I'm writing this because I'm frustrated. Frustrated that the food selection at many restaurants, and some groceries stores too, excludes foods that I can eat. I've written about it before, but I'll reiterate that I do my best to follow a gluten- and milk- (not all dairy) free diet. I do this because it's the difference between awful stomachaches and intestinal issues and feeling like I can function like a normal human being. But I guess normal isn't the best choice of words; our state of health in America generally sucks, and I believe (along with many viable sources) that food is the cause -- but I'll write more about that another time. What I mean to say is that in order for me to feel like my body is working its best, I have to eat this way, which can be difficult.

I remember being in middle school and feeling so desperate to eat simple things like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, like my friends did, without feeling horrible later. Honestly, I wished that my body didn't react differently to food so much that I didn't even tell people about my sensitivities. And when offered treats like cake or cupcakes, I'd eat them anyway. A lot of self-discipline and the introduction of gluten-free and milk-free substitutes eventually made, and still make, the decisions to keep up my diet much easier. But let's be clear on one thing: just because your body (in my case my intestines) doesn't like a food, it doesn't mean that you don't. So yes, I like ice cream. I like donuts and chocolate cake and bread sticks.

However, like I said, there are substitutes. I use gluten-free bread, rice cakes, gluten-free brownies and pizza. In some cases, like the bread, I make do. In other cases, like the chocolate cake, I really don't feel like I'm missing out at all. And when it comes to dairy substitutes, there are great alternatives too, like coconut milk or almond milk ice cream. More and more restaurants are carrying these substitutes now and I love that. I love ordering pasta along with my friends or family, and knowing that I'll get to enjoy the same food without suffering for it later. But occasionally, I'm struck, rather punched right in the gut, by an eatery that doesn't have an alternative.

Because there's nothing like watching the people you're with get ice cream and knowing that you can't order what they're getting and you can't order anything like it that you can eat either. You're out of luck, unless you want to gamble and see how fast it's gonna take you to lose the contents of your stomach. It absolutely sucks.

So my question here is this: how can there be so many alternatives to common food allergies and there are still food proprietors who don't bother to offer them? Because I'm not the only one. There are so many lactose-intolerant or Celiac disease-ridden kids who react worse than I do that are being left out. I know how I felt at 11, like there was something wrong with me since I couldn't eat what was "normal." At 19, I realize that there's nothing wrong with me, only something wrong with people or places that make you feel that way for trying to keep up with your own health. Maybe it's simply the fact that I'm from a rural town in the Midwest, but I know firsthand that geographic location doesn't stop anyone from having specific dietary needs.

The bottom line is this: dietary allergies are common and alternatives should be too.