Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been very lucky since my thyroidectomy surgery in that my weight has seemed to have held steady, with no real gains.

One of the down sides of having your thyroid removed or an under-active thyroid is that your metabolism slows, and weight gain becomes an issue.

I think my steady weight has probably been helped a lot by the fact I follow a gluten free diet, and generally avoid processed or “bad” foods.

I am hoping this is something I can explore a lot further through this blog, as this year I am fed up of constantly feeling unhealthy.

I guess having had coeliac disease and a hyperactive thryoid most of my life, I have never really known what “normal” feels like.

I expected after having my thyroid removed that I would feel some dramatic change, but still, over one year on, nothing much has changed.

So I have decided it is time I pay more attention to my body – I saw a doctor really who gave me a bit of a reality check – I have been so busy the last few years, I didn’t even stop working on my dissertation when I was recovering from my operation.

I need to take time to myself, decrease my stress levels, eat healthier and do more (or even start!) exercise.

So, this week, I have been focusing on eating healthier lunches.

I’m not very good at making sudden lifestyle changes, so I figured if I gradually  changed all the unhealthy aspects of my life, then this would be a good way to get into it.

So this week, I have been ditching the gluten-free sandwiches and other high-carb foods over lunch. I am hoping my boyfriend Steve, who is a personal trainer, will guest post soon to explain exactly why I have done this.

So I’ve stuck to a basic formula of chicken flavoured with spices and herbs, and a variety of vegetables.

And I can honestly say I feel so much better already!

I feel so much less bloated, the higher protein content of my meals fills me up for longer and my food is so much tastier than a boring cheese sandwich!

So for some inspiration, here are my favourite two lunches this week…..

Above: Chicken smothered and roasted with pesto, with fresh spinach, asparagus and avocado.

Above: Omelette with 2 eggs, tomato, red pepper, red onion, ham, mushroom and a little bit of cheese as a treat!

You wouldn't have these taken away from you, so why cut gluten free food?

If ever there was a contentious issue, gluten free prescriptions comes top in the coeliac world.

Those diagnosed with coeliac disease have always been able to get their gluten free ‘staples’ on prescription.

But with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire NHS cluster threatening to cut gluten-free prescriptions completely, what is the future of this? And what do you think?

Personally, with coeliac sufferers flying with rage, it’s hard not to get caught up in the movement to stop them cutting prescriptions.

But I can’t help but feel there are bigger issues behind this.

Who uses prescriptions?

The first thing to think about is who actually uses prescriptions? Yes, gluten free foods are readily available in the supermarket. And yes they are expensive. But not as expensive as a prescription.

An average loaf of gluten free bread will probably cost you around £2-3 in the shop, on prescription, £7.40.

Ok, so some loaves you can only buy in batches of 6 or 8, which would work out cheaper than the supermarket cost, but let’s put those aside for now for argument’s sake, and work with single items.

Now personally, I wouldn’t want to pay that for a loaf of bread. Or a bag of flour. Or a box of crackers. So to anyone who is able to put gluten free items on their shopping list, I think a lot probably would.

However, if you receive free prescriptions, especially due to your income (or lack of) then you may not be able to afford to just buy ‘Free From’ products off of the shelves. You may rely on your prescription.

Items available on prescription

To me personally, the bigger issue here is not cutting prescriptions, but addressing WHAT you can actually get.

Instead of cutting all prescriptions, why not just stick to limiting what is available, which has already been done in a lot of places?

I mean, let’s face it, we’re supposed to get ‘staples’ on prescription, and I personally don’t see biscuits and crackers as staples. Especially when these are the kind of foods that contribute to health problems themselves. It’s kind of the equivilent (and I may be exaggerating slightly here) or prescribing McDonalds.

Addressing Costs

Perhaps another important issue which is being overshadowed here is the cost of Free From foods. Why should we pay more for food because of a disease?

I didn’t choose to have coeliac disease. I didn’t ask to give up cheap foods for expensive alternatives when, quite frankly, some don’t taste anywhere near as good.

So perhaps this should be addressed.

If Free From really is becoming more mainstream and popular, then why are we still paying extortionate prices for it??

My Conclusion

So, do I think prescriptions should be banned?

Certainly not.

I think we need a realistic approach. To look at the funding the NHS receive, to address high costs of free from products and to restrict unnecessary items that should not be on prescription.

