Being gluten free for almost 2 years now has definitely has had its highs and lows. The lows include talking out many life changing food groups for example, bagels and pasta. The highs have been controlling my diet and keeping my stomach under control (for the most part). People have many many questions when talking about being gluten free so here I decided to write about the most frequent ones asked to me personally.

Q:What is gluten?

A: In a nutshell, any somewhat enjoyable food. All jokes aside, gluten is any food that contains wheat, barely, rye. Most flours contain wheat so anything used with flour in it. So really everything.

Q: Does this have gluten in it

A: My roommates this year would be eating something in the cafeteria and ask me, "is this gluten free?" 9/10 times the answer is no. Ryiah (one of my roommates) would have a list of everything that was gluten free because of how annoyed I would get. "Do you want a bite of this cookie?" Yeah I do but I can't :/

Q: What happens when you eat gluten?
A: This question is definitely the most frequently asked question. To sum it up in a couple words, it's ugly. When I personally eat gluten my insides flip inside out and don't go back to normal for about a week. It makes you feel gross and upsets my stomach in a way that is pretty indescribable.

Q:Is it worth it to eat it one time?
A: No. When you see the pizza you think, "this is so worth it! Why not?" When you finally digest that pizza and get violently sick and then regret your entire life. Some things more than others will affect your body depending on how strong your stomach may be. But in my opinion it is not worth it to cheat and it to just to get very sick.

Q: Why does it taste like cardboard?
A: Honestly I wish I could answer this question just so I can fix it. Even though not all gluten free tastes like cardboard (some actually very enjoyable), many things do and it is very hard to eat without tearing up a little bit. It is very bland food that does not have the same taste as normal foods because of the substitute flour that must be used.

Q: Can you eat pizza?
A: This is one of the hardest question I get in life because pizza is one of god's greatest creations. No. This sad answer is a no. Pizza has been a part of my life for a really long time and we had a really special relationship that was ruined.

Q: Do you do it for fun?
A: Why in the world would I do this for fun? It is one of the most painful and tortured things. As dramatic as I may seem about this, I would never choose NOT to just for dieting purposes or any other reason except for my body rejecting it.

Q: So what do you eat?

A: Honestly I am exaggerating about how bad being gluten free. At times, yes it is a struggle (like when you're in Italy surrounded by pasta, pizza, etc.). But there are a lot of healthy substitutes that keep you having a healthy and steady diet. Many places all over the country are starting to be more gluten friendly and offering options for those who are not fortunate enough to have a strong, successful digestive system so thank you.