When you are first diagnosed as a Coeliac or Gluten Intolerant, the thought of getting in the kitchen & cooking up a Gluten Free Meal can be daunting. Here are a few things to consider & some ideas to help get you started.

Remove gluten-containing grains, including wheat, barley, rye & spelt. Look in foods, medicines, vitamin tablets.

Replace your kitchen ingredients to Gluten Free:

To start think of about 5 meals you would normally make & list the ingredients. Go through the list & highlight all the products that contain Gluten. Go to your local grocery store and health food shop & look for Gluten Free replacements to these items. Anything you cannot find re-search on the internet when you get home or contact your local Coeliac Society for advice. Once you have converted a few of the major players in your kitchen to Gluten Free, cooking will not be so hard.

Here is a list of some of the major product changes plus some example suppliers & alternatives if these are not available.

Avoiding cross-contamination

Keeping to the Gluten Free diet involves more than just eating the right foods. It is a complete lifestyle change. You need to be aware not only of what foods you are eating, but also where your food is being prepared. Here are a few tips:

1. Always use clean knives, breadboards & utensils. Often I will create 2 cooking areas, one gluten free one not.

2. When cooking pasta, ensure you have a gluten free pot & wooden spoon as well as the regular pot & spoon.

3. Don't put a gluten free product on a plate or a bowl that has had a non-gluten free product.

4. When draining pasta, use a clean colander. Make sure you always drain the gluten free pasta before the non gluten free pasta.

5. Beware of wheat or bread crumbs in butter, margarine, jams, spreads, toaster & counter.

6. When cooking on the grill or BBQ try to cook your food on a separate section. When cooking fish you can also wrap yours in foil to avoid any transfer.

7. Be sure that when the food is removed from the grill it is placed on a separate plate not with the other foods that contain gluten eg marinades.

8. Avoid fired restaurant foods as it is often cooked in gluten contaminated grease eg French Fries cooked in the same vat as a Crumbed Fish Fillet.

9. At the grocery store there is often cross-contamination (via the scoops) between food store bins selling raw flours and grains. Always try & buy pre-packages products labeled Gluten Free.

# In the Kitchen

Many people like to make their whole kitchen gluten free & never carry any gluten products. This is OK if you live by yourself or lots of people in the family are following a gluten free diet. However for many it is not possible to have everyone gluten free (especially if they don't need to be) & so you should always be aware of cross contamination.

# When someone else is cooking

When someone else is preparing your food be sure to explain in detail about cross contamination & gluten free food. On many occasion when my friends have wanted to cook for me they have used the same wooden spoon for my meal & theirs, or the same chopping board or knife. Generally I try & stay near by while they are preparing my food - better to be safe than sorry! It is also important to make sure that when a restaurant is preparing your food that they also keep your food preparation safe. Once I have explained my gluten free diet to the waiter I always add "and please make sure that my food is prepared separately from foods containing gluten, to avoid cross contamination"

# In general

Cross Contamination does effect you. Believe me it has happened to me before & you will pay the price the next day. So always make sure you prepare your breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack on a separate plate or chopping board & with separate knifes, spoons & forks.