But you wouldn’t take away insulin from a diabetic. Or force someone with any other illness to go out and buy their medication. So why target us?

If you agree, and you don’t think gluten free prescriptions should be cut, then please sign this petition, and spread the word: http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/27968

That being said, I actually had a free evening (first one in weeks!) and my friends and I went out for a meal for my lovely friend James’s birthday.

When I heard we were going to Jalapeno Peppers, I was torn. On the one hand, I was delighted – I knew from a guy I used to work next door to that they had a range of foods that were labelled gluten free, happy days!

On the other hand – and I apologise to James if you’re reading this, I may have neglected to mention – I really don’t like Mexican food.

I’ll be the first to admit my experience of Mexican food has been very limited, but I thought hey, it’s my friends birthday, and I’m going to give it a go! And surely, with a range of tortillas and other flour-based products on offer I wouldn’t be able to eat much anyway. Right?

Wrong.

I went for the Enchiladas, what would you choose??

Jalapeno Peppers gave me a wonderful suprise with their menu. Enchiladas, tacos and fajitas are all a gluten free option! Normally, the shop-bought versions are stuffed with wheat flour, so in the name of being brave, I just had to try these!

I went for chicken enchiladas – tempted by the cheesy topping (I am a nightmare with cheese, ask my personal-trainer boyfriend who hates me for it!) I decided it was a safe choice.

Jalapeno Peppers is the only mexican restaurant in Barnstaple, and I’m really glad I have tried it. In the interest of fair comment, I will put aside the fact that I have realised I still, definitely don’t like Mexican food, because I can’t fault them one bit on my meal.

It was so nice to feel included – that I could eat such a wide range of options and not have to order off a separate menu from my friends, like most places.

Delicious enchiladas, and the best guacamole EVER

The serving was generous – a dish of yummy looking enchiladas with a side salad – and we even had a small serving of nachos with salsa dip on our table on arrival, which was delicious!

Considering my distaste for Mexican food, I was really impressed with my food. It had just the right amount of spice, a delicious topping of melted cheese and the most AMAZING guacamole I have ever, EVER tasted. I think I would happily go back and just eat a giant bowl of it!

The prices aren’t bad either, and I really would rate this for a restaurant with a fun and friendly atmosphere.

So if you’re in the area and you think Mexican food is out of bounds, think again!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 29,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 11 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

I wanted to do a post to mark a year since my operation, for those of you reading ahead and worrying before you undergo surgery of your own.

A year ago today I was in hospital, desperate to get home, a surgical drip attached to me and feeling rather uncomfortable.

But now, a year on, that feels like a lifetime ago!

My thyroid levels are pretty much normal now, controlled by thyroxin tablets that I take every day.

This is a vast improvement from the 6 carbimazole I was taken whilst my thyroid was overactive – one pill is definitely more easy to control!

Plus, through some wierd warp in the NHS that I don’t (and probably never will) understand, prescription medicine for underactive thyroids is free, yet for overactive it’s not…odd.

My scar has also improved more than I ever hoped it would!

A year ago my scar looked like this…….

Now, it looks like this….

The ends of the scar are healing amazingly – and every time I see my friends they comment on how much it is fading.

A few of you have commented on the length of my scar, and I wanted to just clarify a few things for those who are worried.

My scar is considerably longer than most people’s I have seen.

I don’t particularly know why, but my doctor always told me it would be this long, so if yours is telling you yours will be shorter than mine, then please do not worry when you see my pictures.

Also, due to what I believe to be the nurse taking my staples out to early, my scar opened slightly in the middle whilst it was healing and that is why, annoyingly, I have been left with a wider, more pronounced scar in the middle.

That being said, I am hoping that in time this will fade, and I am still using my bio oil daily!

My scar is now a lot less raised than it was, and although it is still sensitive, this sensitivity is going down gradually.

If anyone has any questions they would like to ask me about my thyroidectomy, then please feel free to comment below or email me at: glutenfreeblogger@hotmail.co.uk

I know it is also encouraging to hear other people’s stories, so if you would like to share yours, then please also comment below.

To see the rest of my thyroidectomy-related posts, as well as a timeline of photos of the healing of my scar, then please click here.

Yes, I admit, I am not exactly the best at posting frequently when I get busy, but this time I have a perfectly viable excuse….I have been volunteering in Uganda!

I visited Kira Farm, run by the charity Amigos Worldwide, which I have been volunteering with over the past few months.

