My disablity is not your diet plan. November 4, 2009
Posted by CTJen in Acceptance.trackback
Thanks to Zaftig Bianca for pointing out Dr. Mark Hyman’s article posted on HuffPo today. It got me thinking. I went gluten free last spring after testing done by my naturopathic physician indicated high sensitivities to gluten containing grains and beer (which also contains gluten). This means I cannot consume wheat, rye, barley, oats, and spelt in any form, nor can I have any food to which these grains or their derivatives have been added. After going gluten free, I soon learned that neither can I tolerate lactose, so I have also eliminated all dairy products from my diet as well. I have worked hard to avoid gluten and lactose as much as humanly possible over the past few months. This is a lot of work because, as it turns out, foods that come from places other than my home may or may not contain gluten and/or lactose in some form or another. This, coupled with my son’s multiple food allergies, has meant that we are no longer able to eat out. Ever. It has meant that I’ve become that crazy label scrutinizing lady in Trader Joe’s. You know, the one with a degree in food science in one hand and a magnifying glass in the other. It means that I cannot just pop into the drive through whenever I feel a little peckish. It means that I bring food I prepared myself whenever I leave the house for more than an hour. It means that if it’s “company policy” not to allow outside food or drink, then I stay home.
Having food allergies and sensitivities turns out to be a huge deal. It sucks. It sucks huge fucking donkey cock. Yes, I am eating more healthfully that I have eaten for much of my adult life. And yes, I feel so much better than I have felt in a long time.* My mood is, for the most part, better. I have more energy, for the most part. But you know what? I would give anything to be able to think about food like a “normal” person again, to be able just hop in the car and drive over to McDonald’s for a Big Mac and a large fries, or down to the local chip shop (yes, there is an authentic, amazing, chip shop in my town) just once. But I can’t. Because if I do, I will spend the following three weeks in the digestive system equivalent of traction. And let me tell you, that sucks huge fucking donkey cock, too.
I don’t mean for this post to sound whiny or to diminish the experience of people with “real” disabilities,** but to just toss out “Hey fatsos, food allergies causes fatz!!” to the huddled, panicked, quivering OMGTEHFATZWILLKILLUSDEADERTHANDEAD masses is right up there with “Hack of a leg and lose 20 lbs!” as far as weight loss advice goes. Going gluten free represents a massive investment of time, energy (and money, people! You think rice/garbanzo/sorghum flour is cheap?!) and is a huge commitment, never mind having to deal with other food allergies like peanut and soy. It is not something to be undertaken lightly or without some degree of sadness. Having a gluten intolerance (or celiac’s disease or food allergies) isn’t the same as Weight Watchers. You can’t just stop going.
*I had a cluster of moderate to severe symptoms that have either mostly abated or have gone away completely.
**You know, the ones recognized by the ADA, although I would argue that having Celiac’s disease or a Gluten Intolerance or any food allergy would (and should) fall under the provisions of the ADA.
CTJen
Rachel
Oh man, that really does suck huge fucking donkey cocks! If you were in my neck of the woods, though, there would be one place you wouldn’t need to bring your own food: my place. I may not be gluten sensitive, but I’ve cooked for people who are.
My whole family has a giant list of food allergies and sensitivities – I really do feel your pain. It does suck. I was just thinking today about how alienating it is to go to a party and not be able to eat any food I didn’t bring without thoroughly quizzing the person who made the food. Eating is just such a basic human need and so very social in nature. It tends to put people off that I don’t eat the food they made, but it is just not worth the cost to my body.
OTOH, boy does sticking so strictly to my new diet totally blow out of my head any idea that I just don’t have the discipline required for a weight reducing diet – it is to laugh.
BTW, if you see another woman at Trader Joe’s reading labels and cross referencing food products to a book, say “Hi” – it might be me :-)
Oh honey, that sounds so not fun. I have been seeing a lot more gluten free products in the stores lately; hopefully that’s making your life a little bit easier.
Food limitations do suck huge cock, especially since food is such a big party of our social outlets. I just had my gall bladder removed and have found that certain foods cause me terrible pain. It’s a huge adjustment to the way I think about food and eating. Thanks for the post. I was starting to feel a little depressed about it, but it’s good to know that I’m not the only one who can’t eat whatever she wants anymore.
