From Coeliac Diagnosis to Gluten Free Italian Cooking: Lucia's Story

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Hey Gluten Free Fam,

We have a personal story to share from Lucia Berti.

The homemade gluten free Italian cook was Ben’s guest on Episode 249 of A Gluten Free Family. In the podcast, Lucia delves into her own coeliac disease diagnosis, the challenges of being diagnosed with coeliac disease as an Italian and how she has recreated her favourite Italian food gluten free.

Her honest reflections offer an insight into the struggles of diagnosis as an Italian, finding great gluten free products in cooking and baking, meeting great people in the coeliac and gluten free community, inspiration for getting in the kitchen, and much more.

GUEST BLOG: Lucia Berti

My story from coeliac diagnosis to gluten free Italian cooking begins on October 2018.

My family and I were on a cruise holiday and I was all set to enjoy a magnificent experience. However, during that time, I started to feel bloated and had trouble digesting my food properly. This only happened to occur when eating bread.

When we returned, I decided to contact my GP because I knew these symptoms weren’t normal. I explained to him what my symptoms were, and he advised me to undertake further blood tests. The results returned with signs of allergies, but nothing with 100% certainty. He said the results showed signs consistent with food allergies, but in order to be certain, it would be wise to have a gastroscopy.

The next step - my GP referred me to a Gastroenterologist. It was near the Christmas period, so I had to wait till March to see the specialist.

By March 2019, I went to see the Gastroenterologist who agreed with my GP that I’ll require a gastroscopy to be certain. Two weeks later - I had the Gastroscopy, and it was confirmed that I had Coeliac Disease.

Finding Support After My Coeliac Diagnosis

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At this point, I was overwhelmed. Thankfully, the Gastroenterologist, who just so happened to be Italian himself, put me at ease and said there are a lot of great products available. From his experience and perspective on the matter, there wouldn’t be any major problems adapting to a life with coeliac disease and a gluten free diet.

I joined Coeliac Australia for support and education with this big change, and it turned out to be a great help. By April that year, I attended the Gluten Free Expo and it was the best thing ever. With what felt like all of the gluten free food manufactures together in the same space, it was amazing to discover great products that were going to help me every day.

Being Italian, I was determined that I was not going to miss out on all the delicious food I grew up with, and all the traditional dishes that were part of my family and heritage. Surely I could find gluten free Italian options that didn’t compromise on what I know and loved?

At the Gluten Free Expo, I met two amazing chefs who have restaurants close by my area: Dom from East Cannoli in Preston, and Vince from Ardor Foods in North Coburg. They are both Italian, so they understood and gave me advice on what flour to use and how to be able to create Italian gluten free food. I also met Sam from Well and Good, another wonderful individual who happens to be coeliac.

Learning Homemade Gluten Free Italian Cooking

I found success with homemade gluten free Italian cooking once I started using two key ingredients: Ardor flour and Well Good flour. Since that point, I never looked back.

Admittedly, there were some disasters in the kitchen to begin with. However, with lots of determination and perseverance, I was able to create delicious food. This was not only for myself, but now I cook gluten free meals for my family when they come over for family dinners. They love it.

They love my home-made gluten free pasta so much, in fact, they actually prefer it to the gluten-containing pasta from before.

There’s a range of authentic, homemade gluten free Italian food that tastes amazing, and the good news? You can make it at home too. See some of my favourite recipes:

To my great surprise, I was able to replicate all the traditional Italian sweets that my mother used to make, recreating my very own gluten free version of the same Italian delights.

Sharing My Gluten Free Journey

This shared experience cooking for the people I know and love inspired me to expand my reach to others. I wanted to create a platform on social media to share my journey and recipes that create delicious gluten free food without compromising on taste.

My Instagram page Nona Lucia’s Gluten Free has been successful in helping other coeliacs and gluten intolerant community members to get back into the kitchen to prepare and cook their own food.

Unfortunately, Australia is a little behind from the rest of the world when it comes to attitudes and resources with gluten free food. Europe, on the other hand, is a long way ahead on this count, especially Italy.

“Being Italian, I was determined that I was not going to miss out on all the delicious food I grew up with, and all the traditional dishes that were part of my family and heritage.”

— Lucia Berti

Restaurants and establishments in Italy who advertise gluten free menu options have to pass strict accreditation. Unlike local outlets here in Australia, there is no grey area or room for interpretation. This is a great approach, particularly when you consider the very real cross-contamination risks faced by coeliacs whenever they leave the house.

We travelled to Europe in 2019 after being diagnosed, and I had an amazing time. They even have a gluten free McDonalds! I was pleased to see it's safe and doesn’t lack in quality.

From my perspective, Australia should mandate that if a restaurant offers gluten free food, then they must have safe processes in place. Coeliacs should be able to feel safe when they travel to those locations.

Thank you

Lucia

From Coeliac Diagnosis to Gluten Free Italian Cooking: Lucia’s Story

Finding Support After My Coeliac Diagnosis

Learning Homemade Gluten Free Italian Cooking

Sharing My Gluten Free Journey

Why Most Gluten-Free Food Still Misses the Mark (And How I'm Trying to Fix It) by Monica Glass