Gluten Free Works Gluten Free Resources News and Tips
Once you’ve been diagnosed with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance, it is easy to become wrapped up in fear and anxiety about food. This is absolutely normal as now there is an apparent “evil” out there just waiting to get ya.
However, reality is it’s been getting you on a regular basis prior to being diagnosed or figuring it out on your own. While the symptoms definitely suck, and for some people, can be debilitating at times, you have still survived up until this point! This is in no way to say that you shouldn’t be cautious and consistently checking ingredients and learning how to eat so that you don’t get sick. This is just to say not to let it completely control your life.
YOU are NOT Celiac disease. You are a person, possibly a mother, daughter, son, father, sister, friend, business person, social butterfly, adventurer, lover on nature, lover of animals, artist, musician, and the list goes on and on. You just happen to have Celiac disease or gluten intolerance in conjunction with all your other amazing qualities. Don’t forget about those wonderful other aspects of yourself because those are the things that make changing your diet all worth it!
When you feel better, you’ll enjoy these other aspects of yourself even more. However, it takes time to learn everything, and avoiding life in the meantime will likely only make you feel worse.
So, just acknowledge and accept that while you’re learning, the possibilty of being “gotten by evil gluten” is probably pretty high, and being anxious and afraid of it will probably not change that much, it will only cause you increased suffering and frustration. Don’t get angry at yourself if you mess up, just take note of what happened so you can do it differently in the future. We didn’t grow up eating this way, so it makes sense that it will take some time to adjust.
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Author Information: Jennifer Leeson, Denver, CO
Denver Gluten-free Examiner at Examiner.com
Jennifer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and an expert on changing negative emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. After being diagnosed with Celiac Disease last October, she learned there was more to transforming her life around food beyond knowing what to eat and what not to eat. There were unexpected social, emotional, and behavioral challenges that arose. Since learning how to cope with these obstacles herself, she has begun teaching others how to cope effectively with the barriers that interfere with successfully changing one’s entire lifestyle around food. You can reach Jennifer at her e-mail address.
