Continuing to eat gluten when you have a sensitivity or worse, when you have celiac, can also cause infertility, neurological disorders, depression, joint pain, heartburn, ulcers, dental problems, skin problems, weight gain/loss,  etc. Do you (females) want to give up your ability to one day have a child over eating a piece of non gluten free bread? Seriously. Get over yourself. Gluten free is NOT that hard. I’m here to help you… to make it as easy as I can for you. Even though I’m just starting out & I’m brand spanking new to this, I’ve done a LOT of research and I’m going to continue to do so. We’re all in this together.

I’ve heard stories of women who went undiagnosed for months, even years. These women are now not able to have children. I can’t imagine. I one day want children of my own & I can’t imagine the devastation they went through. We need to continue to support each other & spread awareness. Gluten free doesn’t have to be so hard.

Where do you start? You start by:

1. Accepting that you can’t eat gluten & promising yourself you’ll do everything in your power to avoid it.

2. If you were diagnosed with celiac & not a gluten sensitivity, you not only have to worry about consuming the actual gluten ingredient but cross contamination. Throw out your toaster & buy yourself a gluten free only toaster. Seriously. If your husband/children/etc are still going to continue to eat gluten, you need to buy yourself a new toaster and label the two. Make sure everyone in your house understands 1 little crumb can make you ill & bedridden for 3 days.

3. Throw out all of your gluten containing items in your household. I mean it. Donate them to a food bank. Give them to your neighbor. Get them out of your kitchen. If your spouse/children/etc are going to continue to eat gluten containing items (God bless you) make sure they’re separated from the food you can eat & start putting labels “Gluten Free” or “NOT gluten free” on items. However, I’d recommend getting rid of everything & transforming your house into a gluten free house. It’s not that hard, I promise. Eating gluten free isn’t a punishment and your household needs to realize this. Also, if you use sponges to clean your dirty dishes - watch your sponges! Crumbs can get caught & you could gluten your gluten free dish. I read an article once about color coding the gluten containing items in the household as red. Red means NOT gluten free and NOT safe. I thought that was a pretty good idea if you’re going to try & live in a mixed gluten & gluten free kitchen. 

4. Do your research. You’re going to start googling a million products a day to see if they have gluten. If it’s questionable, avoid it. There’s so many gluten free products in the grocery store now you just have to take your time and look. Get ready to try new food. Don’t be discouraged if you buy something new and don’t like it (it’s going to happen - sorry).

5. If you’re eating out, be prepared to ask questions. You might feel like a complete pain in the arse, but this is YOUR health. I always explain first that I have severe food allergies and then I begin asking my million questions. Many places now have gluten free menus - great! However, if you have celiac disease, many of these gluten free menus still may not be safe. For example, Victory (the brewery/restaurant) has a gluten free menu that contains sandwiches that come with their house made potato chips. Do you know what their house made potato chips and fried in? The same fryer that the breaded (gluten containing) wings are fried in. Be careful. Ask questions. If you have NCGS like I do, these house made chips are OK, for whatever reason. If you have celiac, you’re going to be sick for days. Ask about food preparation - utensils/gloves/etc. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. If it’s not going to be safe for you, don’t take a chance. You are the customer. You have the right to be safe & if they can’t promise you that, you have the right to leave.

6. Find your support group. Before a proper diagnosis, my family & friends thought I was crazy. I was trying to keep track of what I was eating to see what my “triggers” were, if any. However, when I get “glutened” it takes about three days to kick in and then I’m down for three days. Since it took 3 days to kick in, I could never figure out what the problem really was. Now that I’ve been properly diagnosed my husband is my biggest supporter. My family understands. I’m meeting amazing people online that are sharing stories, ideas, and recipes with me. You’re not alone.

7. Get excited. That sounds crazy, doesn’t it? This is your opportunity to learn about your new self. To try new foods. To experiment. To share your stories. To raise awareness. To learn from others. Take this diagnosis as an opportunity to better yourself & hopefully help someone else in the future. 

Do you have any recommendations about where to start when you’ve just been diagnosed with celiac or a gluten sensitivity? Anything I’m missing??