A few days ago, a good friend of mine was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.
If you don’t know what that it, it’s “a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing parts of food that are important for staying healthy,” according to PubMed Health.com. “The damage is due to a reaction to eating gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats.”
Essentially what it means is my friend can no longer eat anything that contains gluten, which typically includes:
- Bread
- Pizza
- Pasta
- Cake
- Cookies
- Muffins
(among other things)
Gluten is found in pretty much all packaged foods and in most take out foods as well.
Going Gluten-Free
I haven’t been diagnosed with Celiac (I’m too scared to take the test!), but I do know I have a gluten sensitivity for sure. So I’ve been gluten-free for almost two years now. I’ve also been dairy-free, but that’s a story for another day.
As you can imagine, living a gluten-free life isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. It can be a real challenge to find something to eat when you’re not at home, and sometimes the things you do find don’t taste very good.
But once you can get through the eye of the storm, you will find on the other side that life is much clearer and your body feels a whole lot better.
You’ll be able to focus better. You’ll feel more creative. You’ll no longer have weird stomach pains or side pains. Your acne will clear up. You will just feel so much damn better overall.
When I discovered I was allergic to gluten and wheat (and dairy) , my whole world stopped for a minute. All I could do was run through a list in my head of all the things I loved and would no longer be able to eat.
And then I began to wonder… so what the hell do I eat now?
(This one’s for you, Lindsay.)
What the Hell Do I Eat Now?
Having food allergies can make it a bit more challenging to eat, that’s for sure. But it doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the hell out of food. There are TONS of foods still on the menu for you.
Vegetables
You might have food allergies, but you aren’t allergic to these delicious, nutritious plants that come in a large variety, go with anything and can be cooked any way you choose.
Increasing your intake of veggies is a great idea for a few reasons:
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