I basically spent the two weeks interacting with the students, digging and harvesting crops, visiting sponsored children and past students in the area of Masindi, going on safari and making a video all about Kira Farm.

The main aim of Kira Farm is to provide young people in Uganda with vocational skills, sustainable farming techniques, and holistic guidance so that they are better equipped to lift themselves out of poverty.

You can read more about my time in Uganda and the students I met on the blog I wrote for my local paper here.

So why, you ask, am I writing about it on here? Well, I wanted to share with you all the yummy gluten free foods I tried whilst I was out there!

Travelling can be daunting when you have a food intolerance, but luckily for me (and anyone else planning to visit Uganda!) their diet is primarily, naturally gluten free!

A lot countries in East Africa eat a similar diet, so if you are travelling to the region, here is the lowdown on what I ate and my top tips!

Top tip: Beware of sauces! A lot of sauces contain additives such as “curry powder” or “spicy beef powder” which are imported and contain wheat flour as an added flavour. But then, that is much the same as England!

The main staples I tried in Africa were…

1. Posho - a sort of dough like substance which looks a little like mash potato. Made using maize flour and water, this is gluten free, but a very bland food! I would recommend adding salt and chilli flakes!
2. Matoke - a variety of bananas eaten as a savoury dish! These bananas are green and will never ripen to yellow – they are delicious, try mashing them with G-Nut sauce (explained later!) Similar to mash potato, but with more flavour!
3. Sweet Potatoes - Just like at home, except the varieties we ate were the same colour as normal potatoes. They do also serve delicious “normal” potatoes but you have to call them IRISH – otherwise they don’t know what you mean! Classic!
4. Cassava - a root vegetable which can be boiled, a slightly chewy texture, but a pleasant taste.
5. Rice - naturally gluten free, and extra delicious!!

There is also a DELICIOUS sauce called G-Nut sauce, which is heavenly! G-nuts, or groundnuts, are pretty much the same as peanuts in taste, but they have this amazing mushroomy-pink colour! Combined with water and salt, the G-nut paste makes a delicious sauce.

There were plenty of vegetables in the diet, fresh fruit, and a lot of beans cooked in a tomato and onion sauce (which I had to restrain the students from adding “spicy beef flavouring” to!)

Overall, much of the diet is naturally gluten free. Language barriers make it difficult to try and discuss your dietary needs – I did try to educate the students I met, who were mostly sad for me that I couldn’t eat cakes!

I hope this helps anyone travelling to these areas, here’s some yummy photos of the delicious food we ate!

Posho, beans and greens

Avocado salad, made with avocados the size of your foot!

Matoke waiting to be peeled and cooked

Roasted plantain on the roadside, so sweet!

Substituting sandwiches and evening meals has been do-able for me, but I was always a sucker for cereal.

Now, after years of trying to find something decent to start the day with, I have found a great range of gluten free cereals!

What has always annoyed me with gluten-free foods is that by buying “Free From”, food manufacturers seem to assume you are a health freak.

Whilst a lot of people understandable cut gluten out through choice, I did not want to have to give up enjoyabe food.

Just because I can’t eat gluten, it doesn’t mean I want to live off of seeds and raisins.

Infact, I hate raisins.

Which is why, ranting aside, I was so pleased to find a cereal that is actually FUN.

The gluten-free Maple Sunrise from Nature’s Path is a great-tasting cereal which brings the fun back to breakfast.

This sweet-tasting cereal gives me something to look forward to in the mornings.

With quinoa, corn, rice, flax, buckwheat and amaranth, this medly of flakes, crunchy balls and a sweet maple syrup taste make this an excellent product.

Even better – the ingredients used are organic, making it delicious and good for you!

I actually think this is the best cereal I have tasted – it makes a change from the boring, tasteless “overly-healthy” cereals that are available on the Free From market.

This cereal brings me back to my childhood and the cereals that I used to enjoy – and I think this will become a staple in my cupboards from now on!

I know they stock this cereal in my local Sainsbury’s, but for more info and stockists you can visit their website here.

I first discovered the Baked to Taste range in a farm shop in Honiton, and later found their gluten-free pasties at Baggy’s Cafe in Croyde, North Devon (see my earlier review here)

This led to me revolutionising the pasty shop I work in at Croyde (The Old Cream Shop/Surfing Croyde Bay – come visit us for a range of gluten free treats, not that I’m plugging or anything…..)

