge by far is breakfast. She doesn't really like cereal but says the GF cereals from Safeway/Woolies are pretty good. GF breads are mostly terrible, unless you invest in/have a bread maker and you could try your hand at making your own. Buckwheat pancakes are yumm. Mum also has a lot of eggs for brekkie but she misses a nice slice of toast to have with the eggs!

Lunches, well a bit similar. You'll definitely get a lot out of the coeliac society, so join up!

Good luck. It doesn't have to be the end of your culinary world And DS will be a thousand times happier/healthier!!