As I look back over the past 4+ years of being on the gluten-free diet, I realize how far I have come. I have grown so much. I have opened my mind to many new & exciting foods. I have grown stronger and wiser. No one can take that away from me. I am now taking what I have learned and am sharing it here so that I can hopefully help anyone out there who needs help. Whether it be a link to a gluten-free restaurant, a list of gluten-free foods, ideas for packing lunches or a new recipe – I love doing it all.
It angers me that some are classifying the gluten-free diet as a “fad diet”. While I am sure there are some people out there who may be following the diet because they think it is the new “South Beach” or “Atkins”, the majority of the people I have run across, both in real life and in cyber space, are on the diet for health reasons. Does that mean that the person following the diet has Celiac disease? Not necessarily. There is also non-celiac gluten intolerance, wheat allergies or even someone who just feels better on the gluten-free diet. It is frustrating to go through life not feeling well. Some people don’t get severely ill from consuming gluten, but they don’t feel 100%. These people may have been told they have irritable bowel syndrome or IBS (which I believe really stands for “I be stumped” and the doctors are out of ideas). They may have arthritis, neuropathies, fatigue, the list goes on & on. Does it matter what you call it if the diet is making you feel better? Not in my opinion and it shouldn’t in anyone else’s either.
The gluten-free diet being called a “fad diet” is bringing a lot of awareness and new products to the market. The downfall to this is that restaurants & manufacturers may not understand that cross-contamination is a real risk for those who do have Celiac disease. What can we do to help? Promote awareness. I love that Celiac Disease Awareness month seems to have much more promotion this year. There are giveaways, stores offering product samples, sales & much more. Mambo Sprouts joined forces with the NFCA to help spread the word.
What are you doing to help promote awareness?
