“What the heck is gluten,” I’d asked the doctor as he told me it was crucial I’d make this dietary change.
I didn’t get many answers, until I got into my mother’s minivan with an allergen note in hand. Google became my doctor. I looked up from my phone, tears in my eyes, and I said “Mom, I can never eat a raspberry pie again?”
When we arrived home, my dad now had a new joke to pick on me about my “condition,” and I knew I had to become that type of person to read the labels on everything I ate. It wasn’t a fun adjustment. I have to be honest here.
I drove to our local grocery store and bought myself a raspberry pie, gluten-filled, with the last $10 in my bank account. Accompanied by tears, the entire pie was devoured within fifteen minutes, and I regretted that decision due to repercussions handed to me, but it was my monumental last farewell to gluten.
It’s been almost five years now, and the adjustment has become second nature. The first year was rough. Reading labels, arguing with my parents about ingredients, Youtube research, etc. We got through it. My best friend, I have to admit, was two apps my father had found.
We’d run through the grocery store with our phones open scanning every product in our sight. It felt like school work. I was taking notes and memorizing each product, and reciting them back to myself each time we’d go back, until it became a breeze.
Now I go to the store and it’s an automatic thought of “I can have this” and “I can’t have this.” Once the diet swarms your psyche, you’ll never forget it. If someone was to say “Paige, you can eat gluten again,” I’d still eat the way I do, after I find another good pie.
The bottom line is, it’s all a huge game of picking and choosing until it becomes a habit. You’ll have your favorite brands, and make a mental note of the bread that has a texture similar to your Grandmother’s carpet from the 70’s. It’s all try and see. That’s the only way you can ensure comfortability through the process.
Jealousy, though, is the hardest obstacle. The suffocating cloud of wanting parlor pizza or Starbucks cake pops. It’s difficult, that’s the theme of this entire piece. I still find this challenging and it's been half a decade since this entire journey began. At the end of the day, you can’t change your habits. No matter how many times someone says “one bite won’t hurt” or “it’s not that serious,” don’t cave.
There’s an enlightening part of “glutenfreeism,” for lack of better term, and it’s the bright shine someone gets when you take them to a 100% GF eatery and they say “no way that’s gluten-free.” Boom. That’s how you know you’re winning.
Granted, I don’t cook, but I do enjoy a nice dinner out to eat. I especially enjoy it when I can have a solid “told you” moment with my friends.
The food world we live in today is perfect for an opportunity to be gluten-free. It is rough at times. Parties, weddings and thanksgiving, for example. Although I have never found more joy in discovering new GF places to spend my dollars.
This especially after moving to the New York City area in 2021, there’s endless options and even more places to discover. Let me be your guide to discover these places with you. Paige’s GF page is here for all your gluten-free needs.
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