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Helen Tzouganatos is the SBS Food presenter of ‘Loving Gluten Free’. This beautifully designed book has full-page photographs of most recipes. Breads, salads, legumes, vegetables, rice, pasta, seafood, meat and desserts recipes are fully explained. Crispy Barramundi with Tahini Sauce, watercress and pomegranate – wonderful! Fanourapita – spiced vegan cake you can prepare in minutes!
The book is endorsed by Coeliac Australia (https://www.coeliac.org.au/s/). The estimate of the number of people in Australia who have coeliac disease ranges from one in a 100 to one in 70. It is impossible to know accurately because probably 80% of the people who are coeliacs have not been diagnosed.
Coeliacs should avoid eating barley, rye, farina, graham flour, semolina and durum. Many also avoid corn and rice products.
People who have the disease may not feel ill enough to consider that they are coeliacs. But then, they may get get worse. Early diagnosis is far better than avoiding the issue. They may not know that coeliac disease even exists despite all the packaging that prominently displays ‘gluten free’. They may just think they feel exhausted or unwell for some other reason. But it can be a very serious disease if not diagnosed and hmanaged. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, anxiety, bloating, trouble concentrating, depression, diarrhea or constipation, or fatigue. It’s not you being lazy or just feeling out-of-it – it could be you are gluten-intolerant.
The good news is that the food industry has stepped up to the challenge. There are hundreds of gluten-free products. Mostly delicious. Many on the supermarket shelves. Thousands of coeliacs are all safely dining in restaurants, buying their food at local shops and supermarkets and managing quite well.
The really good news is that this wonderful book can answer many of your questions about the disease. It provides the recipes for creating healthy Mediterranean dishes. There are keys as to whether the recipe is also dairy free, vegan or vegetarian. There are hundreds of tempting recipes.
Published by Plum, a Division of Pan Macmillan Australia, February 2023
ISBN: 9781761263316
RRP $60
Featured image : SBS Food Presenter an
author Helen Tsouganatos