I know many of us have a hard time going out to eat or ordering to-go. Sometimes its such a pain, and many newbies may even consider “cheating” and eating “just a littleeee” gluten, and just hope it will be worth the consequences. If we ever ask ourselves “Is it worth it?”, the CORRECT answer is no. We get so frustrated that we cant order anything or there’s nothing else in the house. When really its I don’t want the limited choices given to me, and I really dont wanna make rice again for dinner when we have mac n cheese in the cupboard. I will admit that when I first found out I was GI, I cut back on eating gluten… but I still ate it. Those of you who may have tried the gluten enzyme pills know that though they may help a little, its still not the right choice. When I finally made the commitment to be 100% Gluten-Dairy Free it was really hard, but the fact of the matter is, and hear me out on this.. Celiacs and Gluten intolerance is not a diet, its a disease. It should not be optional.
So for instance today when I went out to breakfast instead of getting pancakes and french toast like I wanted.. I got the steak and egg special, two eggs, homefries, bacon and a 6 0z sirloin. Now you tell me that I walked away from that meal not full, and not satisfied.. I walked out with a bang for my buck and I ate right. And for dinner, instead of eating pizza like the rest of my family, I had a salad with turkey on it and a side of fries. There are always options, whether we “prefer” them or not. I know that giving up some of our favorite foods is hard, believe me- I’m italian and loveeee my pasta, italian bread, cheese and pizza.. But I will be the first to tell you how much better I feel all together. When you continue to “cheat” or eat gluten anyways (even just occasionally), your immune system responds by damaging or even destroying villi- which is the hair like lining of your small intestines. Without healthy villi a person can become extremely malnourished, because the villi can no longer let nutrients from food into the bloodstream- meaning celiacs is a disease of malabsorption. The only way you can get the villi to heal is to commit to a strict gluten free diet, and if you cant commit you run a high risk developing complications such as osteoporosis, anemia, and cancer.
So please! set down the pizza, the pretzels, the garlic bread, drop that fork with the pasta wrapped around it, and commit with me to a gluten-free lifestyle! I promise you in the end you will feel so much better everyday, and you will have such a healthier life.
glutenfreeMoJo 