It’s Coeliac Awareness Week, the annual event which aims to #ShineALightOnCoeliac, educating and informing people about the condition.
Caused by an adverse reaction to gluten, when people with coeliac disease eat the protein (found in wheat, barley and rye) their immune system attacks their own tissues, damaging the small intestine, so they are unable to absorb nutrients.
Symptoms – which can include stomach aches, constipation, diarrhoea, bloating and wind – vary in severity from person to person, but it’s essential to adopt a gluten-free diet, to keep symptoms under control and prevent further complications.
It may be daunting after a coeliac diagnosis, to envision life without pizza, pasta, bread and cakes, but there’s no need to give up these cereal-based foods altogether.
There are plenty of tasty gluten-free alternatives available, so you can enjoy a varied and delicious diet, and there are lots of Instagram accounts offering inspiration and recipes. Here are six of our favourites…
1. Becky Excell
Author of How To Make Anything Gluten Free, Becky Excell specialises in mouth-watering cakes, cookies, cheesecakes, puds and other sweet treats.
2. Gluten Free Follow Me
Based in the US, Jackie Aanonsen McEwan aka Gluten Free Follow Me, started posting on Instagram about her gluten-free diet in 2014, after her own coeliac diagnosis. Now, she has hundreds of recipes and product reviews on her website, offering a mix of healthy dishes, easy snacks and tempting desserts, with lots of veggie options too.
3. Coeliac Sophie
Looking for comfort food? Coeliac Sophie is the place to go for hearty gluten-free soups, stews and curries, plus tempting cakes and bakes.
4. Gluten Free Frankie
Diagnosed with coeliac and Crohn’s disease, 22-year-old Frankie can’t eat gluten, milk, soya or egg, meaning lots of the recipes and products she reviews are vegetarian or vegan-friendly.
5. Gluten Free Claudia
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Baking enthusiast Claudia Pearson has got a definite sweet tooth, but alongside decadent gluten-free doughnuts, brownies and cookies, you’ll find nutritious breakfast bowls and meal ideas.
6. The Coeliac Foodie
London-based Instagrammer The Coeliac Foodie tries out gluten-free recipes and recommends the best ready-made products you can buy in supermarkets.
