Are Restaurants Getting Better?
On Sunday, I went up to London and had a very good meal, risotto followed by liver, in the Camden Brasserie. And yesterday, I went to the Bull and Bush in Hampstead. There it was a steak with a pint of Aspalls cyder.
The point about both these restaurants is that neither would claim to be particular allergy-friendly and don’t say as much on the web site, but they both know about allergies and checked my order with the chef.
Writing twenty-four hours later, I have had no reaction.
So I would recommend these places to everybody; coeliacs or not.
Coeliac Videos
This interesting set of videosfrom the Celiac Disease Centre in the USA is well worth watching.
The Celiac Disease Centerat Columbia University was established within the Department of Medicine at Columbia University in 2001 under the guidance of Peter Green, MD, one of a few recognised experts on coeliac disease in the United States.
The Center’s mission is to redefine the future of coeliac disease and treatment through continuing advances in patient care, research, education and patient advocacy.
This is the way that information from specialist centres will be distributed in the future.
Maharajah Restaurant, Cambridge
Last night, I went to this pleasant little Indian restaurant just outside Cambridge city centre on Castle Hill.
The service was quick and the food was good. And of course it was gluten-free, as it is in most Indian restaurants.
Coeliac Symptoms
Before detailing how I was diagnosed, I will go through a list of symptoms that coeliacs can suffer from.
Coeliac disease has been called the Many Headed Hydra by doctors because it produces so many different symptoms. I think that this is because gluten strips your gut and then you don’t take up the vitamins and nutrients that you need. This is especially true with Vitamin B12, which is essential for good cell health.
Consequently, you will get a problem in any organ that needs that nutrient.
It’s a bit like expecting your car engine to run with low engine oil. You can’t be sure where the problem will manifest itself.
I have taken this quote from the précis of a paper by M Hadjivassiliou, R A Grünewald and G A B Davies-Jones called Gluten Sensitivity: A Many Headed Hydra, that appeared in the British Medical Journal in June 1999.
Marsh’s “modern” definition of gluten sensitivity is to be recommended: “a state of heightened immunological responsiveness to ingested gluten in genetically susceptible individuals.” Such responsiveness may find expression in organs other than the gut. Gastroenterologists, dermatologists, neurologists, and other physicians need to be aware of these developments if the diagnosis and treatment of the diverse manifestations of gluten sensitivity are to be advanced. The aetiology of such diverse manifestations presents the next challenge.
I would endorse that as my experience of moderating the UK-Coeliac Yahoo Group gives me the impression, that a lot of coeliacs are misdiagnosed in a first instance, because of their symptoms. The real cause is sometimes not found until many years later.
So what symptoms can you get?
- Abdominal Distension in Children – *
- Amenorrhea – Absence of menstrual periods in a woman
- Bone and Joint Pain, and Arthritis – *
- Constipation – *
- Dandruff – *
- Depression – Generally mild, but not always – *
- Dermatitis Herpetiformis – A serious skin disorder
- Dry Skin – *
- Failure to Thrive in Children – *
- Feelings of Inadequacy – *
- Gait Ataxia/Apraxia
- Gallstones – *
- Gum Disease – *
- Gut Problems – Abdominal pain, bloat, diarrhoea and wind – *
- Heartburn
- Inability to Lose and Gain Weight – *
- Infertility and Recurrent Miscarriage
- Itchy Scalp – *
- Lactose Intolerance – *
- Lightheadness and Fainting – *
- Liver Problems
- Low B12 and Folate Levels – Leading to anaemia – *
- Migraine or Persistent Headaches – *
- Mood Swings – *
- Mouth Ulcers
- Muscle Weakness
- Osteoporosis
- Sinus Problems – *
- Sleep Disturbance
- Small Stature – *
- Thyroid Problems
- Tinnitus
You can almost play that well-known game called Name That Symptom!
The ones marked with an asterisk (*) are ones that I experienced at some time or another.
A classic one is gallstones. I was diagnosed at about the same time as I was diagnosed as a coeliac. I was told to have an operation. Since then though they have been quiet and I hope they stay that way!
But whatever you say it’s a lot of possible things you can suffer from.
Petition to Number 10
SAF on the UK-Coeliac list has posted this.
I have composed a new petition to the prime minister to deal with.
This petition requires 500 signatures to be effective so looking for a lot of support.
The petition can be found on http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/allergenlabels
If the EU has its way, then such things as maltodextrin will be considered gluten-free, for labelling purposes. That may be so, but it still doesn’t alter the fact that I react to it.
So please sign the petition. After all the next ingredient foisted on you might be something that you object to!
Crohn’s Disease and Coeliacs
I was watching the rugby league last night, whilst eating a very nice frozen chilli con carne, when the commentator said that one of the players for Wakefield, Richard Moore, suffered from Crohn’s Disease.
There is a connection between Crohn’s Disease and being a coeliac as this study shows. The study recommends that everybody suffering from Crohn’s Disease, go on a gluten-free diet.
Albert Heijn
Albert Heijn is a supermarket chain in Holland.
Their stores seem to be everywhere and they mark all of the gluten-free products with the correct symbol. I’ve never had any problems with anything in their stores. Last night I had some salami and goat’s cheese thingies that were ideal for eating on the move.
Their stores are also in a lot of railway stations, so you can just pop-in and buy a salad for lunch.
Feedback for Norfolk Line
I’ve now done three round trips on Norfolk Line between Dover and Dunkirk and all of them were done in the VIP class.
I filled in their form on the web site and this is my only complaint.
I am a coeliac and the one thing that is poor on the ferries is the availability of gluten-free snacks. In the VIP lounge, there is fruit which is good, but except for one trip there were no nuts, which would be great. Also, crisps were not gluten-free, but by careful selection, these can be gluten-free without costing any more.
As I travel from Newmarket to Den Haag regularly, it would be nice to eat a meal on board, but all of your offerings are not gluten-free, so I actually time the journey, so that I eat before I leave and then again at the other end.
The interesting point, is that your staff know about coeliacs and gluten-free, so your training is working.
Other than that everything is fine. But at least you don’t have a notice up like one of your competitors, which says that people with allegies are not welcome in the restaurants.
This was what the notice said on P&O.
Food Allergy Advice – Whilst every effort is made to maintain the integrity of all food served onboard, we regret that due to the complexity of our operations, we are unable to guarantee that any food will be free of food allergens.
It probably illustrates the usual failure of those in charge of catering to take account of allergies. Newmarket racecourse used to ignore it and now everybody knows about gluten-free meals.
Can we do anything about it? Yes, complain in a nice manner!
Arbutus, 63-64 Frith Street, Soho, London
This is one of my favourite restaurants and it didn’t disappoint last night.
Arbutus Restaurant, Soho
The interesting thing about Arbutus is that the chef is a coeliac, so when you ask for gluten-free food you get gluten-free food without contamination.
I think this was my sixth visit. My late wife liked it too!
Hayley Turner
It is great to see Hayley Turner back riding after the injuries she received on the gallops.
She is a seriously good jockey, who last year rode 100 winners in a year. This is something that few jockeys do in long careers and it is something no lady jockey has done.
But Hayley is also almost unique in that she is a top class athlete, who is a coeliac. I’m one too. We’re all proud of you Hayley!
The Anonymous Widower 