Stephanie
You Are What You Eat
“The food you eat can either be the
safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison.” (Ann
Wigmore). I ate like everyone for thirty years, and suddenly my doctor announced
that I have to change my entire way of cooking and eating. What surprising news!
Coeliac disease, which has developed for many reasons, may have a profound
influence on our lifestyle. Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease caused by
the intolerance to gluten, which is a protein found mainly in wheat. The body
does not keep the vitamins it ingests and this creates a nutritional deficiency.
The only way to manage the disease is a strict gluten-free diet for life. Coeliac
disease considerably affected my life, causing me to start a restrictive diet,
and therefore to change all my food habits and to introduce the disease to my
relatives.
The first effect of the disease on my health was severe anemia.
My body was not able to store the vitamins of my food. It caused fatigue and difficulty in concentrating on what I
was doing at work, especially after having lunch. Daily, it was really
difficult to deal with. I slept more and more, and nothing changed. I often
wondered what was wrong with me. In addition, I also had weight problems,
mainly due to water retention. When my doctor told me the test results, I felt
relieved that finally someone had found what was happening. However, the diet
of course, scared me a little. This diet seemed to be unfair to me at the
beginning. On the other hand, it was definitely the time to get back to a
better state of health not to have more serious consequences on my body.
Full of motivation, I started to
read books and information on the Internet to know everything about my new
restrictive diet. Initially, that was very challenging. I learned fast that
gluten was present in all the food I was used to eating. Nevertheless, I was
not surprised that all the products made of wheat flour like bread, baked goods,
pasta, pizza and cereals were on my black list, but I never realized that we
can find wheat flour in almost all processed food, in chocolate, sauces,
bouillon cubes, soy or even ice-cream. Therefore, I started losing time at the
grocery store because I had to read meticulously every label behind each and
single wrapping. What a tedious task! Nevertheless, I always stayed positive
thinking about everything I could eat, instead of thinking about what I could
not. In addition, nowadays fortunately, there are substitutes to the basic
foodstuffs. Furthermore, more and more restaurants offer a gluten free menu
that is really pleasant.
The reaction of my relatives was
also a stage. People usually banalize this controversial disease. First denying
the real effects of the disease, they thought if I were tired, I should sleep
more. After their initial skepticism, they showed some interest, especially
when they had to think about what they could cook when I was invited to eat.
Afterwards, they showed a real interest, asking me questions about the
improvements I felt after having started the diet. They asked me advice regarding
what to buy and cook in a healthier way. It finally brought changes in their
lives too because now they pay more intention to what they buy and proceed
occasionally to some of the same restrictions as me.
Coeliac disease is a controversial
disease with serious consequences. It demands a strict diet which gives immediate
results. Satisfied with the result of this radical change in my lifestyle, I
have now less fatigue and more energy. I have realized that eating in an
appropriate way to repair my body is rewarding. Furthermore, as this disease is
increasing worldwide and gluten can become poisonous for some, it is crucial
that people become aware of what they eat and take care of their nutrition. I
hope the food companies will go on to provide more and more gluten free food to
offer more choices to those living with this disease.
I think the worst part of this condition is the price of the gluten free food. On the other hand, your health has not price. Every day will be easier to face this condition. I don't like call it disease
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