SHOPPING for food can be a chore for Sue Harte, and not in the way you think.

Eating out at restaurants is also a potential risk, not to mention the dangers lurking in a seemingly innocuous takeaway.

Certain foods are hazardous for Sue because she suffers from coeliac disease.

It is a chronic condition with no cure which can only be managed by following a strict gluten-free diet.

Although most of the main supermarkets cater for sufferers by offering gluten-free foods, Sue finds them quite expensive.

In her personal experience, most restaurants or cafes do not offer an alternative menu for those with coeliac disease. If they do, it is very limited.

Cross contamination is also a big fear.

Sue, 59, of Conybeare Drive, Northam, first experienced problems when she was 40, suffering severe diarrhoea and intense stomach pain for more than six weeks; she lost two stone in weight.

It took 17 years before the cause of her suffering was diagnosed.

She was referred to dietician Emily Cruwys at the North Devon District Hospital.

She also joined the Coeliac UK Society and the local support group.

Sue, a mum to three grown up children, said: "Shopping after the diagnosis became quite a chore and took twice as long as previously.

"Labels had to be checked, even items you would not consider contained gluten like certain soups, stock cubes and even some ice-cream, proved to be no longer acceptable or safe.

"Everyday items, that I had taken for granted, could not be automatically purchased.

"Certainly I could not buy on impulse just because something looked appealing or appetising.

"Bakery counters and their wonderful smells were a tantalising no-no.

"Cooked meats could not be bought on the deli-counter for fear of cross-contamination — a major risk, often overlooked by many providers, who think because something is gluten-free, it doesn't matter if it touches other products containing gluten, but it does."

Sue has been ill twice since being diagnosed. Not because she knowingly ate gluten, but because the gluten-free product had been contaminated, unwittingly, by staff and customers.

Sue also has to check that food has not been prepared in an area where gluten containing products are also prepared.

Choice at in-store restaurants can be limited for coeliac sufferers.

She said: "If you are lucky you might find some fruit or a packet of crisps, but a proper snack or meal is usually out of the question.

"Treats such as Chinese or fish and chips are out of the question, although I had the luxury of a gluten-free fish and chip lunch in Whitby, Yorkshire, last summer in a café that uses a separate fryer for the special batter and chips necessary. Sublime.

"Thankfully, most of the main local supermarkets have 'free from' products, including gluten free, but the price for this specialised food is high.

"Many branded products are actually gluten-free and can be safely enjoyed, once you know what to look for on the labelling."

She believes more manufacturers could make their products gluten free quite easily.

She pointed out: "Although I get some gluten-free foods like bread and pasta on prescription, coeliac disease affects so many people that I'm surprised there's not more gluten-free food available to buy at a reasonable price."

She shies away from eating out now, because the potential risk to her health outweighs the pleasure.

Although Coeliac UK and the local group has done much to inform the public and the catering industry her personal experience has been that most restaurants and cafes do not provide gluten free food.

And, where they do, it is often placed next to a dish of gluten containing food, or is compromised, unwittingly, by waiting staff.

On one occasion when serving spoons were swapped Sue ended up in Accident and Emergency with severe vomiting and diarrhoea.

She stressed that coeliac disease is not a fad or life-style choice; it is an auto-immune disease in which her body produces antibodies that attack her tissues, damaging the lining of the gut.

As a result fewer nutrients are absorbed, leading to wide-ranging symptoms and nutritional deficiency.

Already she has early osteoporosis in her spine as a result of coeliac disease and takes calcium and vitamin D twice a day.

Sue said: "The good news is that after following a gluten-free diet, I feel so much better; it is so good to be free from the pain, tiredness and discomfort I experienced before.

"I miss the freedom of being able to eat whatever I want, or spontaneously deciding to go out for a meal, pick-up a take-away or a crusty loaf from the bakers, but to feel so much better far outweighs the disadvantages.

"Awareness of the disease is growing and we need to continue to spread the word, and encourage more manufacturers and catering outlets to provide for us."

● Does your shop sell gluten free products? Can your restaurant or cafe cater for customers suffering from coeliac disease? Let the

Journal

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