Loving Gluten Free is the first show of it's kind in Australia. As the name reveals it is a cooking show that focuses on food without gluten.
''There have been a lot of cooking shows on Australian television, but not one specifically designed for a gluten-free audience'' says the shows presenter, Helen Tzouganatos.
What is gluten-free?
Gluten is a protein found in foods such as rice, barley, wheat and oats. It can damage the intestine of people with coeliac disease, an autoimmune condition where the body cannot tolerate gluten. In addition there are also people who are glutten intolerant, while others feel better when in a diet that excludes gluten.
Helen Tzouganatos's first steps into the world of gluten free food begun 13 years ago, when she was diagnosed with coeliac disease while undergoing IVF treatment.
''One of the symptoms of the disease is infertility. At that point I eliminated all gluten from my diet'' she said to SBS Greek. She is now a mother to three children.
The blog, the book and the show
About 5 years ago, when demand for gluten-free food was starting to peak, Mrs Tzouganatos decided to make a blog with her own gluten-free recipes. The blog took off through Instagram. This led to her own gluten-free cookbook and shortly after to a phone call about what would become ''Loving Gluten Free''.
I flew down to Melbourne and screen-tested for this show, it all went well and here we are today
Both of her parents are Greek, with her mother being from Crete while her father is from Macedonia. Mrs Tzouganatos's Greek roots shows through her recipes in the show, in dishes such as pastitsio, melomakarona and spanakopita.
Press Play to hear the interview in English.
You can catch Loving Gluten Free on Thursdays at 8:30pm or watch the rerun every Sunday at 5:30pm.
