It's been two years since I was diagnosed with coeliac disease and over that time I've noticed people have a lot of misconceptions about it so I thought I'd highlight a few of them and break them down.
For those who don't know, coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks itself when the person with it eats gluten. By not cutting gluten out, those with it can get bowel cancer, become infertile and generally have a really low immune system which can make them susceptible to things like flu and thin bones.
So one of the most common things people say to me when I say I can't eat gluten is "can't you have just a little bit"...
Absolutely not! It's like asking me to poison myself, what fun that would be. This definitely links back to people not realizing that it's an actual disease that would make me really ill. You'd be surprised at the amount of times I hear this, and it's getting really boring laughing it off.
Another classic is "oh you're just dieting". Errr please, who in their right mind would cut out gluten if they didn't need to? Yet amazingly people do. It's because of these people that I feel so uncomfortable telling restaurant staff that I can't eat gluten, as they think it's just a diet fad that won't affect me. On the flip side, it's also because of these people that there are so many alternative gluten free foods out there. So to all gluten free dieters, I thank and resent you.
Additionally, people always try to feed me things that they don't realize has gluten in. This is one I'm not as bothered about, as it's an easy mistake to make and people don't always realize that gluten is in things other than wheat. For those who don't know, gluten is in rye, barley, wheat and oats and can appear in unsuspecting things like soy sauce, malt vinegar, pasta and porridge.
Cross contamination is a big one and links back to the 'oh can't you just have a little bit?'. Let me spell this out, people who are gluten intolerant will be able to share toasters and deep fat fryers with glutenous things, but people with coeliac definitely can't. It takes as little as a crumb to cause a reaction and that can really ruin someones day so people need to be mindful of the effects cross contamination can have.
Finally, coeliac disease is nothing like being lactose intolerant, they are not the same thing. People always say to me 'oh wait you can't have it, it's got milk in it', or, 'oh I forgot you're vegan sorry'. I'm NOT vegan, and I CAN eat lactose (thank god). Just because I have one dietary requirement, doesn't mean I have them all.
I wanted to share some of the things I experience daily as it's not something I discuss outside of my friendship circles that much. Chances are you know someone who has coeliac disease, and I'm sure they would really appreciate if you were mindful of things I've mentioned above and take precautions to keep gluten out of their way.
For those who don't know, coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease where the body attacks itself when the person with it eats gluten. By not cutting gluten out, those with it can get bowel cancer, become infertile and generally have a really low immune system which can make them susceptible to things like flu and thin bones.
So one of the most common things people say to me when I say I can't eat gluten is "can't you have just a little bit"...
Absolutely not! It's like asking me to poison myself, what fun that would be. This definitely links back to people not realizing that it's an actual disease that would make me really ill. You'd be surprised at the amount of times I hear this, and it's getting really boring laughing it off.
Another classic is "oh you're just dieting". Errr please, who in their right mind would cut out gluten if they didn't need to? Yet amazingly people do. It's because of these people that I feel so uncomfortable telling restaurant staff that I can't eat gluten, as they think it's just a diet fad that won't affect me. On the flip side, it's also because of these people that there are so many alternative gluten free foods out there. So to all gluten free dieters, I thank and resent you.
Additionally, people always try to feed me things that they don't realize has gluten in. This is one I'm not as bothered about, as it's an easy mistake to make and people don't always realize that gluten is in things other than wheat. For those who don't know, gluten is in rye, barley, wheat and oats and can appear in unsuspecting things like soy sauce, malt vinegar, pasta and porridge.
Cross contamination is a big one and links back to the 'oh can't you just have a little bit?'. Let me spell this out, people who are gluten intolerant will be able to share toasters and deep fat fryers with glutenous things, but people with coeliac definitely can't. It takes as little as a crumb to cause a reaction and that can really ruin someones day so people need to be mindful of the effects cross contamination can have.
Finally, coeliac disease is nothing like being lactose intolerant, they are not the same thing. People always say to me 'oh wait you can't have it, it's got milk in it', or, 'oh I forgot you're vegan sorry'. I'm NOT vegan, and I CAN eat lactose (thank god). Just because I have one dietary requirement, doesn't mean I have them all.
I wanted to share some of the things I experience daily as it's not something I discuss outside of my friendship circles that much. Chances are you know someone who has coeliac disease, and I'm sure they would really appreciate if you were mindful of things I've mentioned above and take precautions to keep gluten out of their way.
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