Good App Guide to Gluten Free Recipes...If Only

In March I wrote about how the NHS were considering the place of Gluten Free prescriptions and their removal off of their list (http://newell-news.blogspot.com/2011/03/true-cost-of-health.html) and the potential impact this has on a portion of society where the price of their food alternatives are nothing short of daylight robbery.  This has now spread to the world of applications, those of us familiar with smart phones will know all about these little 'apps' as they are fondly referred too.

Coeliac Disease is an autoimmune disease which triggers an immune reaction in the human body if consumed.  This causes damage to the linings of the small intestine and can lead to damaging effects to other parts of the body.  One potential outcome of this is Cancer.

Gluten or wheat however is in virtually everything.

The list of signs and symptoms and common confusions are lengthy but for further reading I attach a link to the Coeliac UK page (http://www.coeliac.org.uk/coeliac-disease/what-is-coeliac-disease) This is not meant to suddenly alarm people out there with any signs of these, but more of a heads up so you can learn about something new that seriously affects some of our fellow humans.

The 'i' newspaper yesterday.

You will no doubt be aware of the soaring cost in the price of food goods at the till, Gluten Free products start off at a hefty price in the first place, almost £3.00 for a loaf of bread that won't lead to cancer is quite a steep price I am sure you will agree.  This forced my hand to start baking bread for someone I know who was recently diagnosed Coeliac and has also led to some interesting sessions in the kitchen trying to create things from scratch as the price of these foods on the shelf are shocking (and generally flavourless)

"Billy get ya guns"

I am not afraid of the kitchen and have been cooking since I was 8, courtesy of a row at home once over what time dinner was served, and am confident but occasionally I like to follow a recipe and see how it turns out so I turned to the world of the 'App'.  There are literally thousands of applications out there now some free, some paid for, but not one dedicated free Coeliac Recipe app.  Now, if I wanted to punch a talking cat or design an imaginary gun there are free apps for this, but not for someone to create something real and meaningful from scratch that has a direct health benefit.  The closest you can get is 'Eden Recipes' which has a section by diet and a list of things to try.

Maybe they are too busy trying to groom children for war with themes of 'war porn'? After all, "there is a soldier in all of us".

The infamous 'Black Ops' advert

The cheapest is 0.59p of your English Sterling, which may not be expensive but it is not the point.  Coeliac Disease is a serious issue affecting a large number of people, some without even knowing perhaps, yet they are no longer being considered important by the NHS, charged through the teeth for tasteless crap at the supermarket and then penalised again at home if they decide to take up home made cooking because to get a recipe from an app will cost you somewhere between 60 pence and £3.00 if you do not have the Internet.

In all honesty it is not good enough.  The depth of this problem has become ever more present to me as even a quick stop for a sandwich whilst on the move becomes an effort as the vast majority of places, particularly in England,  just do not cater for Coeliacs full stop. My recent trip to Scotland highlighted a difference in attitude regarding Coeliac awareness with virtually every cafe or shop I visited offering a Coeliac option or menu and a care and strictness about the handling of foods that I have not encountered anywhere else.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jM3gSOHRdM