Welcome To Coeliac Sanctuary!

Hello there! I would like to welcome you all to the new website, which I hope will be a useful resource for anyone suffering from coeliac or even gluten intolerance!

I got the idea to create this website a few weeks ago after I had to start a gluten free diet due to my consultant at the hospital suspecting I might have coeliac. As it happened after 6 weeks I finally got my blood results back only for it to be negative, so technically I haven't been diagnosed with it, however both me, my consultant and three separate GPs I've seen still believe it is coeliac disease and I am therefore treating my body as if it has been diagnosed. It eased the pain I was in for 7 months, so I'm sticking with it!

As well as being gluten intolerant, it has led me to being lactose intolerant. Lactose was the first thing I realised affected me, although some dairy products I can handle. After a lot of research I have found that coeliac, if left untreated, can lead to lactose intolerance, another nice symptom to have to put up with!

Anyway, let's talk about the website not me! Like I said I got the idea a few weeks ago. I was due to return back to work after figuring gluten and lactose was what was making me sick, but mentally I couldn't do it, the thought gave me severe panic attacks. And since I work as a web developer there was only one way to try to break them and that was to code a website using exactly what I would in work....and that's where Coeliac Sanctuary started. I ran a poll with a few friends about the name, I liked Coeliac Asylum as getting diagnosed made me think I was going crazy, however the vote went in favour of Sanctuary, which just made me think of a Seal Sanctuary...that's where the logo came from if you didn't guess (I like to call him Sealiac).

I know there are other websites similar, but I hope to list as may place as I can where people can eat, as well as going out to review as many places as possible. I also find adapting my own recipes useful so I will be posting as many as I can, and you are also free to send me any at [email protected] you will be listed at the author of course, same goes for places to eat, if you find any that aren't listed, just let me know and I'll add it on!

I really hope this turns out to be a useful resource for people, more and more will be added to the website as time goes by, oh and as it happens, because I follow Slimming World's diet plan, every recipe will have Slimming World's syn values, hopefully Weight Watchers pro points (if I can figure them out) and calorie content, so I hope my recipes are useful not just for those unable to tolerate gluten but also for those following diet plans.

Anyway, I'll finish waffling now, have a good day everyone!