Six years ago, I was diagnosed with Celiacs Disease. Celiacs Disease is an autoimmune disease affecting the small intestine, and gluten (a protein in wheat, rye, and barley) triggers a negative reaction where the body attacks the tissue lining the small intestine. There is a huge variety of symptoms, but common ones include stomach aches, weight loss, bloating, and fatigue. People like myself with Celiacs must strictly follow a gluten-free diet in order to avoid having symptoms and to prevent malnutrition which occurs when the small intestine can't absorb nutrients due to aggravation from gluten. About 1/100 people have Celiacs, and about 6/100 people have a gluten sensitivity. The difference is that a sensitivity causes an aggravation outside of the digestive track, while with Celiacs, the body is attacking itself due to a trigger caused by gluten.
Celiac's Disease and any sort of gluten sensitivity are serious health problems. I have always found it irritating when people assume that I do not eat gluten because I'm one of those "fad dieters". Not only do they not realize how dangerous gluten to be to my health, they do not understand how difficult it can be to have to follow a gluten-free diet. For one, it is extremely expensive. A small bag of gluten free flour can cost about $5, no one should have to pay an absurd amount of money for food, just because they have a food allergy, sensitivity, etc. True, there is a government reimbursement available for people who have food sensitivities like mine, however, you have to spend an unrealistic amount of money on gluten free food in order to qualify for the reimbursement. Second of all, gluten free diets are extremely unhealthy. Because gluten is so genetically modified, it is addictive and bad for your health. But unless you eat an all natural gluten free diet and do not buy specific gluten free things like cookies, bread, crackers, etc., the gluten-free diet is unhealthy too. Gluten makes grain products fluffy and tasty, without gluten, the products are hard and filled with sugar to make them taste better. Unless you cannot eat gluten, or want to eat a gluten free diet made up of plain rice, potatoes, fruits, veggies, etc. I would never recommend a gluten-free diet, and I don't understand why it is such a "fad" today.
With all of the temptation of delicious foods out there, it is hard to avoid eating gluten. I am always tempted to just take a cheddar biscuit at Red Lobster or to eat a cookie when they are being passed around in a classroom. And what people do not understand is that sometimes the "substitutes" for gluten are just as challenging as not eating the gluten itself. A cup of fruit is not the same as birthday cake at a friend's party. A salad is not the same as a cheeseburger. While the effort people put into trying to find something for a person with a gluten sensitivity to eat is wonderful and heart-warming, it can also serve as a painful reminder that I am not like everyone else.
Sometimes, it can feel like people just set out gluten free options because they are obligated to, and don't think about how people who eat gluten free food like food just as much as everyone else. In high school, the only thing I was guaranteed to be able to eat in my cafeteria was the same salad every day and a ham or turkey and cheese sandwich without the bun. In college, I can have pasta (when the pasta bar is actually opened), a hot dog the majority of the time, or salad. On occasion, I have the option of hamburgers, burritos, pizza, and rarely a brownie or cookie, but those items always go fast because they are not always offered. For my friends who are dairy free and vegans, the options are even more limited. I should not have to eat the same meals every few days because my school does not offer many options for me, Just because there are some gluten free options, like they are legally obligated to provide, does not mean they are good options. It is not my fault that I have a disease, then why am I being treated like I made this choice and I have to pay for the consequences of my actions?
And although not being able to eat gluten makes me feel angry and sad, it can be embarrassing too. Lots of people assume I'm just some looney who does not eat gluten because I'm trying to purify my system, but in reality that isn't it at all. I always feel so disappointed when I cannot try the new recipes my family brings to holiday dinners, and I feel guilty when someone buys me a cookie, not knowing that I cannot eat it. I feel embarrassed holding up the lunch line because the grills have to be cleaned before the school can make my burrito in order to avoid cross-contamination, which is a lot more serious than most people think, or skip out on pizza night with friends because the pizza place they want to go to does not have anything I can eat. I try to be as nice to waiters, cooks, etc. as I can because it is never their fault that I cannot eat gluten and they have to specially prepare food for me. For the amount of extra work they have to put in to make me my meal always makes me feel guilty. I should not have to feel this way about the food I am eating because Celiac's Disease is out of my control, but there are enough mean people in this world who make me feel ashamed of my body.
Living a gluten free lifestyle can be extremely difficult, and the only upside to it is that I am healthy (let's be honest, gluten free food sucks). But what can people do who are not gluten free or do not have a limited diet? Well for one, you can understanding and supportive. One of my close friend's is a vegan, and we are extremely supportive of each other because we both know how difficult our diets can be, and it is encouraging. People can also educate themselves on the different types of food sensitivities out there, so they know how to help someone with a food sensitivity (for example, there is gluten in white flour). Anyone can advocate for restaurants, schools, etc. to have more food options available to students with limited diets, the more people who bring awareness, the more that can be done. People in the food industry can be nice to people with food allergies; we are not here to make your life difficult, we just want to have a good time eating out like everyone else. And most importantly, you can legitimize diseases like Celiac's, and fight the ignorance and negative stigmatism that surrounds it. I am living with Celiac's Disease, and other than the fact that I cannot eat gluten, I am no different than anyone else, and I, along with the millions of others like me, deserve to be treated as such.
