I’m sure this will be part one of a series…

My biggest struggle thus far with the Gluten free diet was not the transition to the diet itself but the following things:

1. The social aspect of eating

Eating is a very social aspect in almost every culture. We play together and we eat together. You’re expected to go to dinner with friends and order lunch with your work buddies. This diet makes this incredibly difficult because everything has to be looked at with a fine tooth comb. Want Chinese for dinner? Oh wait, what type of soy sauce do they use?

For me this makes eating quite nerve-racking under this diet. I have always had an unusual need to not be the only one eating if sitting down to eat with someone, it be at a restaurant or at home. It’s one story if I am eating something quick that I made for myself but not when I am supposed to be eating with someone. So, This aspect of my personality in addition to the limited choices of food socially have left me in a predicament where I am typically eating alone with people who are not eating or eating something else than they are. It makes me uncomfortable and stressed, almost making me feel alienated. While I know that is a silly way to feel I cannot deny that it is how I feel or I won’t make progress.

I’m working on some strategies to eliminate these feelings of discomfort and alienation. For instance I’ve come to explain how I am feeling to those around me so they can be more ‘encouraging’. Of course it’s only been two months and more work is needed. Eating socially should be fun, even if you’re the outcast! Haha…

2. The temptation and/or urge to cheat

I think I have pretty good will power. I haven’t cheated yet, although I have accidentaly glutened myself. That’s pretty good in my opinion. I am having urges to cheat however and boy are they powerful and able to sometimes make me a Mad Gluten Free Girl if I don’t find find a GF alternative. I cried next to a cake at work the other day. I’ve noticed that these urges take place typically when I am either stressed or in pain (I have several herniated disks). The Gluten Free Bible which I am reading by Jax Peters Lowell explains these urges as subconscious manifestations of emotions we ourselves may not recognize. For example, My craving for a delicious giant bowl of cookies and creme ice cream is described as a manifestation of my physical pain. This I actually found to be true recently when in pain. The book also describes how our remarks on cheating also have an underlying meaning. For example a line I’ve used myself, “You don’t really care if I eat this cookie”, can really be portrayed as “I need to talk to you about why I want to eat this cookie.” I will have to keep better track of my cravings, emotional states and comments!

3. Having food control my life

I chalk this up to the above two factors. Living on a limited budget and with limited time to shop, prepare and cook currently leaves me very anxious. I am thinking meals ahead of time, thinking about the gluten free value and nutritional value of meals way too much as well as asking those eating with me every question about the food possible. If I don’t have a plan and I don’t know for sure when I’m getting fed and what I’m getting fed I become bitchy and annoyed. it makes me more nervous in social situations than I should be and make me bring food to work in quantities that are more than necessary, especially when we have team meetings. Most importantly it’s taking a toll on my poor boyfriend Mike. He tries his hardest but unless he provides me with 100% detail about my meal I’m just not satisfied. This was never the way I was before and this is has to stop. I’m not really sure of a solution for this but I’m sure I’ll come across one.

My readings so far have shown me that the above are normal emotions in the first few months of the diet, which I am glad to know. I was feeling like a weirdo and I hope my description can help others in the same situation realize that they are not weird. Reading up on recently published gluten free is incredibly helpful. Below is an image of the book I referenced above. I will do a review of it in more detail once I am a bit further in!