HEY! I posted that article first!
Okay, Bianca, this means war. You’re stealing my work and getting all the credit. You best watch your back!
Peace,
Shannon
Really? When? I admit to ADHD causing me to gloss over many of your more TEAL posts, so I could have missed that entirely. Sorry! ;-)
(I poked around on your blog but couldn’t find it. Send me the link to the post you did and I’ll give you your due credit…)
http://knittinginterrupted.com/
Ah ha! I caught you in my trap!
It was this post, which is clearly not TEAL.
I demand that you stop linking to Zaftig Chicks and/or referring to them at all. Clearly all their work simply dressed up plagiarism of my journalistic endeavors. I call for a boycott of ZC! I won’t buy any more ZC sweatshirts, mugs, pens, stickers, golf balls, pin cushions, Land Rovers, calendars, ceiling fans, toasters, TV dinners or tampons ANY MORE. And I expect you to do the same.
That’s the last dime they get from me!
Peace,
Shannon
*snicker*
http://knittinginterrupted.com/
, she lost 35 pounds in a few months – and all her other symptoms went away too.
Ohhh, the magical thinking!! The logic fail – -it burns! That “doctor’s” whole article reads about as well as those stupid pitch articles for acai juice or whatthefuckever is going to save us now.
And you know, it frustrates me to see some jackass medical doctor with a flippant attitude talk about food allergies in such an ignorant way. For someone who has Celiacs disease (an autoimmune form of Gluten Intolerance) they may be more concerned with not DYING from gluten poisoning than they are with how much weight they can lose going GF. It’s so frustrating because food allergies are a real issue and often go hand in hand with other serious medical issues. (For example, people with Hypothyroidism often develop wheat allergies).
I don’t know about anyone else though, I’m not a mouse. So I’m a bit skeptical as to how much their studies on “fat mice” and “Skinny mice” really apply to me, a human being.
CtJen – thank you for sharing your thoughts about being GF. It is a difficult diagnosis and one that never goes away (even with MAGICAL gut balancing microbes! /sarcasm) I look forward to your post on GF Haes living.
I have 2 kids with major food sensitivities also. Not gluten, but eggs, dairy, poultry, and corn. Talk about making planning meals hard!
I have heard from a number of sources (who didn’t give research citations) that women with PCOS often have problems with gluten. You may or may not have PCOS, but I thought that was interesting.
I have not heard before of a hypothyroidism/wheat problem, but since women with PCOS often have hypothyroidism, that would be really interesting if it’s true. Carolyn, if you have a research citation for wheat/hypothyroidism issues, I’d love to have that.
I know that spelt is not truly gluten-free, but some people with gluten issues can tolerate it and it’s apparently much easier to cook with than many other substitutes. OTOH, some people cannot tolerate spelt either since it’s not truly wheat-free/gluten-free. Just wanted to see if you’ve experimented with it. I know we have friends whose child has big gluten issues, but is able to tolerate spelt quite well and it’s made their lives a lot easier. However, others cannot tolerate spelt at all, so it’s a YMMV thing.
I really think food allergies and sensitivities need to be taken much more seriously by the medical establishment, but the idea that this will magically make pounds melt away is ridiculous. It may have that effect sometimes, but not usually. It’s more about improving the quality of your life.
I have a dear friend with severe PCOS and once she eliminated gluten from her diet and got more vitamin D, she felt MUCH better. However, she certainly did not magically become skinny. I don’t think it had ANY effect on her weight.
Once again the medical establishment indulges in simplistic thinking about “obesity.” Quelle surprise.
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/hypothyroidism-000093.htm (this is the first place I came across that mentioned hypothyroidism treatment including the removal of food allergies)
http://www.womentowomen.com/hypothyroidism/goitrogenicfoods-thyroidhealth.aspx (this list talks about gluten as a goitergen)
I do have PCOS and have been struggling to get good advice to deal with all 3 issues (PCOS, Hypothyroidism & wheat sensitivity) Doctors in my area like to pull out the old “lose weight and it will cure your PCOS” trope. I’m glad to see your post, my doctor keeps telling me I’m not sensitive to wheat/gluten (despite the obvious body connection I feel when I eat it) she says that my symptoms are all connected to the hypothyroidism.