Sunday, June 28, 2015

Coeliac Disease is not a 'bandwagon'. It's not a choice.

We were at a play date in a park yesterday with a heap of other parents and kids from school. We all brought plates of food etc.

As I put my gf muffins and rice crackers on the table another mum mentioned that they were looking into jumping on the 'gluten and grain free bandwagon' too.

I couldn't actually think of anything to say. I think the confused and dumbfounded look on my face spelled it out though lol

My son, husband and mother-in-law have Coeliac Disease. I don't have a choice. Trust me, if I could feed them the usual flour-filled goodies without fear of them getting really sick, I would. My daughter and I still eat some gluten containing things, we don't need to avoid it. But I cook & bake using only gluten-free ingredients so that I don't have to stress about cross-contamination and so that everyone can eat the goodies.

Coeliac Disease is not a choice. Going gluten free is a necessity. It's not fun. It's not 'trendy', it just is what it is. And sometimes it sucks. Try being an 8yo boy watching his friends tuck into really awesome looking cupcakes or pizza and knowing you can't even have a taste because otherwise you'll be sitting on the toilet for hours after (and that's a mild reaction).

If you want to go gluten free because you believe it will help you lose weight or will make you healthy, seriously, go for it. But that's your choice. It's not a necessity, it's not needed (no matter how many self-styled health 'gurus' or celebrity bloggers tell you otherwise). But don't minimize the seriousness of an actual auto-immune disease and lump it together with what is essentially your lifestyle choice.

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