I come from a proud family of bargain hunters. My mother still can’t resist telling me exactly how much my birthday present cost and what was knocked off, even before I’ve unwrapped it. My dad can often be found roaming around Asda at 10pm in search of yellow stickered whole chickens and crusty cheese bread […]

Since changing my diet – going veggie, gluten and dairy free – my taste buds and cravings have dramatically changed. I no longer reach for bread and ice cream but hunger after more fresh, robust and spicy flavours. My kitchen cupboards have had a total overhaul and these are my new favourite (not so secret) […]

Anyone who knows me knows I like the odd drink. And I am not talking soft drinks, here. I mean hard drinks. Drinks like cider, vodka, wine and gin. Hic. My parents were wine merchants so I reckon it’s a genetic thing. I once bumped into someone I hadn’t seen for a long time when I […]

I’ve got the jitters. The cheese jitters. I’ve come out in a cold sweat of crème fraiche and custard. My name is Kay and I’ve been dairy free for 37 hours. I’m generally hopeless at giving up things. Dry January was cut short at the first sniff of a party. Well, you can’t expect me […]

I recently got talking to somebody who was diagnosed with coeliac disease two years ago. He told me he does not get any symptoms when he eats gluten – no bloating, wind, toilet trouble, fatigue… nothing. So, initially, he ignored the advice and continued to include it in his diet. Then he went to see […]

I was gutted when my doctor told me I had to go gluten free 3½ years ago. I imagined a lifetime of miserable meals ahead of me. But I’ve wised up since – and so have more shops, takeaways and restaurants. So these days there is very little I need to miss out on…

 (Clothes selected by model) This week’s Chew it over Tuesday is brought to you by Megan Woodford, daughter of Safer Eating founder (and coeliac) Karen. Here, Karen gets Megan’s unique take on what it’s like being a mini coeliac. How old are you? Three-and-a-half. Do you sometimes get a poorly tummy? Yes. Why? A crisis. […]

So we’re creatures of habit. Shame most of mine are bad. Like: I don’t hang up my clothes – I build woolly-polyester mountains by my bed instead. I make bad choices on eBay when I’m bored. I drink only half a cup of tea. I never drink only half a glass of wine. I wear […]

 “ Mummy and her clumsy hair” (by mini-coeliac, Megan,                                                                                             […]

Friends used to laugh at me for bringing a box of Strongbow with me every time I stayed with them. Now I arrive with a carton of Lactofree milk and some gluten-free cereal under one arm, and a loaf of gluten-free bread tucked under the other. Strongbow only gets to come along if there is […]

Hospital food always comes in for some stick and this is usually from people who don’t have any dietary requirements. They may complain about dry shepherd’s pie and lumpy crumble, but try an overnight stay on a restricted diet. I’ve ended up in hospital twice since I was diagnosed with coeliac disease and lactose intolerance.

I tried the 5:2 diet last week – with some worrying results. Basically, the diet involves you eating 25% of the calories you should usually have for your weight and height on two non-consecutive days a week. I have heard from colleagues, friends and family that it works well. I brushed up on it a […]