I keep hearing of gluten free "cheaters."
People who are "usually" gluten free but sometimes cheat on the "diet."
I do not understand this. Who are these people? People who don't take their diagnosis seriously? People who love to suffer?
Also: living gf is not a "diet." It's a required lifestyle whose adherents would much rather be eating normal food, they just can't.
I understand that some people eat gf as a dietary decision, not a medical one. I get that. In fact, I think it's great when people give gf eating a try - at worst it helps them appreciate how tough it is to find food to eat! At best, they may discover that it helps them feel much, much, much better.
It's the "I-have-Celiac-or-severe-gluten-intolerance-but-sometimes-cheat" that I do not comprehend.
I was at a wedding last year where the couple getting married graciously and wonderfully made sure there was a delicious gluten-free option for me and a handful of others who needed it. I found another gf eater and asked if she was enjoying the food. We started talking and she admitted that she only eats gluten free sometimes.
"I still drink a lot of regular beer," she said.
I was flabbergasted.
I met someone just this week who said his daughter had to go gluten free, but only sometimes. She eats "regular food" when she wants to.
I do not understand...
I can't cheat. It's SO not worth it. If I get even a tiny amount of gluten in me, I'm sick for two or three days. Sick enough that I can't leave the house. I can barely leave the bathroom or the couch. I don't love any glutenous food that much.
For me, cheating with gluten would be like cheating by eating "just a little bit" of rat poison. Nope. Uh-uh. Not gonna do it. I go to ridiculous lengths to make sure I don't get any gluten by accident or cross contamination.
What about you? Are you asymptomatic enough that you can "cheat" now and again? Is it ever tempting to you? Or have you found that cheating is just not worth it?
I'm not GF, but when I had a brief stint at veganism, I considered eating GF because I'd heard that it was a good way to eat carbs without gaining weight. I don't think this is true, but I think it's a common misconception that gluten free breads/pastas are good for weight loss. just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI'm never tempted to cheat even though I don't get severe symptoms like some do when accidentally exposed to gluten. People sometimes think that because I don't have bad symptoms it must mean it's OK for me to cheat. Bah. I've reached the point where I actually prefer eating this way.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the Udi's hamburgers buns are finally in stock at Woodman's here in Madison. Yay! That makes it less tempting to cheat as well. Thanks for making me aware of them.
Food-E: I get that. The difference to me is between eating GF and BEING GF - one is a weight-loss tool or an experiment, the other is a necessity.
ReplyDeleteThere's certainly a place for both, but there is a big difference.
Anita: Awesome! I haven't had the buns yet... I'm going to have to hunt them down. They actually had them up in northern Wisconsin before they had them in any major cities down south! My mom was pretty excited...
ReplyDeleteHi, there! I think it might be the difference between gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivity. If one can tolerate small amounts of gluten, but suffers when they accumulate over time, or generally feels a bit better without gluten- one can easily "cheat" on a gf diet. That is my confession. I don't think that I am gluten intolerant, but gluten is one of many substances that does not help some systemic health issues with which I'm struggling. Because I am restricting so many foods, occasionally, like last night at Bible Study, when Caroline was inexplicably COMPLETELY disinterested in her garlic bread... her gorgeous, cheesy, garlicky bread... I caved... sort of. Picked at it. Until I had the courage to throw it away. I'm not sicker today than yesterday. This minor "cheating" (which was double because dairy is also out at the moment) didn't do me in. That said, I'm recovering from a virus of some sort and don't feel 100% and if I had skipped the bread and cheese, maybe I'd feel a touch better today. I don't know. But... that helps get at why I sometimes "cheat." Does that make sense? It must be frustrating when "cheating" is not an option to see others dipping in and out of your world with apparent ease. Sorry to be one of those (like when I shared your gf pizza and had a slice of the regular... so sorry about that.)
ReplyDeleteIt is NOT cheating! It's sabotage! If you have Celiac Disease, it's unacceptable.
ReplyDeleteI have cheated in the past but each time I cheated I noticed one more side effect or some symptom that I didn't connect until then. The last one was the realization that I am no longer dealing with depression as long as I stay gluten-free.
ReplyDeleteThat one realization has made all the difference.
The days I am wanting to cheat are those rough days where I feel like curling up with a gallon of ice cream - except now instead of wanting ice cream I was a fast-food hamburger and fries. (If you have never dealt with depression, those are different feelings. One is "I have had a horrible day, I want to treat myself" while the other is "I am a horrible person, I don't deserve to be happy").
Anyway, on those horrible days, I still want a burger but I know that if I give in I will have to deal with the depression on top of whatever digestive difficulties I get.
That said, I didn't cheat on a regular basis. It was 2 times in the past year but no more.