Another Possible Cause of Coeliac Disease

 

Scientists at Queen Mary College in London, led by Professor van Heel, have discovered that if you have bad genes that control inflammation, then you are more likely to get coeliac disease.

Sounds interesting.

Why are they no Coeliac Sportsmen and Women

 

I’m a coeliac like one in 500 of the UK population. That means I’m allergic to the gluten found in wheat, barley and rye. So that means no beer, bread and pasta for me.

It’s surprising that there are no sportsmen and women with the disease, as after all on the law of averages there should be. If you stick to your diet there is no reason at all, why you shouldn’t perform at the top level.

One point is that coeliac disease often kicks in around twenty, so could it be the explanation why some youngsters of great promise don’t progress.

The Fox at Willian

 

We went here tonight on the way back from Windsor races.

The pub/restaurant is just off the A1M at Baldock and is worth trying, as they seem pretty allergy friendly.

We certainly had a very good meal.

Two Brothers

 

I had an excellent lunch today at this restaurant in Finchley, North London.

It's fish and groundnut-oil fried chips with good wine. I had a very good grilled halibut with boiled potatoes and a tomato and onion salad. I did say I was a coeliac but it didn’t matter with what I had.

As they say in the reviews it's a fish brasserie.

New York Gluten Free

 

This web site looks interesting for anybody who wants to go to New York and needs gluten free food.

Kosher Food and Gluten Free

 

I was having a friendly argument with a Jewish friend about kosher food and whether it is gluten free. This had started because her mother had always coated fish in matzo meal rather than breadcrumbs and she thought they were gluten free.

She pointed me to Kosher On-Line Superstore called justkosher.co.uk, which does have a small gluten free section. And you can get gluten free matzo meal, but it is made from oats.

One thing that came up, was my friend said she’d never come across a Jewish coeliac. Just chance I suspect.

Detection, Surgery and Drugs

 

There are three main ways of fighting disease; detection, surgery and drugs.

Are we in danger of spending so much on new and very expensive drugs, that the budgets for detection and surgery are being eroded? After all in some diseases like cancer, the drugs are secondary to very early detection and good surgery.

I myself am a coeliac, like 1 in 100 of the population. Very little is being done to detect this disease, despite the fact that if it is not detected it can lead to various cancers and other problems.

But the problem with coeliac disease is that it is cured not by drugs but by a gluten-free diet, so there’s nothing in it for the drug companies.

Pitta Bread in Waitrose

 

Our Waitrose in Newmarket has expanded its Free From section and added a Sugar Free section next door.

They’ve now added pitta bread from Livwell.

The Talbooth

 

I meant to post this earlier, but a couple of weeks ago, Celia and I went to a formal dinner at the Talbooth at Stratford St. Mary just north of Colchester in Essex.

They didn’t make one mistake in making sure I got my gluten-free meal and it made for a very enjoyable evening.

The restaurant and hotel isn’t cheap, but if someone wants a special weekend in Constable country, I think it could be worth a try.