Gluten-free. It is a term that has become used more frequently in today's world as it has become a widespread trend to eat healthier and live a better lifestyle. I am one of the lucky few who got ahead of the game since I was born with an intolerance to gluten. I used to eat turkey and cheese roll-ups while all my friends ate PB&J sandwiches so I would like to believe that I had a small part in starting this trend. Despite its increasing popularity, there are still some things that only gluten-free people understand.
1. You have to explain gluten-free a million times a day. As popular as gluten-free is, there are still many people who are uneducated about it so it has become something that you have to explain constantly. You have to explain that it is a protein in wheat which is used in flour so, yes, you can eat rice since it is another type of grain but no, you cannot eat the fried Chik-Fil-A nuggets or the Cheez-its or even those delicious crispy pretzels.
2. The looks you get when you say you are gluten-free. These looks can be mainly either one of two things: the person you tell either has absolutely no idea what that means or is annoyed that you are one of those people who is trying to make their life complicated. After being gluten-free for my whole life, I have come to know these facial expressions like the back of my hand. You will then have to explain what gluten free is or you have to deal with another person that is annoyed that you are living this lifestyle.
3. This is not a chosen diet. There are people who get annoyed when you say that you are gluten-free believe it or not whether it be friends or waiters. Telling them of this intolerance makes your friends have to accommodate your allergy ALL the time or the waiter gives you the side-eye since it adds one more thing to their list of things to worry about. It is not a chosen diet. I'm not trying to be healthier or complicate things on purpose, believe me.
4. Reading food labels becomes a habit. You never want the worst of the worst to happen so it becomes necessary to make sure that the foods we buy and consume are completely gluten-free. End of story.
5. Gluten-free food labels in grocery stores are your life-savers, literally. Grocery stores have long aisles of food with endless amount of food products so reading every label is not looking so appealing. But when grocery stores have dedicated a special section of the aisle to gluten-free foods or foods have the glorified "GF" on the box, you know that you have reached your holy place and can even hear the angels singing.
6. You ALWAYS have a snack stashed in your bag. Being gluten-free limits your meal options and sometimes some people are not always so accommodating to your dietary needs so it has become another habit to make sure that a gluten-free snack is always on your person. ALWAYS. Sometimes you don't know when your next meal will be so you want to make sure you never go hungry.
7. Restaurants with gluten-free menus automatically become one of your go-to's. It's just that simple. These gluten-free menus make your life so much easier since you do not have to have the waiter going back and forth between you and the chef telling you which items are or aren't gluten-free or have to settle for a salad, yet again.
8. You miss out on free food. There are some days where there will be free food and desserts at certain social events or work or someone brings you food. The downside of it is that you won't get to read the food labels and the person who brought you food forgot you were gluten-free or didn't completely understand what it was so you had to politely decline, again.
9. You learn who your true friends are. True friends remember your allergy and will make sure the restaurants you go to and meals you eat are gluten free. It becomes easier to tell which friends care and which ones don't as time goes on.
10. Your mood becomes 10 times better when you discover a new gluten-free food. It is rare when a new gluten-free food is found. Not only do you get to taste something completely different and get to try a food that normal people rave about but you also get to add a little bit of diversity to your diet. It feels like an accomplishment discovering this new food.
