What do you do? May 13, 2008

For a Celiac, being gluten free makes many aspects of life harder. One of the most common problems of a Celiac teen is…….going to a friends house, sleepover, party, etc. Of course, you always feel like a burden, reciting the litany of wheat, rye, oats, barley, modified food starch, distilled vinegar, malt………..etc. This makes it especially hard to go to parties and sleepovers, since many parents are very unfamiliar with this disease. Either you can hand them a 50 page packet explaining everything, or you can do what is easy. When going to a party, your best bet is to bring your own food. You may look a little weird, but people will understand. I bring my own (gluten free) dressing with me in my purse always, and I use old hotel shampoo bottles to keep them in. This is good for school and work. Also, bringing one of those heat-in-the-microwave soups is good as well. Near my home, there is a bakery/foodshop that is designed to be gluten free. They sell mini pizzas which are good to take along. You can order them online at www.madwomanfoods.com, but if you don’t live in MN, WI, IA, IL, ND, or SD, the shipping is pretty expensive. I also love Amy’s foods, at www.amys.com, and there are stores all over the US. They have wonderful microwave foods, pizzas, and many others that are gluten free. (just a note, their rice mac & cheese is to DIE for). Going to parties are only as hard as you want to be, and being proactive with your food is important. Party away!

XO,

Juliet

Life as a (celiac) Teen May 7, 2008

Once you hit 13, its all over. Everything starts to change. You get in fights with your parents, school is hard, puberty hits, and your life is a swirl of change. As a celiac teen, things are even harder. Suddenly you have to change your diet completely. No more pizza at slumber parties, no more burritos at the local mexican place, and you have to carry a special diet card everywhere. Explaining everything to all of your friend’s parents gets old, not to mention annoying. But life as a celiac is doesn’t have to be hard anymore. In the last couple decades, the knowledge of celiac has spread like wildfire. It wasn’t so long ago that nobody really knew about celiac. But growing up in a partial GF family, and later discovering I was Celiac myself has helped me realize that life as a Celiac can be just the same as anyone else. That’s the point of this blog. To reach out to those who haven’t had the same resources I have, or maybe just need a little support and humor on their road through a Celiac lifestyle. Just know people will always be there. Including me.

XO,

Juliet