Gluten free food on prescription helps you to make the transition to a gluten free diet once you have been diagnosed with coeliac disease. It can be challenging to move away from foods with gluten if that is all you have ever known, so having that support with certain gluten free products is a great help. This is a basic guide to help you understand how gluten free food on prescription works, and what you need to do to qualify.
Which gluten free products can I access on prescription?
Accessing staple foods for your everyday life that are gluten free is very important once you have been diagnosed with coeliac disease by your doctor. Gluten free food on prescription may be available to you depending on where you live in the UK Whether you are looking for gluten free bread, flour mixes to make your own bread at home, pizza bases, crackers, biscuits, cereal, or more, there are plenty of gluten free products available on prescription.
What are the differences between different areas of the UK?
Your GP can write you a prescription for gluten free products if you are diagnosed with coeliac disease and you live in an eligible area. In Scotland, this process is managed through your local pharmacy, and in Wales you may be able to access support with a subsidy card.
1. England
Gluten free prescriptions are limited to bread and flour mixes, and are only available in certain areas of England. There has been a campaign to end the postcode lottery for gluten-free prescriptions. A petition with over 20,000 signatures was taken to Downing Street in March as a call to action for the Government. Hopefully, in the near future the same provisions of gluten-free prescriptions can be felt across the country, no matter where a person lives. Other limits may be based on your age or other factors, such as pregnancy.
2. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland there is a wider range of gluten free food available on prescription. This includes gluten free staples such as flour, pasta, and bread. The precise provisions differ between each country, so always check on what you qualify for based on your exact location. Similar to England, there are limits based on your age and other factors, such as pregnancy.
Stopping the gluten panic
In some cases, people who find out they are coeliac might panic and just immediately cut out a whole host of food groups that they actually need for a healthy and balanced diet. For instance, cutting out bread and cereals might seem like the best idea due to the gluten present in those products, but they are an important source of fibre, vitamins and minerals. Instead of just cutting them out completely, gluten free food on prescription could provide you with gluten free versions of these products.
Can I try out prescription gluten free foods?
If you have just been diagnosed with coeliac disease you might be eligible for prescription gluten free products. If that is the case, there are some providers that offer you a taster box to help you see what it is that you might be entitled to. All you need to do is find the prescription service that fits your needs, input your country of residence and postcode and sample a selection of gluten free products before choosing what you would like on prescription proper.If you have been diagnosed with coeliac disease you may qualify for gluten free food on prescription. Once you have been through the diagnosis process with a medical professional, you could be entitled to receive products and goods that are gluten free, including everything from gluten free bread, gluten free flour, pizza, crackers, and pasta, amongst other things. There are different types of gluten free food on prescription depending on what area of the UK you live in, so always check with a provider of gluten free products on prescription to see what exactly you are entitled to claiming.
