To Cheat or NOT to Cheat

I’ve been gluten free now for over 15 years and it hasn’t been easy.  Early on, I imagined my entire household would hop on the bandwagon and join me so I wouldn’t be alone.  I soon found out they wanted nothing to do with it and dug their heels in. 

Even though I loved to cook and bake, I wasn’t proficient at swapping out ingredients and there weren’t too many choices back then like there is now.  I remember really missing good bread, pasta and pizza!  It was really hard when we went to a restaurant and they brought that delicious warm crusted bread to the table and everyone was indulging except for me.  Most restaurants didn’t have a gluten free menu and I learned to have my burgers without a bun and enjoyed many salads without croutons. 

I often thought about cheating just this once and sometimes I did with penalties.  I remember one year hosting Thanksgiving dinner and I made my mom’s famous dressing and couldn’t keep myself from indulging.  I was sick for three days!  Everyone experiences different symptoms ranging from minor to severe if you are a celiac.  I’m not a celiac, but when I ingest too much gluten, I have severe digestive issues that takes its course until I’m clean again.  Is it worth it to cheat?  As much as I enjoyed eating my mom’s famous dressing that Thanksgiving, I didn’t enjoy the consequences.  So, I would say no.  I’m simply not myself when I’m not feeling well and it’s not worth the short indulgence. Feeling well so I can enjoy life is much for important to me that it ever was. 

Following a gluten free lifestyle is much easier nowadays and it’s gaining popularity.  Restaurants are now offering gluten free items on their menus and the GF market has a lot of new and improved items to choose from.  Our GF communities are growing and I’m really honored to be able to contribute like we do.  I implore you to stay true to your GF lifestyle, explore new recipes and learn to love feeling good!

-Pamela