Chef cooking up help for teen victims

TEENAGERS with the digestive disorder coeliac disease are to receive a free cooking lesson at Queen Margaret University to help them manage their condition.

The class, on Saturday, will be led by Lucinda Bruce- Gardyne, a chef and founder of Genius Foods, which specialises in gluten-free food, suitable for coeliac disease sufferers.

There will also be advice from nutrition and dietetics researchers and clinicians from QMU and the Sick Kids hospital, and the charity Coeliac UK.

Dr Elaine Bannerman, senior lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at QMU, said: “A diagnosis of coeliac disease means significant changes have to be made to the diet.

“Very quickly people need to adapt what they eat to be gluten-free. This includes being able to identify gluten-free products to buy, close scrutiny of food labels and consideration to the way food is prepared to prevent cross-contamination.

“Learning to prepare and cook meals from scratch, which are gluten-free, gives more scope and choice within the diet.”