This week I am talking to Anna Paget from The Coeliac Lifestyle. As a sufferer of Coeliac, Anna has been on a journey and educated herself to what she can and cannot eat, she is now keen to share her knowledge with other sufferers.
Anna’s Journey
Anna was diagnosed with Coeliac disease in her mid twenties after waiting for a long time for diagnosis. As a child and growing up, she suffered badly but it was not diagnosed until later on. In her mid teens, Anna felt very anxious and emotional, blaming it entirely on her hormones. Looking back, Anna can see that a lot of these feelings were linked to Coeliac disease but as the majority of the time she was happy and healthy, it was not diagnosed at that point.
Prior to diagnosis, Anna started a job that was really demanding. Due to Anna being slim, she ate what she wanted, she ate a lot of junk food and was not eating regularly. Anna very quickly started to bloat, she felt extremely tired and eventually went to the doctor. The doctor could see that Anna was in discomfort and immediately thought that she was suffering from IBS. She was then tested for IBS via a blood test. This came back as positive for Coeliac disease.
What is Coeliac disease?
Coeliac disease is an inherited auto immune disease, you are born with it. Coeliac disease is more common now meaning that it has raised awareness, restaurants offer adapted menus, doctors diagnose it quicker and people are educated more about it.
There are a lot of villi (similar to fingers) in your gut that absorb what your body needs. With Coeliac disease, the villi can become flat and will not absorb the nutrients, it is a bit like not eating at all, as the essential nutrients are not absorbed leaving you deficient.
Help and support
Anna found that there was not much support from the doctors and consultant, but her brother was able to advise her, due to him also being a sufferer of the disease. Anna found that there was a lot of useful tips, health, advice and recipes on the Coeliac UK website.
About The Coeliac lifestyle
Anna’s own experience lead her to want to support others. She is currently setting up her own business called The Coeliac Lifestyle, a membership to a positive and supportive community that will educate others about gluten. Details of this will be shared via her Facebook page.
Anna’s top tips
If you have been recently diagnosed or are having issues with gluten, there are several things that you can do. Here are Anna’s tips and recommendations:
- What can I have for breakfast? “I have cut out cereal“ – Anna will now eat more fruit for breakfast such as bananas.
- Experiment with other foods – add ingredients to add flavour.
- Find what you love – gluten free pizza is now widely available in supermarkets.
- Omelettes made with extra virgin olive oil and added vegetables.
- Fuel your body – make sure that you eat the right foods.
- Watch out for differences in your body i.e. bloating, changes in your skin and nails, headaches etc.
- Do not eat foods that will make you poorly!
- If you are tested and it comes back as negative, please persevere! Eat gluten and keep a food diary, this will show that the foods you have eaten, plus the damage and effects of eating gluten.
Quick fire!
- What food reminds you of childhood? Lasagna – a nice hearty meal
- What is the most positively memorable meal that you have had? A meal in a restaurant in London, it was all gluten free!
- What have you got for tea? Goodfellas pizza that is gluten free and low in lactose.
Links
Have you enjoyed today’s episode? Please leave me a review and let me know via Facebook or Instagram!