This post is different from the other posts I have shared on Thrive as it is something that is very near and dear to my heart. After having eaten a normal diet for 18 years, I had to make a sudden switch to a gluten free diet after my celiac diagnosis. While I am grateful for my newfound health, this was not an easy transition. Now that I live a gluten free life, I see just how many misconceptions and myths there are about celiac disease.
CELIAC DISEASE IS AN ALLERGY
Lets start off with my least favourite myth out there; the one that drives me up the wall because its so wrong. Celiac disease is not an allergy, while gluten allergies are very real, they are not the same as celiac disease. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease where your body attacks the small intestine when gluten is introduced in the body. A gluten allergy is the same as any other food allergy and has common allergy symptoms.
YOU CAN HAVE GLUTEN SPARINGLY
Living guten free can be flexible and you don have to adhere to it strictly... Let me tell you, I have never heard something so wrong in my entire little life. When you are diagnosed with celiac disease, your doctor will make it very clear to you that you CANNOT gluten. This sent something that you can mess with as poorly treated celiac disease can lead to many serious problems down the road. So if you know someone who is celiac, please do not hassle them into eating something with gluten because its good. Trust me, we know that glutinous food is probably a lot better than gluten-free foods; but we don't have a say in the matter.
BEING CELIAC IS TRENDY
One of the hardest things I had to deal with when I first switched to being gluten free was being judged. I cant tell you the amount of people that questioned my diagnosis and made me feel bad for being celiac. I know that in recent years going on a gluten free diet has become very trendy, but trust me I dont say Im gluten free because its trendy. I say Im gluten free because even the smallest crumb can make me ill for days.
IF A RESTAURANT HAS A GLUTEN FREE MENU YOUR'E SAFE
I cant begin to tell you the amount of times I have been gluten by a restaurant with a gluten free menu. Unless you are eating at a certified gluten free reasutarant you run the risk of cross contamination. I have gone to plenty of reastarnts that were very understanding and informed me that they would wipe down their workspace. Yet I still got sick; as great as it was that they were taking the time to clean their workspace there is still a risk.
YOU CAN CURE CELIAC DISEASE
If there was a cure for celiac disease I would be the first one in line for a cure, because being gluten free kinda sucks. There unfortunately isn't a cure for celiac disease, you have to adhere to a strict gluten free diet. A gluten free diet is the only way to not go through bouts of pain and illness for periods of time.
CELIAC DISEASE IS EASY TO RECOGNIZE AND DIAGNOSE
If celiac disease was easy to cure I wouldn't have been sick for over a year and a half before my diagnosis. My celiac disease presented itself like food poisoning would, I would get horrible stomach cramps, sweats and chills, nausea and vomiting. My symptoms were so severe I made several trips to the emergency room only to be told I had gas.
This was the most furstrating thing I have ever gone through. I am a relatively healthy individual but I was getting sick after every meal, was in a constant fog and just felt terrible all the time. After about a year of dealing with these symptoms I figured I would just be like that for the rest of my life. Fortunately my diagnosis came a couple months later and I feel like a new person.
CELIAC DISEASE IS A CHILDHOOD DISEASE
If only this one was true, then I would have several years of eating gluten free knowledge under my belt already. While many individuals with celiac disease are diagnosed fairly young some don't find out until years later.
Celiac disease is passed on genetically but may never present itself. There are certain things that may cause it to present suddenly; such as stress or cancer. My case presented after a couple of very stressful months at school when I was 17.
Celiac disease is a tricky autoimmune disease that can be managed with extra care when it comes to your diet. I hope you all enjoyed today post, if you guys like this type of content please let me know in the comments down below. I hope you are having an amazing Tuesday and I will see you all soon.
Comentários