How not to be a bummer (to yourself and people around you) as a celiac
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional, all these tips are coming from my personal experience as a celiac.
Because of my gene pool, I was blessed (or cursed) with celiac disease. No, really! Often I feel lucky not to be able to gorge my way through bakeries and pastry shops. And lacking that option makes me feel more at ease, and conscious about my food choices.
A short explanation for people who don’t know what Celiac Disease is: it’s an autoimmune genetic disease that blocks your body from processing gluten. When consuming it is harming your intestines and other organs, resulting in intestinal cancer, problems with the thyroid gland, and many other disorders. It is not an allergy or intolerance nor a fashion quirk. For us affected by it — gluten is a “silent killer”.
When I was diagnosed with celiac four years ago, I introduced major changes to my food habits. My diet had to become 100% gluten-free, so the first thing I did was immediately got rid off of all the products containing gluten from my kitchen. Secondly, I needed to plan my meals more carefully, think ahead when choosing a restaurant, and eventually preparing more meals myself. So no more quick stops to the bakery, grabbing a croissant with takeaway coffee. As a result, I found myself eating more veggies and homemade meals. One annoying new change was that whenever I was eating with my friends or colleagues I had to explain my disease, how it’s not a dieting choice and that gluten can harm my body, which felt like justifying myself.
One important upside is that after some getting used to meal preparation is becoming easy-breezy, but for the people around you–you’re the person who can not eat the “fun stuff”.
To help you avoid being a bummer to yourself, your family, friends, and colleagues, I wrote a few tips focused on how to make the best food choices, what to avoid, and what can be your go-to meals.
Going to a restaurant
Try to decide what you want to eat in advance! Simply check out the restaurant’s menu online and find something suitable for yourself. After all, you don’t want to discover there are no gluten-free options once you’re already there. Be aware of ordering french fries, because supposedly without gluten, they can be prepared in the same deep fryer previously used for chicken nuggets. A good type of restaurant to consider for GF meals are Thai, Vietnamese, or Indian because they have a wide variety of meals not containing gluten. Sushi is always a great option, just remember to bring your GF soy sauce just in case they don’t have it. Avoid Italian, unless they are famous for their homemade gluten-free pasta. If you don’t find anything on the menu, just eat at home and go out for drinks. Party on!
Going out for drinks
You might think this can not go wrong. Oh, you would be so wrong! For many people “going out for drinks” means having a beer. And somehow there are a lot of places serving ONLY beer. And beer is celiac’s enemy numero uno! Sometimes that kind of bar would have a GF option, but just to be safe go to the regular bar serving any other alcoholic beverage. Yes, we can drink anything else.
Grabbing a coffee
Easy peasy lemon squeezy! You can have coffee as much as you want (before adding anxiety to the list of your diseases). And if people in your company want to enjoy a piece of cake or a brownie, you will gracefully decline. You are not a victim of your sugar cravings.
Going to a buffet restaurant
Abort, abort, abort! Scary movie! But if you are staying in a hotel with a buffet breakfast option, I suggest you get up early and be amongst the first guests to eat until plates are still not cross-contaminated. When in doubt, you could have some hard boil eggs or fruit. Usually, all hotels now have GF bread options, and most of the time you need to ask the serving staff to bring it for you.
Going to a company lunch
Nowadays, it is quite popular for companies to organize a team lunch where all employees would bring something from their country of origin. Especially in diverse environments. This is an absolute nightmare for any person with food restriction be it celiac disease, lactose intolerant, or veganism. People without dietary restrictions don’t usually think much about ingredients, and cross-contamination can easily occur. Double dip is a real scare! So my advice is to bring your own food and something extra on the side to share.
Going to a friends place
If you are going to your best friend’s place, chances are they already know what to prepare. But if your friends are not acquainted with all the aspects of your diet, you need to be straightforward and tell them. The worst thing is to come to the deliciously, in detail prepared meal bathe in beer sauce with couscous (also gluten) and a delicious sponge cake. And say no to fondue! That is a disaster waiting to happen.
Going to a barbecue
Where there is barbecue, there are drinks. If there are drinks, people are coming with all sorts of creative (read stupid) ideas. One time I saw a person making a grilled cheese tower on the barbecue. Extremely horrific and dangerous.
So bottom line, to avoid sad stares and being pitied, don’t make an unnecessary fuss about food. Prepare in advance, know your domain and eat beforehand. And drink! Just don’t go for beers.