'Gluten-free' meal puts coeliac woman in hospital
A Perth woman wants restaurants to take customer requests for dietary requirements more seriously after she fell ill from a meal.
Kate Smithies-Williams, 27, and her husband Scott were keen for a Saturday brunch last month and went to a restaurant to have chicken and waffles.
Mrs Smithies-Williams is a coeliac, a serious autoimmune disorder in which the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine.
She ordered gluten-free waffles, an item she had ordered from the restaurant before.
“I asked them to confirm it didn’t have gluten in it,” she told Yahoo7. “They confirmed it was gluten-free.”
Mrs Smithies-Williams asked twice to ensure her meal didn’t have gluten in it. She said on both occasions she was assured the dish was gluten-free.
The husband and wife finished their meals and left, but two and a half hours later, the 27-year-old began to feel ill. Half an hour after that, she began to throw up.
Mrs Smithies-Williams said she’s no stranger to falling ill after eating gluten by accident. It’s happened before, but this time around things were worse.
“I began falling in and out of consciousness,” she said.
“I also got a cold sweat. That doesn’t normally happen.”
She said her husband frantically picked her up and put her in the car. He was so terrified he “couldn’t talk”.
“We were both in a lot of fear,” she said.
“He was just so worried and I was so scared because I kept passing out.”
Mrs Smithies-Williams said she was told at Joondalup Hospital her kidneys were beginning to fail. She would need to stay overnight but luckily, she was released from hospital on Sunday morning.
The woman said her experience left her and her husband horrified, but also angry.
She’s been in touch with the restaurant and doesn’t plan on going back.
The 27-year-old suspects they may have mixed her and her husband’s orders up, because he also ordered chicken and waffles.
She believes the other possibility is that the waffles weren’t gluten-free.
“I think they were more careful the last time I went,” she said.
“I’m shocked by their response, too. There’s been no apology, no asking how I was after I ate the meal.”
The 27-year-old said she “doesn’t care” about the restaurant or its response anymore. She just wants restaurants to take dietary requirements more seriously.
“People just think eating gluten-free is a fad but not following it when you have a gluten intolerance can be life-changing,” Mrs Smithies-Williams said.
“I went to a pizza restaurant a while ago that claimed to have gluten free-pizza bases. But they told me, ‘if you’re gluten intolerant, don’t eat here’.
“We put faith in restaurants to do their best with the gluten-free label and there needs to be more awareness regardless of whether you’re a vegan for personal beliefs or you have health problems with serious allergies.
“If you’re not gluten-free, don’t advertise as gluten-free.”
Children explain why they wrote mother’s viral scathing obituary
Police working to identify wrapped body found on the side of the road
Mrs Smithies-Williams’s call has been echoed by Coeliac Australia.
In a statement to Yahoo7, Coeliac Australia also urged food business to take gluten free requests seriously.
“A diet free from gluten is the medical treatment for coeliac disease, a serious autoimmune illness – it is not a dietary fad,” the statement read.
“This is a health issue for people with coeliac disease. If a menu offers gluten free items, they must be completely free from any gluten contamination.”
Coeliac Australia president Michael Bell said the organisation has “developed resources to help restaurants, cafes and caterers prepare meals that are free from gluten”.
“We’re urging the hospitality industry to embrace our food service programs and help people with coeliac disease dine out with confidence,” Mr Bell said.
Yahoo7 has attempted to contact the restaurant for comment.
