The 5 Stages of Grieving Gluten

A week ago, I baked for the first time in nearly a month; I struggled, I went slow, but I did it. It was perfect. I have been gluten-free for about 9 months now and only a week ago did I eat something that didn’t come out of a box marked ” gluten free.” I finally made waffles from scratch, just like before I was gluten-free! :) Any of you out there who have been on the gluten-free road for a while or have just found out that you can’t eat wheat/gluten will completely understand this passage. 

Have you recently been told you should avoid eating gluten? If you’ve been cruising along the highway of life and eating pretty much whatever your taste buds enjoy it may feel like a metaphorical death sentence in terms of losing your ability to eat the things you really enjoy.

Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross has named five stages of grief that people go through after experiencing loss, as follows:
1.    Denial
2.    Anger
3.    Bargaining
4.    Depression
5.    Acceptance

In the early days of going gluten free you may feel as though you’ve experienced a loss as you come to terms with the new, confusing, choices as you begin experimenting with a gluten-free diet. You may feel tempted to minimize your experience of loss. You may be thinking, “why am I feeling sad about this? It’s not like I lost my job or a loved one.” Don’t do this to yourself!  Your world has been turned upside down, dietarily speaking. Grieving is a necessary (and very healthy) component of coming to terms with gluten intolerance or Celiac disease.
If you’ve discovered that you simply can’t eat gluten without experiencing nasty side effects, or have been diagnosed with gluten intolerance or celiac disease (also known as celiac sprue disease), take heart! There is life after gluten. I promise. Minor adjustments, along with a little education and creative experimentation in the kitchen are in order.