Coeliac Awareness Week 2011–The Gluten Free Challenge 16-22 May

Next week marks the start of a great campaign to raise awareness of a gluten-free diet and thinking about how those who suffer from coeliac disease cope. This campaign is a fundraising event by Coeliac UK, a charity set up in 1968 whose mission is to improve the lives of people with coeliac disease through support, campaigning and research.

My blog was inspired by a desire to raise awareness of living with a gluten intolerance (I have never been formally diagnosed as a coeliac) and the upcoming awareness week seems to be a great opportunity. I was disappointed though to note the lack of apparent involvement in London, save for the commercial partnerships, which are nonetheless welcome.

A gluten free diet is expensive. It is possible to buy a 800g loaf of bread in most supermarkets for about 47 pence. A 400g loaf of gluten free bread ranges from £1.50 to £2.39. This equates to between 6 and 10 times as much! A 1.5kg bag of plain flour costs about 98 pence, but a 1kg bag of gluten free plain flour costs £1.85, just under 3 times as much. It is hard enough for many people but the extra cost of a gluten free diet is clearly onerous.

The Coeliac Awareness Week should also raise awareness of naturally gluten free items which naturally do not cost extra. This applies not only to products but also restaurants. Coeliacs and those on a gluten free diet do not lose their taste buds. They also want to taste great food, be it home cooked or outside. I have had disappointing experiences of gluten free menus which essentially seem to be excuses to charge the same or more but offering less. However, knowing what dishes are naturally gluten free gives more freedom at no extra cost.

Awareness should also be raised for dishes that can simply be made gluten free at little extra cost. Knowing this would allow some restaurants to be able to offer gluten free options at little extra cost whilst opening themselves to a larger market. By way of example, Thai food offers great scope due to the use of vegetables and rice, however soy sauce more commonly contains gluten. Tamari soy sauce though is naturally gluten free. Using this would turn many Thai dishes gluten free.

Indian food also offers many gluten free options due to the use of vegetables, rice and chickpea flour. Italian food unfortunately is harder although anti-pasta offer great flavours. 

It would be great to see awareness raised of cost-effective alternatives for those on a gluten free diet, whilst highlighting the good products out there. I intend to post more reviews of the products out there although I am wary that I can only focus from a London perspective. 

So, do you know any other good products out there for those on a gluten free diet.