The time has come once again where we must cast the dazzling beam of the spotlight upon a fellow coeliac. Our latest As most of you will know, when you’re first diagnosed with a gluten-intolerance, the help and guidance of somebody with a few more GF diet-years under their belt is invaluable. Unfortunately, this guidance is not always readily available, and not everyone has a friend/family member who suffers from the disease. This is where we come in. Enter, Jess, A 25-year-old school teacher from up’ North!

Right then, let’s start with the classic! At what age were you diagnosed with Coeliac disease?

I was diagnosed with coeliac disease at 22 after thinking I was lactose intolerant for years!

Oh wow…it must’ve been a relief to finally get to the root cause of the problems! How have things changed since your (real) diagnosis?

When I was first diagnosed, I wasn’t diagnosed as ‘coeliac’ as such but with a high intolerance to products containing gluten- at first I was still able to eat gluten in small amounts whereas now this would cripple me for days! At first I felt like gluten free options were really limited whereas now even small supermarkets cater for coeliacs. I have also found that I now have a better awareness of what to cook, which enables me to save my money a little!

So now you’ve had a few years of eating gluten free, is there anything you’re still seeking when it comes to good gluten free alternatives?

A decent cherry bakewell! All the ones I have tried/tried to bake have been painfully dry!

Perhaps we should give that one a go! We’re heading to Leeds very soon – any recommendations for a good GF restaurant in your hometown?

Filmore & Union and ASK Italian actually do a very good GF pizza! They are hard to find!

Well that’s Filmore & Union officially on the itinerary. Okay then, last of all…any final words of wisdom for people recently going gluten-free?

It’s a bit of lifestyle change but it’s really doable! Most things when natural are gluten free so keep it simple until you know what you can/can’t have – avoid anything processed as that will 100% contain gluten. DON’T RISK IT- that chicken burger or slice of cake might seem worth it at the time but you will regret it ten times over! ☺

Fancy taking part in next month’s Coeliac Spotlight? Drop us a tweet/Facebook message and we’ll be in touch!