Delicious apple pie Mum made with the sweet pastry!

I had spent years trying to get them to stock gluten free products but I decided to take the initiative.

I rang the company, got a price list, forced it into my manager’s hands along with the phone, et voila, our gluten free range was born!

I had no idea it would be so popular – we have sold more gluten free pasties than I could ever imagine, and I have met so many interesting coeliac-sufferers along the way!

But anyway, I may sound like I’m veering off the point, but stick with me here…

The thing that struck me the most about the pies was the pastry.

Actually, the pies were just all over delicious – but even my non-gluten free colleages remarked at how good the pastry was, some saying it was even better than “normal” pastry!

I noticed the company also sold ready-made pastry, and I had no choice – I had to try it!

This is officially the BEST gluten free pastry……IN THE WORLD!

I have never worked with anything like it!

Most gluten free pastry is impossible to roll without cling film holding it together, is impossibly crumbly or nightmarishly sticky.

This is like a dream.

Home made jam tarts, a luxury this pastry has made possible!

The pastry has an almost oily texture – it rolls without a struggle, it doesn’t stick to the work top, and it slips into the pie dish without even breaking.

I am literally blown away.

The rich shortcrust pastry is buttery, and melts in the mouth with just the perfect amount of crunch.

The sweet ready to roll pastry has an equally beautitful texture, with a subtly sweet taste perfect for apple pies!

I cannot recommend this product enough, so much to say I would almost be tempted to make this my gluten free product of the year!

For more info on the Baked to Taste range and to see their other products or purchase this amazing pastry, visit their website here.

If you have tried this product or any other amazing pastries – please comment below and let me know your thoughts!

http://www.bakedtotaste.co.uk/webshop/g-free/pastry/

The wind is whipping the leaves round the trees, the evening is beginning to darken already, and the garden is littered with apples.

So what better way to banish those winter blues than with a warming apple and pear crumble, a dollop of ice cream, and a mug of hot chocolate.

I made this delicious crumble last weekend (we have apple pie this week, but I am yet to taste that before I blog it!) and have decided it was simply too good not to share the recipe.

I used dark sugar to sweeten the sharp tang of the apples, and added some pears for a more subtle taste.

Pears are my absolute favourite fruit in crumbles, their sweet lovliness is perfect combined with the apples – add a few cloves for that warm, comforting taste.

Apple and Pear Crumble

This recipe made a crumble that served 5 hungry people!

5oz Dove’s Farm Plain White Flour Blend

3oz Caster Sugar

3oz Butter

3 large apples

2 pears

2oz Dark brown sugar

4 whole cloves

1. Preheat the oven to Gas 4.
2. Add the flour, butter and caster sugar to a large mixing bowl and use your fingers to bind the mixture until it appears almost like breadcrumbs.
3. Peel and chop the apples and pears and place in the bottom of a large over-proof dish.
4. Add the brown sugar and cloves to the apples and pears and mix together so all of the fruit it coated.
5. Cover the fruit with the crumble mix and bake for around 45 minutes until the crumble is golden brown.
6. Enjoy with ice cream or a dollop of clotted cream for a real treat!

New and improved!

Working in a pasty shop, I often spend a moment drooling over the crispy looking sausage rolls, and this was my chance to sample some gluten free sausage rolls myself!

Coming in a pack of 2, these sausage rolls are a stage between mini cocktail sausage rolls, and the jumbo variety we stock at work.

They take 25-28 (very specific!) minutes to cook in the oven from frozen, and it was a long wait as I smelt them cooking!

After 25 minutes, I accidentally burnt the edges of mine, (think I put them a bit too high in the oven in my impatience!) but a dollop of (gluten free) BBQ sauce, all was not lost!

Crisp and brown, these sausage rolls certainly looked delicious!

The pastry was light and flaky – I haven’t had gluten free pastry that was this flaky before and it reminded me a little of how sausage rolls used to be!

The sausage meat filling was tasty and of generous proportions, leaving me feeling heartily warm and satisfied as the roaring gales and rainfall washed away the last remains of summer outside!

Meaty, flaky and with the familiar, feel-good taste of comfort, these sausage rolls would make an ideal snack – probably a little too small for lunch, although maybe I am just greedy!

For more informati0n and to find out where to buy these and the other frozen DS products, click here.