A Use for Gluten-Free Bread

 

I just cooked myself a very nice supper. When you’re a sixty year old man, who hasn’t really cooked before, anything above the ordinary is good.

I took some gluten-free bread and minced it in my Kenwood Mini-Chopper, as featured by the cheating Delia. I then used it to bread a turkey breast, which I’d flattened with a rolling pin. I fried it in olive oil and it was delicious.

Exercise Performance and Glutening

 

My late wife, Celia, could run 5km in 25 minutes at the age of 58. I have never been able to do anything like that at all, so recently I have bought a rowing machine to try and improve my fitness.

I row about “4 miles” on the machine and typically it takes me about five minutes to perhaps five minutes ten seconds. I aim to do this twice a day, except when I play an hour of tennis. I should say that I’m not showing much improvement, but perhaps my body is past the point of no return. On the other hand, my real tennis handicap has improved since I started taking the extra exercise. I always used to tail off towards the end of the hour, but now I seem to stay in there.

About two weeks ago, I was accidentally glutened in a pub probably because of some balsamic vinegar. (Why can’t they all use Aspalls?) My performance dropped alarmingly for two days and it was probably four before I got back to my normal performance level.

This is not a definitive test, but it did show me the alarming affects of gluten on someone like me who is by no means supersensitive.

Goat's Milk

 

After reading Dogtor J’s piece on lactose I thought I’d try some goat’s milk. Over recent years, I’ve come to think that I’m slightly lactose intolerant. I always thought it tasted and smelt a bit funny, but the Waitrose semi-skimmed seemed to be almost indistinguishable to cow’s milk.

I have found that I get a slight reaction with larger qualities of cow’s milk, such as I would have with cornflakes. But I tried the goat’s milk this morning and felt fine. I even put some orange juice on top of it and got no reaction. That can make me feel queasy.

Dogtor J

 

I’ve just had an e-mail from this vet, who is a coeliac.

Interesting. Especially for me as he’s going into equines.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

 

I moderate a list for coeliacs in the UK. We have had people on the list who suffered from rheumatoid arthritis for many years and in later life they have been diagnosed as coeliacs. Guess what? The arthritis has gone or seriously diminished. I, myself, I used to suffer from joint pains, but since diagnosis in 2003 they have gone.

In this area, there is an arthritis specialist, who now checks all his patients for coeliac disease.

Recipes in The Times

 

Trying one of these for lunch today.

Does Anybody Like Rice Cakes?

 

I recently went to Montreal for a weekend on business. Coming back there was no gluten-free bread or biscuits, but they served rice cakes. They really are truly awful. Does anybody like them?

As an aside Montreal was good, but not if you are an unprepared coeliac. At least the breakfasts in the hotel were fruit and eggs, but otherwise waiters and restaurateurs didn’t have a clue. Strangely though I met two people, who had close friends or relatives who were so it’s not as though the disease is unknown.

I’ve posted my experiences of the city here.

I’ve since done a Google search for gluten-free restaurants and there are a few lists.