Eating the Gluten-Free Way

Salmon cakes

Salmon cakes with a simple side salad.

My journey to a gluten-free diet began seven years ago when I met my husband. At the time, I was a recovering vegetarian (meaning I had given up vegetarianism but still didn’t eat red meat). My husband has celiac disease, and as our relationship grew, my relationship with food evolved as well.

At first, of course, I maintained my usual eating habits. And then I realized just how difficult it is to prevent cross-contamination among gluten-full and gluten-free foods. I tried. I really, really tried. If I was making grilled cheese sandwiches, I’d make his first using gluten-free bread and then mine with gluten-full bread (sometimes in a separate pan). I’d wash my hands every single time I touched anything with gluten. But still, inevitably, he would get glutenized.

I finally came to the realization that unless we bought a house with two kitchens, combining gluten-full and gluten-free just wasn’t working. I’d feel so bad whenever he was contaminated with gluten. And so we became a gluten-free household.

And after a while on my gluten-free diet I realized my diet was restricted enough without eating beef, so I started eating red meat again.

I’d always had some interest in eating organic foods, but it was really the birth of our son that prompted us to really think about what we were eating and bring more organic foods into our diet. It is so nice to stand in the checkout line at the grocery store with a cart full of fresh fruits and vegetables, organic meats, eggs, etc., and know that I’m providing our children with a healthy role model. We aren’t perfect, of course. I enjoy cake and ice cream as much as the next person (and I still occasionally eat gluten), but for the most part I’d consider us to be healthy eaters.

If I could sum up our eating, it would be this: Other kids eat Oreos for a tasty snack, mine eats seaweed.

Have you gone gluten-free yet?

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