Coeliac Disease
Coeliac Disease is caused when your immune system reacts to gluten and leads to damage in the lining of your gut. According to coeliac.org.uk, the only cure for Coeliac Disease is to remove gluten from your diet completely to allow the lining in your gut time to heal.
Gluten can be found in wheat, rye and barley… Which is not easy news to swallow! Suddenly you remember that gluten is in your sandwich, your cakes, beer and a whole host of other food and drink items that you used to enjoy.
However! Light is just around the corner. There are a few products that substitute gluten products rather well. Four common flours can be used to replace wheat and gluten:
- Rice flour.
- Potato flour.
- Cornstarch.
- Tapioca starch.
Each have their different associated benefits but that quickly relieves the stress of “How am I going to bake my cakes now?”
With these substitutes known, supermarkets have quickly capitalised on the growing number of people who are following the gluten-free diet and you can find a number of your old favourites in the “free from” isle. Including gluten-free bread!
Even some beers have replaced the gluten in their brews with different cereals such as millet, rice, sorghum, buckwheat and corn. Check out the 10 best gluten-free beers as published by the Independent.
Dairy- Free
You may or may not have chosen to become dairy free. For some people, the proteins in dairy can cause bloating or eczema which would mean you have an allergy to dairy products. Others might choose to go dairy-free for a cause. Vegans choose to not eat dairy because of the cruel ways the vast majority of manufacturers of dairy products treat their animals.
So to be dairy free would mean to cut out cheese, milk, butter, ice-cream and chocolate surely…
Not necessarily…
The first item that comes to mind when people mention a dairy free lifestyle is milk. Thankfully, you can also buy coconut, almond, soya and rice milk to replace your dairy milk. However, these options may not be to everyone’s tastes. Muufri is a company working on producing a synthetic milk from bio-engineered yeast that will taste exactly the same. You can find out more about their work from this article:
http://labiotech.eu/muufri-vegan-milk-synbio-startup/
(and to all those who want to see an end to animals as food, there is also work underway for synthetic meats also! Who could argue with that! See this FAQ from new-harvest.org)
Of course, with these alternatives it is possible to re-create an array of dairy-free foods. Check out www.godairyfree.org/dairy-substitutes to find all your alternatives to dairy products.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a lifelong health condition that occurs when there isn’t enough insulin, or if the insulin in your body isn’t working properly to break down any glucose products you may have consumed (Type-2 diabetes). In some people, there is no insulin at all to help break down glucose (Type-1 diabetes). This can, in-turn, lead to very serious health problems due to the high blood-glucose levels. 
Glucose is a sugar that is found in many different food products including carbohydrates. You may know that sugar is a particularly (if not “most”) difficult product to remove from your diet. It’s also something that shouldn’t be removed from your diet. The key is to eat a healthy, balanced diet. This article from Diabetes UK will help you decipher what and how to eat properly
That said, sweeteners are playing a big role in helping to keep blood sugar levels in check and can be substituted in the place of sugar in many of your recipes. There have been health concerns about sweeteners in relation to the stimulating effect on appetite which can be tied to weight-gain and obesity. But they have been approved as safe by the NHS and as an added benefit; xylitol, sorbitol and sucralose have health claims that are beneficial to oral health as opposed to sugar. You can find more information on the NHS Standpoint on Sweeteners here
Barnsgate Manor and Dietary Requirements
With prior warning of your dietary requirements and concerns, we take every measure to make sure we can find an appropriate substitute for your meal. We have g
luten-free rolls and scones, dairy-free cream and even a gluten and dairy free chocolate cake that has been receiving rave reviews recently! Having a dietary requirement doesn’t mean you have to cut out your favourite foods from your diet. It just means with careful planning and the right substitutes, you can enjoy them in a different and healthier way.
What do you substitute into your diet? Have any recipes you would like to share? We would love to hear from you in the comments!
Sources:
Barnsgate Manor 