Frustrated With "gluten Fad Diet" Comments

[Ankharet]

I am frustrated in dealing with people who insist i am following a "fad diet". I have diagnozed Celiac Disease and struggle with it daily! I am sincerely frustrated that i cannot get people to understand that even "sensitivity" can be real issues and lead to Celiacs.

I also struggle with the emotional and dietary problems of goind places and taking my own food and friends/relatives/ect getting upset i wont eat THEIR food. Or I constantly have to explain that fried foods are NOT ok, even potatoes becasue of cross contamination.

"It's a fad" "arent you going to feel silly when the fad goes away" or get this, the audacity for someone to say its all in my head! Above all, the complete confusion of the reality it is NOT an allergy, but like a poison to the system. I have gotten so much advice of "just take zyrtec" for it, and eat what you want. LOL

Explaining the aches and pains, the mind fog and so many other side effects is NOT pleasing! People just don't get it.

Going crazy and frustrated

Ankharet in Bozeman MT

[user001]

The past two months I've visited restaurants and gotten a lot of eye rolls. Pretty sick of it also, makes me not want to go out unless it's a place that is all gluten-free or caters to people with celiac disease. In other words, people that get it. My family doesn't understand at all either, they think oh you stop eating bread and pasta and you're all better, but there is much more to worry about like cross contamination. Also the effects of living with this disease for 30 years undiagnosed, still can cause problems for years to come. I don't eat gluten anymore but eating is still stressful because my digestion is still all whacked out and Eating out is very stressful too.

 

I suppose people don't understand, the media often titles stories demonizing a gluten-free diet, I'm a bit of a conspiracy theorist so I think it has something to do with the producers of gluten containing products worried about business. Just look at the studies saying high fructose corn syrup is ok.. funded by the people who produce it. 

[Kateteich]

I am frustrated in dealing with people who insist i am following a "fad diet". I have diagnozed Celiac Disease and struggle with it daily! I am sincerely frustrated that i cannot get people to understand that even "sensitivity" can be real issues and lead to Celiacs.

I also struggle with the emotional and dietary problems of goind places and taking my own food and friends/relatives/ect getting upset i wont eat THEIR food. Or I constantly have to explain that fried foods are NOT ok, even potatoes becasue of cross contamination.

"It's a fad" "arent you going to feel silly when the fad goes away" or get this, the audacity for someone to say its all in my head! Above all, the complete confusion of the reality it is NOT an allergy, but like a poison to the system. I have gotten so much advice of "just take zyrtec" for it, and eat what you want. LOL

Explaining the aches and pains, the mind fog and so many other side effects is NOT pleasing! People just don't get it.

Going crazy and frustrated

Ankharet in Bozeman MT

Wow, you guys make me feel way better, I been getting the exact same treatment from friends and coworkers for the last week.

I was starting to think they were right and I was crazy, after all how could I be allergic to something I've been eating my whole life!

I feel your pain, I get it! This forum has made me feel better for the first time since I was diagnosed, it's a real disease, and it's not just in your head, we need to hang together for support.

[Pegleg84]

Yep, also sick of it. But also sick of the people who are going gluten-free cause "it's healthy" and "I'll loose weight!" Oy. I had one restaurant owner (yes, owner) ask if I was on a cleanse cause I said I couldn't have gluten/soy/dairy. Umm... a lifelong clease.

If you do eat out, call ahead. Make it EXPLICIT that you have Celiac. It's medical condition, not a fad. You'll get really sick... or just eat at home or take your own.

But yeah, after that "study" recently saying the "NCGI doesn't exists", there was a lot of backlash, and I had more than a few arguments with people about it. It's frustrating, especially when some people think it might be psychosomatic. well, guess what. It IS in my head, because gluten can cause neurological symptoms, so there!

Anyway, be firm. You know what you've got. If someone isn't taking you seriously, don't let them serve you anything, that's for sure.

 

Welcome to the forum!

[BlessedMommy]

I agree, the fad diet comments are extremely frustrating.

 

What is also frustrating is that a lot of people do not realize that there are completely legitimate reasons why some people don't have a diagnosis and yet still have to eat gluten-free. It's not a fad for me, it's absolutely a medical need. Just because someone had a doctor who didn't put the pieces of the puzzle together and order the tests in time or didn't have medical insurance or had atypical symptoms, or didn't realize that they needed to stay on gluten for diagnosis, or couldn't tolerate a gluten challenge doesn't make them any less deserving of avoiding that which they know is poison to their body.

 

I fall into that category, I will never attempt another gluten challenge, because I'm not guaranteed to survive next time!

 

Due to the severity of my response to the gluten trial, I would rather treat it like celiac rather than just a sensitivity, because if I do have celiac and didn't get it diagnosed, I will be harming myself if I'm lax on the diet. 

 

But, a lot of articles on the internet seem to insist that unless you have that slip of paper from the doctor, you're following a fad, so I just try not to read them anymore.

 

I see celiac (or NCGI if that's what I actually have) as an opportunity to learn to grow a thicker skin. As another non-diagnosed strictly gluten-free person said, "I don't care what people think, I only care what they try to feed me and I probably wouldn't eat it anyway because I don't trust them." 

[SMRI]

I ran into someone at the grocery store yesterday and she was buying some gluten-free foods.  I asked her if she was gluten-free because it was my first gluten-free shopping trip and I was going to pick her brain.  She said she wasn't but kept a few things on hand for others.  She asked if I was dieting with a bit of an attitude and I said I was gluten-free not by choice.  She dropped the attitude and ended up being very helpful.  I think I will use the "not by choice" in the future .

[oni]

I've quit trying to defend myself. I'll usually explain why I'm turning down delicious muffins/cake/dounts.. whatever. If they come back with a snotty comment I just walk away. I used to get mad and defensive but it doesn't help, I even offered to show someone my endoscopy results once.... It's almost  like trying to change someones mind on a religous or political belief. Sometimes people are beyond help.

 

PS. I'm in Bozeman too!

[Georgia-guy]

I hate those "fad diet" comments! I went out the other night with a couple friends, and got me some coke and jäger. The bartender asked my why I was wasn't eating, and I simply and nicely said "because your establishment doesn't have a gluten free menu, so I don't really trust the kitchen to prepare a gluten free meal for me". Her response was an attitude filled "well, is that jäger gluten free?" I showed her an email from jäger that someone forwarded to me stating it's gluten free, paid my tab, and left a nice 1 cent tip on my credit card since I know that establishment determines server ranking for shifts based off credit card tip percentage. Yes, I can be a jerk sometimes. But when I don't have attitude about being gluten free, it's normally pushing 50% tips.

[user001]

Yes and WINE is gluten free. WINE, GLORIOUS WINE. People can be so rude. We aren't trying to lose weight necessarily, we are just trying to not die or be seriously ill! DUH!