Over the years I’ve seen many people question the gluten
free diet and even make jokes. I did an internet search. I searched for sugar-free/diabetic jokes and gluten-free jokes. While I found pages and pages of jokes about gluten-free, I found very few about sugar-free/diabetic. I can tell you that the gluten free diet is
not a joke. A growing number of people are being
diagnosed with gluten intolerance or the more extreme form an autoimmune
disease called celiac sprue. I have several family members who have been
diagnosed with celiac or gluten intolerance. I am on the gluten free diet. It is a day-to-day struggle.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley as well
as any product made with these grains. Gluten intolerance is the villi of the small
intestine’s inability to break down the protein. The person experiences a wide
range of symptoms including nausea, vomiting, bloating, gas, diarrhea,
constipation and bone or joint pain. Actually, there are 250 symptoms in which
a sufferer can experience. This is makes it so hard to diagnose and often gets
misdiagnosed as another disease or disorder.
I’ve been struggling with this diet since 2008 when I began
to experience more extreme symptoms and more often. I had the blood tests done
in 2010 but when it came back negative, my doctor said, “Oh you don’t have it.”
But I insisted that I have a biopsy done because it is the only way to
definitively know if someone has celiac. When it came back negative, again my
doctor said, “No, you don’t have it.” Then I started my own research and I
learned that you don’t have to have celiac to be gluten intolerant. In fact,
gluten intolerance can turn into celiac if it is not taken care of. Even though
I do not have an official diagnosis, I went on the diet and I felt better.
However, I struggle. Even though I know that my body functions better when I’m
on the gluten free diet and I have my moments of weakness and I eat that cookie
or that slice of pizza. The reaction is sometimes so severe where I’m
miserable and I’m beating myself up for doing it yet again.
I began questioning why I have such a hard time following
the diet when I know it is for the benefit of my health. I’ve come up with
these reasons:
1. As a cook and baker as a hobby, I love food and sweets. Cakes,
cookies, and doughnuts. Pizza, Chinese food, and green bean casserole. Even
some candy bars are off limits like Twix, Kit Kats and Milky Ways.
2. The
gluten free diet is very expensive, takes extra planning and shopping. Every
item is securitized for any possible gluten ingredient. Some are obvious like
gravies and cookies while others are not so obvious like soy sauce, BBQ sauce,
and salad dressings.
3. Eating
out can be difficult. I find going out to parties especially difficult because
I don’t expect people to remember my diet restrictions or even to go out of
their way to offer a food I can eat. A few years ago, I was laughed at by a
waitress for requesting a gluten free items. Or I’ve gotten blank stares from
people who don’t know how to answer. Thankfully, many restaurants are
recognizing the gluten-free community. A few restaurants that now offer a
gluten free menu:
BJ’s Restaurant and
Brew house
The Cheesecake
Factory
Red Robin
P.F. Chang’s
It really irritates me when someone jokes about the gluten
free diet because so many people are on the diet when they don’t need to be.
This makes those individuals who do need to be on the diet like they are just
following the trend. Living with a special diet that is life altering is a
struggle. It’s a day-to-day decision to remind yourself that it’s for your
health and your future. It’s a day-to-day struggle because it’s not as simple
as don’t eat it especially when that food is intricate part of most, if not,
all foods. It’s the day-to-day question “is this gluten free?” because you can’t
take it for granted. Wheat flour, especially, can be in everything!!! So, if
you know anyone who has a food restriction, whatever it may be, don’t make fun
of them. It’s a daily struggle not being able to enjoy the food that you take
for granted. Would you joke about the sugar-free diet of a diabetic? Probably
not. Please don’t joke about the gluten free diet. It is very serious for a
growing number of people.
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