Going Gluten Free? 

Are you planning or considering changing your diet to be gluten free?  One of the first questions newly diagnosed MS patients ask is “do I need to follow a special diet?” Gluten free or a diet that requires gluten free is a popular response. I became gluten free and this is what it is like for me.

What is gluten free? Does it mean just avoid wheat? Yes and no, while gluten and wheat greatly overlap, they are two different things to remove from your diet. The Mayo Clinic identifies gluten as “found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye, and a cross between wheat and rye called triticale.”  More information about gluten and gluten free foods from the Mayo Clinic can be found at https://mayocl.in/2POwLBE. There are many online sources that identify gluten and gluten free foods.

What is it like going gluten free? It is torture for me. Many of my favorite foods include gluten items: chicken pot pie; baked ravioli; my mother’s chocolate cake with mocha frosting; my mother’s Boston Cream Pie; cookies; brownies; cream puffs; pies; gravies; and yeast rolls. Yes, these can be made gluten free. However it will take trial and error to match my flavor memories. I have not duplicated my mother’s Boston Cream Pie without adding the gluten free requirement yet! 

Sometimes you will face a gluten included item that you feel you can work with like a quiche, You will think, I will pretend I am saving the crust for last, no problem. So, you eat the eggy portion. The flaky golden buttery crust is then left; tempting you by calling out “eat me, you love me.” Here is the hard part. You will need to remind yourself why you are gluten free. Dogs, and maybe other family members may help you, They will freely offer to save you and eat that offending crust. In their absence you are on your own. Good luck. 

If you can honestly say you prefer the insides and toppings of pastries, the sandwich filler, can ignore the crisp fried coatings, the casserole’s buttery cracker topping, the aroma of hot pizza crust, then going gluten free may not be hard for you. Skipping these foods or adjusting to the gluten free alternatives may even be easy for you. Me? Well it is a long and difficult transition. A change that I am not forcing my whole household to follow. I need them ready to save me from the tempting glutens, right?