LIVING A GLUTEN-FREE LIFESTYLE FOR A WHILE

This article is for people who have adjusted to a gluten-free life. In this sense, adjusted means that your kitchen is under control, you know your way around grocery stores, how to choose and be in a restaurant and generally function despite your relationship with gluten. Adjusted doesn’t mean that you are happy all the time, or that you never get glutened, or that you don’t feel embarrassed at dinner at your in-law’s house or in a business setting. (For tips about keeping a positive attitude, click here.)

Hopefully you have also committed yourself to living a healthy lifestyle.

Consider at least scanning our Table of Contents to learn expert suggestions about the various aspects of life affected by a diagnosis. Hopefully you’ll find some information that’s useful to you - even if “just” to update you. If there is even one piece of information that would make your life better – we would be happy.

If everyone in your household does not eat gluten-free at home, the kitchen is a daily risk of cross-contamination. Consider asking if everyone will agree to eat gluten-free while at home. With all the substitutes available today, it is not as if you are asking a lot – and they are free to do what they want outside of the home. It may be easier if you also make the change a commitment to eating healthy – at least at home.

If you go out to restaurants, consider giving a copy of our guide about restaurants to the owner/manager of your favorite restaurants to help educate about how things should be done. The idea would be to help the restaurant do its best when it comes to taking care of people who have gluten issues – which will in turn help their business. Safe gluten-free cooking is also helpful for all those people who don’t have a health condition but prefer a gluten-free lifestyle.

If you get glutened, see our article about the subject. You may get some ideas you haven’t thought of.

If you have continuing symptoms as if you have been glutened but don’t believe you have been, let your physician know. You may have another health condition that has not yet been diagnosed.

If you haven’t set a follow-up date with your gastroenterologist, please think about what the doctor said about the timing of follow-up visits. Is it time? If not, please be sure to set the date on your calendar.

Last, but not least, if you haven’t consulted with a registered dietitian, please consider doing so. Shifting to a gluten-free diet can wreak havoc with healthy eating.