I went to a local Coeliac group meeting last night, which was a talk about nutrition and a tour of a local supermarket, and it was aimed at newly diagnosed Coeliacs, which I came under.
What I found most surprising about these people who give talks about nutrition or diet, they are always (in my experience anyway) stick thin, always appear to take supplements for everything and actually don't appear to eat 'normal' food!!! Now that may just be a generalisation, BUT, this talk was aimed at those who were newly diagnosed.
The tour around the supermarket focused on reading labels, and highlighted to other people who were there that you mustn't get complacent, recipes change, and so does packaging so don't assume, ALWAYS read the label. As you will know from the rest of this blog, I'd already discovered that for myself, and discovered that many 'normal' foods are OK to eat, it's just a case of educating yourself and those around you.
Unfortunately this lady got very technical about what was in the food and that we shouldn't eat this that and the other. If I had been diagnosed last month, I would be completely depressed and extremely confused after last nights talk, to be honest I think for newly diagnosed Coeliacs it would have been counterproductive.
All this lady really needed to tell us was this: Always read the label, don't get complacent, some labelling is confusing and this is where the Food and Drink Directory helps, eat a balanced diet. i.e. if you eat a portion of meat, a portion of potatoes and two vegetables for dinner everyday then you've pretty much covered it. Obviously if you are vegetarian, then you need to have something like Egg or Tofu for your protein. But your basic Dinner Plate Meat = Protein Potatoes = Carbohydrate Vegetables = vitamins/minerals/and fibre. Fruit will also boost that (Puds)
If you had problems with Dairy, which I don't, then she did come up with some good alternatives, and for extra vitamin boost use nuts/seeds and dried fruit.
She told us she wasn't a big fan of sugar and was suggesting that we used sweeteners....personally they are full of chemicals therefore surely a spoonful of sugar would be much better, or Honey.
My daughter made me laugh, as she said 'after this I think we ought to have a plate full of battered fish, chips, sausage, bacon, egg and beans' followed by Chocolate Cake!! Thats my girl!!!
I understand why nutrition is important but the talk last night was enough to make any newly diagnosed Coeliac go running home crying that they now are unable to eat anything and as a result they need to take supplements. We have to remember that these people are only giving out information, I would feel inclined to listen to my body and talk to my GP who has a much better idea of the sort of problems I encounter with my health, too many opinions makes life confusing, information is useful and I did learn one thing last night that confirmed what I was thinking,
I was amazed also at how many people went around the supermarket with a notepad, if it works for you then fine, but I actually find that you spend more time writing than listening and therefore don't take in all that you are being told. It's not necessary what's important is a balanced diet and always read the label, then the nutrition should happen without you having to supplement things.
Like many of you reading this, you may be on medication for other things that a nutritionist in this setting would not be aware of so it's not gospel it's just designed to help you. I was told that my dietitian was wrong to discharge me from her care.......this person wasn't there, how does she know that was wrong? What this lady didn't know was that we had been all the way through my food diary that was anything but boring, and told me that I understood what a balanced diet was about, and therefore it was a waste of time me visiting her regularly. It was qualified with if you or your GP think it would be necessary to see us again then ask to be referred again, you will be on our radar as you are now a Coeliac patient. So you have to take things in context.
I eat normal food (that is GF normal food) and I have a balanced diet, I have not been advised to take supplements by my primary care advisor (GP) apart from the horrid B12 jabs, but that is only 3x a year, and I have basics on prescription. I'm a human being, of course I will eat junk, but not everyday. I have biscuits with my cups of tea, I eat and bake (as you know) cake, and I will eat crisps and things. I work on the principle that if your main meals i.e Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner are full of the right stuff, you are less likely to do the 'junk' in between anyway.........everything in moderation and I believe you will be over half way there. I'm a ladies size 14 and I have been ever since I was around 24, so not exactly stick thin!! As Mika said: Curves in all the right places.......
Someone once said to me There is no such thing as Junk Food, it's a Junk Diet you want to worry about, and to a point that is very true.
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