Going gluten-free doesn’t mean you need to give up pizza
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Have you ever been curious about what going gluten-free entails? Rebecca Warner-Perry of @gluteninterrupted shares her journey through being diagnosed with coeliac disease, how she adapted – thrived, even – and what she loves to cook.
My Instagram account celebrates all things delicious and gluten-free. I was diagnosed with coeliac disease five years ago. At first, I thought I would have to stop living my life the way I was used to, but I really didn’t.
I’ve had to make some lifestyle changes – such as keeping my home completely free of gluten, limiting the restaurants I eat at (outside of lockdown) and being careful when visiting friends (cross-contamination with crumbs can be a big issue). The big one for me was that I thought I’d have to stop eating carbohydrates, but that absolutely hasn’t been the case. Pizza, pasta, and custard – my ultimate fave – are all still on the menu.
Free-from products
Supermarkets are getting better and better at stocking relevant gluten-free goodies and even sneaking in gluten-free crumbed goods into their regular products – something that Co-op is brilliant at. Their gluten-free fish fingers and breaded cheese are the bomb, and the gluten-free Christmas selection last year meant I could eat arancini, croquettes and spring rolls for the full 25 days of December and beyond. Plus I’m so excited by their new Free-From bread range! Find all Co-op Free From products online here.
Finding a community
More than anything, thriving while being gluten-intolerant takes a mindset change. Finding an online community on Instagram has really helped me. It’s a place to share recipes, tips on travelling with coeliac disease (you would not believe how good Italy is) and finding suitable restaurants. I love spotting new products released on Instagram. I found out about Co-op’s gluten-free profiteroles that way!
I love to cook Mexican food, as it’s largely corn-based and the fillings don’t usually need to be adapted. I highly recommend purchasing a tortilla press to make your own at home. Mexico is one of my bucket-list travel destinations.
If I were to give some advice to someone who’d just found out they were gluten-intolerant it would be: don’t panic, you will still be able to eat pizza! There’s food out there that you wouldn’t believe is gluten-free – you just have to find it.
Gluten-free inspiration
Co-op has lots of delicious gluten-free recipes to broaden your cooking repertoire. Try these waffle nachos with feta, chorizo and avocado or a Cuban style chicken rice bowl with a zesty mango salsa. This flavourful broccoli ‘rice’ salad with houmous dressing is a great fresh lunch option, and this strawberry mousse is an ideal dessert.
What’s your favourite Co-op Free From product or recipe? Comment below and let me know.
Rebecca Warner-Perry
@gluteninterrupted
Don’t think this one of your best ideas, i have wheat intolerance and today I couldn’t buy coop brand brown seeded loaf it was sold out. Please think of ones who have no choice.
Sent from my iPad
I frequently comment to others how good our local Coop is , always having a selection of gluten free foods, which was a great a great relief to me when I was first diagnosed with coeliac disease as I live on a the Isles of Scilly & thought it could have been a problem. However I was shockedv by your headline to this piece which was encouraging everyone to go gluten free. When I first looked at the Coeliac society web page they gave the strong message that only those who had a diagnosis of Coeliac disease should follow this diet and it was not suitable for other people.
What is coop doing to protect the not-wrapped food from bugs ?