This week we are talking about the things that we wished our friends knew about celiac disease and I'm going to be covering off eight things that we wish our friends knew.
Below is a transcript from my Podcast. If you would prefer to listen, you can do so here or scroll to the bottom for a list of the Top 8 Things Your Friends Should Know About Celiac Disease
Now you might like to go ahead and share this with your friends and family and help spread the word because it is currently celiac awareness month, and we need to get as much info out there to people that don't understand about celiac disease as much as possible.
Number one
We want you to know that even if you feel uncomfortable that there's food involved, we still want to be included at food events. So if you're going out for dinner or you're having a dinner party or there's something happening and it's revolving around food, please still invite us. Give us the opportunity to say yes or no. We are still your friends and we still want to see you. And as you know, most things are actually revolved around food. So most events are revolved around food. So we don't want to be left out. We don't want to be ignored and put in the too hard basket. So please still invite us and give us that opportunity to say yes or no.
Number two
If I accidentally eat gluten, it might not affect me straightaway. So if I accidentally have gluten, it's not going to go through me straight away. So don't sit and stare at me when I eat food and think, "Oh my God, she accidentally had some gluten. Is she going to be sick?"
We don't need to be stared up. We don't need to be worried about, we can look after ourselves. We love you as advocates, but there's this issue with gluten. It's not like peanuts where we could have an anaphylactic fit straight away if we ingested peanuts, if we had a peanut allergy. Gluten can take some people a couple of hours to affect them. Some people can take half an hour. Just so you know.
Number three
Just because I could eat gluten once upon a time and I was fine, doesn't mean I can now.
I've been diagnosed with celiac disease, my friend, and it means I'm no longer able to eat any gluten, not even a crumb , because it's going to make me very, very sick and it's going to make my body attack itself. So if you'd like to mention that, yes, I used to be able to eat gluten honey, I'm very well aware of that. I miss donuts. I miss fresh, beautiful, soft bread. I miss all that stuff. So I don't need you to remind me that I used to be able to eat gluten. Celiac disease can trigger in many people when they are older. And that means that yes, they used to be able to eat gluten but now can't. Please don't don't remind us. We already know.
Number four
I'm not the only person with celiac disease. It's actually quite common. I might be the only person you have ever met with celiac disease and you don't know much about it, but it's actually quite common here in Australia. It affects about one in 70 people. So that's a lot of people, so yeah, there's probably lots and lots of people in your life that have got it. But you just don't actually know that they've got celiac disease. People are becoming more aware of it.
Number five
Gluten free is not just avoiding bread. There's actually way more things that we need to avoid. Gluten is in a lot of foods and it hides in many, many places.
There's certain chocolates and obviously treats that we can't have because they've got gluten in them. We have to be very, very careful with what we eat. So when we check packaging and when we ask you a hundred questions about certain foods it's because we are keeping ourselves safe and we don't want our body attacking itself. So that's why we ask lots of questions.
Number six
Please don't tell me, I'm lucky . Please stop telling me I'm lucky to have celiac disease because I'll never get fat because I can't eat this and I can't that eat that. It's not true. We are not lucky. We have been given this disease and we have no choice about it. Trust me. I would much rather be able to eat what I want when I want eat, where I want not have to take food with me. So please, please don't tell me that I'm lucky. It's actually a little bit offensive and it makes us feel a bit sad. So we are definitely not lucky. I wouldn't put us in that category.
Number seven
Please don't tell me that you would die if you had to eat gluten free , you will not die. If you get a diagnosis with celiac disease, you will not die if you have to eat gluten free .
My brother said this exact thing to me. He couldn't drink beer/alcohol anymore because he had pancreatitis. And I told him he had celiac disease. I was convinced. And he said, Oh my God, I would die if I had to stop eating gluten. I've cut out beer. I'm not stopping eating all my food.
Lo and behold, he's got celiac disease. So, yep . He hasn't died from eating gluten-free so yeah, you don't need to tell us that you would die.
Number eight
Please try our gluten-free food that we have prepared if we offer it to you.... and don't tell me that it's gross. Gluten free food is amazing when you are making the right food and cooking well.... it is amazing. And I have to say, I reckon the baked food.... the treats, the cakes, the slices and the muffins and all those things, the brownies.... I actually prefer them to the gluten filled versions. So yeah, please don't knock our food before you try it because it's actually amazing.
And there's some really delicious recipes and meals out there.
So just to recap, the Top 8 Things we Wish our Friends Knew About Celiac Disease are:
Please include us and invite us to events that revolve around food
If I accidentally eat gluten, it might not affect me straightaway
Just because I could eat gluten once upon a time and I was fine, doesn't mean I can now
I'm not the only person with celiac disease. It's actually quite common
Gluten free is not just avoiding bread
Please don't tell me, I'm lucky to have celiac disease because I'll never get fat
Please don't tell me that you would die if you had to eat gluten free
Please try our gluten-free food that we have prepared if we offer it to you.... and don't tell me that it's gross
That's the eight things that we wished our friends knew about celiac disease. Thank you so much for reading and be sure to share this with your friends and family and on your socials and get the word out there.
What else do you wish your friends knew about Celiac Disease?
