Celiac Disease Can Suck It

So, I'm sure you're all wondering about the title of this post.  I'll get to that.  First, I'd like to apologize for my unintentional hiatus.  I know you've all been waiting with bated breath for my next blog post, but sometimes life, and all its nonsense, has a habit of getting in the way.  I was recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease and it turned my entire world upside down.  My diagnosis consumed every waking moment of my life.  I get it.  It's not the worst diagnosis someone can receive.  I certainly know there are people out there with much more serious illnesses.  But it was pretty rough for me.  

 

To put it in perspective, as I've mentioned in previous posts, I am a die hard foodie.  I love to cook.  I love to eat.  My life pretty much revolves around food.  Family time, holidays, celebrations, almost any occasion I can think of involves food, and usually, me preparing said food.  When I found out I had Celiac it was almost like a small part of me died.  I felt like I would never enjoy food again.  I was incredibly depressed and the finality of knowing I can NEVER eat gluten again made me angry and scared. I know, that sounds so dramatic, but it's true.  I first went through the denial stage.  I flat-out refused to go gluten free.  REFUSED.  I didn't want give up the foods I loved so much - bread, pasta, pizza...  I also didn't want to impose this burden on my family.  They didn't deserve to be deprived because of my illness.  It was all too much to bear.  At the urging of my doctor and my husband, I finally decided to suck it up and just do it.  The health complications associated with long-term Celiac Disease are scary enough that I thought it at least deserved a chance.  I did it and I'm still doing it. I wish I could be all Polly Positive and say "Oh, being gluten free is great!  I feel awesome and it's so easy!  Gluten free choices are delicious and I don't miss regular bread at all!"  Truth is, this sucks.  It really sucks. But...it is what it is.  I don't want to die because I couldn't give up bread.

I've been quietly mourning the loss of gluten from my diet but the biggest problem for me is, before I started on this blogging endeavor, I had compiled recipes, food tips, and all kinds wonderful food related things.  I had a whole holiday menu planned for the fall and winter that I couldn't wait to prepare and photograph - and of course eat.  Now, 90% of those planned recipes are out the window.  I had to make a decision as to what to do about this blog.  I was literally at a loss for words.  Do I carry on and pretend like I don't have Celiac?  Prepare all those delicious things I can't eat?  Or do I take everyone on this journey with me?  Essentially, I have to learn how to cook all over again.  That's no easy task. So I've decided on a compromise.  When possible, I'm going to give you my original recipes with the gluten-free equivalent.  Or give you some of my regular ol' recipes (which just so happen to be gluten free) that were already part of my repertoire.  Let's face it, I'm not an authority on Gluten Free cooking so I have to do some research before including ingredients in recipes.  Bear with me during this process.  I've been educating myself as much as possible over the last few weeks and I'm feeling more confident, but I still have a long way to go.  I still want to eat delicious food.  I still want to serve my family food they can enjoy.  And I certainly want to provide you, my readers, with the best information possible.  I'm not trying to be the Gluten-Free Guru, I fully intend to still be me - witty and charming as always.  And I mean that in the most humble way possible.

I'll be honest, since going gluten free, I do feel better.  I can get through a meal, enjoy it and feel satisfied instead of sick.  It's a feeling I haven't experienced in years.  Many of my symptoms have subsided. And for all of Celiac Disease's down sides, feeling better and making changes for my health are definitely a few of the ups. I'm getting through it and making the best of it.  It's still summer, so I'm still grilling and eating fresh, seasonal produce, and that has eased the transition for me. However, I fear the fall and winter.  My cookie-baking, stew-making, pasta-preparing, gravy-laden winter menu is going to be the true test for me.  

So please, stick around.  Even if you're not gluten free.  There will be plenty of crafts, cleaning tips, parenting stuff and recipes of the regular and gluten free variety.  It's back to business as usual here at Stumbling Through Suburbia.  Thanks for your patience.

xoxo Kristen

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