1. It sucks – As much as changing my diet helped with celiac disease, I can’t say it was easy! Even though I rarely ate fast food before going gluten free, the knowledge that I would never again be able to eat a cheese burger from McDonalds was enough to bring a tear to my eye. Of course, as anyone with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity would know, giving up gluten to live symptom free is worth it.
2. It will be hard – It’s a whole different feeling when your family/friends say “Let’s just order a pizza” and you have to be the one to remind them that you can’t eat pizza (unless gluten free of course). When eating gluten free you have to search a little harder to find food you can eat, so at first it’s not as easy as just ordering a pizza.
3. You will become a label reading ninja – Anyone who has celiac disease or gluten sensitivity should read every food label before eating anything. Even if you’ve used the product before, it’s possible for ingredients to change or to mistake the product for something else. Always, always, always read the label! After a while you’ll get so good at reading the label that you will be able to tell what’s in it with a quick glance at the ingredients.
4. Dinner at a friend’s house will make you feel like a pain in the butt – The days of just showing up to a friend’s dinner party are over, if you plan on eating that is. Chances are your friends need a little schooling in the art of gluten free cooking. If you want to eat the food, you’ll have to plan ahead and ask questions before you go. Bring your own dish or make sure to let your friends know what you can and cannot eat.
5. You will be asked, “What do you eat!?” – Gluten is in a lot of stuff. Once you mention the main foods gluten is found in, bread, noodles, soup bases, etc., people will often assume you can’t eat anything normal. This is not true of course, since practically anything can be made gluten free, but some people may still wonder if you’ll ever be able to eat again.
6. People will automatically think you eat “healthy” when you say you eat gluten free – Gluten free has become a popular phrase in recent years. So popular that it could be mistaken as the new “FAD” diet or weight loss miracle. In reality gluten free doesn’t mean sugar, carb, fat, or calorie free, it just means gluten free.
7. You’ll realize just how much you love food. –The taste of warm bread, the smell of fresh pretzels at the mall, the convenience of fast food, going gluten free may make you realize how much you miss certain luxuries that non gluten free eaters can still enjoy. Like being able to try something new without needing to ask a dozen questions about what’s in it or where it came from. The good news is that gluten free foods are becoming more popular as time goes on and there are so many more food options for celiacs than ever before. So next time your mouth starts to water remember there’s still plenty of food to love!
8. It will get better. – If you are going gluten free for medical reason, such as celiac disease, then you should notice a positive change in your body. Less bloating, fatigue, abdominal pain, etc. The change in diet part is a big commitment, but the way your body feels after going gluten free will be well worth the switch! It takes time for your body to recover from when you did eat gluten, so give it some time to work for you. Its also known that taste buds regenerate every couple weeks, so the longer you stay away from gluten, the less you will crave glutenous foods.
What have you noticed about going gluten free?
How do you handle it?
Let me know and Comment Below!
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